Next time you are deep in the rough and you think things can’t get much worse, spare a thought for this poor fellow golfer in Auckland – click here for article.
By Alastair Niven. Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 9 years and is one of our agents
One of our most popular hotels in Italy has to be Villa d’Este; the hotel is set on the shores of Lake Como and more than deserves the many awards it has received over the years – the most recent being presented by Forbes Traveler 400 in 2009 for World’s Best Hotel.
The main building was built in 1568 as the summer residence of Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and was then changed to a luxurious hotel in 1783. Villa d’Este has 153 bedrooms and with several dining outlets you are spoiled for choice. It is also in an easily accessible location, only 60 minutes away from Milano Malpensa Airport!
Even with the building’s various upgrades, they have managed to keep the history and garden true to their past and it has proven very popular with our clients and a “must” while in the Lake Como area. While staying here, golfers could play Villa d’Este Golf Club which is located just 6 miles away – a course that was designed in 1926 by Peter Gannon. The course is a stunning (but challenging) play.
By Denise McKee. Denise has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.
Nefyn and District is a great links course in the North West of Wales. It’s often regarded as the signature course for Wales in terms of image, as it’s very reminiscent of Old Head or Pebble Beach in the way that it’s perched on top of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
I had the pleasure of playing it on my recent trip to Wales…and enjoyed every minute of it. The personal highlight for me came at the 12th green – we’d lost a few balls by this point and were in need of a bit of respite, when Bryn, our host for the week, suggested a quick pint and a bite to eat before we pressed on. I was slightly confused as to where we’d be getting this, but Bryn led us down a small path to the foot of the cliffs where a pub awaited us. It was packed with golfers and locals, many of whom were sitting outside dipping their toes in the ocean; such was the good weather, so we joined them for what is without doubt the best half-way house I’ve ever experienced. If you’re ever at Nefyn, make sure you take a time-out at the 13th tee via the bar. It’ll turn any bad round into a good one!
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
You’ll appreciate the setting at Royal St. David’s from the minute you pull up into the car park in the shadows of the overlooking Harlech Castle. It’s a spectacular view as it’s perched on top of the hill and can be seen from almost every hole. The course itself is relatively flat, but don’t be fooled as the fairways are tight and the rough punishing, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. The greens are true and were exceptionally fast for April, and with the back nine playing straight into the wind, it wasn’t the best day for scoring when your game’s as rusty as mine, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
To add to the enjoyment, we played in beautiful sunshine, which if you’ve been following any of my blogs from my trip to Wales, you’ll realise was the case every day – the Welsh will tell you it’s like that 365 days a year.
There were only 3 of us playing, so a local member called Jim joined us to make up a fourball. Jim used to play for one of England’s most famous soccer teams (Everton) so as a big Liverpool fan (the two teams are great rivals) I gave him a bit of stick on our way around. In return, he gave me a valuable golf tip which sorted my driving out… and resulted in me not losing a single ball for the rest of my trip! Happy days!
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
The Beall Group were PerryGolf’s first travellers of the 2010 Season. Mr. Beall travelled with his son and brother and they played some of the finest links courses that the East Coast of Scotland has to offer. Three out of the five courses which they played feature in the top 100 in the world…and the pinnacle of these was Muirfield. North Berwick and Cruden Bay were the others to make it into the top 100, but the New Course at St. Andrews and Royal Aberdeen are not far behind.
Caddies were requested at each course the group played and Mr. Beall found that these were pivotal in their enjoyment. Links courses are hard enough so why not take advantage of any assistance you can? The group had special praise for the caddies at Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay. Mr. Beall and his party also hired a concierge driver throughout their trip and he was always on hand to suggest local places of interest, make dining reservations, and was more like their tour manager than their driver. Mr. Beall had high praise for the driver and he became their friend as the tour progressed.
With regards dining, The Witchery in Edinburgh came highly recommended from the guys. It’s within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle and is an excellent place to finish off a day of sightseeing in Scotland’s capital.
PerryGolf would like to thank Mr. Beall and his group for their valued business and hope to welcome them on another trip in the future.
By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
