The European Tour’s announcement of their season resuming with a ‘UK Swing’ in July will see the welcome return of numerous historic courses onto the Tour’s calendar.
With the travel restrictions in place throughout the world due to COVID-19, this appears to be a sensible and calculated initiative by the Tour to keep the players safe and golf fans captivated at home through this challenging period.
Here is some key information about the five venues hosting the UK Swing from July 22 until the end of August.
Will be exciting to see the UK Swing kicking off the European tour in July! pic.twitter.com/5udDyYdAu3
— Tee Party/Johan (@johanskold) May 29, 2020
July 22 – 25 – Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood
Venue: Close House Golf Club, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England
The Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood has been brought forward a week than its originally scheduled and takes place at Close House, which has been voted as one of the top 100 courses in the world and is set to be the only golf club in Northern England to host an event in 2020. Close House first hosted the event in 2017, marking the first time the Tour had held an event in the North East of England for 15 years. It was a huge success with record attendance figures (62, 298) and proved to be a popular venue for the players with Paul Dunne emerging victorious.
July 30 – August 2 – English Open
Venue: Marriott Forest of Arden, Birmingham, England
The Arden Course is arguably the West Midland’s best 18-hole course and is one of the premier golf destinations in the UK, locate in the rural Warwickshire countryside. It was designed by Donald Steele in 1992 and hosted the English Open four times and the British Masters on three occasions before it was removed from the European Tour schedule in 2002. Darren Clarke will be delighted to see its return as he triumph there in 2000 and 2002.
August 13 – 16 – Celtic Classic
Venue: The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales
Celtic Manor has three courses but it appears that the Twenty-Ten Course, which was specially designed to host the 2010 Ryder Cup, will be the track this event – and the following week’s Wales Open – is played on. The events tie in nicely with the 10th anniversary of the first ever Ryder Cup staged in Wales, with fans able to recall Europe’s thrilling 14.5 – 13.5 victory.
August 20 – 23 – Wales Open
Venue: The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales
The other courses at Celtic Manor are The Roman Road Course which hosted the Wales Open from 2005-2007 and the Montgomerie Course which is a par 69 course. With the infrastructure in place from the Celtic Classic, it’s likely the Wales Open will be held at the Twenty-Ten Course designed by Ross McMurray. This course opened in 2007 and hosted the Wales Open from 2008- 2014.
August 27 – 30 – UK Championship
Venue: The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England
The Brabazon Course has a rich history and is one of the most prestigious and popular venues in the UK. The Warwickshire venue held a plethora of European Tour events from 1979 to 2008 with the great Seve Ballesteros winning the Lada English Golf Classic in 1979. The charismatic Spaniard also brought notoriety to the 10th hole when he famously drove the green from 280 yards in a duel with Nick Faldo in The Hennessey Cup in 1978. A plaque now marks the spot on the 10th after he repeated the feat in the 1985 Ryder Cup to make the hole one of the most iconic in golf. The course also hosted the 1989, 1993 and 2002 Ryder Cups and has been voted England’s Leading Golf Resort three times. It would be difficult to find a better venue to conclude the UK Swing.
