In the week that the Masters gets underway across the hallowed turfs of the Augusta National in Georgia USA, here are 16 facts you may or may not know about this iconic event in the golfing calendar.   The Masters was first staged on March 22nd 1934 and organised by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. For its first five stagings, it was known as the Augusta National Invitational. The so-called ‘Founders Circle’ is sited at the base of the flagpole in front of the clubhouse, where two plaques commemorate the two founders.   From 1940 until the present day, the Masters has been staged during the first full week in April. The only exception being in 2020 when, due to the pandemic, it was held over until November and contested without patrons being in attendance.   Jack Nicklaus holds the most Masters titles – 6 - becoming the oldest winner in 1986, aged 46 years, 2 months and 23 days. Tiger Woods, with 5 wins was the youngest winner in 1997, at 21 years, 3 months and 14 days.   The Green Jacket was first awarded to the 1949 winner, Sam Snead. However, the tradition of members wearing green jackets began in 1937. The idea was that patrons attending the Masters could easily identify members, who could provide them with accurate information. The use of the term “patron”, as opposed to spectator, was meant to differentiate between those attending the Masters, rather than other sporting events. Co-founder Clifford Roberts wanted to recognise those attending as consumers rather than fans. Today, the daily attendance of patrons is around 40,000.   Amen Corner, or part of the course comprising the second half of holes 11 and 12 and the first half of hole 13, was named as such in 1958 by the Sports Illustrated writer, Herbert Warren Wind. It was where the critical action of that year’s tournament took place. The name was borrowed from an old jazz recording called “Shouting at Amen Corner.” The iconic name has stuck to this day.   Magnolia Lane extends from the entrance gate to the clubhouse. It is lined by 61 large magnolia trees, dating back to the 1850s, which “guard” both sides of the 330 yards long road.  Pine trees are the most abundant species across the whole property. The club is open from mid-October to late May.   At the traditional Masters dinner, held for former Champions on the Tuesday prior to the tournament start, the menu is decided by the previous year’s winner. 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler’s menu, comprises the following: Appetiser: Cheeseburger Sliders (served Scottie style)/ Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Thai Chilli and Siracha Mayo. Starter: Tortilla Soup – Avocado, Crispy Blue Tortilla Strips, Sour Cream, Cilantro, Lime. Main: Texas Ribeye Steak or Blackened Redfish served with Family Style Mac and Cheese, Jalapeno Creamed Corn, Fried Brussels Sprouts, Seasoned Fries. Dessert: Warm Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie with Milk and Cookies Ice Cream.   Rae's Creek, running in front of the 12th green, with a tributary at the 13th tee and passing by the back of the 11th green, is named after landowner owner John Rae. He emigrated to the area from Ballynahinch in Ireland around 1730 and lived just south of the creek’s confluence with the Savannah River. His property, Rae’s Hall, was credited with keeping local residents safe during Indian attacks.   Augusta National has three dedicated bridges: the Sarazen Bridge at hole No. 15, honouring Gene Sarazen's double eagle there during the 1935 Masters; the Hogan Bridge at the No. 12 green, in recognition of Ben Hogan's then record score of 274 in 1953; and the Nelson Bridge at the No. 13 tee, in memory of Byron Nelson's outstanding play at the 12th and 13th holes when winning the 1937 Masters.   You cannot apply for membership of Augusta National Golf Club – you can only be invited. Only two pro golfers are current members: Jack Nicklaus and former amateur stalwart John Harris(who recently retired from the PGA Tour Champions). Four times Masters winner Arnold Palmer, who died in 2016, was also a club member. The first African-American member was admitted in 1990.   Avid golfer Dwight (Ike) Eisenhower is the only U.S. president to have been a club member. Ike's Pond occupies 3 acres near hole No. 9 on the nine-hole par-3 course, which hosts the traditional Par 3 Contest on the Wednesday of Masters week. The pond, manmade, has a dam and is fed by a spring.   The Crow's Nest, a 30 by 40-foot room on the top floor of the clubhouse, provides housing for amateurs during the Masters Tournament. It has accommodation for up to five players. No amateur has ever won the Masters.   Each hole is named after a plant or shrub. As an example, No. 3 is called "Flowering Crab Apple."   A Jack Nicklaus plaque is fixed to a drinking fountain between holes 16 and 17, whilst an Arnold Palmer plaque adorns a drinking fountain behind the 16th   The overall purse for the 2023 Masters is £12.1million ($15m). The winner will earn around £2.2m ($2.7m), with the runner-up taking home £1.3m ($1.6m). The first Masters in 1934 paid out$1,500to Horton Smith. This was the same prize money for every winner up until 1943-45, when three Masters in a row were cancelled due to World War II. On its resumption in 1946, the Masters winner that year, Herman Keiser, won $2,500. Whether you are attending the event this year as a patron, or watching on TV, have a great Masters!

If you are fortunate enough to have used a golf simulator Golf Simulator Enclosures - Golf Bays home practice golf bays – GolfBays, you’ll appreciate how incredible the technology can be. The graphics and data that’s available with today’s launch monitors are amazing – to say the least. Why would you ever need to step out onto a real-life golf course, you might well argue?  Nevertheless, however life-like you make things, the stark fact is that a golf simulator is exactly that – simulation. It might be better, it might be worse, but it is never going to replicate the experience of playing golf outdoors on a golf course proper.   So, what is the difference between the two formats? After all, whether you’re standing in a home golf studio or out on the grassy expanse of a fairway, you’re still hitting an actual golf ball with real clubs, over the same perceived distance. 1. Feel Perhaps the biggest difference between using a golf simulator Must Have Golf Simulator Accessories – GolfBays and playing real golf is the ‘feel’ you get.  As a beginner, it might be hard to appreciate exactly what this means but, if you have been playing the game for any length of time, you’ll understand. Feel can’t really be taught, it can only be acquired or appreciated by playing shots over a prolonged period.   The more often you stand over the ball, looking towards where you are aiming, assessing the lie of the course, the contours, what the wind is doing, you develop an instinctive feel for how you are going to take on that particular shot and how you are going to swing the club. It’s not as easy to create that feel for the shot when you are playing in a golf studio Custom Simulator Setups – GolfBays, hitting from a flat mat towards a screen Golf Enclosure Impact Screens by GolfBays - Golf Practice Screens. Technology can definitely come to your aid, however. The quality of your simulation equipment will go a long way to helping you replicate the feel for the shot. Indeed, many of our home golf clients report how authentic the indoor golf experience really is.     2. Lie Unless you live in the United States, in places like Florida, where golf courses are renowned for their flatness, real life golf courses are rarely flat – in fact they are forever undulating and are often extremely hilly.   With a golf simulator, you’ll always be hitting your shots off a pan flat lie. Nevertheless, most simulators do enable you to make allowances for playing out of the rough, normally a calculated percentage for how much distance should be knocked off your shot. Another option when using a golf simulator, is to invest in a mat with different grass lengths Golf Practice Hitting Mats - GolfBays Golf Training Aids. This is a good way to bring an extra challenge or more authenticity to your shot.  3. Chipping and Putting Chipping and putting can be difficult on a golf simulator. This is where other specific training aids may be handy. Having said that, launch monitors Golf Simulator Launch Monitors - GolfBays Golf Training Aids do come in for unfair criticism when it comes to the short game. Whilst they can have a harder time picking up lower speed shots, this isn’t because the simulator provides inaccurate readings, it’s more the case that for you, the player, it can be tricky to get a feel for how hard you need to strike the ball, when you are focussing on virtual depth perception. It can be akin to reading a putt when daylight has all but disappeared towards the end of your round. From experience, what we can say with confidence, is that judging distances when you are chipping and putting on a golf simulator is something that you should be able to master in a relatively short period of time. 4. The Weather Come rain, shine or blustery winds, if you are using a golf simulator indoors Custom Simulator Setups – GolfBays, you don’t get to experience any of these weather vagaries.   Whenever you play outdoors, more often than not you will definitely have to contend with variable wind speeds and changes in wind direction. Certainly, it will be of sufficient strength to have an effect on the ball’s flight and distance. Although you can adjust most simulators to take account of the meteorological conditions, you won’t get that feel of wind, rain or the chill factor when playing in a home golf studio Home Practice Golf Sets - GolfBays golf game improvement tools.   5. Bunkers For anyone who hates playing out of sand, you can avoid bunkers altogether when you are playing virtual golf. If your ball finishes up in a bunker on the course you are playing on the screen, unless you dump a pile of sand onto the mat in front of you, in a simulated environment, you’ll be playing a normal chip shot to hit back onto the green or fairway.  Where Golf Simulators have a big advantage 1.                Choosing when you play Playing golf can be a time-consuming business, if you are playing for real. It can take hours out of your day, which is fine if you are retired and have time on your hands but, for many people, spare time and golf don’t always work well together. If you lead a hectic life, but still want to be able to enjoy our great game, this is where golf simulators offer a tremendous advantage How much is a Golf Simulator? – GolfBays. You get to play around your diary. No queueing, no waiting around on congested par 3s with three other groups, no need to settle for tee times that aren’t ideal. Play on your own and it’s quite possible to play a full round, on one of the world’s most iconic courses, in around one hour. You won’t even lose any golf balls in the process! And if you are a fair weather golfer, with a golf simulator, you can prevent your game going rusty during the winter months. Watch the rain pouring down outside, whilst you tackle Augusta inside.    2.                 Shot Data We’ve mentioned this subject in previous blogs, but it’s important to remember. If you play golf out on the course, other than guesswork and a sympathetic word from a playing partner, you have no access to any data which will tell you why you’ve just hit consecutive shots into the water. With a golf simulator, you have the perfect opportunity to fine tune your game because you can analyse every shot, every swing, every wayward drive Collections – GolfBays - with instantly available info. There is no better way to make fast improvements to your game. In Conclusion It’s said that playing on a simulator makes the game of golf easier, compared to playing for real. True, you don’t experience the weather conditions, the bunkers, the slopes and the various cuts of rough Artificial Grass - GolfBays Practice Astro Turf & Putting Mats. This makes simulator golf a little more straightforward. Chipping and putting can be trickier indoors, however – certainly until you get “the feel” for it.  Overall, then, your scoring should end up being pretty comparable between simulator golf and real golf.   BUT, when it comes to convenience and making improvements to your game in a fun and relaxed environment, a simulator gets the green jacket every time. And today, with so many golf simulator packages available Simulator Room Bundles – GolfBays, there has never been a more cost effective and opportunistic way to enjoy playing the wonderful game of golf. If you would like further information about the best type of golf simulators for your requirements, call Golf Bays UK on 0800 288 8805 or contact us by email: sales@golfbays.co.uk      

What’s the Best Food and Drink to take out on the Golf Course?    Nutrition is an essential part of our everyday lives. And when it comes to playing golf, the food we put into our bodies – before and during a round - can have a big impact on how well we perform out on the course. There’s a strong connection between eating well and scoring well.  Obviously, you don’t want to arrive on the first tee having gorged yourself on a six-course banquet. Equally, you don’t want to be weak-kneed and suffering hunger pangs by the time you reach the 12th , when there’s still a third of your round to go before sustenance arrives in the clubhouse. Every time you set out on an 18-hole adventure Travel Accessories – GolfBays, which is likely to last for four or more hours and involve four to five miles of walking (carts can alleviate some of the strain), the food and drink you put into your bag How many clubs are you allowed in your golf bag? – GolfBays will be just as important as any of the clubs. Golf uses up plenty of calories You might be surprised to learn that you can burn around 2000 calories during some rounds of golf – that’s only 500 calories short of the daily consumption recommendation for men. This is why you get hungry during a game. And if you’ve had a lack of calorie intake ahead of your round, this could easily lead to physical and mental fatigue catching up with you on the course. Whether you play competitively or not, this ‘fuel starvation’ could make all the difference between winning and losing.  Recommended food to eat before you play golf   Don’t play golf on an empty stomach. It’s best to have had a decent protein-rich meal beforehand, to provide you with a sufficient level of nourishment to give you a head start. If you have a very early tee time, like around 7am, it might not be practical to have eaten a huge amount before you play. If possible, however, at least have bowl of cereal or an egg on toast before the off.       What type of food should you carry in your golf bag? Preferably, eat food that is convenient to snack on, that you can munch on the move, which will maintain and stabilise your energy levels – but preferably not chocolate. What you should be focussing on is food that isn’t full of carbohydrates. Carbs tend to produce peaks and troughs of energy, rather than a steady level and this isn’t what you require to play your best golf Breaking 90 - it can be tough to do. And plenty don’t. – GolfBays.   Protein bars are excellent as they contain a balance of protein and, to a lesser extent, sugars. As for drinks, whilst many players carry energy, sugar filled varieties, by far the best thing for hydration, get-up-and-go and clarity of thought is to drink water. So have plenty of it at the ready – a litre’s worth, if possible – especially if the weather is warm.  The best time to eat during a round of golf You don’t need to fill your face but certainly spread eating throughout the round Top 15 London Golf Courses – GolfBays. It needn’t be between every hole, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have something half-way round the front nine holes, then a further snack around the turn and follow up with a final intake of nourishment after about the 15th or 16th holes.   After half a dozen holes, we might suggest the protein/cereal bar. These do contain some carbohydrates but nothing that’s over the top. Fruit and nuts offer a decent balance of slowly digesting fibre and fat. This will ensure you maintain consistent sprightliness and ward off feelings of hunger. This will avoid those harmful blood sugar spikes, which can leave you feeling “space-out”. Around the midpoint of the round, have something like a chicken or tuna sandwich at the ready, ideally on brown or wholemeal. If there is a food cart, as tempting as it may be, avoid bacon sarnies on white bread. It might taste delicious at the time, but within 30 minutes you could find yourself getting that pesky sugar crash (white bread is full of carbs) and salty bacon is extremely dehydrating. On the home stretch, if you find that you need to eat something for that final boost of energy, go for a banana.   Stay-at-home golf - food for thought? Of course, if you are playing at home with a simulator in your own golf studio Simulator Enclosures – GolfBays, anytime you feel peckish, you can just slip out to the fridge and make a sandwich. Just one of the reasons why indoor golf is so popular. GolfBays Indoor Centre   Out on the wide-open expanse of a golf course proper, however, you don’t have the luxury of sneaking out to the kitchen. So, you need to go equipped and to be disciplined about what you eat or drink. Don’t just put a small bottle of water in the bag and leave it at that – hoping to get by on zero food until you get back to the clubhouse. You’d be putting yourself at a huge disadvantage if you allowed this to happen. The old saying, “we are what we eat” is one of the wisest sayings known to man. Whilst we aren’t suggesting that sensible nutrition alone will turn you into a top pro, by being smart about what you eat and drink out on the golf course Top 10 Manchester Golf Courses – GolfBays, will certainly play a big part in creating an enjoyable round – and, maybe, a really impressive score.    

Have you ever experienced anxiety on the course? Do you put yourself under pressure and then fluff your next shot? Does it sometimes get to the point where you are boiling over with anger at your game – and feel like hurling your clubs into the nearest bush?

Although there are no confirmed figures to say exactly how many golfers regularly achieve this mark, it’s believed to be around 25% who manage it. Even then, it’s unclear as to how many of these do so on a regular basis.  What is clear is that a large majority of players aren’t getting round the course in 90 shots or less.    

Looking for some inspirational last-minute gift ideas this Christmas? Leave it to us – let GolfBays UK be your very own Santa Claus!!   Whatever your budget, we can arrange for Father Christmas to deliver the very best in golfing equipment and accessories - ranging from superb showstopping presents to simple stocking fillers.   To get you in the mood, here’s a snapshot of what we can provide. 

If you like golf trivia, here are a dozen snippets of information that you can regale to your fellow players when you next get together out on the course, at the 19th hole, or in your home golf studio.

For anyone just starting out with golf, a golf simulator can be a really useful tool. Using one will help novice golfers get to grip with the basics across all aspects of the game. Very few people start with a perfect swing (in fact, does anyone ever achieve the perfect swing!) but a golf simulator will help get you in the right groove and help overcome any glaring errors or faults – but in an entertaining way.  

Clients of Golf Bays UK come from far and wide – from across the UK, Europe, the United States, Japan, the Middle East – in fact, anywhere golf is played, we have customers!   So, if you are in the London area and fancy a round at one of the capital’s top golf locations, here’s a list of some of the best courses and golf venues in the London catchment area.