Kruger National Park

June 30, 2010June 7, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Will you be lucky enough to see the elephants this close up?

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.

First Try at Barclays Scottish Open

June 30, 2010June 17, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Defending US Open champion, Lucas Glover, has confirmed his entry for the Barclays Scottish Open this year. It is the first time that Glover has been at Loch Lomond, joining Phil Mickelson (the Masters champion) and a good number of other US players at this years’ event. The Scottish Open is scheduled for 8^th – 11^th July, the week before the 150^th Anniversary British Open at St. Andrews.

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

Golf Exploding in China

June 28, 2010June 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

China has approximately 4 million golfers…yet only 400 clubs; but figures are constantly rising, especially now that golf is back as an Olympic Sport, with an unbelievable approximate annual growth rate of 50%. It’s predicted that by 2020, China will surpass America and have the world’s largest golfing population.

Whilst the links courses of the British Isles are the holy grail and generally top of everyone’s list, combine some of China’s great courses with it’s breathtaking sightseeing and mouth watering cuisine, and it’s fast becoming a ‘must visit’ country for well-travelled golfers. Whilst it can be difficult and relatively expensive to take a trip as a couple or part of a small group (Chinese law requires that you have guides throughout the trip regardless of the size of your party), if you have a group of friends who travel regularly, and you’re on the lookout for something different (and a bit special) look no further than China. It will blow you away!

By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is responsible for our China programs.

Palazzo Arzaga Hotel Spa & Golf Resort, Italy

June 26, 2010June 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Palazzo Arzaga Hotel Spa & Golf Resort in Italy is located in the lovely countryside of Lake Garda and has been nominated in a number of categories for the World Travel Awards.

The hotel boasts an 18 hole, Par 72 Championship Golf Course “Arzaga I”, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus II; while the 9-hole course Arzaga II, was designed by Gary Player. The courses are designed to fit in around the hilly landscape and I think you’ll find they are great courses for both beginners and professionals.

This year’s Europe World Travel Awards event will be held at the Rixos Premium Belek, located in Antalya, Turkey, on October 1st. I wish good luck to Palazzo Arzaga Hotel Spa & Golf Resort who were nominated in the following categories:

2010 Europe’s Leading Golf Resort

2010 Italy’s Leading Golf Resort

2010 Italy’s Leading Spa Resort

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

U.S. Open Champion connection

June 24, 2010October 6, 2014 Gordon Dalgleish

Fortunately I receive a steady stream of positive messages from returning clients to our destinations and this morning I received the following email from a multiple repeat client from Milwaukee;

———————————–

Gordon

I would assume that you enjoy hearing good stories about PerryGolf experiences, so I have one for you. Last Wednesday, the day before the start of the US Open, I was playing golf with my old friend Bob Wells. I hit a shot into the rough. We both saw it, but we couldn’t find it. I told Bob, “if I had your caddie, this wouldn’t be a problem”. Although we had not talked about it for years, he knew exactly what I was referring to.

On our first PerryGolf trip to Ireland, in 1999, Bob’s bag was carried by the finest caddie either of us has ever experienced. He was a young, cocky college kid wearing Oakley sunglasses. Everyone in our group hit a number of shots into the brutal rough at Portrush, and no matter how badly we hit it, he could walk right up and find it. It was if he had a ball radar detector or an extra sleeve of balls for each player. We had a great time with him. He planned to come to the US to play golf in college and we wished him well. Bob asked me if I remembered his name, but try as I might, I could not. I told Bob that I was calling the third member of our group, Nate Miles, on Monday so I would ask him.

Over the weekend his name finally came to me. When I called Nate on Monday, I asked him if he remembered that caddie and his name. “How I can forget him!” Nate said. “We expected big things from him, and it is safe to say that Graeme McDowell has now fulfilled our high expectations”.

———————————

This email remind me of another client who befriended Richie Ramsay while on a PerryGolf trip. Their first meeting was at Royal Aberdeen where Richie served as his caddy. Subsequently Richie traveled to the US as a guest of this gentleman and won the U.S. Amateur in 2006. In 2009 Richie won the South African Open.

About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+

Insight, Offers & Inspiration