Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Links course is to receive an upgrade on the bunkering to the right of the 13th. The work is scheduled to be undertaken over two winters by the course’s own green staff (under the guidance of one the original architects, Pat Ruddy) and staff are keen to see the work reach completion by March of 2011. The aim is to fortify the course and improve the experience for golfers of all levels.
Category: Local Knowledge
Kruger National Park
One of the reasons why South Africa is a popular destination for our groups – aside of the excellent golf – is to see wild animals in their natural habitat. Kruger National Park is a massive reserve, nearly 2 million hectares in size, which was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld. Among the diverse animal population are more than 3,000 hippos and 5,000 giraffe. You can see everything (at a safe distance) from the elevated game-watching platforms. The wildlife is so varied and vast; elephants, lions, leopards, water buffalo, antelope, zebra, and wildebeest.
For accommodation, we highly recommend Jock Safari Lodge & Spa which is located right in the heart of the reserve and offers game drives in open Landrovers…what a spectacular way to get even closer to the wild animals!
By Denise McKee. Denise has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.
Champions Challenge 2010
This year’s Champions Challenge, a four-hole competition for past winners on the day before the British Open, has twenty-eight confirmed entries. These include Seve Ballesteros who, despite the fact that he is still convalescing, is really looking forward to playing and thinks he will do okay. Last year’s winner Stewart Cink will be there along with recent winners Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington.
Seven teams of four will battle it out for the £50,000 prize which will then be donated to a charity chosen by the winners. The event is part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations at St. Andrews and is sure to draw a huge crowd.
By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.
The Old Course Tops Polls
The Old Course in St. Andrews has been named as number one at the top of Celebrated Living magazine’s Platinum list of the Top 20 International Golf Courses. In second place is St. Andrews Links Trust’s newest course, The Castle Course. There are welcome accolades in the run up to the 150th Open Championship being held on the Old Course this year.
To read the article in more details, click here.
The Pub at Nefyn
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.
