THE POWER OF GOLF CAN MAKE A HAPPY NEW YEAR

An hour ago, Boris Johnson was on TV telling us that most of England’s south-east – including Peterborough, where I live and TG is created – was going into a Tier 4 lockdown. My first reaction wasn’t about Christmas – our family had already taken the decision not to see each other this year. No, my first reaction was whether golf would remain open. After an hour or so, the answer was a huge relief.

The game has always been important to me; I didn’t quite realise how important though until it was taken away. If golf hadn’t been exempt from this latest curb – especially with time off over Christmas – it would have been a miserable end to the year.

Golf in 2020 has been about seeing real people instead of faces on a video; being outdoors instead of stuck inside; getting exercise instead of sitting in front of a computer all day; an escape to a familiar, happy place. But perhaps most importantly, a round of golf has been something to look forward to, when there’s been very little else to get excited about. I don’t know what I’d have done without it.

Pulling this issue together made me optimistic for 2021. As a golfer, there’s a lot to get excited about – from the new gear that’s emerging (see page 75) to one of the best-ever seasons for the pro game (as we preview in depth from page 32).

Here’s to a happier New Year from all of us at TG.