The 149th running of the Open Championship starts on the 11th July at Royal St. Georges in Sandwich, Kent. The leading Irish golfers have been returning to form and have had some good showings so far in 2021. We take a closer look at Shane Lowrys credentials.

There is no doubt that 2020 has been a year like no other in recent history. We have seen challenges like never before, yet we have managed to overcome some of them thanks to technology and the Internet.

The recent lockdown had been very difficult for all of us. We are all clinging to the hope that some restrictions may be lifted or eased a little on the 5th May, particularly those of us from the golfing community. Golf was one of the last activities to stop when the full scale lockdown came into place and by logic we are hoping it will be one of the first activities to be lifted.

As golf was part of the Olympics this year the golfing schedule was amended resulting in the Ryder Cup being played slightly later in the year and the British Open and USPGA being played within two weeks of each other in July.

The build up to the first major of the year is at a fever pitch and it’s the majors that mean the most to the players. Ultimately at the end of a player’s career they are judged by how many major wins they accumulated. To this day there are many column inches dedicated to whether Tiger will overhaul Jack’s haul of 18.

With the 2015 Masters almost upon us we thought we would take a different look at Golf’s first major. The Masters is famous the world over for its pristine fairways and greens as well as the perfect azaleas. However the richness of the Masters is in its many unique traditions, long may they continue.

As another draws to a close we thought we would have our own golfing “Reeling in the Years” for the year that was 2014.

Recently while browsing through the news on the BBC website I saw an article that caught my eye on archived Radio Times listings online. Straight away with some curiosity I went to see what was on the TV on the day that I was born.

Every year, as each major golf tournament comes and goes, the discussion inevitably turns to the question of whether or not Tiger Woods will ever catch, or even surpass, Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major tournament championships. There are certainly many valid points on either side of this argument. Here are a few facts to consider.

While the 1-iron has long been thought of as one of the hardest golf clubs in the bag to hit, today it is more aptly described as the hardest club to find in anyone's bag. Even though the 1-iron is the longest iron available, its small surface area makes it a very difficult club to strike cleanly. That, combined with the evolution of golf equipment, has rendered the 1-iron virtually obsolete.