Golf in London

Choosing a golf magazine is a matter of personal taste. Many (perhaps as many as 80% of all golfers) will find none to their taste and not bother at all. Others will find their urge to consume unsatisfied with just one mag, and yet another might subscribe to the same magazine for years without so much as sniffing the others. 

This article is for those interested to find out more about golf magazines, probably with a view to subscribe or buy a subscription as a gift.

Because the world of golf magazines is not for idle dabblers. It’s hard core. For golfers not content with just playing golf, for those whose itch must be scratched at all times. When they’re on the lav, sitting on the train, or reclining in their favourite armchair.

They’re for golfers who are convinced that tips and a bag full of shiny new clubs are all that’s standing between them and Open glory. They are the for men who stand proudly reading magazines in WH Smith, men who eat bacon butties, men who are so confident in their absolute lack of cool they can slap their monthly on the counter, look the shop assistant in the eye and proclaim,

‘Yeah, that’s right baby, I’m a golfer, now chop chop and throw in that king size Toblerone while you’re at it.’

I am one of those golfers. But I hasten to add, as this is already deteriorating into Coke Zero ad territory, I’ve never called a shop assistant baby or insisted that they ‘chop chop’. I’m more the type to wrap my golf magazine in a newspaper and pay with right change so I can make quick my escape.

So what are they for? These monthly magazines tucked in next to the motorbiking and angling sections.

Surely if you want instruction you go to your nearest PGA professional or you buy a book or DVD? If you want to find out about courses, you look online or buy a directory don’t you? If you want news you want it now, not next month, so you  look online or read the sport pages of the national newspapers. Just what is the point? What can magazines do that other mediums can’t do better?

Instruction in magazines tends to keep re-hashing the same stuff over and over again. It also has a kind of scattergun approach to fault fixing and the explanations are so bite-sized they probably do more harm than good. However, magazines are good at presenting a frame-by-frame analysis of a golf swing, which must be a good aid to tuition or studying a famous golfer’s swing. The quality of photography is also usually better than through a film camera.

They offer a reliable, known, and hopefully independent source of reviews of equipment and courses, which is more difficult to trust online. Magazines are especially good at this when they make their methods known. Some will use robot testing of clubs. Others will use a panel of industry and club golfers to review courses.

More than this, magazines offer a place to find more in depth articles and trusted opinion pieces. You don’t want to be straining your eyes and your attention span reading long pieces on the internet. They can hire regular columnists from among the best writers, and guest editors and writers from among the ranks of professional golfers.

They seem to be  particularly suited to profiles of and interviews with professional golfers and other figures from the golfing world. Both by having the credibility to secure an interview in the first place or the resources to commission a detailed and researched profile from an established writer.

The layout and design of a magazine ought to be far superior to their online counterparts, who are restricted in their flexibility to layout each page according to its content. Print pages are also less distracting to read than their online counterparts. There’s no flashing or animated banner ads and there’s no pop-up windows trying to grab your attention.

Professional and especially commissioned photography should also be a strong point of magazines, using effects to show swing analysis, portraits of famous golfers, and enticing landscapes of beautiful courses. Admittedly they lack the ability of You Tube to show accessible moving images, but the quality ought to be far superior.

Being monthly for the most part, they are less suited to tour event roundups and predictions, but are a good place to look for previews and reviews of the major tournaments.

Arriving through your letterbox without you lifting a finger has a lot to be said for it too.

I imagine many buy them on impulse, when they’re prevented from playing because of the weather, when they want to find out more about buying golf clubs, or when they see a golfer they admire featured on the cover.

So here they are, summaries of Golf Punk, Today’s Golfer, Golf Monthly, Golf World, and Golf International (all purchased in February 2008). They have been chosen because they were all that was available at the time. I think there are more, and certainly many more published around the world (some US editions may be available by subscription to the UK or from some larger agents). There was a mag called Bogey magazine, but I can’t find a copy. I’m guessing it folded some years ago. Play Better Golf Magazine appeared for a while, published by Descartes Publishing in Peterborough, but appears to have stopped since summer 2007.

After the summaries you can find an analysis of each magazine’s content and a rating for each one. For me, the overall rating doesn’t mean much. As I said before, which one you buy is a matter of personal taste, but at least here you can see which magazine is stronger in which area of content.

SUMMARIES

Golf Punk

Golf Punk magazine is now published by JF Media Ltd (www.golfpunkonline.com). It was launched by Tim Southwell, a former editor of Loaded Magazine in 2003. the A single issue costs £3.75 and a year’s subscription is £34.95.

This makes Golf Punk by far the best value of all golf magazines reviewed. In terms of price per issue, editorial over advertisements, and dimensions, it’s head and shoulders above the rest. It’s particularly strong in page design, photography of golf equipment, and fashion.

I’m not sure about the strapline ‘The golf mag for everyone’ though. Seems to me Golf Punk is aimed at 16-30 year old men, who don’t want to be seen buying geeky golf magazines. The ‘Bunker Babes’ are more Esquire than Nuts and if scantily clad beautiful women with golf clubs are your bag, you’ll love ‘em.

Other strong points are its travel section ‘Planet Golf’, which has more detail than other mags on non-golf aspects of travel and its ‘Legends’ section, which is arguably the best thing about Golf Punk, in my view.

The equipment section looks good, certainly more effort has been made by Golf Punk than any other magazine to make golf clubs look desirable. But it doesn’t attempt any serious review or testing, so ends up just looking like advertorial.

Its busy ‘lads mag’ looks won’t be to everyone tastes and it’s unlikely to appeal to older readers who might want more opinion pieces and in depth features.

Today’s Golfer

Today’s Golfer is published by EMAP (www.todaysgolfer.co.uk). A single issue £3.90 and a full year’s subscription is £50.70. EMAP was the second biggest magazine publisher until it was broken up in 2007. EMAP Active is it’s biggest magazine division and publishes Today’s Golfer and Golf World.

The higher subscription is in part due to the number of issues in a year. It’s strengths are equipment reviews, course reviews, and instruction.

The reviews by staff and readers of golf courses in the UK set it apart from other magazines and its regular section where readers go ‘undercover’ and give an account of their day at a golf club is always worth a look.

The instruction section benefits from good clear photography and text by pro golfers, but not tour golfers. So for the most part, these articles are not encouraging you to emulate a famous golfer’s swing who happens to have won recently, but concentrates on common faults.

The equipment section has a regular and comprehensive listing of the top-selling clubs and a mixture of reviews and news. It’s looks aren’t bad. Utilitarian rather than cutting edge. Not in the same league as Golf Punk, but clear and easy to read. I think it’s less of an all-rounder than other mags, playing to its strengths rather than attempting to provide a magazine for everyone’s interests. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that the publisher has two golf magazines (see Golf World).

Golf Monthly

Golf Monthly is the biggest and most sober looking mag. More often than not, the cover has a full-length shot of a guy driving off the tee. That they’ve chosen inoffensive, average, affable, good guy David Howell to guest edit speaks volumes. They are the thick brown courdroys to Golf Punk’s Japanese denim.

I’m guessing that this is what golfers want though. From the amount of advertising Golf Monthly are able to sell, golfers must be turning their pages in significant numbers, somewhere in the region of 70,000 I understand. They may not be the leader, but there’s something comforting about sitting down with Golf Monthly and a brew.

Although I’m often disturbed by Golf Monthly’s instruction pieces. No doubt the photographs get the message across of the right move and the wrong move, but there’s something po-faced and ugly about the photography.

 

It’s strengths are its size and all-round coverage. The pages given to regular columnists are a strong point and will be appreciated by many readers. The sections on travel and rating of courses by panellists are also excellent.

It’s probably the most impressive all-round magazine available, but lacks flair and design. It’s also badly let down by its photography and weight of advertisements. If it had an ounce of Bogey magazine’s visual flair it might catch up with Today’s Golfer yet. 

Golf World

Golf World is published by EMAP. It doesn’t seem to have a dedicated website any more (was www.golfworldmagazine.co.uk) in the same way as its stablemate Today’s Golfer has, but there are some web pages (perhaps a reflection on TG’s much higher circulation figures).  A single issue is £3.90  and a year’s subscription is £45.00.

Golf World have a lot to thank Ian Poulter for. They should give him a retainer and get him a regular column. He’s great value and is not afraid to speak his mind. The world’s golf media, ever eager with sarcasm and admonishment, was shocked recently that any golfer dare compare themselves with Tiger. Poor Poulter has been brought to account over his claim that ‘[when I play to my full potential]…it will just be me and Tiger’. Isn’t that outrageous? A professional golfer with the gall to think they’re the best? I hope he wins next time out.

Golf World has a strong set of contributors. Nick Faldo is their ‘Playing Editor’ who has a column. Laurence Donegan (author and The Guardian’s golf corrrespondent) also has a column.

But it’s main strength is profiles of and interviews with famous golfers, in which area the magazine is without peer. In one edition there are pieces on Ian Poulter, Tiger Woods, Rory Sabbatini, Gary Wolstenholme, Geoff Ogilvy, and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Golf World is concerned with personalities, not clubs, courses and instruction. It also has by far the best cover design of all mags reviewed here. They are also the only magazine editors to get a pro golfer to pose naked on the cover. At least I think so. Come on Monty…get your kecks off, you know you want to! No moobs no Ryder Cup place this year.

Golf International

Golf International is published by Golf International Services Ltd. A single issue is £3.95 and a year’s subscription is £40.00. Golf International came out top in my marks below, because it scores well in the most different areas that magazines cover.

It doesn’t look like controversy and headline grabbing will ever be in Golf International’s remit. It has the look of an American magazine to me, and one with a conservative attitude. I would guess that there’s more reading matter in Golf International than any other magazine reviewed here. An impression reinforced by the fact it’s not only the only magazine to carry a book review, but that the review is given two full pages.

I liked the amateur section, something not covered in any other mag, sponsored by American Golf in the edition reviewed here.

The instruction photography is good, with a frame-by-frame analysis of Ernie Els’ swing and a clever time-lapse type shot showing the position of the arms at different stages in the swing.

The travel section photography stands head and shoulders above all others reviewed here. It’s golf for grown ups, but perhaps more a coffee-table mag than the others. Could use a poke in the ribs and some more interesting text design.

MARKS/COMPARISON

Marks out of 5 are given for each criteria (5 being the best), and these are added up to give a total mark out of 60. The best in each category is marked by italic text. The issues compared were all purchased in February 2008.

As for circulation figures, The Guardian reported in February 2007 that Today’s Golfer is the leading magazine, with Golf Monthly the next closest competitor, followed by Golf World and Golf Punk. It did not mention Golf International. Golf Punk seems to have recovered from financial difficulties in 2006 and a change of ownership seems to improving circulutation in 2007.

Overall mark

Golf International 39 / 60
Golf Monthly 38 / 60
Golf Punk 38 /60
Golf World 33 / 60
Today’s Golfer 32 / 60

Price (single issue 2008)

5. £3.70 Golf Monthly
4. £3.75 Golf Punk
3. £3.90 Golf World
3. £3.90 Today’s Golfer
1. £3.95 Golf International

Subscription (full price) (United Kingdom)

5. £34.95 Golf Punk JF Media Ltd (11 issues)
4. £40.00 Golf International (10 issues) (Golf International (Services) Ltd)
3. £45.00 Golf World (EMAP) (12 issues from www.greatmagazines.co.uk)
2. £44.40 Golf Monthly (IPC Media) (12 issues)
1. £50.70 Today’s Golfer (EMAP) (13 issues from www.greatmagazines.co.uk - link from Today’s Golfer website)

nb. There are always subscription deals and discounts. ‘Free’ golf balls seem to be a favourite.

Length (pages)

5. 162pp Golf Monthly
4. 154pp Today’s Golfer
3. 146pp Golf International
3. 146pp Golf World
1. 130pp Golf Punk

There are often supplements and even free books or DVDs packaged with these magazines to give them the edge over their competitors in any given month.

Columns (opinion pieces) (pages)

5. 15pp Golf International
4. 8pp Golf Monthly
3. 3pp Golf World
2. 2pp Golf Punk
1. 0pp Today’s Golfer

Features (pages)

5. 24pp Golf Punk
4. 16pp Golf World
3. 10pp Today’s Golfer
2. 9pp Golf Monthly
1. 0pp Golf International

Interviews/profiles (pages)

5. 42pp Golf World
4. 24pp Golf Punk
3. 14pp Golf International
2. 7pp Golf Monthly
1. 0pp Today’s Golfer

Amateur and Professional tour news/results/betting (pages)

5. 24pp Golf International
4. 7pp Golf Monthly
3. 7pp Golf Punk
2. 7pp Golf World
1. 0pp Today’s Golfer

Instruction (pages)

5. 40pp Today’s Golfer
4. 24pp Golf International
3. 18pp Golf Monthly
2. 14 pp Golf World
1. 5pp Golf Punk

Adverts (pages)

5. 27pp Golf Punk
4. 35pp Golf International
3. 41pp Golf World
2. 51pp Today’s Golfer
1. 63pp Golf Monthly

Equipment (incl. clothes) (pages)

5. 21pp Today’s Golfer
4. 18pp Golf Punk
3. 14pp Golf Monthly
2. 9pp Golf International
1. 6pp Golf World

Golf courses (pages)

5. 13pp Today’s Golfer
4. 5pp Golf Monthly
3. 4pp Golf World
2. 2pp Golf International
1. 0pp Golf Punk

Travel (pages)

5. 20pp Golf International
4. 18 pp Golf Monthly
3. 14pp Golf Punk
2. 7pp Golf World
1. 6pp Today’s Golfer