Written by Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.
Simon is also the founder of Media Drive, a leading digital golf marketing agency which he successfully directed from 2008 to 2024.
As a longterm student of the game, Simon takes an analytical approach to both equipment technology and swing mechanics—insights sharpened by two years working in a pro shop under the guidance of experienced professional, Rae Sargent, alongside 15 years in golf course and equipment marketing. His deep understanding of the elite and professional game is further reinforced by his role as the father of elite-level Surrey county player Henry Bale, and by the strategic partnerships he forged with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (DPWT) throughout his career at Media Drive.
He has now turned his full attention to covering all aspects of the sport for Golf Today, regularly attending tour events and visiting global golf destinations to deliver authentic, first-hand reviews and original imagery.
The Experience Golf Launches The 1867 Club: A Women’s Golf Tour of St Andrews
Sixteen places, five nights at the Old Course Hotel and four links rounds finishing on the Old Course itself.
Aaron Rai Returns to Yas Links as Major Champion for Abu Dhabi Title Defence
Last November’s play-off winner over Tommy Fleetwood heads back to the UAE with the Wanamaker Trophy and the inaugural Rory McIlroy Award to his name.
Foxhills Commits £3m to New Irrigation Across Longcross and Bernard Hunt Courses
The Surrey resort will more than double its sprinkler heads to beyond 3,500, rebuild its pumps and reservoir, and phase the on-course work over two…
Jon Rahm to Make Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Debut at Yas Links
Three of the Spaniard’s five Rolex Series titles have come at Jumeirah Golf Estates, yet he has never teed it up in the UAE capital.
Vaughn Taylor Wins Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS in Playoff Over Alex Cejka
After hip surgery and thoughts of quitting to teach, the 50-year-old rookie birdied the 18th at the second extra hole to end a drought stretching…
Grant Forrest Wins Open de España to Earn Masters and Open Invitations
The Scot’s up-and-down birdie at the 72nd hole held off a thrilling home charge from Eugenio Chacarra in Madrid.
Miyu Yamashita Fires Course Record 63 to Win Aramco Korea Championship
The world number five closed bogey-free with an eagle on 17 to finish three clear of Sara Kouskova.
Michael Brennan Wins Second PGA Tour Title of the Season
Six closing pars, one of them saved from a greenside bunker, gave the 24-year-old a one-shot win on debut at Yokohama.
Open Qualifier Mathew Goggin Fires Record 62 to Lead Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS
The 52-year-old came through Tuesday qualifying at TPC Sawgrass.
Grant Forrest & Joe Dean Share Lead Heading into Final Round of Open de España
Forrest rallied from a mid-round stall to keep his wire-to-wire bid alive, while Dean recovered from a double-bogey, bogey wobble with a 31-foot birdie on…
Michael Brennan Shares Lead as Adam Scott Lurks One Back
Brennan, Jacob Bridgeman and rookie Zach Bauchou sit at 13-under. Scott’s two-eagles puts the Australian, winless on Tour since 2020, one back alongside Justin Thomas.
Yamashita Holds Slender Lead With One Round Remaining at Aramco Korea Championship
Miyu Yamashita’s 68 keeps her on top at New Korea Country Club, but Yani Tseng’s bogey-free 66 has cut the gap to a single shot.
Ryan Armour Sets Tournament Record 63 to Lead Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS
The 50-year-old rookie beat the event’s old mark by a shot in its first year at Hammock Beach, as he chases a first win anywhere…
Grant Forrest Holds Halfway Lead at Open de España as Patrick Reed Misses Cut
Four missed cuts and a retirement in five starts meant little at Club de Campo, where the Scot’s spotless record continued.
Yamashita Leads at Halfway Mark of 2026 Aramco Korea Championship
She went bogey-free in Seoul to open a two-shot cushion over LET rookie Louise Rydqvist and two-time major winner Sung Hyun Park, with defending champion…
Keith Mitchell Fires 65 to Join Jacob Bridgeman Atop Leaderboard
Mitchell, without a PGA Tour win since 2019, draws level with the in-form Bridgeman at 11-under in Yokohama.
Canterbury Golf Club Launches Chough Merchandise Range Ahead of Centenary
The red and black bird borrowed from the City of Canterbury’s crest in 1927 is now a stand-alone sub-brand for the Kent club.
Bill Murray and Tom Coyne Tee Up Irish Golf Road Trip in A Course Called Ireland
The six-part series, adapted from Coyne’s cult links odyssey, lands on Paramount+ and the BBC later this month, with Murray’s brothers, Chris O’Dowd, Joanne McNally…
Which Top Footballers Play Golf and How Good Are They? The Single-Figure Handicap List
Harry Kane is closing in on scratch at one of England’s most exclusive clubs, while three England team-mates play off single figures. Here is how…
Big Prizes and Close Calls as Trump’s Twelve Hosts Hole-in-One Challenge
Glasgow Warriors players George Horne and Ollie Smith joined a ten-player charity event at Turnberry, where an ace on the 11th offered £100,000 for a…