Watch the Stonham Barns Golf Park's story of the opening of our Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf as reported by the local media, East Anglian Daily Times.

The new pirate-themed adventure golf course presents a fun exciting challenge for all ages, which will offer participants the chance to dodge the volcano, navigate around the water falls, go inside the treasure cave and try to avoid the shipwrecks.

Tony Dobson, the owner of the Golf Park, said: “I have been here at Stonham Barns for 20 years and it’s always been my dream to build this kind of golfing facility where families and children can enjoy different types of golf in a fun, friendly environment. Golf is such a great game and I have always done what I can to encourage more people into the game. The Smugglers Bay adventure golf, together with the other seven golfing facilities, have all received a really positive reaction from customers and hopefully we have been able to make golf more enjoyable and accessible to more people.”

Go along and have some fun on the newest Adventure Golf Putting in Suffolk. For more details and offers go to www.stonhambarnsgolf.co.uk.

Kevin Ward from Colchester achieved three UK Ranking Footgolf wins in a row at the Stonham Barns Footgolf Course. With the help of a hole in one on the 105 yard 18th hole Kevin achieved his best score , a 9 under par 49. His three wins at Stonham Barns included the Suffolk Footgolf Open which he won in June and the July FootGolf Event.

Regulars at Stonham, Chris Tranter and Darren Wheat, finished 2nd and 3rd with excellent scores of 54 and 55 respectively. 

The winner of the junior event was Charlie Tranter, Chris's son, with a score of 65. Click for Full Results

Stonham Barns FootGolf hosts eight UK Ranking events each year and the last event of 2015, The Stonham FootGolf Players Championship will be held on Sunday 11th October. Come and have a go at footgolf, the fastest growing sport in the UK. Open to men, ladies and juniors this final Stonham FootGolf event will offer some great prizes with the winner receiving the Stonham Footgolf Trophy.

For more information call Stonham Barns Golf on 01449 711545 or visit www.stonhambarnsgolf.co.uk

Ian Haydon won the Stonham UK FootGolf Open with a score of 56 (2 under par). This was Ian’s third event at Stonham Barns and having finished 3rd and 2nd on his previous visits he has now has achieved his first win. In addition he was really pleased to have triumphed over his son Pele who has won three of the UK FootGolf events at Stonham Barn this year

Ian won on count back and with birdies on his last three holes achieved an amazing six shot comeback on Darren Wheat who was five under with three to play and when he bogeyed the last three holes he finished on 56 as well. In third place was Ian’s son Pele who scored a 57 (1 under par).

There were 11 juniors playing and the junior prize was won by 9 yr old Tyler Weaver with a score of 68. This was one of his first games of FootGolf and he managed to beat his 12 yr old brother, Max Weaver. Both Tyler and Max are keen golfers and currently in the Suffolk County under 12 squad and under 14 squad respectively.

This Stonham Footgolf event attracted over 50 footgolf players from around the region. This was one of six UK FootGolf ranking events that are being held on the scenic Stonham Barns golf course this year. Full details of other ranking tournaments around the UK can be found at www.ukfootgolf.com.

Footgolf is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and combines two great sports, golf and football. The game is played on a golf course to larger holes (21” diameter cups) with a size 5 football. Players then play around the course kicking the football using rules largely based on the rules of golf.

Stonham Barns has achieved fantastic success this year by opening their golf course to both golf and footgolf players. Tony Dobson, the PGA professional and owner of Stonham Barns Golf Centre, has been amazed by bookings for footgolf and said “It’s a great fun new sport that everyone can play and we have plans to keep promoting footgolf to individuals, groups and for corporate events”.

The next Stonham UK FootGolf Open Event will be on Sunday 12th October.  This event is open to anyone, men, ladies and juniors and there are prizes for all the categories. Entry is only £10 and all players will receive a free goody bag with loads of gifts and a free round of golf voucher. All footballs and equipment are provided.

Anyone that would like to play can contact Tony Dobson at Stonham Barns on 01449 711545 or email[email protected]. For more information on FootGolf at Stonham Barns go towww.stonhambarnsgolf.co.uk/footgolf.

We are looking to get beginners started in golf at Stonham Barns Golf Centre. Here is what's on offer:

• Make friends and enjoy a new sport
• 4 x one hour Golf Sessions taken by PGA Professional
• Includes some play on the golf course 
• Free use of the Stonham 9 Hole Course for one month
• All equipment is provided
• Sessions are Saturdays 11.45am - 12.45pm
• All of this for only £20.00

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To get involved email [email protected] or call 01449 711545.

Playing golf can bring you some impressive health and wellbeing benefits. This increasingly popular sport is actually a powerhouse of all the core ingredients that doctors recommend for optimum physical and mental health and wellbeing.

It’s better than a fast and furious gym 
Golf burns more calories than you’d think: playing an 18-hole game of golf burns at least 900 calories. Golf also combines all the known weight-loss benefits of walking combined with the toning and muscle strengthening benefits of swinging the clubs and carrying or pulling your golf bag. During the average game of golf you can walk around five to six miles.

It brings people closer together
Golf is a great way to meet new people – especially if you have recently moved into a new area or town or are travelling abroad. Wherever there’s a golf course, a host of rewarding new friendships awaits you. Friendships that are likely to flourish, thanks to the convivial atmosphere of the game itself and the ready-made social life at the clubhouse afterwards.

It helps combat stress
“Golf really does tick all the boxes for things you need for optimal wellbeing,” says psychologist and coach Miriam Akhtar from www.positivepsychologytraining.co.uk . “It offers some important feel-good factors, such as an active social life and regular physical activity of the best kind – what we call ‘green exercise’ outside in nature.” 

It’s good for your heart
Golf’s powerful combination of stress-busting exercise, fresh air and camaraderie can help promote long term heart health. It can reduce blood pressure and raised cholesterol and cut your risk of stroke and diabetes - especially if combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

It can help you live longer
Golf’s unique combination of outdoor exercise and social interaction can help you live a longer, healthier life. Playing golf can help you live longer – and make those extra years healthier. Indeed, playing the sport can increase your life expectancy by up to five years, according to a study from the Karolinska Institute, in Sweden. Regular walking, such as the four hours it typically takes to play a round of golf, can also help ward off dementia.

The August Stonham Barns Junior Golf Tournament was won by 12yr old Alex Watkins from Hintlesham Golf Club. He scored an excellent four over par, 33 over the 9 hole golf course. The round could have been even better as he finished with a six on the ninth after getting in some trees.

The Under 12 age category was won Haverhill’s Thomas Culshaw on his first visit to Stonham Barns Golf Centre. The Under 10 age category was won by a Stonham Barns regular, 9 yr old Thomas Laight and the Under 8 age category was won by 8 yr old Henry Meadows from Fynn Valley with his best score of the year, a 36.

The junior golf events at Stonham Barns are an ideal introduction to competitive golf for many of the youngsters as it’s played in a relaxed friendly environment and it’s always great to see the juniors enjoying their golf.

The next junior golf tournament at Stonham Barns will be on the Sunday 28th September. For more details see the website. www.stonhambarnsgolf.co.uk/junior-tournaments.html or call on 01449 711545.

See Full Results and Scores

Stonham Barns hosted the UK Kids East Region Qualifier on Sunday 27th July 2014. The winners of each category are aiming to compete in the 2014 Grand Final, on Saturday 30th August, at the Brampton Heath Golf Centre, in Northamptonshire.

In the Final all players will receive a Grand Finalist certificate and the top three finishers in each boy and girl age group will each receive trophies and an invitation to enter the 2015 US Kids European Championships held in Scotland. In addition the winners of each boy and girl age group will receive an invitation to enter the 2015 US Kids Golf World Championships held in Pinehurst, USA. 

The event on Sunday at Stonham Barns produced six winners from different age categories. Well done to these winners, Boys 6-7 Charlie Goodridge, Boys 8-9 Henry Meadows, Boys 10-11 Joshua Hulyer, Boys 12-13 George Fricker, Girls 10-11 Rio Everitt and Girls 12-13 Layla Farthing.

The junior events at Stonham Barns are an ideal introduction to competitive golf for many of the youngsters as it’s played in a relaxed friendly environment and it’s always great to see the juniors enjoying their golf even when they have not been their best day.

The next junior event at Stonham Barns will be on the Sunday 24th August. For more details see the website. www.stonhambarnsgolf.co.uk/junior-tournaments.html or call on 01449 711545.

Rob Gillan won the July FootGolf UK Ranking Tournament at Stonham Barns on Sunday 20th July with an excellent score of 56. Rob won on count back as Alex Sutton also scored a 56 and the title had to be decided on the last 9 hole score and Rob scored 27 to Alex’s 28. This was Rob Gillan’s first win at Stonham Barns and his score of 2 under par included 6 two’s.

Rob was delighted to be presented the 1st Prize trophy by ex England and Ipswich football player Russell Osman. Russell, playing his first ever round of footgolf, also played in the event and said he really enjoyed playing and could see why this new sport has become so popular. He said he certainly will be playing more footgolf in the future.

Pele Haydon won has won the last three UK Ranking events at Stonham finished 4th with a score of 57 and now moves up to second in the UK National Ranking Table.

The ladies prize was won by Faye Trigg from Millers Barn who are just building their own FootGolf Course and the junior prize was won by Joe Sims.

On a day when it looked like thunder and lightning may halt play over 50 footgolf players from around the region played 18 holes in pursuit of some ranking points. This was one of six UK FootGolf ranking events that are being held on the scenic Stonham Barns 9 hole course this year. Full details of other ranking tournaments around the UK can be found at www.ukfootgolf.com. 

Footgolf is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and combines two great sports, golf and football. The game is played on a golf course to larger holes (21” diameter cups) with a size 5 football. Players then play around the course kicking the football using rules largely based on the rules of golf. 

Stonham Barns has achieved fantastic success this year by opening their golf course to both golf and footgolf players. Tony Dobson, the PGA professional and owner of Stonham Barns Golf Centre, has been amazed by bookings for footgolf and said “We opened the FootGolf course at the end of last year and this year we have had over 800 players go round the footgolf course with more bookings already for July and August. I think the numbers have been boosted by the World Cup as we have been particularly busy this month.”

The next FootGolf UK Ranking event at Stonham Barns will be on Sunday 17th August.  This event is open to anyone, men, ladies and juniors and there are prizes for all the categories. All footballs and equipment is provided. To enter contact Tony Dobson at Stonham Barns on 01449 711545 or email [email protected]. For more information on FootGolf at Stonham Barns go to www.stonhambarnsgolf.co.uk/footgolf. 

Well done to Ryan Turnbull, a 12 year old member of Cretingham Golf Club, on winning the 14th East Anglian Under 12 Junior Championship at Stonham Barns. This was Ryan's 2nd win in three years, having won in a play off in 2012. His score was a 65 was very good in the breezy conditions and was good enough to win by a fantastic margin of 16 shots. After a first 9 nine of 33 he birdied the 10th hole on his way to a back nine of 32.

The Under 10 Age Category was won by Rio Everitt, a 10 year member of Stowmarket Golf Club. Rio, who was one of three girls playing, has been a regular competitor at Stonham over the years.

The Under 8 Age category was won by Henry Meadows, an 8 year old from Fynn Valley Golf Club, who scored an 80, which was in addition the second best score on the day.

There were two entries in the Under 6 Age Category which was won by Finlay Brock, a 5 year old member of Ufford Park Golf Club with 6 year old Ryan Daley from Stonham Barns playing his first junior event in 2nd place.

This junior event in its 15th year has always attracted juniors from all over the region and even been featured on a Channel 4 TV programme. This year juniors from 13 different Suffolk Golf Clubs were playing and it was great to see a regular supporter of these events over the years come away with the Trophy for a second time.

The junior events at Stonham Barns are an ideal introduction to competitive golf for many of the youngsters as its played in a relaxed friendly environment and its always great to see the juniors enjoying their golf even when its not been their best day.

The next junior event at Stonham Barns will be the UK Kids Qualifier on Sunday 27th July. For more details see the website or call on 01449 711545.