Sport

Featuring Tee Time: The Growing Popularity Of Golf In China

The Sybarites has the low-down on how and why the Chinese are going golf crazy. China may be famous for blockbuster sights such as the Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and Terracotta warriors but it’s fast becoming known for its interest in golf too. Chairman Mao might have banned golf for its bourgeois decadence back in the day, but fast forward to 2017  and it’s all change. Golf is no longer considered a crime in China and consequently the country has seen its golfing enthusiasts swell from around 50,000 only a few years ago, to more than three million today. The rise of the sport in China can partly be attributed to the International Olympic Committee’s decision to reinstate golf for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games - a sporting event that China is famously keen on.After the Sydney 2000 Olympics, China’s sporting big wigs launched  Project 119 – a campaign focused on training athletes in individual sports (such as kayaking and canoeing),  in which the Chinese have traditionally underperformed.

Featuring The world's most beautiful ice rinks

For others, it is the sound of carols being sung or the smell of mince pies and mulled wine wafting in the air… However here at Sybarite HQ, it’s getting our skates on at an outdoor ice rink that signals Christmas is just around the corner. There is nothing quite like the allure of ice skating: gliding gracefully (well, some of us) around the rink in pristine, white boots (or blue plastic if you don't have your own). Where else can you fling your arms around a strange member of the opposite sex? What’s more, such behaviour is not only inevitable, it’s the norm: the accepted and established code of conduct when it comes to Christmas skating. Wondering where to find the world’s most magical ice rinks? Here’s the low-down on some of the planet’s coolest skating spots...(attractive strangers not guaranteed).

Featuring Luxurious shoot-friendly countryside stays in the UK

Where guests can savour home-grown produce, drink local ciders or fine wines and relax in utmost tranquillity. Set within the most inspiring landscapes, these inns offer a wealth of country sporting activities, all dog friendly and are situated near the UK’s leading shooting schools.

Featuring The 5 best clay pigeon shooting schools in Britain

Featuring Royal Salute Coronation Cup

If you’re in need of a little inspiration, allow The Sybarite to make a suggestion…

Featuring Riding in Style: Qatar Goodwood Festival 2016

Royal Ascot may have wrapped for 2016 but the Qatar Goodwood Festival - popularly known as as Glorious Goodwood - is just around the corner.

Featuring Hot to Trot: the growing appeal of polo

The blue blooded (Princes Harry and William both play) game of polo is synonymous with glamour, luxury and wealth. The sport of kings is said to have originated in Persia some 2,500 years ago and was initially used as a training exercise for the King’s elite cavalry who then took the game to the east. Here the sport was adopted by the Kings, Emperors, Shahs, Sultans, Khans and Caliphs of the ancient Persians, Arabs, Mughals, Mongols and Chinese - hence it’s moniker “the game of kings". British officers discovered the game circa 1850 following a horsemanship exhibition in Manipur, India. Legend has it that Lieutenant Joe Sherer, after seeing the locals playing polo, cried “we must learn the game.” Subsequently The Silchar Polo Club was founded in 1859 and from there the popularity of the sport spread like morning sunlight: polo popped up in Malta in 1868, England in 1869 - where matches at Richmond Park and Hurlingham attracted more than 10,000 spectators - Ireland in 1870, Argentina in 1872 and Australia in 1874.

Featuring Wimbledon 2016: the ones to watch

As tennis Grand Slams go, Wimbledon is without a doubt the best. As the oldest tennis tournament in the world, SW19 oozes prestige, whereas Flushing Meadows is unpredictable, Melbourne Park is often unbearably hot and Roland Garos is dusty. Who will be the toast of this years’s tournament? We've identified the four hopefuls that you should be keeping an eye on this summer. Anyone for Pimms?

Featuring Experience Top Gear and Perfect the Popular Figure-of-Eight

Or have simply wondered what it’s like being in a Top Gear situation, visit the home of the Top Gear Test Track and TV Studio in Dunsfold Park (near Guilford) and give this adventurous experience a go.

Cars in the making: An exclusive experience for Lotus...

It is offered subject to availability, due to unsurprisingly high demand. The experience, known as ‘Handmade in Hethel’, is self-explanatory, as Lotus cars are handmade in Hethel. Lotus customers will have the opportunity to witness Lotus sports cars in the making at the company’s Hethel headquarters, which is also where they will excitedly receive their brand new vehicle straight from the factory. Customers may choose from two Delivery Experience options.

Featuring A different kind of escape in the Loire Valley

An estate spanning 1400 acres takes you back in time to a place of complete serenity, nature and purity – even pictures don’t do justice to the beauty of Les Bordes. Located in the heart of the Loire Valley, the estate is made up of the 20th-century Château Bel Air featuring eight suites, a restaurant in a glass orangery and a cigar, whisky and wine bar. In addition to a cosy clubhouse, there is a spa and wellness centre under the canopy of trees, accompanied by swimming pools, tennis courts and a gym. Need more convincing? How about lighting up a fine cigar while sipping on some rare whisky complemented by a delectable meal in the Club du Baron? According to Les Bordes, ‘It’s the feeling of homecoming as you sink into an armchair beside grand, leaping fires. The way the outside world fades away – and all that matters are the people around your table.’  But if you would rather take refuge in a good book or a play a game, the clubhouse has a library and games room.

Featuring Take diving to a more luxurious level – all you need to...

How? By having it tailor-made just for you, of course. One company that specializes in creating tailor-made diving holidays is Original Diving. The company sets out to create itineraries for the individual based on precisely what that individual is seeking during their experience. Not only that, but the company sees to it that every single detail is taken care of so that the only thing one needs to remember is their passport. For convenience, a 24-hour helpline is just a phone call away; customers can rest assured that they will always have someone at the other end to answer quick questions or to rely on should anything go wrong. Of course, it goes without saying that Original Diving is made up of expert divers. Let us, however, get to the more exciting bits, like where to go diving. The choices seem endless: From North America, the Caribbean, Antarctica and Africa to the Far East, Australia and the Pacific Islands, how do you choose?