Golf International magazine celebrated its 100th issue in March/April with a highly enjoyable Top-100 Things In Golf feature embracing an eclectic mix of golf courses, historic highlights, charismatic characters, travel destinations, books, poems and equipment along with, more simply, some seminal golfing emotions.
Launched in 1997 by established golf magazine editor, Robert Green, and longstanding Cornwall county player, Richard Simmons, Gi debuted with the blessing of Seve Ballesteros who appeared on the very first cover dressed in full Spanish Armada regalia.
Along with regular columns from respected commentators such as Peter Alliss and John Hopkins; and a panel of instruction experts which now includes Denis Pugh, Luther Blacklock, Jonathan Yarwood, Dr Paul Hurrion and mind coach, Dr Karl Morris, Gi is known for its depth, passion, detail and sometimes left-field features.
Among them a 24-page celebration of Golf & Music (Issue 69) sporting The Rolling Stones on the cover; and a similarly definitive tribute to James Bond & Golf that went way beyond the Goldfinger connection and fronted by a dinner-jacketed Nick Faldo in infamous pose for the now highly collectable seventh (or rather 007th) issue.
Other highlights include the controversial Issue 70, for which supermodel Jodie Kidd posed dressed only in an authentic Augusta National green jacket owned by one of the editors.
Gi is a magazine that, like many consumer titles, has to battle hard to get shelf-space in the increasingly crowded magazine market. Walk into any large high street newsagent and the customer has to find his/her favourite sports title amid a sea of colourful titles, from carp fishing to computers, model building to model undressing. That an independent golf title has published its 100th edition is no small achievement and is a credit to the imagination, flair, knowledge and effort of its team.
Golf International www.golfinternationalmag.com