The midlands

Five of the 15 fine courses to host regional qualifying for golf’s oldest Major this year

Rob Smith takes to moor, heath and hill to further expand his golfing CV in the western reaches of England’s most golf course-rich county

Eleven friends of COUNTRY LIFE pen a love letter to their small, yet oh so distinctive patches of the British Isles, from the big skies of the north Norfolk coast to the street art of Belfast, from the glens of Perthshire to the Exe estuary in Devon via the apple orchards of Herefordshire

Rob Smith reveals his must-play selections from the treasure chest of courses that rank among the Next 100 just outside our UK&I Top 100 list...

THE BIG RIDE

BACK in 1606, Lord North was unwell. His “lingering consumptive disorder” baffled his doctors. A stay in a remote hunting lodge cadged from a friend hadn’t helped, but on a country ride he came across