Square Mile Golf Awards 2016

Two further wins, at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW Championship, and an impressive 15 top-ten finishes, has seen Johnson pocket over $9.3m in prize money this season and move up to number two in the world rankings, while only a back-nine lapse in the season-ending Tour Championship caused him to miss out on a $10m pay day for winning the FedExCup. And he capped off the year in fine style as a member of the victorious US Ryder Cup team at Hazeltine, where his powerful combination of big-hitting and accurate wedge play saw him pick up two valuable points for the home side. The last 18 months have marked a big turnaround in the fortunes of Johnson, who served a self-imposed six-month ban from the game in 2014 to sort out issues with various prohibited recreational substances. And with those dark days hopefully behind him, Johnson looks destined to bank a few more cheques before he’s done. Welcome to the Big Four.

Located a few miles west of St Albans, just a few minutes from junction eight of the M1, Centurion has shaken up the traditional private golf club model by offering a genuinely five star members-only experience, while remaining refreshingly unencumbered by the stuffy attitudes that many high-end private clubs in the home counties insist on adhering to. Providing a blueprint for how a golf club for the 21st century should be operated, Centurion has succeeded in attracting a significant number of golfers from nearby clubs who have become disaffected with years of underinvestment and neglectful owners. While the 18-hole golf course has been open since 2014, the clubhouse, as is often the case in new builds, came later. The next phase in the club’s development saw the opening of a brand-new clubhouse in July. The impressive two-storey structure, which spans the entire length of the large pond that guards the approach to the course’s closing hole, is the icing on a particularly appetising cake, the likes of which are no doubt being baked by the club’s in-house chef, the Michelin-starred Jeff Galvin, whose eponymous restaurant, Galvin at Centurion, occupies a stunning spot on the ground floor. centurionclub.co.uk

Jeff and his brother, Chris, have long been among the UK’s most revered chefs, and their French-influenced restaurant portfolio has grown to a dozen venues in many of the world’s major cities, including two in central London: Galvin at Windows and Galvin La Chapelle. A keen golfer and local resident, Jeff has taken the opportunity to spread his talents to a section of the catering industry where ‘home-cooked hearty fare’ no longer quite cuts the mustard when it comes the demands of the discerning golfer. While you can still get a damn fine bacon sandwich in the relaxed surroundings of the upstairs bar before your round, downstairs in the more formal 80-cover dining room, the seasonally changing menu offers a more refined culinary experience. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, the word is already getting out among the local foodie population – the bar and restaurant is also open to non-members. Without a wooden noticeboard or silver trophy in sight, the rest of the clubhouse is refreshingly golf-free, and moves seamlessly from one area to the next, feeling intimate, yet spacious, and above all, relaxed. The locker rooms and the golfers’ bar and lounge are located upstairs, tucked away from the more public spaces, while the ground floor features a spacious pro shop. Only members are allowed to host corporate golf days, with five different categories of membership, including business and corporate categories, for those who fancy mixing work and play. centurionclub.co.uk

Rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s top holiday destinations, the rugged Costa Brava region of northeast Spain also boasts some of Europe’s finest golf courses. Among the eight clubs in the region, PGA Catalyuna [pictured] – home to the European Tour’s Final Qualifying School – is the standout venue, offering two championship layouts, Stadium and Tour, with the former being Europe’s top-ranked course. The practice facilities are also tour-standard, with the largest chipping and putting green in Europe, a Sergio Garcia Golf Academy, and the Dave Pelz Golf School. Emporda also boasts two superb 18-hole tracks, Forest and Links, which – as their names suggest – offer two uniquely contrasting challenges. Designed by the late American architect Robert von Hagge, whose work includes Paris National, the venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup, the Forest course features picturesque pine-lined fairways, bold bunkering and numerous raised greens, while the Links defies its trades description by featuring several lakes, although the harsh rough, deep bunkers, and subtly-contoured greens are very much in the seaside tradition. en.costabrava.org

For a rugged Costa Brava golf experience, head to Golf D’Aro Mas Nou in the Gavarres mountains, which offers stunning views over the coastal resort of Platja d’Aro. Its 6,800-yard layout rises and falls over dramatic landscape that includes ball-hungry ravines and lakes. Away from the fairways, the Costa Brava has also turned into a bit of a foodie heaven, with a number of star chefs and rising talents opening up shop in beautiful secluded villages along the coast, where the seafood is freshest. Golfers in search of fine dining in the region should pray for a table to come free at the three-Michelin starred El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, the leader in contemporary Catalan cooking, while hilltop towns like Begur are perfect for enjoying local specialities such as grilled lamb and fish stew; washed down with the rather drinkable local wines, of course. Steeped in history, the region also offers visitors a host of attractions beyond the fairways, including the Emporda wine route and the pretty cobbled streets of Girona, while its handy regional airport offers two-hour direct fights to London, and avoids the hustle and bustle of Barcelona. en.costabrava.org

Almost a third of the world’s supply of links golf courses are to be found hugging the coast of Ireland – a fact that has drawn generations of travelling golfers to its shores, eager to sample the twin delights of free-running fairways and ever-flowing Guinness. With 11 courses inside Golf Monthly’s Top 100, and over 400 in total, Ireland has always been high up the list of golfing destinations. And while world-class venues such as Royal County Down and Royal Portrush – host of the 2019 Open Championship – shine a light on the Emerald Isle, some of the most memorable rounds are enjoyed on those lesser-known tracks that are stumbled upon by accident.

That said, you could spend of month of Sundays playing the celebrated links, with names like Ballybunion, Old Head, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee and Doonbeg tripping off the tongue like a who’s who of golfing greats. When it comes to tournament venues, Dublin’s K Club, host of the 2006 Ryder Cup, is top of the pile, followed closely by Killeen Castle (Solheim Cup 2011) and Fota Island. Easily accessible by land, sea and air, and with scenery to match the warmth of its friendly natives, it’s not hard to see why Ireland is our perfect golf destination.

Opened in 2010, the Sir Rocco Forte-owned Verdura golf and spa resort has enjoyed a steady stream of visitors eager to enjoy the atmosphere of Sicily’s most exclusive golf destination. Located on a stunning stretch of coastline in the rugged south-west corner of the island, an hour’s drive south of Palermo, the resort boasts 45 holes of golf, a 200-bedroom five-star hotel, a huge spa, 1.8km of private beach and a whole lot more besides. roccofortehotels.com

After a round on one of the three Kyle Phillips-designed courses, many golfers head for the resort’s spa, which is based around the forefather of hydrotherapy Sebastian Kneipp’s ‘five pillars’ philosophy: water, plants, exercise, nutrition and balance. With extensive treatment rooms, a 20m indoor swimming pool, a double-height steam room, Finnish and infrared saunas, a state-of-the-art gym and a beauty salon, you’ll find everything you need. There’s also four outdoor thalassotherapy pools, each heated to a different temperature. Feeling suitably refreshed, guests can sample an authentic taste of traditional Sicily at one of the resort’s four restaurants, where menus feature fresh, organic produce sourced straight from Verdura’s own gardens. roccofortehotels.com

Whether it’s a weekend outing in the home counties, a group holiday to the Costa del Sol or a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to play one of the most iconic courses in the world, Golfbreaks has made its name by providing one of the finest tour services out there. Its commitment to hassle-free golf has seen it acquire bespoke travel company the Xclusive Collection this year, offering unique experiences for its most affluent clientele.  Fancy chartering a private jet to watch The Masters in Augusta? Consider it done. Want to play all of the Scottish courses on The Open circuit? Your Edinburgh to St Andrews helicopter transfer awaits. golfbreaks.com

Nearing its 20th anniversary in 2018, Golfbreaks is refuting the lacklustre tour operator stereotype as it continues to provide a quality service for every standard of golfer. With more than 2,000 courses to choose from, you’ll feel like a kid in a candy store. golfbreaks.com

For many years, Titleist has built its impeccable reputation on creating pro-quality golf equipment, used on and off the PGA Tour – and nothing epitomises that pedigree better than the Vokey. Designed by legendary club craftsman Bob Vokey, the collection of wedges is infamous for sneaking into the bags of professionals who aren’t currently contracted by Titleist, thanks to its swing-specific grind options that all offer something a little different. £140, titleist.co.uk

The Vokey SM6 picks up where the last model left off – this time with a focus on a new progressive weighting design at the back of the club, intended to produce more precise distance and trajectory control. In English, these wedges give you a little more feel than natural ability ever gifted you – no offence. Our advice? Get on the range or simulator at your local Titleist provider and customise a set of Vokeys to your chipping style. Thank us later. £140, titleist.co.uk

While GPS units are great for getting you about an unfamiliar golf course, when you really want to nail down those precise yardages to the pin, a laser rangefinder is hard to beat. And no-one does lasers better than Bushnell, the undisputed market leader in the field. Its latest device, the Tour V4, is not only appreciably faster at hunting down those all-important numbers than the previous Tour V3 model, but it is also 30% smaller, and more ergonomically designed, making it even easier to slip into your golf bag and your hand. £269, bushnellgolf.eu

Capable of measuring up to 400 yards to a flag, its Jolt technology lets you know when the laser is locked on to the target via a short vibration. Users opt for either a red or black display depending on light conditions, while the lens can be adjusted to suit your eyesight. It is available in standard and slope versions, with the latter providing yardages that compensate for elevation changes, which comes in particularly handy when playing one of those hard-to-judge downhill par threes. £269, bushnellgolf.eu

Although waterproofs weren’t required during the Ryder Cup matches at Hazeltine last month, at least the members of the European team knew that should the heavens have opened in Minnesota, they would have been kept dry thanks to their Galvin Green rainsuits. The official outerwear supplier for the 2016 and 2018 Ryder Cups, the Swedish brand submitted its waterproofs to over 50 hours’ rigorous testing before passing muster to be worn in the world’s most-watched golf event. euroshop.rydercup.com

Commissioned by team captain Darren Clarke, the range includes the first waterproof full-zip Gore-Tex jacket to be fitted with a new C-Knit backer. This Japanese-made fabric has a super-smooth feel, while its three-layer construction makes it totally waterproof. There is also a matching pair of waterproof trousers, made from the same fabric, which feature zipper openings at the back of the leg. The range is completed by a three layer, full-zip windstopper jacket, which combines a tight-knit polyester outer layer with a Gore-Tex membrane and a moisture-management inner layer. It is windproof, water repellent and breathable. The complete range is available to buy at the official Ryder Cup online shop – euroshop.rydercup.com