A Flying Visit to Cape Kidnappers

January 25, 2010December 31, 2009 PerryGolf Staff

On a recent trip to New Zealand, one of the highlights was a flying visit to the fantastic Cape Kidnappers. We arrived at around 2pm after the scenic 2 hour journey from the town of Taupo. We drew up to a rather unassuming front gate that doesn’t instantly suggest you are at one of the best golf resorts in the world. We made our way along the 8 mile private driveway to the “Farm” (as they call it). Note: to call it a farm doesn’t do it justice; as while the building is in a traditional farmhouse style, it is of a very luxurious standard. After check-in we made our way to our private lodges just a short walk from the main building. The rooms, again, are in a homely but comfortable style and each have their own reception area with bar leading into the main large bedroom which have patio doors opening onto a porch and provide a view over the estate and out to the Pacific. The bedroom also has a remote controlled ‘real’ fire and large screen TV discretely located on the wall behind some local photography…as well as a very comfortable king size bed. The bathroom is also of a high standard; a very large spacious area offering a bath with a view out to the ocean.

After unpacking it was down to the course – which is around a 5 minute drive away – for a quick few holes on a course that can only be described as breathtaking. I was there in November just as the better weather is beginning in New Zealand and the course was in great shape. It’s difficult to pick out any one hole as there are so many, but the back 9 played out along the cliff tops with a 500 foot drop to the ocean just yards from the semi-rough and is like no course I have ever experienced. The 15^th is a 600 yard par 5 played straight out to the ocean with a sheer drop on the left that leaves no margin for error. The 16^th takes you back inland but has the best view from any tee I have ever seen; to your left and right there are views along the coast line and behind you lies the Pacific Ocean. I didn’t play particularly well, but thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the round and was glad of my golf cart with all of the elevation changes on the course.

After golf there was time for a quick dip in the pool, which again has great views over the estate and out to sea…the next thing I knew it was time for dinner. Guests usually get together for drinks prior to dinner providing a warm and friendly atmosphere. During our visit there was a large group celebrating a birthday, so dining was slightly delayed, but this was a welcome problem as we were well looked after by staff with canapés and this also allowed us to sample some of the great local wines in the area. Hawkes Bay is just up the road so there are plenty of local vineyards. We had dinner in the Loggia beside a warming fire and, again, with a view out of floor-to-ceiling windows over that great view.

Dinner was scallops with pork belly followed by beef and a passion fruit dessert – all of which were excellent and a great way to end a busy day.

The following morning was a fantastic breakfast of fruit and Eggs Benedict, again in the Loggia, before our early departure for the flight from Napier airport (approximately 40 minutes away).

By Alastair Niven. Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 9 years and is one of the members of staff responsible for our South Pacific programs.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club

January 23, 2010August 24, 2022 PerryGolf Staff

Royal Birkdale is one of the best courses on the planet and is consistently ranked in the top 30 courses in the world. It has hosted the Open Championship on 7 occasions, most recently in 2008 when Padraig Harrington was victorious.

During a recent familiarization visit to England’s Golf Coast (North West England), my colleague and I were very kindly given courtesy of the course by the club committee. Even though we were a week into December, the course was still playable and the greens, though slow, were very true. Royal Birkdale have winter tees which come into play between the end of September and the beginning of April – with the course measuring around 6,200 yards with these in play. This was more than enough golf course to keep my colleague and I occupied during our round as there was also a steady 25mph wind to contend with. One thing I noticed about the course was the amount of subtle breaks on the greens; this coupled with the wind made putting very difficult. I don’t claim to be a good putter, but putting on true greens in the middle of December was a joy and I have to say I holed my fair share of putts en-route to a 4 and 2 victory. Sorry Keith.

I found the course to be quite demanding from the tees, not from a distance point of view, but from an accuracy perspective. Onus is definitely placed on precise tee-shots to allow for easier approach shots to the heavily guarded greens. Some of which don’t have many bunkers but have defense in the form of severe run-offs. I also suspect that it would be a rarity to play the course on a calm day which adds to the importance of accuracy. Even from the softer winter tees we were given the opportunity to appreciate the course as most of the tees are positioned in line with the summer tees. We also took the chance to have a look at some of the championship tees which were pretty daunting to say the least.

My favorite hole on the course has to be the par 5 17^th. This is the hole where Harrington hit a 5 wood to about 5 feet in the Open Championship last year, undoubtedly one of the best approach shots to a par 5 I have ever seen in my life. Unfortunately I couldn’t emulate Harrington’s magic and had to make do with a bogey 6, but this didn’t take away from the fact that the hole is an absolute cracker.

A must play course for anyone staying in the North West of England. This is usually number 1 on the list of courses but there are many other great courses in the area and a week long stay can be filled with 7 or 8 top class links courses.

By Gary Sheppard. Gary has worked for PerryGolf for over 3 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

London Stopover Trip

January 22, 2010December 25, 2009 PerryGolf Staff

We decided to stop off in London for a few days – so much to see and do! Fortunately the weather was perfect for sightseeing and we were quite happy to explore on foot. Our hotel was not far from the River Thames and we walked to the Millennium Bridge, taking in St. Pauls Cathedral on the way, and then along the Embankment to the London Eye. This is a must for everyone on a London trip and includes a short 4D film – the fourth dimension being atmospherics as you ‘travel’ through London.

After the Eye, we continued our walk and went over Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament. London is really well sign-posted for tourists anyway, but every time we opened up our tourist map, someone would ask if we needed a hand! These were ordinary people going by and they were so helpful. We continued our walk past Westminster Abbey, found Downing Street (we could only see No 10 from the security barrier), and went onto the Horse Guard’s Parade to watch the changing of the guard. The two regiments that guard the palaces are the Household Cavalry (in red tunics) and the Blues & Royals (in blue). The horses were magnificently turned out and so patient with everyone wanting their pictures taken next to a horse. The troopers looked so young but maybe that was just me!

We continued our walk through St. James Park and up to Buckingham Palace(so many people and so many nationalities, but all just enjoying being there) and then on up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the Princess Diana Memorial garden and the Serpentine. London is full of statues and memorials and you could spend a day just exploring these. We were getting pretty hungry by now and found a pavement café for an excellent lunch and then heard someone say that downstairs was Prince Harry’s favourite nightclub. Setting off again, we retraced our steps through the park and down The Mall to Trafalgar Square to see Nelson’s Column and the lions. The National Art Gallery (located on one side of the square) is a very impressive building, but we didn’t have time to visit it on this occasion. Must go back!

We wanted to see a show while we were there and headed to Leicester Square and the returned ticket booths – discovering Covent Garden on our way. This was once the original fruit and flower market for London but is now two storeys of small trendy shops, stalls selling all sorts of jewellery, handbags, scarves, etc, and courtyard areas where ‘living statues’, musicians, singers and entertainers amuse the shoppers. One tiny teashop specialises in very large iced cupcakes in every conceivable flavour and with amazing decorations; we had to try them…and with a (very English) pot of tea!

Theatre tickets purchased, we headed back to the hotel for a rest before our evening ahead and to plan how we could fit in the Tower of London, Carnaby Street, Soho and China Town, not to mention shopping in Oxford Street and Harrods!

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne Shaw has worked for PerryGolf for over 9 years and is a member of our Administration Team.

Golf on the Lancashire Coast of England

January 17, 2010January 17, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Lancashire Coast in England’s North West; and what a place it is for golf. I was only there for a couple of days but I managed to visit the top 8 courses in the area. Of them, I was lucky enough to play Royal Birkdale which is one of, if not, the best course I’ve ever played. It brought back memories of the 2008 British Open when Padraig Harrington lifted the Claret Jug – especially his awesome 5-wood into the 17^th leading to an eagle on the final day. I also hit a 5-wood for my second shot, but I could only muster up a par 5!

Other than Royal Birkdale, I also saw Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Liverpool, both of which need no introduction given their prominence on the British Open rota…but it was the quality of the lesser known courses which impressed me most. Whilst I didn’t play them all, I did walk out onto the courses and spent time in the clubhouses enjoying the hoards of memorabilia each club displays. Wallasey, near to Liverpool, was one which intrigued me greatly. Not only is the course spectacular with what looks like one of the best finishing holes in links golf, but the club as a whole is steeped in history. The Bobby Jones portrait (the only one he ever signed because he liked it so much) is without doubt the centre of attention (that was where he qualified for the Open which lead to his grand Slam); but the club is also the home of the Stableford format, as member Frank Stableford came up with the idea whilst on the 2^nd fairway. There are some great pictures and stories on the walls about them both; so if you’re there, be sure to pop in for a look.

The PerryGolf Team at Royal Liverpool Golf Club

One of the best things about the area is the location of the courses which make it possible to play 8 great courses (and I’m not exaggerating when I say great) from just one hotel. You’ll never have more than an hour’s drive to play the three Royal’s, Wallasey, Hillside (generally regarded as the best links courses never to have held the Open), Southport and Ainsdale (twice host to the Ryder Cup), Formby and West Lancashire. If you’ve ‘done’ Scotland and Ireland, the North West of England is definitely the next place you should go. You will not be disappointed.

By Keith Baird – Golf Travel Specialist. Keith Baird has worked for PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of the members of staff responsible for our British Isles programs.

London Heathrow – T5

January 16, 2010January 17, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

By Anne Filshie. Anne is the Group Director of Operations at PerryGolf.

With Rory McIlroy leading the European Tour order of merit, we decided to travel out for the inaugural ‘Race to Dubai’ – the deciding event. Rory and Ross McGowan are two players whom we know well and wanted to go and support, so we decided to travel on British Airways from Glasgow via Heathrow to Dubai. This gave me my second experience travelling through Heathrow’s brand new Terminal Five. Pretty much the entire British Airways service is based at T5, and while they had their share of teething problems, it is a particularly slick operation. From the main building there are two smaller terminals, easily reached by a continuous monorail. Apparently the underground luggage transport system is amazing to see, and my experience would be that it works efficiently even with a very short connection time.

On the way out to Dubai (as the flight was overnight) we took a 6pm flight to Heathrow to allow us time to have dinner in the BA lounge; we then enjoyed the fantastic experience of First Class. British Airways Club Class and First Class are utterly excellent, and the service is exceptionally good. Nothing beats the flat beds; you get a great sleep, and do not miss a minute of your holiday no matter if you travel east or west. We arrived into Dubai on the Friday morning, travelled straight to the golf course and watched golf all day.

I am very impressed with Terminal Five, lovely experience.

As for the golf…well Lee Westwood was on fire and won the tournament, with Ross McGowan taking second place, and Rory McIlroy third; so it turned out a fantastic result for Ross and Rory’s Scottish fans !

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