As the golfing world starts to focus on Wales, venue for the Ryder Cup Matches, Oct 1 – 3 we shall follow Jim Frank as he visits some of the links course of Wales and paints a picture of this charming destination.
Royal Porthcawl is the big one, the course against which all others in Wales are measured. And for good reason. Porthcawl is, simply, a class act. Read about my adventure there on my VisitWales blog. Then enjoy the photos.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
By now, every golfer has formed an opinion on the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Doubtless the Championship Committees ofthe other three Major Championships gave a knowing nod to each other and recognized the sheer folly of the PGA’s decision in 2004 to designate bunkers as just that (which continued through to this event), even if the Smth family were sitting in (a bunker) having a picnic. Their efforts at explaining same were commendable and Dustin Johnson took the outcome as a gentleman. Ultimately he is responsible and did not shirk from that fact. This article from today’s L.A. Times absolutely nails the issues (another principal one being the walking referee with the group being MIA when Johnson most needed him) in so many ways. It was a great event that sadly will be remembered for an amateur mistake by a Professional organization.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
A week ago I witnessed some of the best golf on the European Tour so far this season. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell shot 64/63 (15 under par) over the weekend and won the Wales Open by 3 shots from Welshman Rhys Davies. On the last day of the tournament the 2 players conjured up rounds of 63 and 62 respectively over the 2010 Ryder Cup Course with 62 being the new course record.
I’m not taking anything away from Graeme McDowell’s fantastic weekend display, but the fact that Rhys Davies, a rookie who has just burst onto the scene with 5 top 3 finishes in the last 2 months, shot the course record in tough conditions on the final day of a major tour event, and on the Ryder Cup course is amazing! This has put him in a great position to claim one of the places in the European Ryder Cup side when the golfing world converges on Celtic Manor in October. There is no doubt about it; Rhys is ‘the form player’ on the European Tour right now and someone who I would certainly have in my team. People have questioned if he is ready for the Ryder Cup as he is relatively inexperienced; however bear in mind that he had a glowing amateur career before turning pro and was in the Walker Cup team which was captained by one of PerryGolf’s founding directors, Colin Dalgleish. I hope Rhys keeps up the excellent form which he has shown in the first half of the season and qualifies for the Ryder Cup in a few months time. The fact that he is a Welshman will also help to draw some local fans which I’m sure will add to atmosphere.
By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
I recently had the pleasure of playing the 2010 course at Celtic Manor, which is due to host the Ryder Cup later this year. What a great day it turned out to be – helped by the fact the sun was splitting the sky!
The course has been specifically designed for the tournament with many classic match play holes which begin straight from the start with a tough 465 yard par 4. The greens were slick and the fairways lush – which for April was a real treat. Many of the holes include strategically placed water hazards; no more so than the tough 14th where there is water on left and right. At only 413 yards off the back tees it doesn’t sound tough, but the landing area is so narrow that anything off line is heading for trouble.
2010 Course at Celtic Manor
Then follows the 15th which is very much like the famous 10th at the Belfry. It’s officially a 377 yard par 4, but, as the crow flies from tee to green, it’s a good deal shorter than that, so many of the pro’s will be pulling out the driver and going for the green. The safe play is up the left with an iron, but in the fourball…expect fireworks! I didn’t play off the back tees, so it was a bit shorter and I felt brave so had a go at the green and very nearly made it. A chip and a putt later and I’d made a birdie three. I’ll be watching with great interest come the end of September to see how many of the USA and European team members can better that!
The finishing hole will make for a grandstand finish for any matches lasting the distance. It’s a long par 5, not too dissimilar to the fantastic 17th at Valderrama with a massive water hazard directly in front of the green. The brave pros will go for it in two. The more conservative one’s will lay up and play a wedge to the green. I chose the latter and my wedge shot found the green – only for it to spin back into the water. A personally disappointing finish to a thoroughly enjoyable round; but it gave me a taste of what was in store for what will be a fantastic tournament. I know I can’t wait for it…I’m sure you can’t either.
For more information on how you can attend the Ryder Cup with PerryGolf, please click here.
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
Consistent with our goal of trying innovative ideas, both for golf trips and promotion we have decided to provide 4 cabins to the 2010 Ryder Cup at deeply discounted prices. The prices represent a savings of approximately 60% from the retail rates. So how do we determine the lucky traveler who is eligible to purchase the cabins?
The idea is simply to predict the winning score at any one of the four Majors this golf season. Full details of the offer can be viewed here and we hope that you will take this opportunity to participate in a fun event and possibly be eligible to buy a deeply discounted cabin to the Ryder Cup. Please fell free to share this with your friends and tell them about PerryGolf and our blog.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
