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.

Finca Cortesin – Spain

January 20, 2010December 25, 2009 Mhairi

If you’re thinking of planning your next golf vacation to sunny Spain; here’s a substantiation of why we think it would greatly add to your experience to stop off at Finca Cortesin.

Located in the centre of the Costa del Sol (between Marbella and Sotogrande) you’ll find the Finca Cortesin community; untouched and unaffected by real estate developments and surrounded only by beautiful greenery.

Finca Cortesin is hosting next year’s Volvo World Match Play Championship – which was previously held at Wentworth Club.

Another exciting venture for the golf club was in recently winning the award in the category of ‘best golf club’ in the Marbella awards ceremony (sponsored by Essential magazine). The awards are accredited based on a major internet survey in which customers and residents in the Costa del Sol can select and vote for their top companies. This is an award that is very close to their hearts as it is voted for by the clients.

For further information on vacationing in Spain, check out PerryGolf’s website.

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 !

Snow and Ice will not hamper the condition of the Old Course

January 12, 2010January 12, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Spent the day in St. Andrews yesterday, and while Scotland has seen lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures, I’m pleased to say the St. Andrews Links Trust are constantly reviewing the conditions on the Old Course – mindful of the British Open being played there in July this year. Since Sunday there has been enough thaw to melt most of the snow, however the ice is the biggest worry as it can be so damaging to the grass. Apparently the Links have been taking advice from experts worldwide to ensure they treat the ice to have it thaw as quickly as possible. You can watch the progress of winter on the live webcam .

Players will be using mats until the 1^st of April (again to preserve the course) then it will close for all play on 19^th June. It is always very exciting to have the Open at St Andrews, nothing can beat the atmosphere there. Remember Jack Nicklaus in 2005? His farewell picture on the Swilken Bridge was something special. The Royal Bank of Scotland produced a commemorative £5 note for the occasion, with limited issue; I still have a wee stack of them – every Nicklaus fan should have one!

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

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