As airlines look for every revenue opportunity, it is time to rethink your strategy on various topics;
Checked luggage for domestic travel – A lower weight limit (50lbs per item) is becoming more common and rigidly enforced. Coupled with a fee to check luggage and the idea of paying an airline to possibly lose your luggage is less appealing than ever….I rarely check my luggage domestically but rely on UPS (or Luggage Forward for more complex trips) to handle my shipping needs. The cost is competitive and with what the airlines charge, you can track your luggage…and they rarely lose it. Check in online before departing for the airport and the only line you stand in is for security. Even as a premium flyer when airlines waive baggage fees, I think you will be quite satisfied with the small inconvenience of planning ahead, on your schedule….rather than standing in various lines…on the airlines schedule!
You will be surprised how quickly UPS can deliver packages via their ground service. I can ship golf clubs (approx 17lbs) from Wilmington, NC to Philadelphia in 2 days for $11.
When you ship your luggage include a return label for the homeward journey and enjoy the same convenience in reverse. It works wonders and will take some stress of your game.
International shipping with customs requirements and cost is far more complicated and expensive.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
Look no further than South Africa for the planet’s most exotic golf and travel destination.
This is where the world class fruits sown by one Big 5 – local heroes Locke, Player, Frost, Els, and Goosen flourish alongside the beauty of another –lion, buffalo, rhino, elephant and leopard. Here you’ll find a startling variety of eco-systems and landscapes all to be enjoyed in the graceful comfort of hospitality professionals admired the world over for their luxurious standards of service.
A visit of 10-14 days is recommended for those who prefer a thorough yet leisurely paced custom schedule. The place to begin is Cape Town whose dramatic setting on Cape Peninsula in the shadow of towering Table Mountain promises to leave a lifelong impression. The Cape Grace Hotel, Ellerman House and the Victoria and Alfred are just three of the numerous excellent choices for your base of operation over the next four days. Abundant golf is nearby including Pearl Valley by Nicklaus in the famous Franschhoek Wine region where a wine tour and tasting it the ideal compliment to a morning round. Cliff top whale watching is on order after 18 at Arabella.
Your next four days will pass too fast at the sensational Fancourt Hotel, located in the heart of The Garden Route which winds along the warm Indian Ocean and is renowned throughout the world for its immense natural beauty. From majestic mountains and white beaches to the Tsitsikamma Forest, the area is home to a kaleidoscope of flora, fauna and a multitude of rare bird species. Guests at Fancourt may choose between a room in the beautifully restored 19th Century Manor House or one of the stately Garden Suites and Studios. The spa is one of South Africa’s premier wellness facilities. The property’s three courses are accessible to members and hotel guests only, and each is ranked among the country’s top 12. Perhaps most impressive is The Links, a Gary Player design inspired by his love of the British game, and host venue of the 2003 Presidents Cup. Ernie Els home and golf course is nearby in Oubaai, a course perched on cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean. Goosen, Norman, Player, Clarke and Nicklaus all have courses along this striking coastline.
Fun and games now turns to fun and big game as your journey continues northeast to Lion Sands Private Game Reserve near the Kruger National Park. There are a dozen or so true luxury safari lodges in South Africa, each with unique charm and merit, but few can match the amenities and location of Ivory Lodge. Located deep in the African bush, this property has redefined the luxury wilderness experience. With only six suites, privacy and exclusivity are granted in this paradise where getting up close to the Big 5 is a daily occurrence. Suites feature magnificent bathrooms and bedrooms. Vast sundecks overlooking the Sabi River with private plunge pools offer front row views of the wilderness and all manner of wildlife. African cuisine complimented by one of the finest wine lists in the country complete this “all inclusive” sensory experience. Bigger groups may wish to consider 1933, the manor house which provides a private chef and ranger to groups of up to 4 couples.
Naturally there is one more round to play before returning to the real world. And remarkably enough, in this remote region of the country, you will find its #1 ranked layout — Leopard Creek. Situated on the southern border of the Kruger National Park, Leopard Creek presents the rare opportunity to play a golf course in the bush of Africa. The enormous property, nearly 900 acres, is bordered to the north and the west by the Crocodile River and the Kruger National Park. Rocky bushveld hills overlook the course from the east, providing an ideal backdrop for this Gary Player masterpiece.
All told, the experience in South Africa is about diversity: the old world, and new; the landscapes; the wildlife; the many flavors of hospitality and, of course, great golf.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
A recent trip to Italy reminded why this destination is so popular with such a wide range of travelers. I was there in mid November with weather which was mostly overcast but attractively (in Venice) short on the normal summer crowds!
It was my first visit to Venice and I was enthralled by the city. I stayed at the San Clemente Palace which is an island unto itself. In prior centuries it was a monastery and after five years of renovation it is a wonderful hotel. While slightly isolated due to using a boat to get to and from the city, friends said that during the summer months it would be a wonderful refuge from the crowds. The city has approximately 55,000 residents and 20 Million visitors annually!
John Julius Norwich spoke at the conference I was attending and in 25 minutes has presented a wonderful speech on the history and relevance of Venice, including a short overview of what challenges lay ahead.
I then spent a productive day with Danilo Discacciati who represents PerryGolf in Italy. We visited two golf properties and enjoyed a typically Italian dining experience in Como. The following was drafted by Danilo and rather than trying to put into my own words, I think summarizes the Italian view of golf far better then I;
“What has Golf to do with all that, then? Good question! Let’s find a pretext to join Golf and things that make Italy unique!
When we started selling Italy as a golf destination, we had to face the huge competition represented by the most well-known destinations such as the British Islands, Spain, Portugal. We were in a similar position of a boutique trying to compete with a supermarket! Boutique? We found the solution! We have to sell Italy as a boutique destination where clients can find some of the most refined articles in the market sold together in the same place.. And which better place than Italy for the fine things?
So we took a typical day of golf in Scotland and (…gosh! what a noisy day!), we did the opposite!
Pick-up in the morning at 7am, breakfast at 8am, drive to the course at 8:30am, tee-off at 9:15 am, enjoy a lunch or a beer with snacks at the 19th hole, by 3pm back to the hotel to refresh, at 4pm out in town to enjoy some visit or going out in excursion, at 7:30pm aperitif sit outside a bar in a square looking at the people passing by and enjoying the last hours of sunshine, at 8:30pm dinner in a restaurant, 11pm again in town for….
Doesn’t it sound more interesting than a day in Scotland? Ohhhhhh, yes! But, as we do not want to give the impression to divert your attention from golf, let’s speak about the courses in Italy.
Golf is still considered a game for rich people but, even though it is not true because skiing is far much more expensive, the fact that there is no public course but only private clubs helps this belief to take root preventing people to approach golf as a new sport activity.
Said that, as a confirmation of what people think of exclusivity of golf, the highest number of courses is located in the North of Italy, considered the richest part of the country.
In fact, from Turin to Venice, we count 150 courses, among which 82 are 18 holes. The best areas where to play and where you can find enough courses to play a different one everyday are:
Piedmont (Gavi area and Turin)
Lakes District, without doubt the best in Italy for number and quality of the courses, formed by
Lake Maggiore (Piedmont and Switzerland)
Lake Lugano (Switzerland)
Lake Como (Lombardy)
Laka Garda (Lombardy and Veneto)
Venice surroundings
Tuscany Florence
Tuscany Versilia (seaside)
Rome
Then, you have:
Sardinia to be chosen for its being a seaside destination as there are only 3 courses in the entire region;
Apulia (South), that is becoming more and more a golf destination, but damaged by not being very well served by the flights
Having such a concentration of golf courses in each area, driving times are short and the really good system of roads and motorways help the foreign visitor to visit the country easily, with little or no problem at this regard.
For what regards the tee-times, during the week-days it is an easy job because courses are never crowded, tee times are every 10 minutes. Other matter is to play during the week-ends.
In fact, being private clubs, on Saturdays, Sundays and any holidays that fall in the calendar, they organise local tournament where the non-members are rarely admitted. This means that tee-times for the visitors are fixed in the afternoon after the tournament or in the morning teeing off at 10am from hole #10 and then in the afternoon, always after the tournament, to complete the other 9.”
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
The title is an often asked question of me and the simple fact of the matter is that I am not a favorites type person. Every golf course has it’s pluses; some more than others.
So if you do not have a favorite, how do you measure quality of experience.
As hard as it is, the challenge is to isolate yourself from the people you are with as invariably they have an impact on your enjoyment. Pointers I look for in no particular order would include;
Welcome of golf staff – are they trained by the airlines or a premium grocery store
Smoothness of golf operation – do your clubs get onto your cart or to your caddy with no apparent effort? or do you have to look out for yourself
Is there sufficient signage to get you to where you need to be? range, #1 tee, etc?
Is the golf course playable (challenging without wearing you down)?
Are the greens good and generally the playing conditions closer to excellent than average?
Does the golf course move at a steady pace that is enjoyable, i.e. no slow groups which the golf staff do not address
If you could answer all of the above affirmatively you are well on your way to a favorite course. Next time you play be sure to be playing with friends if you did not on your initial round.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
Everyone has gone threw the same thoughts at some time…what is the appropriate tip? It adds a level of anxiety into various situations which can be awkward. In some cultures tipping is considered unusual behavior and service members may be equally uncomfortable receiving a tip…a diminishing segment of the population!
A recent USA Today story caught my attention. It goes into great detail for US domestic travel but what about the overseas golfer, what considerations should be taken into account;
In the British Isles use 10% as a rule of thumb when tipping as compared to 15% in the USA
In New Zealand & Australia tipping is less expected than USA but more so than in previous years
Having said that what are the relative amounts you should tip, for a job well done. As the USA Today writer points out it it should not be a requirement. Personally I wish the recipient of a tip just make an effort to say thanks, or even a nod of gratitude. Unspoken is fine.
It is hard to go through a list as exhaustive as the article, but my advice would always be to have small denominations of local currency in your pocket…do not be the ugly American and tip the bellboy in Italy with US dollars! A small gesture of some value for effort is appreciated…in local currency!
A number of nicer resorts and hotels charge a daily fee which is in lieu of tipping any member of staff, personally I prefer this solution as it takes the logistics and guess work out of this practise.
Finally, be sure you know the general tipping guidelines for the country you are visiting, specifically if it is part of the culture or frowned upon. In the globalization of the world, tipping is one US export which has done extremely well!
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
