One of the great joys of golf is the endless variety of games and formats it allows. Indeed, what’s a game of golf without some healthy competition and endless arguments over who gets to buy the drinks at the end? For two golfers, my favourite is match play, but when there are three of you, I like the following formats: On the perch The aim of the game is mainly to pretend you understand...

At Brighton & Hove, we have this really nice competition called the Burt Brill foursomes. Players are put in two groups, higher and lower handicappers, and pairs are drawn together so that a higher handicapper plays with a lower handicapper. And off they go, playing alternate shots to get around the course as efficiently as possible. I expect most clubs have a similar competition. It’s...

Yesterday Lexi Thompson was denied victory in a Major following a four stroke penalty for making an incorrect ball placement on the green. The video clearly shows that she did place it in the wrong spot and so it was right that she was penalised. However, it should have been done on the spot, not a day later. This made me think about recent breaches of rules in my amateur golf world. On Friday,...