Golf Monthly's week that was

Last week’s golf ended with wins for Jerry Kelly and Thongchai Jaidee, the latter claiming the Ballantine’s Championship where Robin Barwick provided his blogs over the course of an interesting few days in South Korea.

Meanwhile, back in the office, and after the obligatory slatings were dished out to those performing miserably over the weekend, work was underway for the July issue. We don’t like to wish time away but if there’s one good thing about working on this issue, it means the Open Championship is approaching.

The increased time on the fairways means that we’ve been busy reviewing more equipment designed to provide you with some kind of idea of the gear that will suit you. This week we’ve reviewed the Srixon WR driver, Ben Sayers Benny irons and King Cobra S9-1 Pro driver.

The Golf Monthly Forum has been busy with talk of the Golf Monthly Challenge 2009 at The Belfry. We’ve also been loading new competitions with some once-in-a-lifetime prizes up for grabs, such as the chance to win a a place in the De Vere PGA Seniors Pro-Am and a luxury hospitality break to the 2009 Celtic Manor Wales Open.

This week’s instruction came courtesy of Top 25 Coach Andrew Jones who demonstrated how six everyday household items could transform your game. As long as you’ve got some armbands and a garden cane going spare, these drills are well worth a go.

June’s debate is up and running. We’re fiercely competitive when it comes to making our point here and no-one likes losing their side of the argument, least of all deputy editor Neil Tappin. But, that’s how it’s shaping us this month as Neil’s case for ‘What would you rather be: Great putter or great driver’ looks to be heading for a landslide in favour of the former, as supported by Mike Harris. Make sure you have your vote.

Hopefully by now the punters amongst you have had a chance to read the betting guides for this week’s tournaments – the Quail Championship and Spanish Open. John Daly is back on the European Tour but has not attracted the attention of our betting guru, despite the lairy clothing.

Here’s hoping for a sunny Bank Holiday weekend. Enjoy the break.

Where next?

Golf blog: Golf Monthly at the Ballantine’s Championship Equipment review: Odyssey Black Series i 2-Ball putter review More Tour news: Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin set for Celtic Manor meeting Competitions: New golf competitions: Win a PowaKaddy Freeway II Lithium