What we’re going to see come October 1 is a golf-rich country hosting a riveting championship on a generally lousy golf course redeemed by a most clever finish.
There is nothing of Welsh-flavored golf at the The 2010 Course, a glorified patch job engineered for the Ryder Cup. Fourteen holes of dead-flat slogging through the rather aptly named Valley of Usk lead to some thumping good …
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
Golf is inherently not a team sport but the Ryder Cup with it national pride and good natured bantering is an event like no other (including the President’s Cup). Regardless of whom Pavin picked, his selections would be scrutinized and disceted. One thing we know, it will be fabulous entertainment whether at the event in an electric atmosphere or on television;
U.S. captain Corey Pavin said that he didn’t really think too much about his captain’s picks until the end. If he’s telling the truth, that was a good move.
About a month ago, Pavin could have driven himself crazy thinking about the possibilities. Tiger Woods had turned in such an awful performance at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational that he not only looked unlikely to make the …
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him onGoogle+
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+
Nefyn and District is a great links course in the North West of Wales. It’s often regarded as the signature course for Wales in terms of image, as it’s very reminiscent of Old Head or Pebble Beach in the way that it’s perched on top of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Nefyn and District Golf Course
I had the pleasure of playing it on my recent trip to Wales…and enjoyed every minute of it. The personal highlight for me came at the 12th green – we’d lost a few balls by this point and were in need of a bit of respite, when Bryn, our host for the week, suggested a quick pint and a bite to eat before we pressed on. I was slightly confused as to where we’d be getting this, but Bryn led us down a small path to the foot of the cliffs where a pub awaited us. It was packed with golfers and locals, many of whom were sitting outside dipping their toes in the ocean; such was the good weather, so we joined them for what is without doubt the best half-way house I’ve ever experienced. If you’re ever at Nefyn, make sure you take a time-out at the 13th tee via the bar. It’ll turn any bad round into a good one!
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
You’ll appreciate the setting at Royal St. David’s from the minute you pull up into the car park in the shadows of the overlooking Harlech Castle. It’s a spectacular view as it’s perched on top of the hill and can be seen from almost every hole. The course itself is relatively flat, but don’t be fooled as the fairways are tight and the rough punishing, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. The greens are true and were exceptionally fast for April, and with the back nine playing straight into the wind, it wasn’t the best day for scoring when your game’s as rusty as mine, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Royal St. David's in front of Harlech Castle
To add to the enjoyment, we played in beautiful sunshine, which if you’ve been following any of my blogs from my trip to Wales, you’ll realise was the case every day – the Welsh will tell you it’s like that 365 days a year.
There were only 3 of us playing, so a local member called Jim joined us to make up a fourball. Jim used to play for one of England’s most famous soccer teams (Everton) so as a big Liverpool fan (the two teams are great rivals) I gave him a bit of stick on our way around. In return, he gave me a valuable golf tip which sorted my driving out… and resulted in me not losing a single ball for the rest of my trip! Happy days!
By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
