Bunkered

Scottish golf magazine

bunkered
EditorBryce Ritchie
Frequency10 issues per year
Founded1996
First issueApril 1996
CompanyDC Thomson
CountryScotland
Based inGlasgow
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.bunkered.co.uk
ISSN1363-6561

Bunkered (stylised as bunkered) is a golf magazine from Scotland published by DC Thomson. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the magazine was launched in 1996[1][2] and is published ten times per year.

A multi-award-winning, glossy, consumer title, the magazine covers all aspects of golf, from equipment to tuition, travel, interviews and more.[3]

History

The first edition of bunkered was launched in April 1996 by Pro Sports Promotions, an independent publishing company based in Glasgow. The company later rebranded to PSP Publishing and then to PSP Media. Initially, bunkered produced four issues in its first year.

By 1998, production increased to five editions annually, followed by six editions in 1999. Starting in 2002, the magazine transitioned to an eight-issue-per-year schedule. It marked the publication of its 100th edition in 2010 during the Open Championship held in St Andrews.[4]

In 1999, bunkered became the highest-selling golf magazine in Scotland, according to industry reports.[5]

In 2018, ownership of the magazine transferred to DC Thomson, a significant player in Scottish publishing. In 2023, the magazine expanded its distribution to include ten issues per year and began selling on newsstands in England, Wales, and Ireland for the first time, having previously been available only in Scotland.

bunkered has featured interviews with prominent golf figures, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie, and Donald Trump.

Additionally, bunkered organized the bunkered Matchplay Challenge in 2004 and 2007, a Ryder Cup-style event that pitted teams from the Scottish amateur and professional golf circuits against each other.

The bunkered Podcast

In August 2020, The bunkered Podcast was launched. The weekly show has featured guest appearances from personalities including Gary Player, Paige Spiranac, Colin Montgomerie, Rich Beem, Annika Sorenstam, Greg Norman, Jose Maria Olazabal and Ian Woosnam.

Non-golfers to have appeared on the show include Academy Award nominee Michael O'Keefe, tennis star Jamie Murray and former Manchester United and England footballer Teddy Sheringham.

In 2021, the show won the Best Sports Podcast Award at the Publisher Podcast Awards.[6] It successfully defended the title at the same awards the following year.[7]

In September 2023, The bunkered Podcast staged its first-ever live, in-person, ticketed event at Drygate Brewery in Glasgow.[8]

Since April 2022, the show has been sponsored by golf equipment giant Callaway.

Green Fee Savers

In 1999, bunkered launched Green Fee Savers,[9] a discount golf program that enabled recreational golfers to enjoy half-price rounds at hundreds of clubs across the UK and Ireland. The program was discontinued in 2010.

Notable columnists

Awards

bunkered and its personnel have won a number of PPA Awards.

  • Columnist of the Year: Michael McEwan, 2023
  • Writer of the Year: Michael McEwan, 2023
  • Scottish Publisher of the Year: 2011
  • Consumer Magazine Editor of the Year: Bryce Ritchie, 2010[11]
  • Consumer Magazine Editor of the Year: 2008
  • Scottish Brand Development of the Year: 2009
  • Scottish Publisher of the Year: 2006
  • Scottish Consumer Magazine of the Year: 2004, 2023

References

  1. ^ "PSP Publishing - bunkered magazine". PSP Publishing. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  2. ^ "About Us". bunkered. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Bunkered Magazine Subscriptions". WH Smith. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Ton up for bunkered magazine". All Media Scotland. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Sales joy for bunkered Magazine". All Media Scotland. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Winners 2021 - The Publisher Podcast Awards". Publisher Podcast Awards. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Publisher Podcast Awards 2022 – winners announced". InPublishing. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  8. ^ "First bunkered Podcast LIVE hailed a "huge success"". InPublishing. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Green Fee Savers - Half-Price Golf in the UK and Ireland". PSP Publishing. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  10. ^ McEwan, Michael (10 February 2016). "Dougie Donnelly joins bunkered!". bunkered.
  11. ^ "bunkered editor scoops top award". Golf Business News. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  • Official website