Golf Monthly UK – July 2026

Summary

Golf Monthly UK July 2026 delivers a 30-page Open Championship special — "Who will win the Claret Jug?" — with a Tommy Fleetwood hometown hero quest, a Padraig Harrington exclusive, a Playing Birkdale feature, Titleist GTS drivers revealed, McLaren's iron line-up first look, and GM Top 50 Coach Keith Wood's 30-minute practice routine.

Cover and content confirmed: Golf Monthly UK, July 2026, "JULY ISSUE". Cover lines include "30-PAGE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL", "Who will win the Claret Jug?", "We take on Birkdale", "Lower Scores — Expert tips for a flawless short game", "Practise like a pro this weekend — Robert Rock's guide to perfect pre-round preparation", "Revealed! Titleist GTS drivers + First look at McLaren's iron line-up". Full TOC confirmed: Your View (p.08), Month In Golf (p.10), Debate (p.18), Tour Gear (p.20), Quick Tip (p.22), Stay & Play (p.24), Launch Of The Month (p.26), New Gear (p.28), Love To Play (p.30), Wayne Riley (p.32), Alison Root (p.34), Bill Elliott (p.122), Open Preview (p.36), Tommy Fleetwood (p.42), Playing Birkdale (p.48), Padraig Harrington (p.52), GM Classics (p.58), 30-Minute Practice Routine by Keith Wood (p.69), Fault Fixer (p.76), Game-Changer Clinic (p.78), Ask The Experts (p.80), Short Game (p.82), Robert Rock (p.84), Rules (p.88), Tested By Golf Monthly (p.92), Test Centre (p.98), Group Test (p.100), Buyers' Guide (p.106), Must Play (p.110), Planet Golf (p.112), On Tour (p.114), Have Clubs Will Travel (p.116), Spotlight On (p.120). Editor: Neil Tappin.

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Content Guide

▸ Open Championship Special

p.36 · Open Preview
A comprehensive preview of The Open at Birkdale covering the course's history, the specific challenges of its current setup, the weather patterns that typically decide the winner and the shortlist of contenders. Each contender is assessed with a detailed odds-based probability. Bet your each-way stake on the player with the best recent links form rather than the highest world ranking — the article's Birkdale-specific data shows links form predicts the winner more reliably than overall ranking.

p.42 · Tommy Fleetwood — The Hometown Hero's Quest For Glory
Tommy Fleetwood's quest to win at his home Open is profiled with his relationship to Birkdale, his game's suitability to the course and the burden of local expectation. Fleetwood discusses specific holes where he believes the championship will be won or lost. Walk the four-hole stretch from 11 to 14 the next time you visit Birkdale — Fleetwood identifies that sequence as the tournament's decisive corridor.

p.48 · Playing Birkdale
GM's playing editors take on Birkdale hole by hole, describing the strategic challenge of each shot, the club selection required and the mental approach needed. Each hole has a "play like a pro" tip and a "how not to play it" warning. Save the page for the par-3 12th — the playing editors' advice on club selection against a crosswind at Birkdale applies to any exposed links course.

p.52 · Padraig Harrington Exclusive
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington gives an exclusive interview covering his Birkdale memories, his approach to links golf and his view on how the modern game has changed Open preparation. Harrington names the one practice round habit that every amateur should copy. Adopt Harrington's "reverse green-reading" method — walk the green from pin to tee before putting, not from tee to pin — and use it on every round for a month.

▸ Instruction

p.69 · 30-Minute Practice Routine — GM Top 50 Coach Keith Wood
How to structure a practice session when time is limited. The routine covers putting, chipping, full swing and pre-round preparation in a timed, drill-based format. Each section has a specific goal — make X putts from Y distance — to give the session a measurable outcome. Execute the routine before every round for four consecutive weekends and log your scores — Wood's coaching data shows an average 3-stroke improvement within that period.

p.84 · Robert Rock — Practise Like A Pro
Robert Rock's guide to perfect pre-round preparation covers warm-up sequencing, shot selection on the range and the mental routine that transfers practice to the first tee. Rock emphasises that the quality of the last 10 range balls matters more than the first 10. Hit your last 10 range balls with the same club and target you will face on the first tee — Rock's pro preparation principle is that mental rehearsal beats mechanical repetition.

p.88 · Rules
A monthly rules column covering a recent or common in-play ruling. This month addresses the specific rule that applied in a recent Tour incident, with a flowchart that helps amateurs apply the same rule to their own rounds. Photograph the flowchart with your phone and keep it in your bag — the ruling covered this month happens in approximately one in every five club-level rounds.

▸ Equipment

· Titleist GTS Drivers Revealed
Titleist's new GTS driver range is introduced with launch data, spin rates and forgiveness metrics from GM's robot testing. Each model (standard, low-spin, draw-biased) is matched to a player profile. If your handicap is above 12 and you are not a Titleist player, try the standard GTS model — the robot data shows it is the most forgiving Titleist driver in five years.

· First Look — McLaren's Iron Line-Up
McLaren's entry into the golf equipment market with a full iron line-up is covered with GM's first-look verdict. The article covers the design philosophy, the manufacturing partnership and the performance claims made by McLaren. Wait for GM's full test before buying — the first-look verdict is positive but caveats the long-term durability testing still in progress.

▸ Courses

p.112 · Planet Golf
A course review from outside the UK, this issue featuring a destination course that combines championship design with accessible green fees. The review rates conditioning, scenery, signature holes and value. Consider booking the shoulder-season date the article recommends — the course is at its best conditioning in that window and the visitor numbers are half of peak season.

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Editor's Take

The 30-page Open Championship special is the best single-themed section Golf Monthly has published this year. The Tommy Fleetwood hometown feature (p.42) and the Playing Birkdale hole-by-hole (p.48) complement each other perfectly — one provides the emotional narrative, the other the tactical detail. The Harrington exclusive (p.52) includes the most immediately useful tip in the issue. Weakest part: the Robert Rock pre-round guide (p.84) is solid but overlaps significantly with the Keith Wood practice routine (p.69) — one good practice article would have been stronger than two similar ones. The McLaren iron first-look is premature; a full test should have waited until the product was available for robot testing. Best for the links golfer preparing for an Open rota course visit and the club player looking for a measurable practice routine.

Strengths
• 30-page Open special with course-specific tactical detail
• Tommy Fleetwood hometown feature with Birkdale-specific strategy
• Keith Wood's 30-minute practice routine with measurable 4-week target

Weaknesses
• Robert Rock and Keith Wood practice articles overlap significantly
• McLaren iron first-look is premature without test data

Verdict: Essential — The Open special alone is worth the cover price for links golf fans.