Scottish Open to move to Links Course

December 6, 2010November 24, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

One of the biggest tournaments on the European Tour calendar is set to move venue in a bid to lure some of the world’s biggest stars. The tournament, which is held the week before The Open Championship, is currently based at Loch Lomond GC and has been there since 1996. Loch Lomond is one of the best courses in the world but as it is a parkland style course; some bigger name players prefer to practice on a links course the week prior to the Open Championship. There has been speculation as to who the main contenders are and it seems as though it has been narrowed to 2 potential candidates – Castle Stuart near Inverness or The Renaissance Club in East Lothian. The Renaissance Club is the more mature of the two, having been open for two seasons, a pretty remarkable stat for the two main contenders for this highly regarded event.

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By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Frommer’s Travel Guides – Top Destination for 2011

November 30, 2010November 12, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Frommer’s Travel Guides has listed its Top Twelve suggested destinations for the next year and included is Kent in England. Kent has the driest, sunniest coastline in the UK and boasts four top golf courses – Royal St. Georges, Royal Cinque Ports, Chart Hills and Princes. Next year Royal St. Georges is hosting the British Open for the fourteenth time and it is always a popular venue for both players and spectators.

Frommer’s sing the praises of the area’s seaside towns; a mixture of Victorian charm, unusual shops, excellent restaurants and stylish hotels, not to mention 26 miles of beautiful beaches. Located conveniently for both Gatwick and Heathrow Airport, it fulfils all the requirements for a smart alternative to the usual holiday destinations.

Also in Frommer’s Top Twelve are Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Stockholm in Sweden, the Pontine Islands off Italy, Santiago in Chile, Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica, Atlanta in USA, Canada’s Nahanni National Park, Hokkaido in Japan, Tapei in Taiwan, Cesme in Turkey and Doha in Qatar.

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.

Lunch at the Jigger Inn

November 26, 2010November 12, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Is there a better pub anywhere in Scotland than the Jigger Inn?

In terms of location, I doubt it, as it stands to the right of the 17^th hole on the Old Course; arguably the most dramatic hole in major championship golf. With a decent sized outdoor seating area from where you can watch golfers hit their approach shots to the ‘Road Hole’, it makes the perfect spot for lunch at the height of the summer. Traditional fish and chips with mushy peas is the speciality, but with a wide range of great pub grub to choose from, and with everything made to a very high standard, it’s a meal you’ll enjoy for more than just for the great view. Even on a cold and rainy day, the log fires inside make it the ideal spot to warm up, and with a wide range of local beers and malt whiskeys, there’s something for everyone. If you’re in St. Andrews and you’re looking for a casual but enjoyable lunch, you needn’t look any further.

By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Castle Stuart ~ Best Overseas New Destination

November 22, 2010November 12, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Castle Stuart, which runs along the banks of the Moray Firth in the Scottish Highlands, was recently voted the best new overseas destination by Golf Digest. The course, which was co-designed by Mark Parsinen (Kingsbarns) and American architect Gil Hanse (Craighead Links at Crail), opened in 2009 and it has already taken its place amongst Scotland’s greats. Not only has it made the Highlands a much more appealing destination, but Scotland as a whole. With Royal Dornoch (Scotland’s #3 course) and Nairn (#14) its best and closest neighbours, 3 or 4 nights in the Inverness area make for a great addition to any Scotland tour.

I recently had the opportunity to play it for the first time and loved every minute of it. Other than the fact that the rough needs some time to mature – to make it more of a challenge – you wouldn’t know it was only a new course. With reasonably wide fairways, you might be forgiven for standing on the tee and thinking it looks relatively straight forward, but with the impetus put on getting the right angles from where to approach very tricky greens, it’s definitely a thinker’s course. If you’ve been to Scotland before and you’ve played the more famous British Open rota courses, but you’ve never made it up to the Highlands, now is the time…and Castle Stuart should definitely be on your list as one of the ‘must plays’.

By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Castle Cottage Harlech

November 18, 2010November 4, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Following the Ryder Cup this year, Welsh golf is now firmly on the map. At PerryGolf we have been putting together trips to this area for many years and feel that it has a lot to offer our clients.

When considering a stay in Wales I would advise looking at the Castle Cottages in Harlech as a great option of accommodation. The welcome you will receive in the Cottages is the same as you are likely to receive all over Wales…warm and friendly.

The 5 star accommodations, in two 400 year old buildings, are thought to have been old farmhouses dating back to 1585. The Hotel is actually built around the restaurant which offers superb dining with local Welsh produce used wherever possible. The dining area has a log fire to sit by and enjoy a meal, whilst the view outside is of Mount Snowden (the highest Mountain in Wales).

The cottage consists of 7 rooms – all en-suite – with super king size beds. All of the rooms come with TV, DVD, iPod dock and Tea/Coffee-making facilities. A nice touch to note is that each room is individually named in Welsh.

For golf in the area, courses nearby include Royal St David’s, Aberdovey and Nefyn. Within a reasonable driving distance you can also play Conwy.

Castle Cottage in Harlech is a great option for your trip to Wales and will allow you to discover some fantastic golf and scenery with beautiful food and a warm atmosphere thrown in!

By Alan Bowman. Alan joined the PerryGolf team earlier this season.

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