Changes to the Old Course, St. Andrews

November 29, 2012October 9, 2014 Gordon Dalgleish

There has been much discussion in the golf press in recent days regarding the announced changes to the Old Course, St. Andrews in anticipation of the 2015 Open Championship. I have been asked by several journalists for comment on the changes from a travel & tourism perspective as St. Andrews accounts for a significant portion of our annual traffic. My viewpoint is very simple…from a golfers perspective, one who is visiting the “Home of Golf” to enjoy the history, tradition and play the Old Course…the changes will have relatively little impact and will no way diminish from a wonderful & memorable travel experience. St. Andrews has evolved into a outstanding destination with a vibrant nightlife, excellent restaurants, hotels to suit every budget & expectation and a multitude of good golf courses with the Old Course at the center of everything.

[singlepic id=29 w=320 h=240 float=]While I can empathize and understand the viewpoint of architectural purists like Brad Klein & Tom Doak, both of whom I have the highest respect for their work and knowledge of the game, I must however on balance defer to the Links Trust and R & A who are both very deliberative bodies who do their very best to consider the many and differing demands and expectations on the Old Course as they keep it relevant in today’s game at the highest level. From memory (maybe a poor one), one of the reason’s play was suspended during high winds at the 2010 Open Championship on the Old Course was the severity of the slope on #11 green and balls blowing off the green

The golf industry for the last many years has suffered greatly, from a variety of self created challenges mixed with issues beyond it’s control such as a changing society moving faster & faster with less to spend on recreational activities. As I noted to one journalist, given the larger challenges at hand, I am not sure this one would make it onto David Letterman’s Top Ten List.

About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+

Conde Nast Top Travel Specialist

November 26, 2012October 7, 2014 Gordon Dalgleish

It is always an honor to be named to the Conde Nast Top Travel Specialist’s List. It is all the more rewarding to note that I am currently the only specialist who focuses on golf travel.

View pdf of the article here.

Over the years since 1984 I have always tried to enhance my knowledge of golf travel opportunities and find creative ways to deliver truly memorable golf experiences at each of our worldwide destinations.

We have a tremendous team within PerryGolf who strive every day to surpass client expectations. Thank you to everyone in PerryGolf for their tireless efforts and to Conde Nast for recognizing these qualities.

Gordon Dalgleish

President, PerryGolf

November 26, 2012

About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+

Golf & The Western Med Under Sun & Sail on board Le Ponant

September 24, 2012October 9, 2014 Gordon Dalgleish

Our all-inclusive, 2013 voyage on board the striking, tall-masted luxury motor/sail yacht Le Ponant begins in Nice, France. Seven nights, six ports of call and five rounds of the best golf in the Western Mediterranean lay ahead for no more than 64 guests from 17-24 May 2013. Golfers will enjoy the renowned and spectacular courses of Pevero and Sperone in Sardinia and Corsica, along with the highly regarded Donnafugata Golf Resort in Sicily. Non-Golfers will explore captivating ports of call like Piombino, Italy famous for preserving numerous architectural monuments and its beautiful view from Bovio piazza over the Tuscan archipelago. Corsica’s Bonifacio is a fortress city, perched atop seaside cliffs with a medieval city center of narrow tall houses along winding cobblestone streets. Day 4 of the voyage will be enjoyed at sea so that all may experience the thrill of such an elegant vessel doing what she does magnificently before our conclusion in Valetta on the island of Malta.

Visit the Webpage

About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+

The History of the Ryder Cup

September 17, 2012October 9, 2014 Gordon Dalgleish

As we quickly approach the 2012 Ryder Cup Matches and excitement mounts on both sides of the Atlantic, I saw a great series of video’s which chronicle the history of the Ryder Cup. It seems hard to fathom that during the 1970’s there was every chance that the Ryder Cup would disappear or at the very least become a footnote in golf history as the Americans continued their domination of the Great Britain & Ireland team.

Part 1 can be viewed here.

If you take the time to look through the videos which are posted, you may notice the comments that Arnold (as Team Captain) made at the expense of Jack Nicklaus in Part 3 .

The late Seve Ballesteros appears in Part 4 in his usual positive perspective. Hard to believe that the PGA of American had to pay a network to broadcast the 1989 Matches!

If you have the time and appreciate the Ryder Cup Matches for what they are, this is a great history lesson to better understand how we got to where we are.

About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+

Common sense tips for golf travel bag covers

August 31, 2012October 6, 2014 Gordon Dalgleish

[singlepic id=16 w=320 h=240 float=left]Golf travel bag covers have evolved a long way from some of the very basic plastic covers I can recall. These golf travel covers were no more than flimsy plastic with two holes for the strap of your bag to come through to aid carriage through the airport. The offered no protection for your golf equipment beyond dirt or rain drops!

Various options are now available and virtually all come with wheels which is a must for your golf bag cover.

The other principal decision when purchasing a cover is what level of protection you wish to provide your golf clubs. At one extreme are the hard sided covers which come in various sizes and provide the very best protection available. The downside is that they are cumbersome & bulky. Due to their size and inflexibility they consume a significant amount of space, particularly in a rental car. Indeed, I would go as far as to say that unless you have absolutely no space restrictions on your luggage as you travel, hard sided golf bag covers are not a good option.

The compromise between sturdy protection and flexibility for space saving I have found best are the likes of Club Glove. All of their models come with wheels, a hard sided bottom and base with the top potion constructed from extremely tough fabric. When the golf clubs are out of the cover they fold down into the size of the base and will fit into rental cars and the like.

Doubtless there are other fine examples of golf bag covers but I would use Club Glove as the benchmark for making a purchase decision. After 30+ years of traveling with golf clubs around the world, I can only recall one incident where one club was damaged, and for the vast majority of these trips I have used a Club Glove product and never used a hard sided case.

About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+

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