TURKEY JOINS THE BEST

The world's first agrarian settlers put down roots in the south of Turkey in 9,000 B.C. Other visitors have included Alexander the Great, who wrested the Anatolian peninsula from the Persians in 334 B.C. Now Turkey has swiped the crown of Golf Destination of the Year for Europe from the likes of Spain, Portugal, Ireland and other more traditional places. An intriguing choice for the award, made by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, for a country on the far eastern reaches of the continent whose first golf course was built in just 1994. Now the country is planning to build 100 courses as Eastern Europe continues its drive into golf tourism.

MAGUIRE TWINS

Aged just 13, the Maguire twins only started playing the game three years ago. They are identical by looks and in talent for the game. Lisa and Leona have taken Ireland by storm picking up numerous trophies around the world including Lisa's fine achievement at the World Under-12 title at Pinehurst, North Carolina. Justin Armsden joins the twins and their parents at their home near Dublin to explore this remarkable talent.

News - regular news segment rounding up the action on the pro circuit.

ADAM SCOTT

Living Golf's touring professional Adam Scott will be a top contender when the Open Championship begins at Birkdale in July. The world number three shows our viewers how he'll be warming up before each round with some helpful tips on how the amateur can prepare better.

WHAT'S HOT THIS SUMMER?

Every year the game's top manufacturers bring out new products, supposedly being bigger and better, to maximize sales and to keep the industry ticking over. Our resident golf professional Chris Meadows tests out the latest drivers that have hit the market and asks: are they really better than last year's models? He'll also be taking to the green as he tests out a series of putting aids.

INDIA GOLF

India's handful of professional golfers has inspired a nation to get behind the game. With Jeev Milkha Singh set to make his second appearance at the Masters in April - he was the first ever Indian to play the major championship last year - it will again draw the nation into watching the game. Living Golf talks to the likes of Singh, Atwal and company about India's passion for the game. But there are hurdles, the country has 185 courses and only one is public - we explore the challenges ahead for the sport's administrators as they look to capitalise on the game's growth.

BIG MONEY IN ASIA FOR THE WOMEN

February saw the inaugural $2 million HSBC Women's Champions Event hosted by Singapore. It's the richest event in the region for women professionals and drew the best players from around the world. Living Golf talks to the tournament's winner Lorena Ochoa and former world number one Annika Sorenstam, as well as the best Asian players about the big money and prestige female players can now reach for in Asia.

SCOTT'S HOT SHOTS

Living Golf's resident touring professional Adam Scott this month explores the value of driving straight from the tee. With the Masters, the first major championship of the year to be played in April, Scott talks about how crucial it is to drive the ball straight off the tee at Augusta. With that in mind he has some valuable tips for amateurs to improve their driving skills.

News - usual round-up of tour news.

BACK ON TRACK

Zane Scotland hit the headlines in 1999 when he became the youngest ever Englishman to qualify for the Open Championship, the third major of the year. His career looked promising until a car accident in 2006 caused such a severe back injury he spent months in rehabilitation, wondering whether he would ever play again. But now he is back and on tour looking to rebuild his career. Justin Armsden talks with Scotland about the challenges he has faced and what he hopes to achieve now he's got his career back.

SNOW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Living Golf team is often accused by CNN colleagues of chasing the sun and best courses - and they accept this as true. But on this occasion the team heads for the snow fields of St. Moritz for the annual Snow Golf Championships. Don Riddell explores why 75 competitors from all over the world would want to test their game on the frozen fairways of St. Moritz.

GARY PLAYER JOINS THE MIDDLE EAST GOLF RUSH

South African legend Gary Player has joined the long list of top players, past and present, designing golf courses in the Middle East. On this occasion, Justin Armsden joins the Black Knight on Saadiyat Island - the 27 square kilometer island off Abu Dhabi city where he is designing two signature courses. Now in his early seventies, Player is also famous for being able to do 1000 sit-ups - so Armsden puts him to the test.

NEWS

Monthly catch-up of the latest golf news from around the world.

CHARLIE HULL

11-year-old Charlie Hull put the golf world on notice of her ability when she became the youngest winner of the Great Britain and Ireland Ladies Amateur championship last year. She beat more experienced players two and three times her age. She has ambitions of becoming world number one and, as Justin Armsden found out, she certainly has the talent to do it. Armsden joined Hull at her local course in Kettering, near London, where the youngster managed to put his game to shame.

PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW

The annual PGA Merchandise show in Orlando, Florida puts the world on notice of what equipment and other golf gadgets are due out this season. Living Golf's Chris Meadows heads inside the show to explore what is on offer and tests some of the equipment that's due to hit the shelves over the next 12 months.

PHIL MICKELSON INTERVIEW

World number 2 Phil Mickelson won the HSBC Championship in China in November and is now taking 2 months off before launching a fresh assault on the PGA Tour next year. Before his break he sat down with Living Golf for an exclusive chat about the past season which he described as disappointing. During the chat with Justin Armsden in Singapore he revealed plans to become more of an international player now that his children are old enough to travel. He also expressed his excitement about next season following a period of swing changes with his coach Butch Harmon and after putting some new Callaway clubs in his bag.

BARCLAYS SINGAPORE OPEN

Not so long ago the Singapore Open fell off the Asian Tour's calendar after failing to find a sponsor. It is now a permanent fixture, as Asia's richest tournament with a prize fund set to reach $5 million in 2008. Living Golf explores the growth of the event in a region where golf is booming.

NEWS

ANTON HAIG - RISING SOUTH AFRICAN STAR

Anton Haig is just 21 years-old but is showing sign of being South Africa's next big golfer. He's already won four times internationally and nearly won the Asian Tour's Order of Merit this year after winning the Johnnie Walker Classic. Justin Armsden joins him on the range to learn more about Haig.

VIJAY SINGH

Fijian Vijay Singh has won titles in 17 different countries and was this year inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Not only that, he finished in the top five of the PGA Tour's money list for the ninth consecutive time. Not a bad way for the 44 year old to celebrate 25 years as a professional. Justin Armsden caught up with him to discuss his achievements and see if he has any plans to retire.

RIA BINTAN

There's not too many countries in the world where you can grab your clubs and your passport and be teeing off an hour later across the border. Ria Bintan Golf Club is an hour's ferry ride off the coast of Singapore and is ranked as one of the most amazing golf experiences on the planet. Living Golf went to discover why.

He is widely regarded as the most exciting player to emerge from Australia since Greg Norman and is ranked 6th in the world. Adam Scott was born in Adelaide but grew up on the Gold Coast in northern Australia. From there, Living Golf has exclusive access to the 27-year-old at his home course at Sanctuary Cove.

Living Golf profiles the player who is in his 6th year as a professional and expected to win his maiden major championship next year. We talk to his parents and former school mates about the boy who became a global brand in golf. Scott will also offer Living Golf viewers some valuable tips on how best to improve their game and he will feature some of his favourite holes on his home course. Scott will also reveal how legend Greg Norman inspired him to play the game as well as sharing his thought on the make-up of the PGA Tour schedule.

NEWS

Monthly update of the latest news from the professional ranks.

GOLFERS' PARADISE

The Gold Coast in Australia is known around the world as a surfers' paradise but it also ranks as one of the finest locations in the world for golf. We profile what the region has to offer and why it was a perfect place for a player like Adam Scott to hone his skills before breaking out overseas.

This month Living Golf hosts a special show from Sweden, a country that has a unique outlook on the game and whose players are taking Europe and the world by storm.

Just over 30 years ago, Sweden didn't have a professional competitor on a major tour but now they have 5 male players within the world's top 50 and one of the world's greatest ever female competitors, Annika Sorenstam. The country produces top golfers even though the majority of Sweden's golf courses are unplayable for six months of the year. On this edition Don Riddell will visit two of the country's biggest cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg, to investigate why the country is experiencing such success. The program will factor in all the key elements from the business of managing golf courses that only operate for 6 months of the year, to nurturing the young talent through their youth academies in an effort to continue the successful trend for Sweden.

During our stay, we will talk to some of the stars of the Swedish game including Ryder Cup stars Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson about one day hosting the prestigious event. Riddell will also take to the go-karting track and the tennis court with Sweden's other top players Niclas Fasth and Johan Edfors to get an insight into what makes them tick away from the golf course.

In the men's game, Sweden has never produced a major championship winner and Europe has been without a winner since Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie in 1999. Eight years later, the Open rota returns there and Stenson et al are looking to not only end a European drought for major success but break Sweden's duck as well.

30 mins.

JACK NICKLAUS

To celebrate the 50th edition of the show, Living Golf spends time with the man who is widely regarded as the greatest player of all-time - Jack Nicklaus.

The Golden Bear, who retired two years ago after playing his final major championship at St Andrews in Scotland, returns to the scene of his emotional farewell to recall that day, talk about his life off the fairways and reflect on a hugely successful career. Even though he has left the competition, it doesn't mean that Nicklaus is not busy and isn't challenging himself - in fact quite the opposite. The 67-year-old is busier than ever, travelling around the world and overseeing the development of his thriving golf course design business, with projects currently under construction in no less than 50 countries. Living Golf's Justin Armsden sat down to talk about all matters golf-related with Nicklaus.

APHRODITE HILLS

This is the most recent and first upmarket addition to the Cyprus golfing scene. Built in 2002, it is part of a five-star hotel and villa complex that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. This month Living golf goes off the beaten golfing track to explore the game's growth in Cyprus and how the Aphrodite Hills course was built with the preservation of archaeological sites around the course posing a challenge for developers. Don Riddell has this report.

NEWS - monthly update of the latest news from the professional ranks.

TIPS - Our resident professional Chris Meadows offers a 90 second quick fix.

PROFESSIONAL LIFE OFF COURSE

Life as a professional golfer is often viewed as a glamorous world of travel, star status and big money. On the other hand they spend a lot of time dealing with jetlag and catering for their corporate responsibilities. Justin Armsden joins Ernie Els, Mike Wier , Sam Torrence and other big names as Living Golf explores life behind the scenes for the pro in the build up to the Johnny Walker Classic tournament in Thailand.

IRISH RAIDERS

Irish investors have bought into the US golf market in a big way, spending $200 million on the TPC at Sawgrass resort in Florida. Living golf explores the move which comes at a time when the US golf market has been struggling over the past 12 months as consumers tighten their belts. But they have bought into one of the more prestigious courses in the States and this month Don Riddell talks to the majors players about the move and the prospects for the US golf market.

PGA TOUR COMMISSIONER TIM FINCHEM

Arguably the most powerful man in golf he runs the world's biggest and richest golf tour in the US. Tim Finchem has a lot on his plate after restructuring the PGA Tour season to include the FED Ex Cup system that will see $10 million go to the eventual winner at the end of the season. It's made a long season even longer and world number one Tiger Woods doesn't appear happy about it. Don Riddell talks to Finchem in a Living Golf exclusive that will also cover such topics like the state of the game and industry around the world, potential rules changes with regards to equipment the pro's use and a whole lot more.

NEWS

JEEV MILKHA SINGH

He will be India's first golfer to play in the Masters at Augusta when the first of four majors championships for the year tees off in April. Justin Armsden talks to Singh, the son of an Olympic sprint champion, about his superstar status in India, the 35 year-olds incredible season last year that earned him the right to play in the Masters and how he thinks he'll cope playing in the showpiece event.

TIPS WITH CHRIS MEADOWS

Monthly tips section with our resident professional Chris Meadows. His 90 second quick fix helps the travelling golfer iron out those small faults before the next round.

FATHER AND SON TOURNAMENT

Golf competitions come in many formats and Living Golf was invited to play in the exclusive Father & Son Invitational at Waterville in Ireland. 160 players tee off in this historical event, the biggest of it's kind outside the USA.  We follow the progress of Justin Armsden and his father Alan after they teamed up to take on players from all over the world. They made the cut but didn't win and Justin says his father won't be invited to Christmas dinner this year because he can't handle pressure putts.