‘Tis the season to apply for Opens, and I love Opens. What’s not to love? You get fed before, during and after your round and with a bit of luck, you might even win a prize. I also love maps. And cheese. So I was wondering whether I should try and combine everything into one lovely thing. I can’t really work out the cheese bit, but what about a map of Ladies’ Opens in the area? Wouldn’t that be useful? Of course, there are excellent resources like Golf Empire that give comprehensive listings to help you decide which competitions you should pick. However, wouldn’t it be handy to have a visual representation of all the competitions within a reasonable distance of where you live? Nobody wants to drive for hours to get there or those lovely pastries might go a bit stale.
This season, I’ve applied for Opens at Piltdown, Crowborough Beacon, Hindhead, Pyecombe, Betchworth Park, Rowlands Castle and Castle Royle. I’ve played quite a few others over the last three years and Crowborough Beacon and Piltdown are my favourites so far. They combine the three essentials: great course, great food, great prizes (a warm welcome is a given at these events). If you’ve never played in one, I highly recommend trying them. For a bit more than the price of a round, you spend a day playing golf in a friendly and competitive atmosphere and you get to sample some delicious treats. Those lady golfers can bake! Don’t hang about though, as they fill up quickly.
How to use the ladies’ golf Opens map
Click on the close/open window icon on the top left corner to select what types of competitions you want to view: individual, pairs, teams of 3 or teams of 4. Click on the flag icons to view more information on the competitions, then on to each club website or Golf Empire to download the entry form.