Hickory Golf Experience

January 30, 2010January 12, 2010 Cameron Reid

Golf from a era gone by at Kingarrock — Golf from a bygone era at Kingarrock

Ever wondered what it would be like to play golf like it was 100 years ago. Well now you can at Kingarrock, just 10 miles from St.Andrews, Scotland. The course is open in the summer months and have 9 holes specifically designed for hickory play. It is hassle free, all players are provided with five original hickory clubs, an original canvas and leather bag, together with balls and tees that represent the early 20th century golfing experience. Your “new” clubs for the day are a Spoon (3 wood), Driving Iron, Mashie (7 iron), Niblick (wedge) and Putter. The guarantee of an hour gap on the 1st tee between groups lets you experience the feeling of personal privacy. A nip of whisky or port will help get you into the spirit of the “roaring twenties” prior to teeing off while “Da Anderson” ginger beer and shortbread are the traditional refreshments after golf.

Golfers suitably dressed for the occasion!!

You may want to go one step further and make the effort to dress in clothes typical of the era!! Overall, a great experience that might just give you an appreciation of the skills required to play golf before technology took over.

Accomodation in Southport

January 30, 2010December 31, 2009 PerryGolf Staff

The North West of England is one of the best kept secret golfing destinations in Europe and has often been described as the ‘Finest Stretch of Championship Golf in the World’. This is no idle boast for an area that can offer three Open Championship venues and no fewer than seven of the top rated courses in the UK and Ireland.

Why therefore, I hear you ask, has this area been overlooked for so long?

The main reason is that the local accommodation has not been up to the same standard as the magnificent golf available. I am pleased to tell you, however, this is no longer the case and that this area is now officially open for business!

On a recent trip to the area I sampled many of the newly built and refurbished properties on offer. I would like to tell you about the following as some recommended examples you should consider if playing and staying in the area:

The Vincent Hotel, Southport – www.thevincenthotel.com

The Vincent opened its doors in June 2008 – a unique and chic hotel for the North West of England. Situated on Lord Street, the Vincent takes comfort and service to a new level – all within a fresh and modern environment.

Ramada Plaza Southport – www.ramadaplazasouthport.co.uk

The Ramada Plaza Hotel offers luxury city centre style hotel accommodation in the hub of Southport.

With fantastic panoramic views of the coast and ease-of-access to some of the most acclaimed Championship golf courses in the country, it’s worth considering. Also only two minutes from Lord Street, it’s only a short walk to the famous shops and boutiques.

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa – www.formbyhallgolfresort.co.uk

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa offers the ultimate golf resort, spa and luxury hotel experience. The resort underwent a £15million refurbishment in 2008 and provides a golf course that is well-known on the European Challenge Tour, an notable golf instruction school facility and the 1^st PGA National Residential Academy in the UK.

By Jonny Ferguson. Jonny has worked with PerryGolf for over 2 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

An Overnight Stay in the City of Edinburgh

January 27, 2010December 31, 2009 PerryGolf Staff

Edinburgh is a city that should be on your list of places to visit while in Scotland; a great place full of charm and fascinating history. On a recent visit there, I stayed at the Sheraton Grand Hotel – the hotel is in an excellent location, only a short walk from the restaurants, bars, shops and the sights.

The highlight of my stay was a visit to the Thermal Suite located in One Spa at the hotel; you are able to enjoy the different spa experiences in the thermal suite that include a gently heated Laconium, the blissfully scented Aroma Grotto, the warming Tepidarium and the Rock & Bio saunas. You also have access to the Hammams, the rain forest showers and the rooftop Hydropool. There is an extra cost for use of the Thermal Suite – for a resident to utilize the Suite, it will cost an additional £25.00. I would say it was definitely worth the additional amount, it is a great relaxing experience and I would recommend this to anyone.

After an afternoon spent rejuvinating in the spa, I visited Edinburgh Castle which offers an interesting history and is always a ‘must-visit’ while in Edinburgh. I enjoyed drinks and dinner at The Living Room located in George Street, a short walk from the hotel. Excellent food; classic dishes that I would call home comfort food.

The evening was finished with a night at The Stand Comedy Club – never a disappointment and great end to an excellent night in Edinburgh.

By Denise McKee. Denise has worked for PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of the members of staff responsible for our British Isles programs.

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.

Insight, Offers & Inspiration