For an insight into elegant family life in Glasgow, spanning over seven centuries, regular visits to Pollock House on the outskirts of the city is a must for me. The house and surrounding park cover a lot of my interests. I love the hunting scene paintings in the Billiard Room and always include a viewing in my visits. The park is full of unusual trees and shrubs and includes a huge collection of rhododendrons and azaleas. There is always something in flower, but if you visit in May or June the colours are breathtaking and I rarely have to share the woodland walk with anyone but the dog!
Pollock House
The Burrell Collection is housed within the park; a purpose-built building about ten minutes walk from the main house – or you can use the shuttle service. There is something for everyone in this vast art collection, but it’s the reconstruction of some of the Burrell family’s rooms, from their castle home in the Scottish Borders, that is particularly appealing to me.
A trip I would recommend to anyone staying in (or passing through) Glasgow.
By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is part of our Admin team.
We have always sought “innovation” at PerryGolf and tried to offer interesting and unique ways to enhance the golf travel experience. Our exclusive charter of the 226 passenger Le Diamant (formerly Song of Flower of Radisson Cruise Lines) for Ryder Cup 2010 is one such example. Set against a backdrop of limited accommodations in South Wales, and with the alternative of long road journeys from England along the invariably congested M4 corridor (and that is in normal traffic times), we arranged to charter and berth Le Diamant in a quiet area of Newport Docks less than 5 miles from the venue. All packages include official Ryder Cup tickets and transportation in association with Ryder Cup Travel Services. Regular shuttle transportation, available exclusively for PerryGolf passengers, will operate from the ship directly into the official transportation area and bypass the public park and ride facility. The ship offers cabins and suites from 200 to 400 square feet. If you have plans to attend the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort then this solution really does by far provide the most comfortable and convenient accommodations available.
Ryder Cup - Le Diamant
Packages are available from $4,795 per person, and include 5 nights accommodation onboard Le Diamant with all meals including house wines with dinner, general admission tickets to the 2010 Ryder Cup (Friday to Sunday inclusive) plus Thursday practice round and Opening Ceremonies, daily shuttle transportation to and from the matches, captain’s cocktail party, all shipboard gratuities and port taxes.
We also offer two exciting pre Ryder Cup tours to Scotland to whet the appetite in advance of the matches. We encourage you to join us for 3 nights in Scotland at either Turnberry Resort (with golf at Royal Troon, Western Gailes, Ailsa Course Turnberry and St Pierre Wales) or Gleneagles Hotel (with golf at Kings Course, PGA Centenary Course, Kingsbarns and St Pierre Wales), in advance of the event. All tours are VERY inclusive of accommodations, all breakfasts, almost all dinners, wine with dinners, greens fees or alternative sightseeing program, ground transportation plus air transportation between Scotland and Ryder Cup Wales, and all taxes and gratuities on included items.
Another event operating immediately in advance of the Ryder Cup is the Heritage Fourball in the Highlands of Scotland. Teams of three amateurs and one PGA pro are invited. Why not arrange to bring your golf pro? Following on the success of our event in 2008 which saw teams competing from Scotland, Europe and the USA, the 2010 Heritage Fourball Championship will again be played over 54 holes September 26-29. 2010 courses will comprise Royal Dornoch, Nairn and two rounds over the much heralded new links (rated #1 best new international course 2009 by Golf Magazine) at Castle Stuart. Gross and Net Champions will be awarded but, as always, we expect the most memorable prize will be the unique camaraderie enjoyed with old friends and new. Several evening social functions are naturally included in the entry fee of $2,895 per amateur with complimentary entry for your PGA pro. The tournament format will also mix teams on one of the days. Spouses or non-golfing guests are also most welcome, the cost for them fully inclusive of two full days sightseeing program and all tournament social functions is $1,450.
Whichever combination you might choose, we hope you will make a date to join us in Scotland and Wales at the end of September for one of the world’s greatest sporting events!
Scotland, as well as being the Home of Golf, is also the home of the single malt whisky, and no trip here is complete without sampling a selection of these or visiting a distillery. Combining a golf trip with a visit to a distillery can be tricky though, as most distilleries are located in the Highlands; hidden away in glens where the taxmen could not find them in the past. The links courses are located by definition in coastal areas. Trips to golf in the Highlands and play courses like Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Castle Stuart, offer the opportunity to stop by the famous Glenmorangie Distillery…but visiting distilleries from St. Andrews is less convenient. Instead, an option to consider is a whisky tasting session in your hotel. Various hotels can arrange this for you and the experience allows you to sample a range of different blends from all over Scotland. Alternatively you may have more fun experimenting yourselves!
Glenmoranie Distillery
Like wine, Malt Whisky is shaped by the environment it is made in and typically Scotland’s whisky regions would be the Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside and Islands. Malts from the lowlands are usually light and delicate in character; good examples are Glenkinchie and Auchentoshan. The Highland whiskies are more full-bodied and sweeter with a touch of smokiness. And those from Speyside are again usually sweeter with a fruity character which comes from the sherry barrels the spirit is matured inside. Great Highland malts are Dalmore, Glenmorangie, Edradour and Dalwhinnie.
Balvenie Whiskey
Speyside is the area in Scotland with the largest concentration of distilleries and is the home to Glenfiddich and Glen Livet – not to mention other excellent malts from that area such as Balvenie (the 12 year old is a personal favourite), Strathisla and of course, Macallan. The island malts vary in style but typically they are much smokier and peatier then the mainland malts, especially those from the island of Islay where the malts pack a real punch. Amongst the best would be Highland Park, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Of course this is personal opinion but the fun is in tasting them and finding your own favourite (this may take years of careful sampling though) – enjoy!
By Alastair Niven. Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 9 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
Southworth Development, LLC have recently announced that Machrihanish Dunes, the new McLay Kidd layout beside the famous Machrihanish, has received top honours from Links Magazine as one of the “Top New International Courses” and has also been given 21st place in Golfweek’s “Best New Modern Courses of Great Britain and Ireland”. You can see more details on each of these awards at the links below but this certainly makes the rugged Mull of Kintyre a very attractive destination for those who like their golf away from the crowds and played the way golf used to be played!
It is no longer a member’s-only treat to use the Spa at Loch Lomond Golf Club as Day Spa guests are now welcome. The building itself is a relaxing and luxurious spa placed in a magnificent and breathtaking setting.
Loch Lomond Golf Club Spa
Having booked in for an Energizer Massage, the staff at the spa recommend that you arrive at least 1 hour prior to your treatment in order to fully experience the heat experiences and the vitality pool (not to mention the sauna and the crystal steam room).
After the initial welcoming into the spa, I was shown to the changing rooms which were well-equipped – dental kits, brushes, hairspray, etc all available – and put on my swimwear, fluffy white robe and waterproof footwear in preparation for my afternoon of bliss.
First of all I decided to spend some time at the hydro pool which has different points providing various water pressure jets for underwater massage. From here I flitted between the steam room, the sauna and the ice fountain (this provides a much-needed cool down amid the heat experiences). By now my circulation was certainly working and I had a quick shower before moving onto the relaxation room to await the call for my treatment. The relaxation room itself which was very placid and offered a set of headphones for each lounger to allow you to listen to relaxing songs while admiring the lovely view out onto the small garden.
Treatment Room at the Spa
The treatment was fantastic, providing me with a (desperately) sought after boost…that must have been the Eucalyptus oil! The purpose of the Energizer Massage is to leave you with a clear head and a feeling of wellbeing; and I believe it did just that.
I should note that the spa is set within the walled garden at Loch Lomond Golf Club which also contains a large palm house and vast lawns and is really rather an extraordinary setting that I truly hope to attend again soon.
