Author: Gordon Dalgleish

A dream to come true

Gordon Dalgleish

After 27 years in the golf travel business I have heard many variations on the same, understandable  theme, that to play the Old Course at St. Andrews is a life long goal. Many of the time it is fathers and sons who view a Scottish golf pilgrimage as the ultimate bonding experience.  Regardless of the reasons, many golfers throughout the world aspire to stand in front of the R & A Clubhouse and hear their name called by the starter as they tee off on the “Home of Golf”.

Later in August we are conducting a trip to St. Andrews for Mike Reeder, a double amputee Vietnam War Vetern. Mike carries a 12 handicap and has been playing golf for the last 20 years. Mike has long held the dream of playing the Old Course and we are very proud that PerryGolf can be part of that experience. He shall be accompanied on this trip by Deborah, his non golfing spouse.  His trip has been made possible by the generosity of the charity, Challenged Athletes, which helps people with physical disabilities pursue an active lifestyle.

Recognizing the unique travel challenges that Mike faces, PerryGolf staff have worked behind the scenes to ensure his dream  trip is as good as it can possibly be. Due to availability, we paired Mike with a threesome (husband, wife & grandson) on the Old Course.

Recently ESPN picked up on Mike’s story due to an article in The Tennessean and have assigned a film crew from E.60 to record Mike’s Scottish experience.  As a courtesy to the threesome of golfers, we wrote to them to explain the situation as it related to why a camera crew would be following their group around the Old Course. The gentleman in the group replied;

“We look forward to meeting Mike , our son Craig is also a double amputee  — he sponsors a golf tournament  ( Cancer for College— they provide tuition money for cancer and amputee’s I each year with his college fraternity brother Will Farrell  the actor, so we are well aware of the challenges etc — I am also a Vietnam veteran USMC !!”

It certainly gives you more than cause to pause and consider your life and the many blessings we have. By chance, we have two families playing the Old Course who have given so much for others.  As a result of this notoriety, Mike will appear on CNN this morning (August 4, between 9 – 10am CST) to speak of his upcoming trip to St. Andrews.

We shall certainly chronicle Mike’s visit to St. Andrews and do everything in our power to make the trip exceed his expectations.
 

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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International Travel and iPhones

Gordon Dalgleish

This blog from our good friend Larry Olmsted caught my eye as it is a topic I have commented on previously


iPhone – Sometimes Less is Less

TAP imageI feel violated. Two weeks ago, Steve Jobs and company broke into my home, changed my computer settings, and stopped my iPhone from working.

Really.

This is what technology has come to. Instead of the grandiose promise of the future with flying cars, robot servants and computers and phones that both work and make life easier, I get to spend half a day trying to fix my … Read more


 

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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Is tourism making the turn

Gordon Dalgleish

The recent worldwide economic downturn has hit the tourism sector hard; various resorts and hotels are in trouble. It is all the more encouraging to see deals being done and investment plans being announced. It does not seem that long ago (5 years) when Tom Doak’s St. Andrews Beach creation in Australia opened to generally favorable reviews. The development never gained altitude but hopefully the new owners can turn things around. The complete article can be viewed here .
 

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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Size of crowd at the Open?

Gordon Dalgleish

Interestingly over the last few days a number of contacts have commented to me on the perceived small crowds at St. Andrews for the Open. On television it did look somewhat sparsely attended but you have to bear in mind that the Old Course is unique in many ways, including all spectators being on the perimeter of the course (due to the double greens and fairways).

I noticed today this article from a local Scottish newspaper that referenced the crowd size. Albeit there was a drop from 2000 and 2005, I am sure it would surprise many people, just how many fans attended the event.
 

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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U.S. Open Champion connection

Gordon Dalgleish

Fortunately I receive a steady stream of positive messages from returning clients to our destinations and this morning I received the following email from a multiple repeat client from Milwaukee;

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Gordon
I would assume that you enjoy hearing good stories about PerryGolf experiences, so I have one for you. Last Wednesday, the day before the start of the US Open, I was playing golf with my old friend Bob Wells. I hit a shot into the rough.  We both saw it, but we couldn’t find it.  I told Bob, “if I had your caddie, this wouldn’t be a problem”. Although we had not talked about it for years, he knew exactly what I was referring to.
On our first PerryGolf trip to Ireland, in 1999, Bob’s bag was carried by the finest caddie either of us has ever experienced.  He was a young, cocky college kid wearing Oakley sunglasses.  Everyone in our group hit a number of shots into the brutal rough at Portrush, and no matter how badly we hit it, he could walk right up and find it.  It was if he had a ball radar detector or an extra sleeve of balls for each player.  We had a great time with him.  He planned to come to the US to play golf in college and we wished him well.  Bob asked me if I remembered his name, but try as I might, I could not.  I told Bob that I was calling the third member of our group, Nate Miles, on Monday so I would ask him.
Over the weekend his name finally came to me.  When I called Nate on Monday, I asked him if he remembered that caddie and his name.  “How I can forget him!” Nate said. “We expected big things from him, and it is safe to say that Graeme McDowell has now fulfilled our high expectations”.
BW
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This email remind me of another client who befriended Richie Ramsay while on a PerryGolf trip. Their first meeting was at Royal Aberdeen where Richie served as his caddy. Subsequently Richie traveled to the US as a guest of this gentleman and won the U.S. Amateur in 2006. In 2009 Richie won the South African Open.

 

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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