PerryGolf’s Founding Director, Colin Dalgleish, has recently returned from the 2013 British Open Golf Voyage. Below are some of his thoughts July 17 upon embarking on the quest, as well as some of his afterthoughts on July 25. The golf cruise was to no surprise, another success for both PerryGolf and clients. Between the five rounds of golf, attending the final round of The Open Championship at Muirfield, cocktail parties and much more fun in the sun, the slideshow below only sheds a mere glimpse into what a luxury golf cruise it really was. But I bet it’s enough to make you wonder about the 2014 British Open Escorted Tour…Enjoy!
July 17
“As the The Open Championship is shortly about to begin at Muirfield Scotland, the PerryGolf British Open voyage around Ireland and Scotland is now well underway. PerryGolf guests onboard the delightful 700 guest Azamara Quest have already enjoyed a pre-cruise stay at the The Westin Dublin Hotel followed by golf at 2006 Ryder Cup venue the The K Club outside Dublin, the classic links of world top ten Royal County Down Golf Club, and the excellent Carrick overlooking the beautiful Loch Lomond in Scotland. Combined with a great range of sightseeing activities for the non golfing spouses amongst the group, and some outstanding dining, entertainment, and all inclusive drinks onboard, the 100+ PerryGolf guests are having a great time!”
July 25
“PerryGolf’s highly successful 2013 British Open Golf voyage onboard the 700 guest Azamara Quest concluded earlier this week. Since our previous post from the Carrick Loch Lomond, the ship sailed through the western isles and around the north of Scotland before PerryGolf guests had exclusive use of Castle Stuart Golf Links only a few days following the Scottish Open Championship. She then continued to Scotland’s beautiful capital city of Edinburgh where her central berth afforded guests panoramic views of the city during the two day stay. After golf at Kingsbarns and attendance at the final days play at The Open Championship (a mere 35 minute transfer from the ship), guests then enjoyed a relaxing day at sea on Monday in perfect weather, the final few miles into the city of Hamburg being accompanied by water cannon spraying tugboat.”
The The K Club, in addition to its Ryder Cup golf course, also boasts a magnificent hotel, a favorite of many PerryGolf guests. — in Straffan, Kildare.
18th hole at the The K Club, site of much drama in the 2006 Ryder Cup. — in Straffan, Kildare.
Royal County Down Golf Club Hole #9 — in Northern Ireland.
Father & son pairing of F. & J. Lewis from the USA for our day at the always magnificent Royal County Down Golf Club — in Northern Ireland.
Father & son pairing of F. & J. Lewis from the USA joined up with K. Delwaide & A. Rendeau of Canada for our day at the always magnificent Royal County Down Golf Club — in Northern Ireland.
Great view from Titanic Belfast Center of the build & launch site of the Titanic; poles marking exact area where it sat during construction. PerryGolf’s Azamara Quest lines up in the background (-:
PerryGolf guests enjoyed a great evening at Titanic Belfast, where the band played for them from the replica staircase of the famous liner.
Azamara Quest flies the Scottish Saltire as we move into Scottish waters
C. Dussault & M. Thibault of Canada are joined by their caddies at High Tide Cafe on The Carrick Loch Lomond.
Welcome to ‘High Tide Cafe’, the innovative half way house at The Carrick Loch Lomond …well what else are you going to do with a lovely motor launch that you no longer need, than stick it at the top of a hill (-:
Having departed Glasgow, and after a day at sea through the western isles, Azamara Quest rounds the north of Scotland, and heads to Castle Stuart, Inverness. The following stop will be Edinburgh for The Open Championship at nearby Muirfield
Good friends R. Holliday & V. Quinton from London, Canada bring some color to the proceedings at Castle Stuart
M. Koss of Richmond Canada celebrates a hole in one on Castle Stuart’s par three #8. The first hole in one on the course since The Scottish Open won by Phil Mickelson. Pictured here with her caddie. Good club selection!
Castle Stuart #9. A great golf course with stunning views of the Moray Firth and the majestic mountains which surround.
PerryGolf staff take a short lunch break at Azamara Quest’s delightful Windows café at the aft of the ship, overlooking the former Royal Yacht Britannia at her berth in Edinburgh.
PerryGolf’s top bagmen! After transporting 80 sets of golf clubs in PerryGolf’s “Golf Truck Express” to 5 venues, covering 650 miles, and with (they claim!) 965 golf club movements and having the clubs regimentally arranged for the arrival of PerryGolf guests each day, our top bagmen should stand proud! Left to right, team leader Angus McIntosh with clipboard to hand, “Tonto” McPhee (rides shotgun on top of the truck) and Colin Sinclair.
#1 tee at Kingsbarns. Caddies at the ready. Always a great place to play.
Mr & Mrs Holliday and Mr & Mrs Quinton enjoy a snack and a drink at the Kingsbarns halfway house.
The PerryGolf “Golf Truck Express”, which has kept the clubs ashore for the duration of the voyage, gets ready to lift the final few sets and head off to the next golf venue.
Mr & Mrs Pease and friends from Columbus Georgia pose for a photograph overlooking Kingsbarns #18
J. Weatherall of Blufton SC, former production director for the TV series The Love Boat, and C. Ferrara also of Blufton SC pose at Kingsbarns in matching sun hats.
Father & son pairing of B. & C. Ackerman of Kalamazoo, Michigan toast their round at Kingsbarns Scotland
After shooting 39 for 9 holes at Kingsbarns, 79 year old F. Lewis of Princeton NJ joined M. Lippincott of Denver Colorado, and PerryGolf Co-Founding Director Colin Dalgleish for a well dressed lunch in St Andrews.
As she heads for “downtown” Hamburg, Azamara Quest sails on the River Elbe past the headquarters of Airbus in Germany. Lined up for a perfect landing (-:
http://www.airbus.com/company/worldwide-presence/airbus-in-germany/
Azamara Quest is honoured with a water spraying tugboat escort for the final few miles of the beautiful River Elbe into the heart of Hamburg Germany
Love these street artists in Hamburg Germany with their gravity defying magic!
Want to attend next years Open Championship? Click here to learn more about the 2014 British Open Escorted Tour by PerryGolf and be sure to watch the short video below – 2014 Open Championship Tour by PerryGolf – to get a better geographical sense of what’s entailed in next year’s tour!
You can also engage yourself with our fully interactive Google Earth Video of the 2014 British Open Escorted Tour – you’ll be able to pause the video and browse around the area as you please via Google Earth. Thanks for reading!
Have you read PerryGolf’s President Gordon Dalgleish’s 8 tips to make your dream of attending an Open Championship a reality?
About the Author: Harrison Gould is the Social Media Marketing Manager of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
Cameron House, located on the banks of Loch Lomond, is a stunning five-star venue; ideal for a stay close to Glasgow Airport (only a 35 minute drive) and offers excellent leisure and golf facilities as well as a variety of dining options.
The hotel’s chairman Stephen Carter has recently been awarded Hotelier of the Year 2011; an accolade made even more prominent as it is selected by past winners of the award which has now been running for 29 years.
During Stephen’s 3 year period working at the Cameron House he has managed the property through a £50m refurbishment which can now boast a resort containing 128 bedrooms, 115 lodges, the spa (inclusive of 17 treatment rooms) and a PGA championship course.
Cameron House is a five star De Vere hotel situated on the banks of Loch Lomond, just 25 minutes from Glasgow Airport. I recently had the pleasure of staying overnight, which was the first time I’d stayed since its £25 million refurbishment in 2007. The end result is a fantastic traditional hotel with a great Scottish feel to it and a property fitting of a great location on the ‘Bonnie Banks’. The bedrooms are tastefully designed with tartan rugs and deep colours, giving it a very homely feel. Personally, my favourite part of the hotel is the Great Scots Bar; where pictures of famous Scots (Colin Montgomerie, Sean Connery, William Wallace, Billy Connolly, etc) hang on the walls. Spend 15 minutes wandering round the bar looking at all the pictures…….it’s an education!
Whilst it’s a difficult property to include in a typical itinerary (you wouldn’t use it as a base when playing any of Scotland’s top links courses), it will often fit in perfectly at the end of a trip. For example, if you’re in the Highlands or St. Andrews and you’re flying home from Glasgow, it’ll be much more enjoyable to stay at Cameron House on your last night, than it would be to stay at a typical airport hotel.
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 11 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
The Barclays Scottish Open, which takes place this week at Castle Stuart, has attracted arguably its strongest ever field; with 5 of the top 10 in the world competing. Moving the venue from Loch Lomond appears to have had a positive effect, not only on the players competing, but also on ticket sales, with advance sales reportedly reaching an all time high.
Notable entries for the event include world number’s 1 and 2, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, as well as three time major winner Padraig Harrington, who has opted not to play the event in recent years. Coming over from the PGA Tour are Martin Laird, Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose and Gary Woodland, who all join tournament regular Phil Mickelson. A special mention has to go to Matt Kuchar, who is returning to the event having played in it as an Amateur in 1998. As a personal friend of PerryGolf (he stayed with the company when he played at Loch Lomond 13 years ago), we wish him well.
Edoardo Molinari certainly has his work cut out to successfully defend his title!
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
Congratulations to Cameron House who recently won “Hotel of the Year 2010” at the Catey Awards. This is a prestigious award competed for by hotels across the UK and as the hotel is located just a few miles from the Scottish PerryGolf office, it is our most local supplier. Following a £50 million refurbishment in 2009, Cameron House operates as a 128 bedroom resort boasting 115 lodges, The Carrick, their award winning spa and the PGA championship golf course…not to mention a fine dining restaurant headed by Michelin starred chef Martin Wishart. Well done.
By Alastair Niven. Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 9 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
