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<strong>GOLF</strong><br />
<strong>ESCAPES</strong><br />
2015-2016<br />
IDEAS AND INSPIRATION FOR UNFORGETTABLE <strong>GOLF</strong> HOLIDAYS<br />
INSIDE<br />
FIRST LOOK<br />
AT ABACO – THE<br />
RISING STAR OF<br />
THE BAHAMAS<br />
Abaco Club, Bahamas<br />
DISCOVER...FRANCE > SLOVENIA > ITALY > TUNISIA > TURKEY > PORTUGAL > ABU DHABI<br />
DUBAI > BULGARIA > MAURITIUS > SOUTH AFRICA > SCOTLAND > ENGLAND > IRELAND<br />
PLUS: FOCUS ON THE CANARY ISLANDS, A YEAR-ROUND DESTINATION
Fancourt – one of South<br />
Africa’s iconic destinations.<br />
Welcome<br />
Irrespective of your particular taste, we are confident there is something<br />
for everyone in this year’s travel supplement. You might be a lover of<br />
pure links, and if so, you will fi nd heaven at Machrihanish Dunes and<br />
the superstars of Ireland. Serene inland golf may get your juices flowing,<br />
and in which case St Mellion is for you. Dumfries & Galloway ticks<br />
both of those boxes – and we haven’t even left GB&I yet...<br />
If you want lush, sun-kissed fairways, we take you to the Algarve, to Belek and, in an<br />
in-depth focus, to the Canary Islands. If you want to soak up some culture or create a<br />
holiday – perhaps for a family or a couple – that encompasses more than merely golf,<br />
we detail how especially easy that is in France, Slovenia and Tunisia.<br />
And we begin and conclude this annual guide to the best in golf travel by taking<br />
you to exotic locations such as the Bahamas, Dubai, Mauritius and Abu Dhabi.<br />
The common theme running through all these destinations are the golf courses.<br />
While we like to promote the idea of a golf holiday offering more than just enjoyment<br />
on fairways and greens, we do not do so by compromising the quality of golf.<br />
The disappointment you feel on the 1st tee of that long-awaited golf break when<br />
you fear what’s on offer is not going to live up to expectations is not one we would<br />
want any of our readers to experience; we’ve been there ourselves.<br />
We’re confident every destination in this guide will avoid that feeling. In fact, we are<br />
confident each one will provide a golf holiday you’ll be recalling fondly forever.<br />
Chris Bertram<br />
Editor, Golf Escapes<br />
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
Golf Escapes is published by Bauer Media in<br />
England. Tel: 00 44 1733 468000<br />
www.bauermedia.co.uk<br />
PUBLISHER/TRAVEL DIRECTOR Ken Gill<br />
Tel: 00 44 7810 377146<br />
ken.gill@bauermedia.co.uk<br />
EDITOR Chris Bertram<br />
DESIGNER Paul Ridley<br />
PRINTERS PCP Printers, Telford, Shropshire<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> WORLD IS EUROPE’S PREMIER<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> MAGAZINE 281,000 READERS<br />
(NRS 2013)<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> COVER IMAGE:<br />
The Abaco Club, Bahamas.<br />
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Call 01858 438884 or visit<br />
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SOME OF THE DESTINATIONS WE TAKE YOU TO...<br />
04 Abaco Club: Pride of Bahamas<br />
12 Play where the pros compete<br />
16 Focus on Dumfries & Galloway<br />
22 Mach Dunes: A modern classic<br />
26 Special guide to the Canaries<br />
32 Argentario – Italy’s rising star<br />
34 France is a quiet superpower<br />
50 Slovenia’s surprise heritage<br />
54 Enduring allure of Portugal<br />
62 Presenting Thracian thrills<br />
64 Belek just got even better<br />
72 Winter sun on offer in Tunisia<br />
78 Dubai & Abu Dhabi uncovered<br />
82 Murtoli – The future of golf?<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 03
LONG HAUL<br />
The Abaco Club<br />
This rising star of the picture-postcard Bahamas is poised to get even better.<br />
It’s not hard to understand why<br />
Christopher Columbus ordered his<br />
crew to drop anchor when he stumbled<br />
upon The Bahamas back in 1492.<br />
The real question is: how did he ever<br />
convince those hardy sailors to leave?<br />
This is Paradise with a capital P.<br />
It was paradise way back then, and it<br />
remains so today – especially when you<br />
eschew the glitz and bustle of Nassau and<br />
make your way to the archipelago’s more<br />
unspoiled islands.<br />
The warm, gentle climate and beautiful,<br />
natural environment found in The<br />
Bahamas have long made these islands a<br />
dream destination for people from all over<br />
the world, who come to shrug off the cold<br />
shoulder of winter and warm their bones.<br />
Here, buffeted by the fragrant tropical<br />
breezes, all the cares of the world just seem<br />
to evaporate – to be replaced by hours of<br />
splashing around in crystal-clear waters,<br />
enjoying rum drinks accented by exotic<br />
fruits, sampling seafood so fresh it’s still<br />
flapping, and partaking in all manner of<br />
holiday leisure activities.<br />
And of all the wonderful getaway spots<br />
in this sunny part of the world, there’s one<br />
that does the paradise thing just a little<br />
better than the rest: The Abaco Club on<br />
Winding Bay. For years a Ritz-Carlton<br />
Destination Club, The Abaco Club is now<br />
owned and operated by Southworth – one<br />
of the world’s leading resort and<br />
residential real estate firms.<br />
What was a magnificent property to<br />
begin with is now in the process of<br />
becoming even better.<br />
“The Abaco Club has everything money<br />
can’t buy,” said David Southworth,<br />
President and CEO of Southworth<br />
Development.<br />
“It’s a gorgeous setting, with a well<br />
thought-out master plan and a passionate<br />
club membership. We’re very excited to be<br />
here and look forward to taking this<br />
amazing facility to an even higher level.”<br />
What makes The Abaco Club such an<br />
4 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
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<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 5
amazing facility? For starters, its one-of-akind<br />
setting. The Club is located on the<br />
most charming of The Bahamas’ Outer<br />
Islands – Great Abaco – and is graced by a<br />
2.5-mile powder-soft beach that stretches<br />
as far as the eye can see.<br />
But perhaps the club’s greatest charm is<br />
that while you can visit and avail yourself of<br />
its many amenities, it’s really not a resort.<br />
There’s no towering beachfront hotel at<br />
The Abaco Club.<br />
In fact, there’s no hotel at all.<br />
Instead, you have your choice of the<br />
luxurious, freestanding cabanas and<br />
charming pastel-coloured cottages that are<br />
spread throughout the property. For a<br />
night – or a week or month – you can enjoy<br />
The Abaco Club just as the club members<br />
and homeowners do.<br />
And like Columbus’ crew, chances are<br />
you will never want to leave.<br />
The Abaco Club was created to be a true<br />
sporting club. Its Scottish-style links golf<br />
course, designed by Englishman Donald<br />
Steel and Scotsman Tom Mackenzie, is a<br />
great test and has perennially been ranked<br />
as the No.1 course in The Bahamas.<br />
It offers quite a bit of elevation change,<br />
which is unusual for an island course, and<br />
the overall design has been described as<br />
“roll-in-the-haystack good”.<br />
There are pot bunkers everywhere,<br />
tumbling fairways, and the green complexes<br />
that approach shots must contend with<br />
would not be out of place at North Berwick<br />
or Muirfield. Hardly surprising when you<br />
consider the calibre of the architects: Steel<br />
As you’d expect, the club also offers<br />
water sports galore – from kayaking, sailing<br />
and snorkeling to bonefishing and deep-sea<br />
fishing.<br />
Some of the best deep-sea angling in the<br />
world can be found within minutes of the<br />
club’s shoreline, where trophy marlin,<br />
wahoo, mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna<br />
await. Spending time on the tennis courts<br />
‘For those who think holidays in the tropics cannot include<br />
superb golf, Abaco Club provides a hearty rebuttal. Many<br />
holes offer jaw-dropping views of the dazzling blue sea’<br />
is an icon of British golf with a stellar career<br />
as a player, writer and architect; Mackenzie<br />
is co-owner of the firm the R&A now uses<br />
to revise the courses on The Open rota.<br />
Many holes offer jaw-dropping views of<br />
the dazzling blue sea, making the job of<br />
concentrating on your shotmaking an<br />
exercise in determination.<br />
For those who think that holidays in the<br />
tropics cannot include superb golf, The<br />
Abaco Club provides a hearty rebuttal.<br />
When you hole out after 18 holes here,<br />
you’ll know you’ve been in a battle.<br />
or in the fitness centre are other<br />
invigorating options, as is visiting the club’s<br />
luxurious spa.<br />
And all the while, the pristine white sand<br />
beach beckons to you every day, just waiting<br />
to be explored.<br />
Cap it all off with an open-air breakfast<br />
or lunch at Buster’s Beach Bar, or by sitting<br />
down and enjoying the exquisite local<br />
cuisine offered daily at The Cliff House<br />
restaurant, and you have the makings of<br />
a holiday that you’ll want to never end.<br />
Fortunately, for those with the means to<br />
6 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Wish You Were There?<br />
purchase a home or club membership at<br />
The Abaco Club, it doesn’t have to.<br />
The residences for sale at the club are<br />
magnificent, and come in a variety of shapes<br />
and sizes ranging from cozy cabanas and<br />
charming cottages to stately villas and<br />
grand oceanfront estates.<br />
Each home is within steps of the beach,<br />
and each is meticulously appointed with all<br />
of life’s necessities.<br />
Wake to the sound of crashing waves,<br />
stroll to the golf course or spa, or just relax<br />
on your private patio and look out over the<br />
sparkling, turquoise sea while the feisty<br />
Abaco parrots chirp their warm morning<br />
welcome.<br />
It’s an atmosphere of quiet sophistication,<br />
where you, your family and your friends<br />
can enjoy total relaxation when you want it<br />
– and a wealth of wonderful activities when<br />
the spirit so moves you.<br />
“The Abaco Club is truly a world unto<br />
itself,” said Kristi Hull, the club’s real estate<br />
sales director. “It’s an enclave that offers the<br />
perfect antidote to modern-day life.<br />
“People from all over the world become<br />
club members and buy homes here because<br />
they fall in love with The Abaco Club and<br />
want to establish a permanent connection<br />
to this place.<br />
“They want to be able to return year<br />
after year to enjoy the beauty and<br />
tranquility of the club with family and<br />
friends. And they make new friends here,<br />
too – people from every corner of the world<br />
who share their appreciation for the<br />
incredibly special experiences this club has<br />
to offer. It’s a completely unique place – and<br />
one that sells itself at a glance.”<br />
Off property, the Abacos offer all<br />
manner of other diversions. A few minutes<br />
down a narrow, sandy road brings you to<br />
Little Harbour, where you’ll find Pete’s<br />
Pub, a lively but low-key spot that’s famous<br />
for its rum ‘drink of the day’ and for<br />
serving the world’s freshest seafood.<br />
Nearby Hope Town on Elbow Cay is a<br />
beehive of shopping and dining activity,<br />
while the many other cays (small sandy<br />
islands on the surface of the coral reef)<br />
surrounding Great Abaco – Treasure Cay<br />
and Great Guana Cay being two favourites<br />
– are popular mingling spots for visitors<br />
and locals alike.<br />
A stopover at Nipper’s on Great Guana<br />
Cay is de rigeur for any Abaco explorer.<br />
The frozen Nippers and Sunday pig<br />
roast at this celebrated beach bar are reason<br />
enough on their own for you to make your<br />
way to this part of the world.<br />
Even if you have to sail the ocean blue in<br />
a dinghy and risk a bout of scurvy to get<br />
there. n<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
THE CLIMATE: It’s absolutely lovely<br />
and hardly varies all year round.<br />
Between September and May, the<br />
temperature averages 21-24°C while<br />
the rest of the year is a bit warmer –<br />
higher humidity and temperatures<br />
between 27 and 29°C.<br />
GETTING THERE: Great Abaco’s Marsh<br />
Harbour International Airport (MHH) is<br />
served by several airlines, including<br />
American, Bahamas Air and Silver<br />
Airways. You can make connections to<br />
Abaco in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West<br />
Palm Beach, Nassau, and seasonally<br />
in Orlando.<br />
TIME DIFFERENCE: GMT -5<br />
MORE INFORMATION: Visit<br />
www.theabacoclub.com<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 7
LONG HAUL<br />
Yas Links,<br />
Abu Dhabi<br />
When Abu Dhabi began to follow Dubai’s lead in the golf<br />
market, it started promisingly with Abu Dhabi Golf Club<br />
and Saadiyat Beach. Then along came a course that took<br />
Abu Dhabi’s offering to a new level. Yas Links is one of the<br />
fi nest courses in the Middle East, with only the very best of<br />
Dubai able to compete with it. It’s what we expect of Kyle<br />
Phillips; he just doesn’t seem to create poor courses.<br />
Yas Links has elements of traditional seaside golf –<br />
rippling fairways lined by rough-edged bunkers – with<br />
spectacular views. Afterwards, visit the F1 circuit and<br />
Ferrari World, which you can see on the left of this image. ■<br />
Visit www.yaslinks.com<br />
08 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
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<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 09
Wish You Were There?<br />
GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND<br />
Trump Turnberry, Ayrshire<br />
It will be fascinating to witness what Donald Trump does<br />
with Turnberry. In the Ailsa it has always had one of the most<br />
spectacular courses in Britain and with the input of Martin<br />
Ebert, it is likely to be tightened up and toughened up even<br />
more. The Kintyre, too, will be improved. Off the course, the<br />
changes are likely to be even more radical, with a ‘joining up’<br />
of Turnberry’s offering and a level of opulence likely to rival<br />
any golf resort in the land. It is already one of Britain’s most<br />
special golf experiences – and one that is likely to get even<br />
better. Get there quickly though; the Ailsa will close over the<br />
winter until June 2016 as Ebert’s masterplan is carried out. ■<br />
www.turnberry.co.uk<br />
10 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
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Black Mountain Golf Club, Thailand<br />
Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort, France<br />
Your European Tour sta<br />
Have a Tour pro experience with a golf break at one of the 14 world class destinations and courses that make up th<br />
Watching a European Tour<br />
event on television, have you<br />
ever pictured yourself<br />
walking the pristine fairways,<br />
putting on perfect greens and enjoying the<br />
international lifestyle of a Tour pro?<br />
If so, the tournament experience may be<br />
closer than you think. European Tour<br />
Properties is a network of 14 world class golf<br />
venues, all with a close association to The<br />
European Tour and offering a stamp of<br />
tournament quality. They include World<br />
Top 100 golf courses, award-winning resorts<br />
and residential communities, and feature the<br />
home of the DP World Tour Championship<br />
and Race to Dubai finale, The 2015 Solheim<br />
Cup host course and The 2018 Ryder Cup<br />
venue. Now, thanks to a special partnership<br />
between European Tour Properties and<br />
Golfbreaks.com, there are special packages<br />
and offers to stay and play at many of them.<br />
Where will you start your European Tour?<br />
Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai<br />
Home to The European Tour’s seasonending<br />
DP World Tour Championship,<br />
Jumeirah Golf Estates epitomises the<br />
European Tour Properties ethos. Featuring<br />
two Greg Norman-designed Championship<br />
courses, a spectacular new clubhouse and<br />
the Middle East’s first European Tour<br />
Performance Institute, everything is<br />
tournament quality.<br />
Location: 30 minutes from Dubai Int airport<br />
European Tour events hosted: DP World<br />
Tour Championship, Dubai<br />
Website: www.jumeirahgolfestates.com<br />
Black Mountain Golf Club, Thailand<br />
The first European Tour Destination in Asia<br />
and Thailand’s only course to feature in Golf<br />
Digest’s Best 100 Courses outside the US.<br />
Set amid verdant hills and valleys, with an<br />
abundance of water, where golfers enjoy Tourconditioned<br />
fairways and greens. The resort<br />
also has a spectacular par-3 course, practice<br />
facilities, and private-pool holiday villas.<br />
Location: 15 minutes from the coastal beach<br />
town of Hua Hin, Malay Peninsula, Thailand<br />
European Tour events hosted: True<br />
Thailand Classic<br />
Website: www.blackmountainhuahin.com<br />
Le Golf National, France<br />
Host of The 2018 Ryder Cup, L’Albatros<br />
Course is a globally recognised stadium design<br />
with slick greens, links-style bunkers and vast<br />
undulating fairways dotted with water<br />
hazards. Ranked in the World’s Top 100<br />
Courses, it is regularly praised by European<br />
Tour professionals. You’ll also enjoy the 18-<br />
hole L’Aigle and nine-hole L’Oiselet.<br />
Location: Outskirts of Versailles, near Paris<br />
European Tour events hosted: Alstom Open<br />
de France<br />
Website: www.le-golf-national.com<br />
Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort, France<br />
IAGTO’s 2013 European Golf Resort of the<br />
Year oozes luxury and at its heart are two 18-<br />
hole Championship courses, ‘Le Château’ and<br />
‘Le Riou’, by Dave Thomas. A Leading Hotel<br />
of the World, a European Tour Performance<br />
Institute, a magnificent spa and the coolest<br />
infinity pool complete the five-star picture.<br />
Location: 45 minutes from Nice airport; 90<br />
minutes from Marseille airport<br />
European Tour events hosted: French Riviera<br />
Masters (European Senior Tour)<br />
Website: www.en.terre-blanche.com<br />
London Golf Club, UK<br />
Boasts two dramatic, Jack Nicklaus-designed<br />
courses that ride Kent’s North Downs and are<br />
consistently presented immaculately; the<br />
greens in particular are renowned for their<br />
speed and trueness. The club has a reputation<br />
for excellent levels of customer service.<br />
Location: 20 miles south east of London<br />
European Tour events hosted: Volvo World<br />
Match Play Championship; European Open<br />
Website: www.londongolf.co.uk<br />
PGA Catalunya Resort, Spain<br />
IAGTO’s 2015 European Golf Resort of the<br />
Year has two courses – the enjoyable, resortstyle<br />
Tour Course and the dramatic Stadium<br />
Course, a World Top 100 Golf Course (Golf<br />
World). The resort is home to one of<br />
Europe’s finest short game practice areas and<br />
12 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Worldwide destinations<br />
Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai<br />
London Golf Club, UK<br />
rts here<br />
e European Tour Properties network.<br />
the Sergio Garcia Junior Golf Academy.<br />
Location: One hour from Barcelona; 10<br />
minutes from Girona airport<br />
European Tour events hosted: Open de<br />
España; European Tour Qualifying School<br />
Website: www.pgacatalunya.com<br />
Diamond Country Club, Austria<br />
Situated in the picturesque Lower Austrian<br />
countryside, the highly regarded Diamond<br />
Course was designed by renowned architect<br />
Jeremy Pern and opened in 2002. A number<br />
of holes have since been remodelled by<br />
Miguel Angel Jiménez and the layout offers<br />
both a scenic but challenging test.<br />
Location: 50 minutes from Vienna airport<br />
European Tour events hosted: Lyoness<br />
(Austrian) Open<br />
Website: www.countryclub.at<br />
Golf Club St Leon-Rot, Germany<br />
The 2015 Solheim Cup venue features two<br />
Championship courses, a nine-hole course,<br />
a five-hole bambini course and incredible<br />
indoor facilities. The Rot was named the<br />
‘Most Popular Golf Course in Germany’ 10<br />
times in a row while from 2011 to 2014 it<br />
was accorded to the St Leon.<br />
Location: Near Heidelberg; 100km from<br />
Frankfurt international airport<br />
European Tour events hosted: Deutsche<br />
Bank SAP Open<br />
Website: www.gc-slr.de<br />
Fleesensee G&CC, Germany<br />
This impressive golf facility fuses golf,<br />
leisure and nature and features three 18-hole<br />
courses, two nine-hole courses and one of<br />
Europe’s largest golf academies. Part of the<br />
Land Fleesensee resort which offers a range<br />
of accommodation and leisure activities.<br />
Location: 90 mins from Berlin/Hamburg<br />
European Tour events hosted: Qualifier for<br />
European Tour Q School<br />
Website: www.golfclubfleesensee.de<br />
The Dutch, Holland<br />
A Colin Montgomerie<br />
Signature Design, this<br />
superb 18-hole linksstyle<br />
layout is a high-end<br />
golf club reserved for<br />
members and their guests<br />
and was created specifically<br />
to meet the standards required<br />
to host major pro tournaments.<br />
Location: 80km south of Amsterdam;<br />
44km east of Rotterdam<br />
European Tour events hosted: Venue for<br />
KLM Open in 2016-2018<br />
Website: www.thedutch.nl<br />
Estonian Golf & Country Club, Estonia<br />
Features the stunning Sea Course, with views<br />
of the Gulf of Finland, along with the ninehole<br />
Stone Course, hewn from an ancient<br />
archaeological site. The Sea is a Top 100<br />
Course in Europe, and The Stone is soon<br />
set for a redesign by Annika Sörenstam.<br />
Location: 30 minutes from capital Tallinn<br />
European Tour events hosted: Omega<br />
Mission Hills World Cup Euro Qualifier<br />
Website: www.egcc.ee<br />
How<br />
To Play<br />
Golfers can enjoy a European Tour<br />
Properties experience through Golfbreaks.<br />
com with a selection of packages available to<br />
destinations and courses across the<br />
network. For more information on these<br />
packages visit www.golfbreaks.com/<br />
european-tour-properties<br />
Linna Golf, Finland<br />
Set amid beautiful pine and birch forests and<br />
making full use of this natural environment,<br />
exquisite Linna Golf was Finland’s first<br />
USGA-standard course. Often recognised as<br />
Finland’s best course by amateurs, pros and<br />
national and international media, the venue<br />
is complemented by the Vanajanlinna Hotel,<br />
a former hunting lodge.<br />
Location: 62 miles from Helsinki<br />
European Tour events hosted:<br />
SK Golf Challenge (Euro<br />
Challenge Tour)<br />
Website: www.linnagolf.fi<br />
Quinta do Lago,<br />
Portugal<br />
Set within 2,000 acres of<br />
the Ria Formosa natural<br />
park, the three 18-hole<br />
courses sit beautifully in the<br />
natural surroundings. The<br />
revamped North won Europe’s<br />
Best New Course while the South won<br />
Portugal’s Best Course at the 2014 World<br />
Golf Awards.<br />
Location: 15 minutes from Faro airport<br />
European Tour events hosted: Portuguese<br />
Open<br />
Website: www.quintadolago.com<br />
Kungsängen Golf Club, Sweden<br />
The Kings is surrounded by pine forests and<br />
natural water features and has hosted the<br />
Scandinavian Masters four times. The<br />
Queens has tight fairways and small greens.<br />
Location: 35km from downtown Stockholm<br />
European Tour events hosted: Scandinavian<br />
Masters; Senior Tour Scandinavian Intern’al<br />
Website: www.kungsangengc.se n<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 13
RefReshingly Relaxed<br />
Dumfries & Galloway<br />
Top 100-quality courses plotted on a variety of landscapes make this Southern region<br />
of Scotland one of the best in Britain for a low-cost, high-class golf break.<br />
Welcoming clubs, beautifullymaintained<br />
courses and tee<br />
times that suit you – golf in<br />
Dumfries & Galloway is<br />
refreshingly accessible yet consistently<br />
satisfying. It offers a wide variety of golf<br />
experiences, from championship to fun, and<br />
from parkland to links. The common<br />
denominator is the picturesque countryside,<br />
the inspiring views and the amazing value.<br />
Indeed, there is perhaps no other part of<br />
Scotland that contains such a diverse range<br />
of landscapes, with Dumfries & Galloway<br />
boasting more than 200 miles of sweeping<br />
sandy coastline, lush rolling hillsides,<br />
stunning clifftops, and mature woodland.<br />
These various landscapes have been used to<br />
great effect by some of the great designers.<br />
So, there are courses to suit all tastes and<br />
all standards. Beginners and families will<br />
discover fun Par-3 courses as well as nineholers<br />
that don’t daunt, so they can develop<br />
their game in a relaxed environment.<br />
Incorporating a round or two as part of a<br />
short break or family holiday is an excellent<br />
way to add challenge and fun to your stay.<br />
For more experienced golfers, D&G has<br />
courses of the standard of world-class<br />
Southerness (pictured) to build a break<br />
around. This fabulous links is a fixture in<br />
Golf World’s Great Britain & Ireland Top<br />
100 Courses ranking. It is joined in Golf<br />
World’s Scottish Top 100 Courses list by<br />
nearby Powfoot – another terrific links – as<br />
well as clifftop classics Portpatrick and<br />
Stranraer in the west of the region.<br />
The region’s capital, Dumfries, also has<br />
two parkland courses in the ‘Next 50’ of<br />
the Scottish Top 100, Dumfries & County<br />
and Dumfries & Galloway.<br />
These established highlights of D&G’s<br />
golf are backed up by a number of other<br />
fine courses, mostly immaculate, mature<br />
parklands but also quirky seaside courses<br />
such as Scotland’s most southerly golf club,<br />
St Medan. It’s one of Golf World’s<br />
favourites, along with Colvend, a charming<br />
‘holiday’ course whose beauty disguises a<br />
need to play well to score well.<br />
Another is Brighouse Bay, which neatly<br />
sums up the reason you need to visit<br />
To sTarT<br />
planning your<br />
golf break To<br />
DUMFRIES &<br />
GALLOWAY<br />
www.visitscotland.com/<br />
dumfriesgalloway-golf<br />
History, mountain biking & ice cream... enjoy them all in the region<br />
Dumfries & Galloway has an<br />
abundance of attractions besides<br />
golf – if you want to spend some<br />
time away from the fairways.<br />
History and heritage are found<br />
in the imposing form of<br />
Caerlaverock Castle, a medieval<br />
fortress surrounded by a moat that<br />
was the scene of some famous<br />
sieges. Meanwhile Threave Castle<br />
is an impressive 14th century tower<br />
on an island, while Sweetheart<br />
Abbey is a striking ruin with a very<br />
romantic back story.<br />
The Solway Firth is dotted with<br />
picturesque fishing villages – and a<br />
lovely way to spend a summer’s<br />
evening is to make the coastal<br />
walk between Rockclife and<br />
Kippford then enjoy a meal in one<br />
of the inviting pubs. Kirkcudbright<br />
is another coastal spot, an artist’s<br />
haven with studios and galleries.<br />
For the especially active, there is<br />
world-class mountain biking – the<br />
7stanes mountain biking centres –<br />
as well as ideal opportunities for<br />
hillwalking, angling and wildlife<br />
watching. The stunning Galloway<br />
Forest Park is the largest forest<br />
park in Britain and is the UK’s only<br />
designated Dark Sky Park.<br />
Foodies will relish local produce,<br />
from Buccleuch beef – raised on<br />
the Drumlanrig Castle estate near<br />
Thornhill – to Galloway lamb, and<br />
Galloway Smokehouse salmon. Try<br />
ice cream from Cream o’ Galloway<br />
or take a tour of Bladnoch<br />
Distillery while playing St Medan.<br />
Photography: Dumfries & Galloway Golf Partnership and VisitScotland/Scottish Viewpoint.
GB&I: Scotland<br />
Three key reasons<br />
to head for D&G<br />
Stranraer is a seaside classic in<br />
Scotland’s Top 100 ranking.<br />
Year-round golf<br />
With an unusually mild Scottish climate<br />
thanks to the warming influence of the<br />
Gulf Stream and many of the courses<br />
enjoying excellent drainage due to<br />
their coastal locations, D&G is a<br />
genuine year-round destination. OK, in<br />
the winter it will be chilly, but follow up<br />
a crisp round with a hearty meal and a<br />
warming malt and you have the perfect<br />
recipe for an out-of-season (very good<br />
value) golfing adventure. Then, with 17<br />
hours of daylight at the height of the<br />
summer and great tee time availability,<br />
you can cram a lot of top-quality<br />
Scottish golf (still at great prices) into a<br />
holiday in Dumfries & Galloway.<br />
The brilliant last hole at<br />
Colvend, an undiscovered gem.<br />
Castle Douglas.<br />
Dumfries & Galloway. Cut and paste<br />
Brighouse Bay into Fife and it would cost<br />
10 times the green fee – that is how good it<br />
is (and how cheap it is). It offers the thrills<br />
of Kingsbarns without the price tag. Miss<br />
it off your itinerary at your peril. The<br />
aforementioned Portpatrick (Dunskey) is<br />
another thrilling adventure on the clifftops,<br />
and Wigtownshire County is another.<br />
Thornhill, 14 miles north of Dumfries,<br />
is now an 18-hole woodland-parkland with<br />
bags of class; it was the course on which<br />
Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart learnt<br />
the game. Lochmaben, Lockerbie,<br />
Kirkcudbright and Newton Stewart are<br />
four more parklands that will also not<br />
disappoint. There is also a fabulous<br />
modern heathland at Lagganmore in the<br />
west and a mature moorland at Moffat.<br />
The variety really is extensive.<br />
Driving ranges and par-3 courses await at<br />
Solway Links Pay and Play near Dumfries,<br />
Craigieknowes near Dalbeattie, Tongland<br />
Family Golf Centre near Kirkcudbright and<br />
Green Valley Golf Academy. They combine<br />
accessible par-3 courses with club hire and<br />
friendly advice to help novices get up and<br />
running. Castle Douglas, Hoddom Castle,<br />
Sanquhar and the nine-hole Par-3 courses<br />
at Portpatrick and Brighouse Bay all give<br />
beginners and families a warm welcome.<br />
Golf in Dumfries & Galloway is high<br />
quality yet refreshingly relaxed. This friendly<br />
corner of Scotland – where great value,<br />
accessible golf on some of Scotland’s true<br />
hidden gems – is waiting to be discovered. n<br />
Incredible value<br />
As we note above, green fees in D&G<br />
are very, very good value anyway. And<br />
the Gateway to Golf Pass makes them<br />
even more reasonably priced. A threeround<br />
pass costs from £90 and a sixround<br />
pass from £130 (additional<br />
charges apply to some courses). To<br />
purchase, go to www.visitscotland.<br />
com/dumfriesgalloway-golfpass<br />
WIN a golf break in Dumfries & Galloway<br />
VisitScotland is ofering you the chance to win:<br />
• A two-night bed & breakfast stay for two people, with dinner on one night, at The King’s Arms<br />
Hotel, Castle Douglas<br />
• A round of golf for two at Southerness Golf Club<br />
ENTER NOW AT WWW.VIsITscOTlANd.cOm/gOlfdumfRIEs<br />
Dalbeattie.<br />
Variety of accommodation<br />
Knowledgeable golfer-friendly hotels<br />
are waiting to welcome you, such as<br />
the Cairndale in Dumfries, Kings Arms<br />
in Castle Douglas, and Selkirk Arms in<br />
Kirkcudbright. In addition, the Cally<br />
Palace in Gatehouse is an opulent hotel<br />
with its own picturesque golf course,<br />
laid out around the hotel and the<br />
prettiest cricket ground in Scotland.<br />
There are also a wealth of guesthouses<br />
and self-catering properties in D&G.<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 17
GB&I: England<br />
THE COURSE THAT JACK BUILT<br />
St Mellion<br />
This Cornish complex has a Top 100-ranked Jack Nicklaus design as well as a chic four-star hotel.<br />
St Mellion is a unique blend of<br />
contemporary style, exceptional<br />
facilities, golfi ng heritage and<br />
wonderful Cornish hospitality.<br />
The resort boasts a stunning AA four-star<br />
80-bedroom hotel and a Health Club &<br />
Spa as well as a variety of dining<br />
experiences – from the simple to the elegant<br />
– in an award-winning restaurant.<br />
St Mellion is renowned as one of<br />
England’s fi nest golf venues, being a regular<br />
in GB&I Top 100 Course rankings and<br />
having hosted 12 European Tour events.<br />
The Nicklaus Signature Course<br />
celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2013 and<br />
was the fi rst European course personally<br />
designed by Jack Nicklaus. “I knew it was<br />
going to be good, but not this good... it’s<br />
everything I hoped for and more,” said the<br />
legendary American of the fi nished course.<br />
At 6,300 yards it is not long, but using<br />
the amazing Cornish landscape and<br />
inspired by Augusta, Nicklaus created a<br />
UK version of Amen Corner with holes 10<br />
through to 13 being quite brilliant both to<br />
play and look at. But before you get to that<br />
now-celebrated back nine, you are also<br />
served a treat on the front half with one<br />
classic golf hole after another; the 5th is<br />
regarded as the best par 4 on the course and<br />
when the sun shines is one of the most<br />
beautiful holes in the country.<br />
The Signature hole is the remarkable<br />
11th, a par 3 inspired by the 12th and 16th<br />
short holes at Augusta. It combines the<br />
narrow green of the 12th with the sweeping<br />
lake that protects the green from the underclubbed<br />
shot. It is regarded as one of the<br />
classic short holes in British golf.<br />
If you could have a second signature hole,<br />
the 12th would be it. It is another visually<br />
stunning test that is cut through a forest of<br />
conifer trees, a true par 5 that requires three<br />
accurate shots to reach the green. Running<br />
parallel to the fairway is a stream that then<br />
cuts across in front of the green. This hole<br />
completes the loop of three holes that is<br />
compared to Augusta’s infamous ‘Amen<br />
Corner’ – high praise indeed!<br />
St Mellion also has a ‘gem’, the Kernow<br />
Course. It opened in 2010 and was<br />
instantly commended as the perfect<br />
complement to the Nicklaus. It offers wide<br />
fairways, big greens and great variety.<br />
Yet another reason a trip to St Mellion<br />
should be on every golfers’ bucket list. ■<br />
Contact: st-mellion.co.uk, 01579 352001<br />
or stmellion-golfdays@crown-golf.co.uk<br />
Below: The hotel is the<br />
perfect base for a<br />
Cornwall golf break.
a scottish cLassic<br />
Machrihanish Dunes<br />
When this new links opened in 2009, it made the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland a ‘must visit’ for golfers.<br />
Every July, a unique 18-hole<br />
tournament is held on the southern<br />
tip of Kintyre, Scotland, in the tiny<br />
village of Machrihanish. What<br />
makes this event so special is that it’s played<br />
over not one, but two courses. You tee off on<br />
the 1st hole of mighty Machrihanish, with<br />
its knee-knocking opening drive across a<br />
corner of the beach, then play the rest of the<br />
front nine of that world Top 100 track<br />
before jumping a fence (literally) and playing<br />
nine more holes on the Machrihanish Dunes<br />
course next door.<br />
Called The Shepherds Cross, this sell-out<br />
event epitomises why this corner of Scotland<br />
is so renowned for its links golf.<br />
Here, in a place that time has all but<br />
forgotten, you play among, around and over<br />
towering dunes on holes the likes of which<br />
you simply won’t find anywhere else.<br />
Machrihanish has been labelled (actually<br />
mis-labelled) one of golf’s hardest places to<br />
reach. But despite that – or maybe because of<br />
it – it’s unquestionably one place every golfer<br />
should make a point to visit.<br />
Of course, Machrihanish isn’t new to the<br />
golf map. Old Tom Morris laid out<br />
Machrihanish links in 1876, travelling from<br />
St Andrews and staying an unheard-of three<br />
days to do his design work there. But it<br />
wasn’t until 2009 that the area became a<br />
bona fide golf holiday destination, when<br />
Machrihanish Dunes gave visitors two top<br />
links to play. And as anyone who has played<br />
in the Shepherds Cross will tell you, a better<br />
one-two punch you will not find. It was to<br />
another Scotsman, David McLay Kidd, that<br />
the design responsibility at ‘Mach Dunes’<br />
was given. And a fitting assignment it was.<br />
Kidd had spent summers in the area with his<br />
family, and had inherited a love for golf and<br />
golf courses from his father, Gleneagles’ golf<br />
course manager Jimmy Kidd.<br />
David grew up playing the Machrihanish<br />
course, and both father and son recognised<br />
the even brawnier dunes to the north of the<br />
old course would be a fine place for a second<br />
18. How right they were.<br />
The 17th green beautifully illustrates<br />
the natural, fun side of Mach Dunes.<br />
20 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2014
GB&I: Scotland<br />
If anything, this ‘new’ course plays “older”<br />
than its antique neighbour; this is because it<br />
was built on a Site of Special Scientific<br />
Interest, which meant many of the shortcuts<br />
and tricks modern course designers often use<br />
were not at Kidd’s disposal. Instead, he<br />
identified 23 natural holes on the existing<br />
primordial landscape and chose the best 18.<br />
Then the course was ‘built’ by hand. Of the<br />
275 acres upon which the course was created,<br />
only seven – that’s right, seven – were<br />
disturbed in the making of Mach Dunes.<br />
It’s a throwback to the way its renowned<br />
neighbour was laid out by Old Tom – and<br />
the result is every bit as enthralling.<br />
“The hardest part of creating<br />
Machrihanish Dunes wasn’t the build,” said<br />
Kidd. “God laid it there, we just planted the<br />
pins where they fell. The hardest part was<br />
being able to work golf through the<br />
incredibly fragile environment and to protect<br />
it forever and always. In my world,<br />
conventional golf construction requires you<br />
take down all the vegetation, take up all the<br />
The Ugadale is yards from<br />
Machrihanish’s iconic 1st tee.<br />
Rooms to match the golf<br />
The Village at Machrihanish Dunes<br />
boasts luxurious two-bedroom cottages<br />
and two recently restored and historic<br />
four-star hotels – The Ugadale Hotel,<br />
adjacent to the 1st tee at Machrihanish,<br />
and The Royal Hotel overlooking<br />
Campbeltown Harbour. Each of these<br />
early 20th-Century marvels ofers<br />
world-class comfort and a rare level of<br />
service. Fine dining is provided in The<br />
Kintyre Club and Harbourview Grille<br />
restaurants, while it is impossible not to<br />
enjoy food and refreshment in the Old<br />
Clubhouse and Black Sheep pubs.<br />
soil, re-grade everything how you see it, build<br />
up the tees, put drainage in, put very<br />
extensive irrigation in, build greens, plant<br />
lots of plants. What did we do at<br />
Machrihanish Dunes? We did almost none<br />
of that. It is as I found it. What you will play<br />
out there is almost the same as when I<br />
Inside a typical bedroom at the<br />
stylishly-refurbished Ugadale.<br />
The 18th green brings an<br />
unforgettable round to a climax.<br />
wandered across there as a boy.<br />
“We mowed the fairways – there was no<br />
reseeding. We stripped off some turf for the<br />
greens, that’s true, but we really didn’t build<br />
greens at all. There’s no drainage underneath<br />
them. The irrigation system is the simplest it<br />
could possibly be – pop-ups around the<br />
greens and some hose points here and there.<br />
“What you’ll play at Machrihanish Dunes<br />
today really is the way golf began.”<br />
From its driveable, dog-leg-left opening hole<br />
to its uphill, tough-as-nails finisher, playing<br />
‘Mach Dunes’ is an 18-hole thrill ride full<br />
of rolling fairways, blind shots over dunes,<br />
vexing bunkers fashioned out of old rabbit<br />
scrapes, green sites that defy the imagination,<br />
and greens and tees perched at the ocean’s<br />
edge that provide endless opportunities for<br />
gaping at the sheer beauty of the setting.<br />
In short, it offers the makings of an<br />
unforgettable day.<br />
In 2014, Mach Dunes brought in Simon<br />
Freeman from The Machrie to be the<br />
course’s new head greenkeeper, and the<br />
results have exceeded all hopes.<br />
An expert in the nurturing of links turf<br />
and someone with intimate knowledge of the<br />
vicissitudes of the weather patterns on the<br />
west coast of Scotland, Freeman’s knowledge<br />
and guiding hand have taken the young<br />
course to a wonderful new level.<br />
If you haven’t played the course in a while,<br />
you’ll be amazed at the dramatic leap<br />
forward taken at this young links gem.<br />
It’s said that links can take up to a decade<br />
to settle into their best form; at ‘Mach<br />
Dunes’, they arrived well ahead of schedule.<br />
When you do visit, you will also be<br />
amazed by the standard of accommodation<br />
now on offer in this cozy little corner of<br />
Scotland (see side-box).<br />
In short, whether you are visiting this<br />
magical area for the first time or making<br />
your 20th pilgrimage to Machrihanish, the<br />
golf holiday that awaits you there is destined<br />
to be one of the most memorable you will<br />
ever enjoy. And like the players in the annual<br />
Shepherds Cross, don’t be surprised if you<br />
find yourself returning again and again. n<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
THE CLIMATE Well, it is typically<br />
British, so not worth trying to second<br />
guess. But while the west does get its<br />
fair share of rain, the Gulfstream helps<br />
it escape really cold weather.<br />
GETTING THERE Three options: an<br />
amazingly picturesque drive up and<br />
round Loch Lomond; a boat from the<br />
mainland; or fly to Campbeltown.<br />
MORE DETAILS<br />
www.machrihanishdunes.com<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 23
GB&I: Ireland<br />
Ireland beckons<br />
Let the Irish golf break experts help you get the most from your trip to the Emerald Isle.<br />
Thinking of taking a golf break in<br />
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can be bewildering, so you’d be wise to<br />
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Swing Golf Ireland is just that – owned<br />
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With special relationships with all the<br />
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response time and attention to detail –<br />
not to mention competitive prices – sets<br />
them apart.<br />
They organise all aspects of the golf<br />
itinerary including booking tee times,<br />
caddies, carts, accommodation, car hire,<br />
coach hire, non-golfing itineraries.<br />
They also advise and assist with all<br />
other activities such as dining, pubs and<br />
night time entertainment.<br />
Their quality of service is illustrated by<br />
the customer feedback section of their<br />
website. n<br />
Contact: t: +353 66 7125733, e:<br />
reservations@swinggolfireland.com<br />
w: www.swinggolfireland.com<br />
Dooks Golf Links.<br />
Belfast<br />
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Photo: Killarney Mahony’s Pt.<br />
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+353 (0)66 71 25733
FOCUS ON<br />
The Canaries<br />
This collection of islands is blessed with year-round sun – so are open for play 365 days a year.<br />
With an average winter<br />
temperature of 18C and an<br />
average summer temperature<br />
of 23C, any of the Canaries’<br />
seven islands are perfect destinations for<br />
holidays 365 days a year. The good news<br />
for golfers is that five of the seven islands<br />
have high-quality courses on them.<br />
The archipelago enjoys one of the most<br />
privileged climates in the world with<br />
winters that are gentle, with little rain and<br />
summers that are stable without excessive<br />
heat. The Canary Islands is actually the<br />
part of Europe with most hours of daylight<br />
– more than 3,000 hours of sunlight a year.<br />
It is entirely possible to head to the islands<br />
off the west coast of Africa in January –<br />
when the weather is unremittingly bleak in<br />
Britain – and not see a cloud all week.<br />
The best thing about this highlydesirable<br />
climate? It is actually not that far<br />
away, or at least it feels like it isn’t – because<br />
it has never been easier to get to the Canary<br />
Islands. There are no long-haul flights to<br />
reach the Canaries’ year-round sunshine –<br />
little more than four hours takes you from<br />
Britain to one of the seven islands, which all<br />
have airports. Tenerife, Gran Canaria,<br />
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have the<br />
biggest, with lots of direct international<br />
flights. And travel between the Canary<br />
Islands is quick and easy thanks to the<br />
modern daily inter-island transport by sea<br />
and air. Flights between islands take a<br />
maximum of 45 minutes and ferry rides no<br />
more than three hours. So, it’s easy to<br />
experience two or three Canary Islands<br />
during the same holiday and to make the<br />
travel between them part of the adventure.<br />
So you can plan a day trip to the island<br />
next door, an especially attractive option for<br />
those whose eye is taken by the golf courses<br />
and attractions on offer in more than one<br />
of the islands. With the variety of<br />
landscapes on each island there is a whole<br />
world to discover in the Canary Islands.<br />
There are more than 20 courses in the<br />
Canary Islands and every year they host<br />
26 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: Canary Islands<br />
Abama, Tenerife.<br />
OPEN 365...<br />
THE CANARY ISLANDS<br />
IS A PARADISE FOR <strong>GOLF</strong><br />
Visit www.hellocanaryislands.com<br />
to take a step closer to discovering<br />
its magnificent courses with<br />
unique features.<br />
Golf del Sur, Tenerife.<br />
Salobre North, Gran Canaria.<br />
prestigious professional tournaments.<br />
Perhaps more importantly to us travelling<br />
golfers is the fact they are all in unique<br />
settings with views ranging from<br />
spectacular sand dunes and majestic<br />
volcanoes to green mountains and deep<br />
ravines. Many overlook the Atlantic.<br />
This variety of settings gives the Canaries<br />
an advantage over many other destinations<br />
and means golfers are keen to return for<br />
more, but just in a different environment.<br />
Britain is one of the countries that sends<br />
the most tourists to the Canaries, as we are<br />
lured to these beautiful islands by their<br />
climate and the beauty. With an average<br />
stay of 9.2 days, British tourists come to the<br />
Canaries to rest and relax, staying in good<br />
hotels and enjoying the restaurants.<br />
We leave happy too, with ‘High Tourist<br />
Loyalty’ – one in five of us who visit has<br />
already been more than 10 times to the<br />
Canaries, with couples, families and groups<br />
of friends especially regular return visitors.<br />
It’s hardly surprising that golf awards<br />
have been forthcoming, with the highlight<br />
being Gran Canaria being named IAGTO’s<br />
2013 ‘Best European Destination’. The golf<br />
travel industry will converge on Tenerife in<br />
2015 when the island hosts the annual<br />
IGTM meeting, including IAGTO Awards.<br />
Tenerife<br />
Tenerife has a European Top 100 course in<br />
the shape of Abama, which is as close to a<br />
European Augusta as we are likely to find<br />
on this side of the Atlantic. Beautifully<br />
manicured and populated by colourful<br />
shrubs and bushes, the views of the Atlantic<br />
and La Gomera from its Dave Thomasrouted<br />
elevated fairways are outstanding.<br />
Abama Golf & Spa Resort is a<br />
150-hectare estate located in Guía de Isora<br />
that has 22 lakes connected by impressive<br />
waterfalls, bunkers of white sand and<br />
25,000 palm trees.<br />
Las Americas is a beautifullyconditioned<br />
course that was designed by<br />
former Ryder Cup captain John Jacobs and<br />
is part of a complex in the heart of Playa de<br />
Las Américas that includes the five-star Las<br />
Madrigueras hotel. The two loops of nine<br />
are surrounded by lush gardens and exotic<br />
wildlife, and while there are some villas in<br />
view, they are not overly intrusive. The lakes<br />
and rivers which meander through the<br />
course are though!<br />
Founded in 1932, Real Club de Golf de<br />
Tenerife is the second oldest golf club in<br />
Spain and still has a typically British air<br />
of distinction about it. Situated at 600m<br />
above sea level it boasts 18 holes on<br />
undulating fairways that ascend with a<br />
spectacular view of Teide. The dry stream<br />
beds play a part in several holes.<br />
Buenavista is in the north-west corner of<br />
the island but is still only a short drive up<br />
the coast from the central hub of Las<br />
Americas. Opened in 2003 and designed<br />
on clifftops by Seve, Buenavista allows you<br />
to drink in views across the Atlantic. It is<br />
routed close to the cliffs so players<br />
experience the incredible sensation of<br />
driving towards the ocean in a manner not<br />
unlike iconic Pebble Beach – especially on<br />
the 10th and 13th greens.<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 27
Short Haul: Canary Islands<br />
Class golf backed<br />
up by lots of great<br />
tourist attractions<br />
The Canaries offer the complete<br />
golf holiday... on and off the course.<br />
Accommodation<br />
There is a full range of accommodation<br />
available on every island, as befits one<br />
of the most popular tourist<br />
destinations in the world. These<br />
options are complemented by a firstclass<br />
and varied selection of other<br />
amenities such as spas, leisure,<br />
museums and shopping centres.<br />
Cuisine<br />
Whether in your hotel or a restaurant,<br />
you can savour a myriad foods from<br />
around the world. You should certainly<br />
try typical Canarian food, which has<br />
Portuguese and Spanish flavours as<br />
well as Latin American and African<br />
influences. You’ll love the traditional<br />
stews, fish and amazing desserts.<br />
Other activities<br />
There is an endless choice to combine<br />
your golf holiday with activities from<br />
fun on the amazing beaches to taking<br />
cycle rides and watersports. There are<br />
water parks, dolphin centres, boat trips<br />
and volcano excursions.<br />
Relax and unwind<br />
The seven islands are an ideal place to<br />
switch of from the routine, recharge<br />
your batteries and return home with<br />
mind and body renewed. Visit www.<br />
shineagain.com for more details...<br />
Five minutes from Reina Sofía airport,<br />
there are three loops of nine at Golf del<br />
Sur, all of which were designed by Pepe<br />
Gancedo and remodelled by former Tour<br />
star Manuel Pinero.<br />
The sea is almost always visible while<br />
there are numerous deep ravines bisecting<br />
the fairways, which are lined by palm trees<br />
and the famous black volcanic soil. There is<br />
a pleasing contrast between the lakes and<br />
the spectacular bunkers of volcanic sand.<br />
By the shore that surrounds the southern<br />
coast of Tenerife is Amarilla, with<br />
marvellous views of the Teide – the highest<br />
peak in Spain – and the ocean. On a varied<br />
Donald Steel design populated by<br />
indigenous plants and with views of the<br />
exclusive San Miguel marina, this is a lovely<br />
spot. With the sea as its fairway, the 5th is<br />
the jewel in the crown.<br />
Costa Adeje by Pepe Gancedo in the<br />
south has been designed within natural<br />
features. It is defined by small plateaus and<br />
more than 5,000 yards of distinctive stone<br />
walls that were restored and used to border<br />
the banana plantation.<br />
Other options include the hilly nine-hole<br />
La Rosaleda in the north. Surrounded by<br />
banana trees, it offers panoramic views of<br />
the La Orotava valley, the Teide and the<br />
Atlantic. Another nine-holer, Los Palos by<br />
Jose Maria Olazabal is in the southern<br />
borough of Arona. It is dominated by<br />
vegetation, lakes and streams.<br />
La Gomera<br />
Tecina Golf is located on a spectacular cliff<br />
in the south of tiny La Gomera, with<br />
magnificent views of the sea. Very playable<br />
but with tricky elevation changes, the<br />
attractive design, unique landscape and<br />
peacefulness makes this Steel design a real<br />
‘must experience’.<br />
Gran Canaria<br />
As with Tenerife this year, Gran Canaria<br />
was also the host of the International Golf<br />
Travel Market, back in 2005.<br />
It boasts arguably the most impressive<br />
collection with eight terrific layouts around<br />
its territory. The circular nature of the<br />
island and the motorway that tracks the<br />
coastline makes it especially easy to get<br />
from course to course, and they are also<br />
helpfully neatly grouped together.<br />
The southern part is the best, including<br />
Salobre (New Course and Old Course)<br />
which is a terrific base for your trip. Salobre<br />
has a lovely hotel and two wonderful<br />
courses in a desert setting.<br />
Just 10 minutes drive away is Anfi Tauro<br />
Golf, one of the most outstanding courses<br />
you will enjoy on a golf holiday. Designed<br />
by the legendary Robert Von Hagge in<br />
Lanzarote Golf Club.<br />
2006, it is an exacting challenge with<br />
outstanding views. Don’t miss it.<br />
Maspalomas Golf was designed by<br />
Mackenzie Ross – who designed the Ailsa<br />
at Turnberry – and is situated next to the<br />
Maspalomas Dunes but is generally a flat<br />
easy-walking experience fringed by palms.<br />
Lopesan Meloneras Golf is the south’s<br />
final highlight, an aesthetically-pleasing<br />
Ron Kirby design among palms and lakes<br />
with several holes perched on the coast.<br />
Further north, just past the airport but<br />
still easily within an hour of Salobre, is El<br />
Cortijo Club de Campo, the closest course<br />
to the airport. Designed by American Blake<br />
Stirling El Cortijo features intimidating<br />
lakes and hundreds of mature palms.<br />
Set among the mountains further inland,<br />
the Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas is the<br />
oldest club in Spain. It is laid out next to<br />
Bandama, an extinct volcano, in a typically<br />
Gran Canarian landscape.<br />
28 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Anfi Tauro, Gran Canaria.<br />
Tecina, La Gomera.<br />
Playitas Golf, Fuerteventura.<br />
Las Palmeras Golf Pitch and Putt is<br />
more than the kind of ‘Pitch and Putt’ we’d<br />
expect at home, a beautifully manicured<br />
short course with lakes and bunkers.<br />
Lanzarote<br />
Costa Teguise is located at the feet of an<br />
old volcano, in the north-east of the island,<br />
with extraordinary views of the sea.<br />
Incorporating over 3,500 palm trees, it<br />
was designed in 1978 by John Harris and<br />
has a number of dog-legs while the ‘picon’<br />
(volcanic sand) and the wind add an extra<br />
ingredient. It has numerous dog-legs while<br />
the fairways are lined by over 3,000 palms.<br />
Lanzarote Golf Resort is situated<br />
between Puerto del Carmen and Tias, and<br />
is surrounded by volcanoes with the only<br />
outlet the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
The 18-hole course is over 6,700 yards<br />
long and was designed by well-known<br />
American architect Kirby among numerous<br />
mature palms and other indigenous plants.<br />
The original setting has been respected in<br />
its design, with gentle slopes and old stone<br />
walls. It has spectacular views of the ocean<br />
and neighbouring Fuerteventura.<br />
Fuerteventura<br />
Fuerteventura Golf Club was the first 18-<br />
hole course on the island and was the venue<br />
for the Spain Open in 2004.<br />
The course is located in a UNESCOprotected<br />
reserve with a plethora of lakes,<br />
palm trees and natural vegetation.<br />
Bunkers add a man-made hazard and<br />
there are gorgeous views of the Atlantic.<br />
Situated just 8km from the island’s airport,<br />
a full range of services are nearby including<br />
the Elba Palace Golf, a five-star hotel.<br />
Elsewhere, La Oliva, Salinas de Antigua<br />
– with hillocks and dunes that provide<br />
protection from the wind, desert-like areas<br />
and four lakes – Las Playitas – in the<br />
southern part of the island with an<br />
entertaining, dynamic course with<br />
magnificent views of the sea and wide<br />
fairways – and Jandia are other alternatives.<br />
La Palma and El Hierro do not have golf<br />
courses but both are stunning settings for a<br />
day trip during your golfing getaway. n<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
THE CLIMATE: In a word, superb.<br />
Faultless from March to October<br />
inclusive and even the winter is<br />
perfectly warm.<br />
GETTING THERE: Lots of low-cost<br />
carriers fly (in four hours) to all of the<br />
main islands now so it is very<br />
straightforward.<br />
TIME DIFFERENCE: GMT<br />
MORE INFORMATION:<br />
www.hellocanaryislands.com<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 29
Your opulent tuscan retreat<br />
Argentario Golf<br />
Resort & Spa<br />
Breathtaking design, delicious food and wonderful golf... all under the warm sun of Tuscany.<br />
For decades, the beautiful Italian<br />
region of Tuscany has been a<br />
popular destination among<br />
holidaymakers who enjoy history,<br />
culture, art, and beautiful landscapes.<br />
However, over the past few years, it has<br />
also started to establish itself as a favourite<br />
destination for golfers too. That is down, in<br />
no small part, to the spectacular Argentario<br />
Golf Resort and Spa. It is located in the<br />
heart of the Maremma – a beautiful and<br />
still-unexplored part of Southern Tuscany,<br />
only 90 minutes away from Rome’s<br />
Fiumicino International Airport.<br />
It comprises 73 designer bedrooms and an<br />
independent golf villa, all featuring a private<br />
terrace with views of either the stunning,<br />
lush Monte Argentario landscape, or the<br />
resort’s 18-hole championship golf course.<br />
Golf under the Tuscan sun<br />
The Argentario course was designed by<br />
former European Tour player Baldovino<br />
Dassù, an Italian, and architect David<br />
Mezzacane, with holes subsequently shaped<br />
and revised by Brian Jorgensen.<br />
Thanks to the surrounding hills, the<br />
Orbetello Lagoon (a WWF-managed nature<br />
reserve) and the Tyrrhenian Sea, Argentario<br />
has its own microclimate, meaning golf is<br />
possible all year round.<br />
At the on-site teaching academy, one of<br />
the instructors who works there, Emanuele<br />
Special<br />
packageS<br />
Golf & Wine, including green fees, a<br />
Tuscan dinner with Argentario wine selection<br />
and a visit to the historic Le Mortelle Winery: a<br />
three-night package from €470 per person<br />
Golf & Wellness, including green fees, two<br />
50-minute spa treatments per person and a<br />
welcome dinner: a three-night package<br />
from €540 per person.<br />
For further details visit www.<br />
argentarioresort.com<br />
32 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: Italy<br />
The course at Argentario<br />
was laid out by Tour player<br />
Baldovino Dassu.<br />
Canonica, is well known to British golfers as<br />
a past winner of the Johnnie Walker<br />
Championship at Gleneagles. In his lessons<br />
he uses the latest technology and equipment<br />
to ensure that you leave Argentario a better<br />
player than when you arrived.<br />
There is a calendar of golf competitions at<br />
Argentario Golf Club – and you could be<br />
part of unique sports and gastronomy events<br />
such as Maremma Wine Shire, a<br />
competition followed by tastings of local<br />
wines and typical products. Other challenges<br />
are sponsored by prestigious brands, such as<br />
Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes, Fendi and<br />
Damiani.<br />
Away from the golf course…<br />
Argentario Resort also has a spa: the stylish<br />
Espace Wellness Centre is a 2,700sq/m<br />
oasis of tranquillity, leisure, and indulgence.<br />
Its style is somewhere between retro and<br />
modern. Here you have the opportunity to<br />
get a relaxing treatment or simply use one of<br />
the range of other facilities. These include a<br />
heated indoor swimming pool, an outdoor<br />
pool, a hi-tech gym and areas for outdoor<br />
activities, such as tennis, jogging and<br />
football.<br />
The on-site Dama Dama Restaurant<br />
offers delicious Tuscan and Mediterranean<br />
cuisine, with many of the ingredients having<br />
been grown on-site in the resort’s own<br />
organic vegetable garden. During the warmer<br />
months, you can enjoy breakfast, meals and<br />
cocktails on the panoramic terrace with<br />
stunning views of the golf course up to the<br />
lagoon and the sea.<br />
Breathtaking design<br />
Argentario Resort is the only golf resort in<br />
the Design Hotel’s group. In fact, the<br />
Argentario Golf Resort & Spa is an allencompassing<br />
luxury retreat with design at<br />
its heart. Old world glamour is given a<br />
contemporary makeover, as state-of-the-art<br />
facilities meet the seductive charm of a movie<br />
star’s decadent Tuscan retreat.<br />
The rooms express their individual<br />
personality through a sophisticated and<br />
comfortable design, ranging from the<br />
minimalist look in a contemporary artgallery<br />
style to the most glamorous and<br />
metropolitan spirit with chrome plating and<br />
stone tubs.<br />
Exploring Maremma Tuscany<br />
Tuscany is undoubtedly one of the most<br />
beautiful parts of Europe to explore. With<br />
Argentario Golf Resort and Spa as your base<br />
for your trip, you will certainly not be short<br />
of things to see and do.<br />
Exploring the wider Tuscan area is easy to<br />
do, with most of the main towns and cities<br />
all within easy reach of the resort. Day trips<br />
to Florence, Pisa and Siena, in particular,<br />
come highly recommended.<br />
The golf resort is located close to idyllic<br />
little towns like Orbetello, Porto Ercole,<br />
Porto Santo Stefano and Capalbio, which<br />
means that you can get to know hidden gems<br />
away from mass tourism. Argentario’s<br />
fairways alternate with the vineyards and the<br />
pristine beaches, both sandy and rocky.<br />
Yours will be a golfing holiday with all the<br />
best that Tuscany has to offer. n<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 33
FOCUS ON<br />
France<br />
Variety and quality in every corner of this quiet superpower of European golf.<br />
North, South, East or West – no<br />
matter where you point your<br />
radar when visiting France, you<br />
will be exceptionally well catered<br />
for. There are, inevitably, areas with more<br />
strength in depth in a golfing sense than<br />
others, but every corner of France has<br />
enough quality golf to satisfy even the most<br />
discerning travelling golfer.<br />
Every corner of this quiet superpower of<br />
European golf has a stellar venue – and in<br />
addition to this quality is a variety of<br />
courses few countries outside of Great<br />
Britain can come close to matching.<br />
The reason we suggest France is a ‘quiet<br />
superpower’? How else to describe the<br />
unusually humble attitude towards their<br />
golfing riches?<br />
France had as many entries in Golf<br />
World’s 2013 Continental Top 100 – as<br />
many as 17 – as anyone apart from Spain.<br />
Not only that, France also had the top two<br />
courses plus six of the top 20. The biggest<br />
names, Morfontaine and Les Bordes, are<br />
sadly so exclusive they are usually only<br />
playable with a member.<br />
And while some of the rest are very<br />
traditional clubs – akin to our ‘Royal’ clubs<br />
in this country – they can be accessed (seek<br />
the help of Private Golf Key, details for<br />
which are on p40, for guaranteed access).<br />
Let’s make a whistlestop tour of the very<br />
best of French golf...<br />
The North<br />
Unlike around Paris, there is no difficulty<br />
in getting a game in the north of the<br />
country, in either Normandy or Brittany.<br />
This is a very welcoming part of France for<br />
British golfers, perhaps as a result of the<br />
affinity from the landing, whose 70th<br />
anniversary was marked last year.<br />
In Normandy, Etretat is one of France’s<br />
oldest courses and sits on the famous<br />
chalky cliffs of the Alabaster coast while<br />
34 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: France<br />
Saint Endreol.<br />
Granville is one of France’s closest versions<br />
of a British links with sand dunes, plateau<br />
greens and wispy rough. St Julien, close to<br />
Pont l’Evêque, and Vaudreuil, a Hawtree<br />
design, are other fine options.<br />
In Brittany, Pleneuf Val Andre is one of<br />
France’s top 30 courses and offers a hint<br />
of links, a bit of parkland golf and a<br />
suggestion of heathland, while Dinard was<br />
laid out by feted Tom Dunn and is the<br />
second-oldest course in France, dating back<br />
to 1887. St Malo is laid out in the ancient<br />
hunting grounds of Mesnil Forest.<br />
We are huge fans of the Opal Coast area,<br />
where two clubs with 80 magnificent holes<br />
between them – plus excellent 18-hole<br />
venues – make for a superb trip.<br />
Brits have been holidaying in this Pas de<br />
Calais region of Hardelot and Le Touquet<br />
for over a century and more, lured by the<br />
clean beaches, better weather and fine food<br />
in small towns that cater for visitors’<br />
demands while still remaining charming.<br />
Hardelot and Le Touquet are the multicourse<br />
venues in the area and both boast a<br />
Ryder Cup<br />
2018 host<br />
Golf National.<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 35
Short Haul: France<br />
Revitalised<br />
Hardelot Pins.<br />
Top 100 perennials in their armoury. Both<br />
belong to the Open Golf Club group and<br />
both have been revitalised by Frank Pont to<br />
heights not reached for half a century.<br />
Backing them up is a terrific links at<br />
Wimereux, 15 minutes from the<br />
EuroTunnel, and Belle Dune, a picturesque<br />
course laid out on rolling, sandy terrain<br />
among thousands of pines.<br />
Around Paris<br />
The capital city has a wealth of options,<br />
from the new kid on the block Golf<br />
National to classics such as Chantilly and<br />
Fontainebleau.<br />
Le Golf National is the venue for the<br />
2018 Ryder Cup despite being around for<br />
only a couple of decades. Built on farmland<br />
as flat as a pancake, it was moulded and<br />
sculpted beautifully using landfill – rubbish<br />
to you and I. It is a triumph for designers<br />
and shapers who have made it an interesting<br />
test of parkland, American-style golf.<br />
It’s a long way round and L’Albatros’<br />
numerous water hazards will make it a<br />
thrilling Ryder Cup stage. Its sister L’Aigle<br />
is a solid venue too.<br />
WHY WE LOVE<br />
EUROTUNNEL<br />
TRAVEL TIPS<br />
Low-cost carriers go to lots of regional<br />
airports all over the country, but if you<br />
are not visiting anywhere south of Paris,<br />
we advise taking the EuroTunnel. It’s<br />
cheap, flexible and having your<br />
own car with you is just so<br />
convenient.<br />
To the north-east near Morfontaine is<br />
the very English-feeling Chantilly, a French<br />
version of Little Aston, while to the south<br />
east of the city is a woodland classic at<br />
Fontainebleau.<br />
To the west, just past Le Golf National is<br />
Harry Colt’s quirky Saint Germain as well<br />
as St Nom La Breteche, scene of the most<br />
recent Seve Trophy matches in 2013.<br />
So, as many as six Top 100 venues dotted<br />
around the capital to choose from – plus an<br />
excellent play-and-stay venue named Crecy,<br />
near to Disneyland. Crecy is an ideal base<br />
for a trip soaking up all the Top 100 golf<br />
around Paris as well as offering a family<br />
break where the sights, Mickey Mouse and<br />
cafe culture can be soaked up. Perhaps even<br />
a trip to watch a Six Nations game or Paris<br />
St Germain...<br />
The South West<br />
This area is a real surprise to the<br />
uninitiated, with four Top 100 courses<br />
very close to each other and a fifth, Golf<br />
du Medoc a few miles up the coast on the<br />
outskirts of Bordeaux. A sixth option,<br />
Chateau des Vigiers, sits further inland<br />
in vineyard country.<br />
The quartet that are packed exceptionally<br />
close to each other are Seignosse, Chiberta,<br />
Hossegor and Moliets.<br />
Seignosse was designed by Robert Von<br />
Hagge back in 1989.<br />
It is a beautiful course among mature<br />
trees and natural water features – but it is<br />
also an exacting challenge, even if it is<br />
mixed up well with several short 4s among<br />
the longer-hitting tests.<br />
Chiberta is for the most part parkland in<br />
nature but enjoys a nice section next to the<br />
ocean. Located between Bayonne and<br />
36 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: France<br />
Biarritz in Anglet, a fishing port with an<br />
upmarket marina.<br />
Hossegor is routed among mature trees<br />
with large but low-lipped bunkers dotted<br />
around its lush parkland fairways. The soft,<br />
receptive greens are lovely to putt on.<br />
Moliets is a Trent Jones design that really<br />
comes into its own with a fabulous fourhole<br />
stretch by the ocean. The parkland<br />
holes are good, but these seaside tests are<br />
out of this world.<br />
There are more very attractive courses in<br />
the area and through the Golf Pass Biarritz<br />
(golfpassbiarritz.com), you can make real<br />
savings on playing Seignosse, Le Phare,<br />
d’Arcangues and Makila – they’re available<br />
from not much more than £150.<br />
Further north, but still within an hour,<br />
is Golf du Medoc. There are two courses<br />
here, with Le Chateaux the No.1.<br />
Laid out by Bill Coore in 1989 – when<br />
he was not the big draw in golf course<br />
Golf du Medoc.<br />
The clubhouse at<br />
Hardelot Dunes.<br />
design he is today – it is one of the classiest<br />
venues on the Continent.<br />
A heathland very much in the ilk of<br />
Walton Heath, it is complemented by the<br />
equally attractive Vignes.<br />
To the east is Chateau des Vigiers, where<br />
three lovely loops of nine are routed around<br />
the breathtaking castle – all of it set in<br />
classic vineyard country. A truly special<br />
place for a golf break.<br />
The South East<br />
On the opposite end of the south coast,<br />
Terre Blanche is arguably France’s premier<br />
resort, with a European Top 100 course –<br />
one that is closing in on the top 10 – as<br />
well as a second course that is a very, very<br />
solid complement.<br />
Equally as impressive is the attached<br />
hotel, which is not just one of the best golf<br />
hotels in France, it is one of the best hotels<br />
in France full stop. It boasts every amenity<br />
Golf’s leading<br />
premium chain<br />
The Open Golf Club phenomenon...<br />
Open Golf Club originates from a<br />
strong family tradition in tourism and<br />
high-end leisure sports over more than<br />
50 years. With a presence in five<br />
countries – France, Benelux, Spain,<br />
Portugal and Morocco – the Open Golf<br />
Club group ofers a choice of 40 topquality<br />
golf courses including several<br />
which are recognised internationally.<br />
Many are classed among the Top<br />
100 in Europe such as Le Touquet,<br />
Hardelot, Biarritz le Phare, Opion<br />
Valbonne, Pont Royal, Les Yvelines and<br />
Ormesson in France as well as Golf<br />
National, venue for the 2018 Ryder<br />
Cup. Open Golf Club’s portfolio is a bit<br />
like a group in Britain being able to say<br />
they had Alwoodley, West Sussex and<br />
Prestwick under their umbrella.<br />
Further well-renowned courses<br />
include Bercuit and Cleydael (a<br />
Challenge Tour 2014 venue) in Belgium<br />
and San Roque in Spain.<br />
Close to all the courses, a selection<br />
of hotels can provide golfers with a<br />
range of accommodation for their stay.<br />
These three and four-star hotels are<br />
very experienced in welcoming golfers<br />
and provide an attentive service that<br />
also reflects the local culture and<br />
lifestyle, especially in terms of the<br />
splendid food and wine. Open Golf can<br />
take care of packages, green fees, golf<br />
passes, gift certificate, leaving you free<br />
to enjoy your golf break.<br />
Examples of packages:<br />
• Two nights midweek in a double<br />
room with breakfast at Le Manoir in Le<br />
Touquet including a welcome dinner<br />
(excluding drinks) and three green fees<br />
in Le Touquet from €245 to €310 per<br />
person (valid until October 17, 2015).<br />
• Seven nights at Le Roque suites on<br />
the Costa del Sol in a double room with<br />
four green fees at San Roque New club<br />
and two green fees at San Roque Old<br />
club from €777 per person depending<br />
on the time of year.<br />
For more information, get in touch<br />
with Open Golf Club’s UK contact Nigel<br />
Jibson by calling 07956 863358,<br />
emailing nigel@opengolfclub.com.<br />
For general information on Open Golf<br />
Club visit www.opengolfclub.com.<br />
38 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
OPIO VALBONNE<br />
RESORT<br />
LA GRANDE BASTIDE Golf Club<br />
www.roseetpiment.com - Crédits photos : Open Golf Club<br />
One of the finest golf resorts in the South of France<br />
Discover our SPECIAL OFFERS for your golf break at Le Château de la Bégude ★★★★ With golf<br />
in Opio Valbonne or La Grande Bastide and other famous golf courses on Côte d’Azur<br />
on : +33 4 93 12 37 00 - www.opengolfclub.com<br />
The 1 st premium golf chain
Short Haul: France<br />
The Majorhosting<br />
course<br />
at Evian.<br />
pLaY THE bEsT<br />
Of fRaNcE WiTH<br />
PRIVATE goLf kEy<br />
PGK are an ofcial travel operator<br />
specialising in golf. They have access to<br />
ALL French courses, even the most<br />
prestigious, and propose concierge<br />
services for clients seeking to<br />
discover hidden France. Visit<br />
privategolfkey.com<br />
and luxury, and go here in August and it is<br />
clear to see why it is so popular with British<br />
families on holiday.<br />
Other excellent options in the French<br />
Riviera include St Endreol, which boasts a<br />
fine golf course as well as spa and treatment<br />
facilities, tennis courts, a jogging trail,<br />
restaurant, bar and café, as well as a healthy<br />
dash of Provencal art de vivre.<br />
The final venue in this trio of resorts in<br />
Provenceis Barbaroux, set in a magnificent<br />
woodland and stretching across 215 acres.<br />
This resort has a prestigious course<br />
designed by Pete Dye and PB Dye.<br />
Last but by no means least is the Evian<br />
Resort, further north on the border with<br />
Switzerland on the banks of Lake Geneva.<br />
This is one of Europe’s finest venues,<br />
with tonnes of charm and opulence as well<br />
as a course that has been revised to great<br />
effect and now hosts a Major in the ladies’<br />
game. The views here are sensational.<br />
Why not make it a family trip to France?<br />
You can go to France and do nothing but<br />
play golf, rest, travel and play a bit more<br />
golf. But France can offer a lot more than<br />
that. Here are four options in the key parts<br />
of the country to combine with golf and<br />
make a great trip for families and couples.<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
THE CLIMATE<br />
France can of course have harsh<br />
winters – it is a key ski destination after<br />
all. But it is also blessed with long,<br />
warm summers that start in May and<br />
eventually disappear in late September.<br />
TIME DIFFERENCE GMT +1<br />
QUICK TIP If you drive to France you’ll<br />
need a hi-vis vest, a GB sticker on your<br />
car (or GB on your number plate) and a<br />
red warning triangle.<br />
1 Around Paris<br />
A brilliant way to combine a family holiday<br />
with a chance to play some of Europe’s best<br />
courses. Stay at Crecy in the east of Paris<br />
and enjoy EuroDisney next door. Then<br />
travel to the centre to visit Tour Eiffel,<br />
Champs Elysses, L’Arc Triomphe, Notre<br />
Dame, the Sacre Couer et al.<br />
2 In the south east<br />
A day in Monaco; walk the iconic Formula<br />
One track in the fabled Principality, visit<br />
the casino and gaze at the opulence of it all.<br />
Just don’t expect a cheap lunch!<br />
3 In the south west<br />
Millions of Christians flock to Lourdes,<br />
whose most sacred site is the Cave of<br />
Apparitions. Pilgrims immerse themselves<br />
in the allegedly healing waters.<br />
4 In the north west<br />
Naussica is Europe’s largest aquarium on<br />
the outskirts of Boulogne and houses<br />
almost everything that lies under the water.<br />
40 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
A VINTAGE EXPERIENCE<br />
Château des<br />
Vigiers<br />
Seven reasons to head for this fabulous golf destination in France’s legendary wine region in 2015.<br />
Château des Vigiers is the perfect<br />
place for those seeking intimacy<br />
and a feeling of total relaxation.<br />
From the moment you sweep down<br />
the grand driveway and first set eyes on the<br />
magnificent 16th century château and its<br />
lake, you enjoy the feeling of time slowing<br />
down and nature awakening your senses.<br />
The tranquillity and contentment begins<br />
now, and is continued in gastronomy, wines,<br />
golf and well-being – all enjoyed in authentic<br />
surroundings. A visit to Chateau des Vigiers<br />
is a wonderful feast for the senses.<br />
The region<br />
At the heart of authentic France, this is a<br />
region full of history and tradition. Situated<br />
at the gateway of the Dordogne Valley, in the<br />
heart of ‘Purple Périgord’, it is perfectly<br />
located for visiting the region’s châteaux,<br />
grottoes and gardens.<br />
Discover the fantastic markets full of<br />
colour, sounds and seasonal smells. Stroll<br />
along the streets of medieval, fortified towns<br />
and cobbled back streets of Bergerac, Sarlat<br />
or Périgueux. Taste the local delicacies, like<br />
truffles, caviar, foie gras.<br />
The château<br />
Simple luxury and French charm is exuded<br />
in 25 personalised rooms containing antique<br />
furniture that reflects the history of the<br />
château. Relax in the library while flicking<br />
through an old book, savour one of the<br />
delicacies in the tea room or enjoy an old<br />
Armagnac during a game of billiards. A<br />
minute’s walk from the château are exquisite<br />
suites made from traditional stone and<br />
wood, each with their own terrace<br />
overlooking the magnificent lake.<br />
The Relais<br />
Clad entirely in wood, this is a tranquil<br />
haven in the heart of the grounds. With its<br />
40 rooms, The ‘Relais’ has been built to the<br />
highest quality eco-friendly standards in<br />
sympathy with the local, traditional<br />
architecture of tobacco-drying barns.<br />
42 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: France<br />
The pool area is<br />
perfect for a<br />
relaxing day.<br />
Enjoy Michelinstarred<br />
gastronomy.<br />
Play golf<br />
alongside the<br />
iconic vineyards.<br />
The Lac loop<br />
finishes with a<br />
risk-reward hole.<br />
wine and<br />
Each room is decorated in a contemporary<br />
style, with all modern comforts, including<br />
large Italian showers and exceptional views<br />
over the grounds. Perfect for families.<br />
Michelin-starred restaurant<br />
This gastronomic restaurant has one<br />
Michelin star and passionate about products.<br />
Les Fresques restaurant symbolises French<br />
gastronomy. Didier Casaguana, ‘master of all<br />
seasons’, cooks the best local and regional<br />
products with dexterity and delicacy. Didier,<br />
an ambassador of French gastronomy, prefers<br />
to use local, small producers so as to offer<br />
you authentic dishes, passionately prepared.<br />
Even breakfast is an occasion here,<br />
offering anything from local fresh meats,<br />
cheeses and fruits to the simple pleasure of a<br />
piece of fresh bread toasted to perfection.<br />
Vineyards and wine experience<br />
Château des Vigiers is the ideal starting<br />
point for a complete sensory immersion at<br />
the heart of the finest vineyards in France.<br />
Bergerac, Bordeaux, Duras, Monbazillac<br />
golf in 2015<br />
The Saint-Emilion Crus Classés<br />
Trophy is an event that brings together<br />
the finest French “Art de vivre” with top<br />
class golf. You can immerse yourself in a<br />
world of famous wines, glorious golf<br />
and classic French style!<br />
It is held from June 5-7, 2015.<br />
and Saint-Emilion stretch along the banks of<br />
the Dordogne river.<br />
Stroll among the vines and meet the men<br />
and women who epitomise a unique and<br />
ancient savoir-faire. Then savour the pleasure<br />
of tasting their produce, accompanied by<br />
CdV’s sommelier to guide you.<br />
The golf course<br />
In a unique setting, this is a feast for the eyes<br />
as you play. The 27-hole course is considered<br />
a benchmark in Aquitaine. The three loops<br />
have been perfectly routed round the lake<br />
and the Valley of Vines by architect Donald<br />
Steel. Orchards, plum trees, oak forests and<br />
vineyards provide magnificent backdrops,<br />
with a spectacular, unforgettable view over<br />
the Château at the finish of two of the loops.<br />
Well-being centre<br />
To help you relax is CdV’s greatest pleasure.<br />
At The Relais or at the Château’s Beauty<br />
Centre, relaxing around the swimming pool<br />
or enjoying your chosen treatment, you will<br />
find somewhere to unwind. Allow yourself<br />
to be pampered by our beauticians at the<br />
Maria Galland beauty centre. Indulge<br />
yourself with face and body treatments,<br />
where everything is done to ensure your<br />
serenity.<br />
Their dedicated relaxation areas include<br />
everything you need to relax, including<br />
sauna, hammam and jacuzzi.<br />
n Telephone 00 33 553 61 5000, email<br />
reserve@vigiers.com or visit vigiers.com.<br />
Chateau des Vigiers is in the Dordogne – fly<br />
to Bergerac and drive 20 minutes west or to<br />
Bordeaux and drive an hour to the east.<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 43
Short Haul: France<br />
chic venue, Major credentials<br />
Evian Resort<br />
One of most opulent destinations in Europe that now hosts one of the game’s Major championships.<br />
Evian is one of the most exclusive<br />
resorts in the world, set in a 42-acre<br />
park at the foot of the Alps<br />
overlooking Lake Geneva. And in the<br />
heart of the Resort, you can discover two of<br />
the most beautiful hotels in Europe.<br />
Created during the Belle Epoque, the Hotel<br />
Royal has retained its majesty and is today a<br />
temple of refinement, good taste and Frenchstyle<br />
‘art de vivre’. After a total refurbishment<br />
in the last few months, the five-star Hôtel<br />
Royal will re-open in July 2015.<br />
Guests are also captivated by the unique<br />
charm of the four-star Hotel Ermitage, a large<br />
turn-of-the-century hotel in an English<br />
cottage style, where luxury is discreet and the<br />
atmosphere is intimate yet relaxed.<br />
The Evian Resort is located in a preserved<br />
natural environment and includes the Evian<br />
course, where golfers can tread in the footsteps<br />
of the world’s greatest women golfers. Wholly<br />
redesigned in 2013 to enhance its technical<br />
quality while preserving its unforgettable<br />
views and signature style, the 18-hole course<br />
is one of Europe’s most beautiful.<br />
It annually hosts The Evian Championship,<br />
which has become even more prestigious as a<br />
result of gaining status as a ladies’ Major.<br />
This mystical golf course is complemented<br />
by a comprehensive and unique golf training<br />
centre concept, the Academy.<br />
You can also devote time to your well-being<br />
and to restore perfect harmony. For a unique<br />
experience, the Spa Evian Source – attached to<br />
the Hotel Royal – offers 1,200m² of serenity<br />
and well-being in a place that is soothing and<br />
deeply energising. It is a place of lasting<br />
revitalisation for body and mind.<br />
The spa’s professional and passionate staff<br />
expertly help the body regenerate itself, using<br />
secrets and rituals of health and youthfulness<br />
from all over the world. The Spa Evian<br />
Source® offers a selection of exclusive<br />
treatments with the brands ‘La Prairie’.<br />
Meanwhile the Spa Quatre Terres, located<br />
within the Hôtel Ermitage, offers a veritable<br />
cocoon of comfort surrounded by stunning<br />
natural scenery. It invites its clients to discover<br />
its treatment journeys, which are directly<br />
inspired by this natural process.<br />
Four incredibly pure elements – clay, semiprecious<br />
stones, crystals and oils rich in trace<br />
elements – are the basis for deep-reaching<br />
treatments. They have been designed like a<br />
succession of slow journeys to the heart of the<br />
elements, leaving the body detoxified,<br />
energised and revitalised.<br />
The effect of the treatments is strengthened<br />
by the virtues of ancestral American-Indian,<br />
Tibetan and Chinese techniques performed<br />
by the skilled hands of our therapists.<br />
Everything at the Evian Resort has been<br />
brought together for a perfect holiday in an<br />
exceptional location. n<br />
For further information telephone 00 33 4<br />
50 26 50 50, email reservation@<br />
evianresort.com or visit www.evianresort.com<br />
44 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE<br />
IN THE HEART OF THE FRENCH ALPS<br />
WWW.EVIANRESORT.COM<br />
EVIAN - LAKE GENEVA<br />
23 MILES FROM GENEVA
Short Haul: France<br />
where<br />
to stay<br />
Formerly the summer mansion of<br />
Napoleon III and Empress Eugenia, the<br />
Hotel du Palais overlooks Biarritz’s main<br />
beaches and boasts 120 rooms and 30<br />
luxurious Suites, three restaurants, an<br />
outdoor sea-water swimming pool and a<br />
Spa including sauna, hammam, fitness<br />
and treatment rooms. Visit<br />
hotel-du-palais.com<br />
The secreT of france<br />
Biarritz<br />
South-east France has some of Europe’s best golf – available for an amazing price with a special pass.<br />
Arcangues is a terrific<br />
Ron Fream design.<br />
The Basque Coast is a privileged area<br />
that attracts golfers from around the<br />
world, seduced by the quality,<br />
diversity and beauty of the courses.<br />
The area boasts an exceptional<br />
concentration and variety of courses in<br />
addition to a mild climate, fascinating history<br />
and heritage, as well as a laid-back lifestyle<br />
that make it a paradise for visiting golfers.<br />
So golfers from far and wide have<br />
discovered four of the most beautiful courses<br />
on the Basque coast: Arcangues, Biarritz Le<br />
Phare, Makila Bayonne and Seignosse.<br />
Seignosse is the best known to British<br />
golfers by virtue of it being consistently in<br />
Golf World’s Top 100 ranking of<br />
Continental European Courses – but the<br />
other three are extremely worthy colleagues.<br />
And you can play the quartet for an<br />
astonishingly low price through the Biarritz<br />
Golf Pass. It allows you to play two rounds<br />
Biarritz Le Phare was designed by the Dunns... in 1888!<br />
for €100 (low season) up to €130 (high<br />
season), three from €150 (low) to €195 (high)<br />
or four from €200 (low) to €260 (high).<br />
Contact one of the four clubs to book the pass<br />
or via the website www.golfpassbiarritz.com.<br />
These are the courses you could be playing...<br />
Arcangues<br />
Designed by Ron Fream in 1991, this 6,756-<br />
yard course offers nice views on the Basque<br />
countryside and the Pyrenees.<br />
There is a good flow between the holes, which<br />
sit nicely in the diverse landscape. After your<br />
round, you can enjoy the wonderful view from<br />
the restaurant which overlooks the 1st and<br />
10th tees and the 18th green.<br />
Makila Bayonne<br />
Prolific American Rocky Roquemore laid this<br />
splendid course out in 1993. Slightly longer<br />
than Arcangues, it is routed around<br />
Exacting Seignosse is one of Europe’s very finest courses.<br />
magnificent oak trees yet provides large<br />
fairways so is not overly punishing.<br />
Roquemore made a terrific job of assimilating<br />
the course in this large natural woodland site<br />
in front of the Pyrenees.<br />
Biarritz Le Phare<br />
This is a course of immense history, dating<br />
back to 1888. It was designed by the famous<br />
Tom and Willie Dunn and is a cute sub-<br />
6,000-yard course in a prestigious<br />
environment in the heart of Biarritz city.<br />
Biarritz Le Phare was later tweaked in 1920<br />
by Harry Colt, making it one of the most<br />
illustriously-designed courses in Continental<br />
Europe. Oozes French golf history and the<br />
sports tradition of the Basque Country.<br />
Seignosse<br />
Celebrated American architect Robert Von<br />
Hagge created Seignosse in 1989, and it has<br />
been a fixture in Golf World’s European Top<br />
100 for many years. It is under 7,000 yards<br />
but is one of the most challenging courses in<br />
France as a result of narrow fairways lined by<br />
mature trees and numerous water features. A<br />
real masterpiece, its undulating layout covers<br />
a natural mixture of pines and cork oaks. n<br />
Contact details:<br />
t: +33 (0)5 59 03 71 80<br />
w: www.golfpassbiarritz.com<br />
e: info@golfpassbiarritz.com<br />
46 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Arcangues<br />
Biarritz<br />
Makila Bayonne<br />
Seignosse<br />
golfpassbiarritz.com<br />
Côte Basque<br />
Discover<br />
the Golf Pass Biarritz<br />
Côte Basque<br />
and play the most prestigious golf courses of the Basque Country<br />
Golf Pass 2 courses : LS 100 € / MS 110 € / HS 130 €<br />
Golf Pass 3 courses : LS 150 € / MS 165 € / HS 195 €<br />
Golf Pass 4 courses : LS 200 € / MS 220 € / HS 260 €<br />
For every Biarritz golf pass purchased (four courses),<br />
we offer free entry to the International<br />
Golf Training Center of Ilbarritz.<br />
Low season : jan-feb-nov-dec<br />
Mid season : march-april-may-june-sept-oct<br />
High season : july-august<br />
Offer available upon reservation and subject to availability.<br />
Rates in Euros including taxes<br />
créa - www.izeecom.com<br />
Arcangues<br />
Biarritz<br />
Makila Bayonne<br />
Seignosse<br />
Details & Reservations : www.golfpassbiarritz.com
Short Haul: France<br />
Golf du Médoc’s courses are two of<br />
Continental Europe’s Top 100 finest.<br />
Golf du Médoc Resort<br />
Golf and fine wine combine in the Bordeaux-Médoc region.<br />
SITUATED among the vineyards<br />
of the Médoc between Bordeaux and<br />
the spectacular beaches on the<br />
Atlantic coast, Golf du Médoc’s<br />
36-hole four-star hotel and spa<br />
complex offers access to some of the<br />
finest Golf and Wine tours in the<br />
Bordeaux-Médoc region.<br />
Golf du Médoc resort offers 79<br />
rooms and suites, two restaurants,<br />
two 18-hole championship golf<br />
courses, a fully-equipped gym plus<br />
Spa and indoor swimming pool. It<br />
lies within easy reach of hundreds<br />
of wine chateaux.<br />
There are two dining options; for<br />
a more formal meal, La Table du<br />
Médoc offers top-class food and<br />
wine while the other option is Le<br />
Club – ideal before and after golf.<br />
The wonderful modern spa offers<br />
massages, beauty care and reflexology<br />
plus an indoor heated pool, steam<br />
room and fitness centre.<br />
Les Châteaux was designed in<br />
1989 by American architect Bill<br />
Coore. The fairways on this classic<br />
heathland are lined with heather<br />
while the wind off the ocean makes<br />
this a fantastic challenge. It hosted<br />
the French Open in 1999.<br />
Canadian Rod Whitman laid out<br />
Les Vignes in 1991 in moor and<br />
pines and it was the stage for the<br />
European Challenge Tour final for<br />
three years from 2002.<br />
Play & Stay deal<br />
Stay three nights’ B&B, get three<br />
green fees and two visits to the<br />
Châteaux in Médoc with wine<br />
tastings and VIP treatment for<br />
€429pp (double or twin room<br />
sharing). Available all of 2015. n<br />
CONTACT<br />
Email: h.martinet@golf-du-medoc.<br />
com or visit hotelgolfdumedoc.com<br />
Hôtel**** . 2 restaurants & bars . Le Spa . 2 Golf Courses . Training Center<br />
All the flavor of Golf and Wines by Bordeaux...<br />
The Golf du Médoc Resort is recognized as one of the ˋnest golˋng<br />
destinations in France with 2 superb golf courses for visitors to play on.<br />
Situated amongst the famous vineyards of Bordeaux, it really is the<br />
perfect place to enjoy ˋne wine and great golf.<br />
The Golf du Médoc Resor is nestled in the middle of the famous Golf<br />
courses of Médoc (36 holes on site) offering best accommodation, full<br />
service and ˋne regional french cuisine in an elegant panoramic setting,<br />
perfect for a long stay in Médoc and Bordeaux Region, discovering<br />
Châteaux and wines after a great day’s golf.<br />
For more information regarding Golf du Médoc’s «Play<br />
and stay» packages :<br />
contact@golfdumedocresort.com<br />
Golf du Médoc Resort<br />
T. +33 (0)5.56.70.31.31 - www.golfdumedocresort.com
LE TOUQUET Golf Club (La Mer)<br />
www.roseetpiment.com - Crédits photos : Open Golf Club<br />
HARDELOT Golf Club (Les Pins)<br />
The finest golf resort in the North of France<br />
Discover our SPECIAL OFFERS for your golf break at Le Manoir Hotel ★★★ or Westminster Hotel & Spa ★★★★<br />
With golf in Le Touquet or Hardelot on : +33 3 21 06 70 48 - www.opengolfclub.com<br />
Hardelot, European Tour Qualifying<br />
School Venue 2011 - 2015<br />
The 1 st premium golf chain
focus on<br />
Slovenia<br />
This relatively young country enjoys significant golfing heritage as well as non-golf attractions.<br />
It is impossible for Slovenia to have<br />
enormous golf heritage, because the<br />
history of the country itself is extremely<br />
limited. Slovenia has only been<br />
independent since 1991 when, after more<br />
than 70 years of living within Yugoslavia,<br />
almost 90 per cent of voters opted for<br />
independence in a referendum.<br />
Yet despite this embryonic status it does<br />
have golf courses within its relatively new<br />
borders that have been bringing pleasure to<br />
locals and visitors for decades.<br />
These courses benefit from Slovenia’s<br />
location in the heart of Europe, where the<br />
Alps meet the Mediterranean and the<br />
Pannonian Plain meets the Karst.<br />
This small country measures 20,273 km 2<br />
in area but the cluster of four major<br />
European geographies gives Slovenia an<br />
invigorating green landscape, much of it<br />
densely forested and precious. More than a<br />
third of the country is protected.<br />
The most mountainous region is the<br />
north, where the Alps begin. The Julian Alps<br />
and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps have many<br />
glorious peaks, whereas those of the<br />
Karavanke, next to Austria, are more gentle.<br />
Upland terrain forms most of the east of<br />
the country between Ljubljana and Maribor,<br />
as are the areas west and south of the capital.<br />
There are more gentle hills in the winemaking<br />
areas of the south-east and east,<br />
while the vines thrive in plains and basins<br />
between the hills.<br />
The east of the country is part of the<br />
Pannonian Plain and underground, some of<br />
Slovenia’s 9,000 karstic caves are among the<br />
most beautiful in the world. This spectacular<br />
natural landscape gives rise to many of its<br />
most popular tourist attractions.<br />
One of these is Slovenia’s spectacular<br />
island at Bled. Sheltered by picturesque<br />
Photos by Mirko Kunšič
Short Haul: Slovenia<br />
Bled is the undoubted<br />
highlight of golf in Slovenia.<br />
What to do of the<br />
course in Slovenia<br />
1 Postojna caves<br />
This series of passages are 20km long<br />
and two million years old. Visitors can<br />
see about 5.7km of the cave on 1½hour<br />
tours, some of which is covered<br />
by an electric train.<br />
2 Wine tour<br />
Take a car or bike tour of the valley<br />
from Nova Gorica into the Karst, where<br />
some world-class red wines are<br />
produced with the Vipava Merlot<br />
especially renowned.<br />
3 Predjama castle<br />
Begun in 1202, this amazing four-storey<br />
fortress is built in the mouth of a<br />
cavern halfway up a 123m clif. Comes<br />
complete with a drawbridge, boiling oil<br />
containers, a dungeon, and a chest of<br />
treasure.<br />
4 ljubljana<br />
The capital is perfect for exploring with<br />
plenty to see and do but not so big that<br />
you feel intimidated. There are a wealth<br />
of cafes, restaurants, museums and<br />
shops to discover.<br />
5 Visit Piran<br />
This picturesque town – a gem of<br />
Gothic architecture – at the tip of a<br />
slender strip of land is one of the best<br />
preserved towns on the Adriatic.<br />
Seafood restaurants add to the allure.<br />
mountains, the island sits in the middle of an<br />
Alpine lake and lures visitors from all over<br />
the world. The town of Bled has existed for<br />
over 1,000 years and was a place of worship<br />
for ancient Slavs and pilgrims before it<br />
became a source of good health and wellbeing<br />
after Swiss hydropathist Arnold Rikli<br />
advocated the healing benefits of the gentle<br />
climate, lake and thermal waters. Guest<br />
houses and hotels popped up to cater for<br />
those lured by the spa offering.<br />
Europe’s aristocratic elite were attracted to<br />
the area and it remains popular with those<br />
seeking beauty, relaxation, peacefulness and<br />
golf. Activities include walking trails around<br />
the lake, boating, ringing the island’s wishing<br />
bell, investigating the castle’s treasures, the<br />
nearby ski pistes, mountain trails, hunting,<br />
fishing, the casino... and playing golf.<br />
Ranked in Golf World’s Top 100 courses<br />
in continental Europe, Bled’s course is the<br />
highlight of Slovenia’s golf offering.<br />
It is the work of Donald Harradine, who<br />
redesigned the King’s course (there is also a<br />
nine-holer) in 1972 after it had been<br />
abandoned following the Second World<br />
War, but it actually dates back to 1937. That<br />
is because Yugoslav King Aleksander selected<br />
Bled as his summer residence and requested a<br />
golf course be built in order that he could<br />
entertain the wealthy guests and nobility<br />
who visited him from all over Europe.<br />
Bled is located beside the eponymous lake<br />
and among Slovenia’s highest mountains.<br />
It offers views of the Julian Alps, the<br />
Karavanke range, Mount Jelovica and the<br />
more distant Kamnik Alps. Lined by mature<br />
pine trees yet not overly penal, the par-5 2nd<br />
is an early highlight.<br />
Bled is a popular tourist destination, with<br />
guests so enchanted with this spot that they<br />
return each year – whether for the golf, the<br />
scenery, or the original Bled cream cake.<br />
Bled offers accommodation options<br />
ranging from the five-star Grand Hotel<br />
Toplice overlooking Lake Bled to The Kings<br />
Clubhouse right next to the course – or even<br />
a new luxury camping experience, Glamping.<br />
If you visit Slovenia, you can also call in at<br />
Lipica – just over the border from Italy – a<br />
lovely nine-holer laid out by the renowned<br />
Harradine and given definition by ancient<br />
lime and oak trees.<br />
In fact there are 11 established venues<br />
from which to choose and you could happily<br />
plan a golf holiday in this scenic, youthful<br />
country alone.<br />
Golf Ljubljana and Terme Krka are two<br />
others to consider for an itinerary.<br />
Finally, the capital Ljubljana, where there<br />
are plenty of golf and non-golf attractions, is<br />
not far away from any of the courses as the<br />
country is so compact. n<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
GettInG there Fly to Ljubljana from<br />
London and drive 20 minutes to Bled or<br />
fly to Venice from various UK airports<br />
(and drive two hours to Bled)<br />
tIme dIfference GMT +1<br />
When to Go March-December<br />
currency: Euro<br />
PoPulatIon: Two million<br />
more InformatIon: www.slovenia.info/<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 51
eauty and heritage<br />
Bled Golf<br />
This heavenly Alpine retreat in Slovenia offers a break in one of Europe’s most spectacular landscapes.<br />
For many centuries, nature lovers and<br />
sports enthusiasts from across the<br />
world have been enchanted by<br />
Slovenia Ð and Bled in particular.<br />
Today it is visited by thousands of tourists<br />
seeking to experience for themselves a<br />
wonder of nature Ð a unique island on an<br />
Alpine lake surrounded by mountains and<br />
overlooked by a majestic castle.<br />
Others visit Bled simply to indulge in the<br />
original Bled cream cake or to enjoy a<br />
relaxing walk by the lake. The resort is<br />
famed for having a number of regular guests<br />
who have been coming to Bled for decades<br />
and have inspired a similar love for the town<br />
in the next generation.<br />
You can drive across the whole country in<br />
two hours and Slovenia was named this year<br />
as among the top 10 tourist destinations in<br />
the world by Lonely Planet. Within the wellknown<br />
alpine resort, Bled Golf Course is the<br />
Photos by Mirko Kunšič<br />
52 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: Slovenia<br />
oldest and the largest golf course in Slovenia.<br />
You might be surprised to learn it dates<br />
back as far as 1937; many visitors claim it<br />
to be one of the most beautiful courses in<br />
Europe. With its 27 holes, the two courses<br />
offer countless challenges.<br />
The 18-hole King’s Golf Course is a<br />
masterpiece by the famous architect Don<br />
Harradine and has been ranked among the<br />
Top 100 Courses in Continental Europe.<br />
Visitors enjoy playing among tree-lined<br />
fairways with spectacular breathtaking views<br />
of Slovenia‘s highest mountains.<br />
In the recent past, Bled has hosted many<br />
important professional and amateur events<br />
on a Europe-wide level (such as LPGA Tour,<br />
the Challenge Tour, European Boys Team<br />
Championship, European Ladies Team<br />
Championship) and many important<br />
Slovenian tournaments.<br />
You can play golf within 30 miles in three<br />
countries; Slovenia, Austria and Italy. The<br />
Bled resort alone offers an excellent mix of<br />
hotels, from the exclusive, five-star experience<br />
in the famous Grand Hotel Toplice to<br />
family hotels and a new unique, luxury<br />
camping experience, ‘Glamping’. The best<br />
choice for golfers is The Kings Clubhouse,<br />
which is right next to the Bled course.<br />
For non-golfers, Bled offers excellent spa<br />
facilities, outdoor activities like walking,<br />
biking, trekking, rafting and more. Around<br />
Ljubljana, you can spend a day exploring its<br />
immense culture and history.<br />
The perfect day? Perhaps play golf in the<br />
morning, have lunch at King’s clubhouse<br />
next to the Bled course, then walk round<br />
the Lake or visit Bled castle and enjoy the<br />
unique view.<br />
What’s more, getting to Bled is easy; just<br />
fly to Ljubljana from London (and drive 20<br />
minutes) or fly to Venice from various UK<br />
airports (and drive two hours). There is no<br />
reason not to visit this unique destination. ■<br />
Contact details:<br />
Telephone +386 1 200 99 01, visit www.<br />
golfbled.si or email info@golfbled.si<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 53
FOCUS ON<br />
Portugal<br />
A theme of quality on and off the course runs through the three key areas of this golf-rich country.<br />
It is easy to let Portugal slip from your<br />
mind as you ponder a golf break for<br />
2015. You’ve probably been there several<br />
times and know what to expect in the<br />
Algarve and possibly Lisbon too.<br />
Familiarity can breed if not contempt then<br />
complacency and a bit of apathy towards an<br />
old favourite.<br />
With lots of exciting new destinations –<br />
many of which we detail in this supplement<br />
– the traditional destinations can seem a<br />
little less adventurous.<br />
But sometimes what you know is best. It’s<br />
a bit like going to a different supermarket,<br />
just because you’re tired of the same one<br />
you’ve been going to for weeks on end.<br />
Trouble is, you go to the new one and soon<br />
realise there was a reason (probably lots of<br />
them) that you went to the old one; it was<br />
better. In many respects Portugal is the old<br />
supermarket; you know it (or at least you<br />
think you do) but trying to beat it is a very<br />
difficult task indeed. Few, if any, areas in<br />
Europe can match what the Algarve,<br />
Lisbon and Porto can offer.<br />
It’s true there was a time when golf in the<br />
Algarve seemed to be getting very<br />
expensive, but that’s not the case now. They<br />
do exist – but you can play on the Algarve<br />
on a reasonable budget. The same goes for<br />
increasingly-popular Lisbon.<br />
Both areas, and Porto, are especially well<br />
equipped to satisfy the needs of golfers.<br />
The fact the game is barely played at local<br />
level, means the clubs and courses are<br />
almost exclusively for visitors’ use.<br />
It means Portuguese venues simply have<br />
to provide quality, because the competition<br />
is so high. This internal pressure on the<br />
market is added to by the fact that where<br />
once they only had Spain to worry about,<br />
Portugal now has destinations as diverse as<br />
Belek and Dubai to contend with.<br />
Being popular tourist areas, when you are<br />
not playing golf you can laze by the pool,<br />
enjoy some water sports, soak up the sun on<br />
the beach or take day trips to heritage sites,<br />
water parks or bustling city centres.
Short Haul: Portugal<br />
It also means the food and beverage side<br />
of things is peerless; from ice-cold bottles<br />
of Sagres or Super Bock to endless flavours<br />
of homemade ice cream, or sensational<br />
fresh fish to a crisp bottle of Rose, you will<br />
rarely eat and drink better than in Portugal.<br />
We will start our look at the three main<br />
areas – although don’t forget Palheiro and<br />
co in Madeira – with the least-known of<br />
Portugal’s golf destinations.<br />
Oitavos Dunes:<br />
World class.<br />
Porto<br />
Vidago Palace opened in 1910 and over<br />
100 years later still maintains the same<br />
splendour, service and conviviality for<br />
which it was immediately known.<br />
Having charmed generations of travellers,<br />
it was reborn in 2010, being totally<br />
remodelled yet preserving the architectural<br />
heritage of the buildings. It is, once again,<br />
confirmed as a benchmark among the best<br />
historic hotels of Europe.<br />
It is impressive at every turn, from the 70<br />
rooms and suites to the Thermal Spa with<br />
The sensational Troia.
WHAT TO<br />
EXPECT FROM<br />
THE CLIMATE<br />
You can play in the Algarve all year<br />
round – the temperature never strays<br />
below 10C. You will get rain October to<br />
February inclusive but a whole week<br />
won’t be ruined. Lisbon is much<br />
the same, although is one or<br />
two degrees ‘colder’.<br />
The Canaries<br />
20 treatment rooms, and the 18-hole golf<br />
course to the six restaurants and bars.<br />
Vidago Palace – located about one hour<br />
from Oporto and 15 minutes from Chaves<br />
– has been classified as one of the Leading<br />
Hotels of The World. Its original nine-hole<br />
course by Mackenzie Ross has been<br />
extended sympathetically. If you visit Porto,<br />
also make sure you play Estella, a proper<br />
links with outstanding Atlantic views.<br />
Lisbon<br />
Starting in the Obidos region, the beautiful<br />
Silver Coast, this has become a strong<br />
candidate with the opening of Royal<br />
Obidos, adding a Top 100-quality<br />
championship course to Praia d’El Rey as<br />
well as Bom Successo. Royal Óbidos Spa &<br />
Golf Resort, which opened in 2012, was<br />
designed by the late Seve Ballesteros and<br />
exudes class. Already a Top 100 course, it<br />
sits on rolling terrain and mixes cute short<br />
par 4s with stellar, exacting 5s.<br />
Praia d’El Rey, a genuine links and a<br />
fixture in all European top 100s, has its<br />
best holes along the Atlantic, before which<br />
it wanders inland among pine trees.<br />
Bom Successo is a Donald Steel design<br />
with a solid back nine in particular.<br />
In the area around Cascais to the west of<br />
Lisbon, Oitavos Dunes is the star, often<br />
rated as the highest-ranked Portuguese<br />
course and a genuine links experience. It<br />
has a chic hotel too.<br />
Vidago Palace.<br />
Royal Obidos.<br />
Next door is Quinta da Marinha, one of<br />
the best spots in Europe for a play-and-stay<br />
break. The short, par-4 13th which plays<br />
down towards the sea is amazing. The<br />
Estoril club is one of the most famous<br />
names in Portuguese golf while Penha<br />
Longa is spectacular and tough.<br />
To the south, the Orizonte group own<br />
several courses and categorically offer the<br />
best pound for pound golf break in Europe.<br />
Quinta do Peru, two 18-hole courses at<br />
Ribagolfe, Santo Estevao and Aroeira are<br />
top class but at bargain prices. Troia, a RTJ<br />
track, is however the highlight of this area.<br />
The Algarve<br />
Europe’s most famous area spans the width<br />
of Portugal’s south coast and begins in the<br />
east with Monte Rei, one of Portugal’s<br />
finest, along with lesser-known ‘gems’.<br />
In central Algarve San Lorenzo is the star<br />
attraction, a long-time fixture in the top 20<br />
of the Top 100. Stay next door at Dona<br />
Filipa for a low-hassle, high quality break.<br />
Quinta do Lago now boasts a beautifully<br />
revamped North Course to go with the<br />
South and Laranjal while nearby Vale do<br />
Lobo have the spectacular Ocean and<br />
Royal. Penina is where it all began and a<br />
super resort. In the west, Palmares is now<br />
three expertly redesigned loops of three.<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
THE CLIMATE: See previous page, but in<br />
short – exceptionally good.<br />
GETTING THERE: You can fly to Faro or<br />
Lisbon with all the budget airlines from<br />
myriad airports in the British Isles. This is<br />
a huge advantage to Portuguese golf<br />
breaks – getting there is just so easy<br />
and inexpensive.<br />
TIME DIFFERENCE: GMT<br />
MORE INFORMATION:<br />
www. visitportugal.com<br />
56 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: Portugal<br />
The rolling terrain<br />
of Royal Obidos.
Short Haul: Portugal<br />
PORTUGAL’S NEW SUPERSTAR<br />
Royal Obidos resort<br />
This impressive new resort north of Lisbon boasts a Seve-designed course and a swish hotel.<br />
The arrival of the glamorous<br />
Evolutee Hotel has taken the<br />
Resort of Royal Óbidos to even<br />
greater heights. With a grand<br />
opening in the summer of 2014, the<br />
Evolutee Hotel offers five-star luxury and<br />
more. It is a boutique hotel with the<br />
interior décor by the über trendy design<br />
team at yoo studio led by the renowned<br />
lifestyle designer Philippe Starck.<br />
The hotel comprises just 39 rooms with<br />
sensational Ocean or Lagoon views, a<br />
superb dining room – titled ‘Kobe’ – that<br />
is already renowned for its Steak and Sushi<br />
concept, three bars, conference facilities<br />
and a Spa covering all of the ground level.<br />
Royal Óbidos’ course opened in 2012,<br />
designed by the legendary Seve Ballesteros.<br />
It offers three major ‘wow’ factors: the<br />
stunning Atlantic Ocean views from back<br />
nine holes; the breathtaking panoramas of<br />
the front nine overlooking the Óbidos<br />
Lagoon; and the eye-catching lakes and<br />
water features throughout.<br />
In keeping with the original landscape,<br />
the course is a traditional heathland-style<br />
layout in an amphitheatre setting as you<br />
meander closer to the Ocean.<br />
Already a Golf World Top 100<br />
Continental European course, there are<br />
signature holes aplenty, meaning it’s<br />
difficult to pinpoint just one.<br />
The course opens in fascinating style<br />
with the 2nd a tantalising dog-leg par 5<br />
that descends around a lake that reaches<br />
and surrounds the green. Then, the 3rd is<br />
a treat of a par 3, an aesthetically beautiful<br />
short hole with an island green.<br />
Each hole offers its own character and<br />
charm, and the course closes in a dramatic<br />
fashion with a ‘risk or reward’ par 5.<br />
With generous playing areas and<br />
staggered tees, it can be appreciated by the<br />
higher-handicap golfer as well as being a<br />
proper test for even the world’s best. At<br />
Royal Óbidos, Seve has certainly created<br />
a masterpiece and a fine legacy.<br />
At the hub of the Resort is the cleverlyappointed<br />
clubhouse, where relaxing preand<br />
post-golf pleasure means an array of<br />
culinary delights and thirst-quenching<br />
drinks on the glass-fronted decking that<br />
offers sensational views across the golf<br />
course and deep into the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
Very high standards of service are<br />
expected of a five-star resort, but these are<br />
surpassed at Royal Óbidos – from the<br />
courteous welcome to on-course food and<br />
beverage buggy and the table service of the<br />
bar and restaurant team. This level is<br />
matched by the greens team that<br />
manicures the course to perfection.<br />
Nearby Obidos is a beautiful, cobbledstreet<br />
medieval town with a stunning castle<br />
and makes for a terrific day out, as do the<br />
nearby beaches, fish restaurants, while the<br />
culture, glitz and shopping of Lisbon is<br />
only an hour away. So a stay at Royal<br />
Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort will appeal to<br />
families, couples and groups; it is now a<br />
‘must visit’ for travelling golfers. n<br />
Contact details: t: +351 262 965 220,<br />
w: www.royalobidosgolf.com, or e: golf.<br />
reservations@royalobidos.com. Getting<br />
there: Two hour flight to Lisbon then<br />
drive less than an hour north west.<br />
58 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: Portugal<br />
THE PERFECT AlgARvE bAsE<br />
Dona Filipa Hotel<br />
After a multi-million pound refurb, this luxury five-star hotel is once again at the top of its game.<br />
Located just 15 minutes’ drive from<br />
Faro International Airport, Dona<br />
Filipa Hotel is positioned in the heart<br />
of desirable Vale do Lobo and offers<br />
154 exceptional rooms and suites, alongside<br />
world-class staff who are expertly trained to<br />
deliver a personal and memorable service.<br />
The picturesque surroundings of this<br />
popular resort include an abundance of lush<br />
golf courses, pine woods, coves and nature<br />
reserves – all of which overlook the glistening<br />
Atlantic Ocean.<br />
After a multi-million-pound refurbishment,<br />
the five-star, beach-front property has once<br />
again cemented its position as one of the finest<br />
luxury properties in the Algarve.<br />
In addition to the renovated public areas –<br />
including the reception, bar and lounge – a<br />
stunning selection of suites and luxury rooms,<br />
boasting views of both the sea and the golf<br />
course, are now available to book.<br />
The hotel’s presidential suite has welcomed<br />
royalty, political leaders and A-list celebrities<br />
throughout its 45-year history, and<br />
accommodates four adults and two children<br />
in two stunning bedrooms.<br />
This marquee suite is delicately designed<br />
in cooling blues and neutral tones, with<br />
traditional Portuguese flooring and delicate<br />
terracotta finishes; it also comes with two<br />
bathrooms, offering oval, double-ended baths<br />
and raindrop showers.<br />
Perfect for a first-class family holiday in the<br />
sun, Dona Filipa Hotel is equipped with<br />
extensive leisure facilities, including a funfilled<br />
and fully-supervised Kangaroo Club for<br />
children, three tennis courts, two restaurants,<br />
a heated outdoor swimming pool, a games<br />
and billiard room, a stylish bar and lounge<br />
and a massage and beauty centre.<br />
Hotel guests also have access to their very<br />
own exclusive section of Vale do Lobo beach.<br />
Dona Filipa Hotel also offers guests the<br />
chance to play at two of the most renowned<br />
golf courses in Europe: San Lorenzo and<br />
Pinheiros Altos, the former just 10 minutes<br />
from the hotel by courtesy bus.<br />
Designed by architects Rocky Roquemore<br />
and Joseph Lee, it opened in 1988 and<br />
continues to offer hole after hole of classy golf.<br />
After a game-changing refurbishment –<br />
with an end result that exudes class, luxury<br />
and five-star excellence – Dona Filipa Hotel<br />
is once again at the top of its game. n<br />
For further information telephone 00 351<br />
289 357 200 or visit donafilipahotel.com<br />
The multi-million pound refurbishment has been a success. A predictably beautiful pool area awaits to cool off around. Expect opulent furnishings in the bedrooms at Dona Filipa.<br />
60 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Welcome to a new era of luxury<br />
At the newly furbished Dona Filipa Hotel<br />
Recently renovated to the highest fve-star standards,<br />
Dona Filipa Hotel is perfectly located on the desirable<br />
Vale do Lobo beachfront, and ofers 154 exceptional<br />
rooms and suites, extensive leisure facilities…<br />
and access to two of the most renowned golf courses in<br />
Europe: San Lorenzo and Pinheiros Altos.<br />
Vale do Lobo, Algarve,<br />
Almancil, 8135-034, Portugal<br />
Tel: +351 289 357 220<br />
Fax: +351 289 357 201<br />
Email: donaflipahotel@jjwhotels.com<br />
Book online: donaflipahotel.com<br />
A Member of JJW Hotels & Resorts
BULGARIA’s pIoneeR<br />
Thracian Cliffs<br />
Directly overlooking the Black Sea coastline, this is one of Europe’s most spectacular destinations.<br />
The legendary hotelier Conrad<br />
Hilton once said that three things<br />
were needed for a great business:<br />
location, location and location.<br />
As a renowned course designer as well as a<br />
highly successful entrepreneur in his own<br />
right, Gary Player no doubt will have been<br />
reminded of that famous quote when he<br />
arrived at Cape Kaliakra and first laid eyes<br />
upon the 4.5km stretch of pristine Black<br />
Sea coastline he had been asked to turn into<br />
one of Europe’s premier courses. “When<br />
I saw the land, I knew I had a once-in-alifetime<br />
opportunity to create something<br />
really special,” Player says. “I felt I could<br />
build a course many people would say was<br />
the best they had played in their lives.”<br />
What Player probably didn’t realise at<br />
the time was that he not only had the<br />
opportunity to create a course with<br />
outstanding aesthetic appeal, his design<br />
could potentially put a whole country on<br />
the golfing map. It’s easy to forget that every<br />
established golf destination has one or two<br />
signature courses that, in its early days,<br />
captured the imagination of the public and<br />
paved the way for further investment in the<br />
region. Back in the ’80s, San Lorenzo, Vale<br />
do Lobo and Vilamoura spearheaded<br />
growth in the Algarve, Sotogrande Old and<br />
San Roque were the catalysts for large-scale<br />
development on Spain’s Costa del Sol, while<br />
Le Touquet and Hardelot convinced us that<br />
there was more to France than Paris,<br />
vineyards and chateaux.<br />
Although it is still too early to predict<br />
just how big a player Bulgaria will become<br />
in the golf travel market in the years to<br />
come, Thracian Cliffs is beginning to<br />
attract the attention of golfers and, just as<br />
importantly, the industry. In 2012, the<br />
International Association of Golf Tour<br />
Operators named Bulgaria its<br />
‘Undiscovered Golf Destination’ then two<br />
years later voted Thracian Cliffs ‘The Best<br />
Golf Resort in Europe’. In addition, the<br />
resort was named Bulgaria’s ‘Best Golf<br />
Hotel’ at the inaugural World Golf Awards<br />
in 2014. Those accolades, combined with<br />
the high-profile staging of the 2013 Volvo<br />
World Match Play Championship have<br />
prompted a 50 per cent year-on-year<br />
increase in bookings from the UK alone.<br />
The quality of the resort and the other<br />
attractions of the Cape aside, there’s no<br />
doubt the jewel in the crown is Thracian<br />
Cliffs’ course. Player has used his vast<br />
experience and every architectural trick<br />
in the book – including sharp elevation<br />
changes, dramatic bunkering, split fairways<br />
and huge, undulating greens – to make<br />
Thracian an unforgettable experience. At<br />
the end of the day, though, the course is<br />
all about the vistas, with every single hole<br />
offering a sea view. Built into a thin strip of<br />
land directly on the edge of the cliffs, the<br />
opening holes play directly alongside the<br />
Black Sea while the back nine moves<br />
upwards and inland, offering more elevated<br />
62 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Short Haul: Bulgaria<br />
Of the course at<br />
Thracian Clifs<br />
The varied attractions of the resort.<br />
ANCIENT TRADITIONS<br />
In Greek mythology, the Thracians<br />
were an ancient Balkan civilisation that<br />
embraced beauty, luxury adornments,<br />
passion and war. Those traditions have<br />
been retained at the resort, where you<br />
can enjoy five-star service as you relax<br />
at the on-site Bijou spa, wade in the<br />
warm waters of Bendida beach or<br />
enjoy first-class cuisine at the four<br />
coastal-view restaurants.<br />
but distant views of the<br />
coastline as it works its way<br />
back to the clubhouse.<br />
Player has compared Thracian’s<br />
dramatic cliff-top location with that of<br />
Pebble Beach in California – a statement<br />
that understandably has prompted its fair<br />
share of raised eyebrows. While there<br />
undoubtedly are similarities, the main<br />
difference is that with Pebble you are<br />
invigorated by the sound and energy of the<br />
Pacific Ocean crashing in against the rocks<br />
below, whereas the relative serenity and<br />
tranquillity of the Black Sea is altogether<br />
more relaxing and enchanting.<br />
In true Player style, many of the holes at<br />
Thracian Cliffs are more dramatic and<br />
visually intimidating from the tee than they<br />
actually play. The 379-yard par-4 7th hole<br />
is a perfect example. Playing from an island<br />
tee accessed by a narrow jetty, you have to<br />
successfully negotiate a carry of around 160<br />
yards over the Black Sea before hitting a<br />
mid to short iron to a relatively narrow<br />
elevated green. Two visually dramatic but<br />
not excessively difficult shots will leave you<br />
putting for a birdie.<br />
There’s no getting away from the fact,<br />
however, that Thracian is a very strategic<br />
test of golf. With plenty of water, steep<br />
drop-offs and claggy rough to catch errant<br />
drives or poorly-struck approaches, the<br />
GettinG<br />
there<br />
Wizzair flies into Varna (45-minute<br />
transfer) or Bourgas (two hours) from<br />
Luton airport. Direct flights are<br />
approximately 3.5 hours long. Alternatively,<br />
starting in April, Turkish Airlines will be<br />
ofering a Heathrow flight to Varna with<br />
a one-hour layover in Istanbul. Visit<br />
www.wizzair.com or www.<br />
turkishairlines.com<br />
Expect the<br />
spectacular at<br />
Thracian Cliffs.<br />
course places a huge<br />
premium on accuracy and<br />
quality ball-striking. Some<br />
golfers have accused Thracian of<br />
being a little quirky and ‘tricked up’ in<br />
places but mild eccentricity is a huge part<br />
of the course’s appeal.<br />
Overall, accomplished golfers will enjoy<br />
the stern shot-making challenge presented<br />
by Thracian, while higher handicappers<br />
will quickly realise that their enjoyment<br />
is more likely to be stimulated by the<br />
gorgeous sea views than the numbers<br />
written on their scorecard.<br />
BlackSeaRama is just a 10-minute drive<br />
along the coastline. This 7,312-yard course,<br />
also designed by Player, presents a very fair<br />
test and although it only opened in 2008,<br />
it looks and plays with a great deal more<br />
maturity. While the entire back-nine<br />
surpasses the opening loop, the closing<br />
holes are particularly strong, culminating<br />
in a great par 3 over water.<br />
Finally, Ian Woosnam’s Lighthouse is<br />
a typical resort course and ideal warm-up<br />
to the more challenging demands of<br />
BlackSeaRama and Thracian. Built on a<br />
spectacular plateau it has lots of sea views,<br />
especially from the premier coastal holes<br />
on the back nine. n<br />
More details: www.thraciancliffs.com<br />
ThE RESTAuRANTS<br />
Enjoying a cliftop terrace location, Geti<br />
serves classic Bulgarian and Provence<br />
food in comfortable surroundings. The<br />
menu focus is on local and seasonal<br />
ingredients and seafood, combined<br />
with a choice of local and imported<br />
wines. Bendida Beach Restaurant<br />
provides Mediterranean ambience,<br />
combined with breathtaking scenery,<br />
while the Argata Beach Restaurant is<br />
located on a private stretch of beach.<br />
ThE VIllAgES<br />
The resort comprises two distinctly<br />
diferent villages. The Marina Village,<br />
comprising 64 deluxe suites, enjoys<br />
a cliftop location adjacent to the<br />
clubhouse and pro shop. Each one, two<br />
and three-bedroom suite features twin<br />
or queen-size beds, a spacious living<br />
area, WiFi, a kitchenette and balcony.<br />
The Hillside Village, behind the 18th<br />
tee, features three infinity pools and<br />
sun terraces.<br />
ThE SpA<br />
The spa covers 460m 2 of tranquility<br />
areas, massage, facial and manicure<br />
treatment rooms, as well as speciality<br />
rooms for wet treatments and a range<br />
of luxurious treatments inspired by the<br />
ancient Thracians. The spa’s facilities<br />
include a Hammam, hot steam room,<br />
ice corner, Jacuzzi, cold shock showers,<br />
relaxing indoor area, fitness area and a<br />
private sun deck.<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 63
FOCUS ON<br />
Belek, Turkey<br />
The new big hitter of European golf shows no sign of slowing down. Quite the opposite in fact...<br />
If only there were more direct flights to<br />
Antalya, it’d be perfect” – that was the<br />
familiar refrain heard when someone<br />
was asked for their appraisal of a golf<br />
break in Belek. There was some substance to<br />
the point; while Antalya airport is barely 45<br />
minutes from the golfing riches in Belek,<br />
getting to Antalya was a bit annoying.<br />
There were some direct flights, notably a<br />
regular low-cost service from Gatwick, but<br />
otherwise you had to go via Istanbul.<br />
Even with a slick change, it still meant a<br />
bit more time and a good deal more hassle.<br />
Now the picture is very different, with lots<br />
of direct flights to Antalya from all over<br />
Britain… and at very reasonable prices.<br />
We can speculate as to why it took so long<br />
– no doubt the politics and negotiation of air<br />
travel are complicated – but golfers can<br />
ignore the reasons for the delay and just<br />
enjoy the fact golf with the sun on our backs<br />
every month of the year is now little more<br />
than four hours away from many airports.<br />
Just as importantly, it is not expensive either;<br />
flights with low-cost airlines from regional<br />
airports such as Glasgow and Leeds-<br />
Bradford can come in at £300.<br />
It is just one more reason why a golf break<br />
in Turkey is one of the most affordable<br />
around. And the remarkable thing is, the<br />
quality you enjoy is staggering. So while you<br />
can find a golf break in Belek – either<br />
through a tour operator or direct – for £600,<br />
A hole YoU<br />
WoUlD RelISh...<br />
Lykia Links<br />
13th, par 5, 595 yards<br />
This tremendous par 5 takes you down to<br />
the shore before you turn and play the<br />
beach-side stretch for which Lykia is<br />
famous (pictured). It is a fine hole<br />
in its own right though, but<br />
can really bite.
Short Haul: Turkey<br />
what is difficult to appreciate before you go<br />
is the calibre you enjoy when you are there.<br />
Being a new destination, everything<br />
inevitably looks fresh and modern. There is<br />
nothing tired about any of Belek’s hotels,<br />
clubhouses, facilities or courses.<br />
One of the first hotels to be built here is<br />
the Sirene, which is attached to Antalya Golf<br />
Club and its PGA Sultan and Pasha courses.<br />
The Sirene is a fabulous five-star venue that<br />
would be the pride of most other resorts.<br />
Then you look at its sister hotel Kempinski<br />
and realise that in just a couple of years,<br />
things move on in Belek. It’s just not a place<br />
where they rest on their laurels.<br />
Every hotel is shiny and sleek, with<br />
amenities to boot. We think of Belek as a<br />
place for a golf break but don’t overlook the<br />
fact it’s also a very popular holiday destination.<br />
This means that the hotels have several<br />
pools, water slides, sandy beaches, tennis<br />
courts, spas, gyms, and a myriad restaurants.<br />
In the restaurants, you will not be<br />
disappointed. Almost exclusively on an allinclusive<br />
basis, what they offer at breakfast,<br />
lunch and dinner – oh, and there is<br />
afternoon tea too! – is almost daunting…<br />
You barely know where to look when you<br />
survey table upon table of freshly-made food<br />
from all corners of the world. Hot, cold,<br />
European Tour venue<br />
the Monty Maxx.<br />
plain, spicy, healthy, naughty… the list is<br />
endless. Even the most fussy of eaters will<br />
find something they really enjoy at every<br />
single meal.<br />
It is also a tremendous opportunity to try<br />
new dishes. When it’s all inclusive you can<br />
dab a small amount on the side of your plate<br />
and leave it if it doesn’t overly appeal. If it is
on a traditional menu, you might not dare<br />
order it for fear of not liking it.<br />
In fact, you’ll usually fi nd that some of<br />
these small tasters end up being things you<br />
search for at every subsequent meal.<br />
So, rest assured, your base for the week no<br />
matter where you stay will be impressive.<br />
And you can lap up the luxury comforts<br />
whenever you are not playing golf.<br />
Alternatively you can head out of the<br />
complex and take in the sights and history of<br />
Antalya city, or enjoy watersports, or visit the<br />
famous waterfall of Manavgat.<br />
A golf holiday in Belek can be excitingly<br />
adventurous or it can be gloriously lazy.<br />
If you want the former, the opportunities<br />
away from the course are there; if you prefer<br />
the latter, you can never leave your complex’s<br />
luxury comforts save for being whisked from<br />
your hotel reception to the course and back.<br />
We’ve got to this point without<br />
mentioning the courses, which illustrates<br />
there is more to Belek than merely top-class<br />
golf. In fact, the courses remain the most<br />
compelling reason to visit, along with the<br />
outstanding climate.<br />
In Golf World’s 2013 Top 100 Courses in<br />
Lykia Links has a feel of<br />
the Scottish seaside.<br />
Continental Europe, we ranked four courses<br />
in the main list and three in the second 100.<br />
Seven courses – half the number in Belek –<br />
were deemed Top 100 quality.<br />
No other area can boost that kind of<br />
conversion rate.<br />
What’s more, when the new ranking is<br />
unveiled later this year don’t be surprised to<br />
see courses be promoted from the Next 100<br />
into the main list and for new names to<br />
appear in the second 100.<br />
The stand-out courses are Lykia Links,<br />
Antalya’s PGA Sultan, Carya and Cornelia<br />
(Faldo). Lykia is a top 50-ranked course in<br />
Europe set right next to the sea. It looks like<br />
a links – with sleepered bunkers, wispy<br />
rough and sand hills – even if it is not the<br />
kind of terrain, or rather grass, that you will<br />
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Short Haul: Turkey<br />
be bumping and running shots on. But, a<br />
must-play in Belek – or rather just outside<br />
Belek, for Lykia is half an hour east of the<br />
town near the village of Denizkent.<br />
PGA Sultan is one of two courses at<br />
Antalya GC. The PGA Sultan was the fi rst<br />
to lure Tiger Woods to Belek, for the<br />
Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in 2012.<br />
Antalya Golf Club, home to<br />
the PGA Sultan and Pasha.<br />
A championship course designed by Senior<br />
Tour player David Jones, mature trees, sand<br />
and water make it a real test… in mint<br />
condition. Antalya’s Pasha is a bit more fun<br />
than its sister, with short par 4s at the 3rd<br />
and the 4th real highlights.<br />
In Lykia and PGA Sultan we have had<br />
seaside and parkland action, now we have a<br />
classic heathland – Carya. Designed by<br />
Open legend Peter Thomson, it is one of the<br />
continent’s outstanding layouts; it would not<br />
be out of place alongside Surrey and<br />
Berkshire superstars.<br />
Sir Nick Faldo laid out all 27 holes at<br />
Cornelia on sandy terrain and among mature<br />
pines. There’s the Sempronia, Gaius and the<br />
Tiberius and they combine to create three<br />
different courses (King’s, Queen’s and<br />
Prince). The Gaius and the Tiberius loops<br />
form the Prince and are the pick.<br />
Elsewhere, Gloria has the Old, the New<br />
and the Verde courses, making it the most<br />
comprehensive resort in Belek, while<br />
Montgomerie Maxx is a real Top 100<br />
candidate, being Turkey’s fi rst host of a<br />
European Tour event. Sueno’s Pines course<br />
does what it says on the tin while Kaya<br />
Eagles and National are other noteworthy<br />
Jones designs.<br />
Tat International is a 27-hole effort by<br />
the famed Hawtree architects while Dave<br />
Thomas routed Robinson through a pine<br />
forest and around the Acisu River that flows<br />
through Belek, the new powerhouse of golf.
FOCUS ON<br />
Tunisia<br />
This French-influenced North African country offers winter sun and an amazing variety of golf courses.<br />
Golfers have travelled to Tunisia to<br />
play under the warm rays of its<br />
winter sun since 1927. Back then,<br />
it was the well-heeled Parisian<br />
elite who travelled to North Africa to enjoy<br />
their favourite pastime under blue skies.<br />
Now, low-cost carriers take us to the<br />
other side of the Med in just over three<br />
hours, and there are a wealth of top-rank<br />
golf courses to choose from.<br />
There is so much good golf in Tunisia<br />
that you could spend a fortnight there – for<br />
example, there is an excellent break to be<br />
had by using Kantaoui as a base and also<br />
heading out to Djerba and Tozeur – and<br />
still struggle to play all of their courses.<br />
So for this article, we’ll concentrate on<br />
just two of the best, Yasmine and Citrus.<br />
Before we turn our attention to this duo,<br />
which are based near Hammamet, it’s<br />
worth considering the off-course aspects of<br />
a golf break here, for they make this a<br />
terrific destination for couples and families.<br />
Four reasons to visit Tunisia<br />
First, a word about the weather: August is<br />
seriously hot, with an average of 27˚C –<br />
therefore on many days it is over 30˚C.<br />
You can get the odd quick shower from<br />
November to January but it leaves very<br />
quickly and doesn’t really affect your<br />
holiday. So, just a few hours in a plane gets<br />
you temperatures still threatening to top<br />
20˚C all winter long – it’s why the North<br />
African coast is a very attractive option.<br />
Secondly, the value. Tunisia is really<br />
trying to attract golfers so in terms of<br />
accommodation, flights (see box below) and<br />
green fees – whether you book through an<br />
agent or direct with the clubs and hotels –<br />
you will get a terrific deal.<br />
Thirdly, over 300,000 Britons visit<br />
Tunisia every year, most staying in the<br />
coastal resorts that are close to the golf<br />
courses – so there are plenty of wellappointed<br />
hotels to choose from. You will<br />
be well looked after in these palatial hotels,<br />
most of which are all-inclusive. Whenever<br />
you eat or drink outside of your hotel, your<br />
Tunisian dinar will go a long way.<br />
Finally, there is lots to do away from the<br />
golf course or hotel pool; you can take a<br />
trip to the Sahara for less than £200 –<br />
including a trip to the Star Wars set.<br />
The fabulouslooking<br />
Golf Citrus.
Short Haul: Tunisia<br />
Play with the sun on your back<br />
in Tunisia all year round.<br />
Expect courses of<br />
distinctive character.<br />
Yasmine Valley has long<br />
been a popular venue.<br />
Water hazards<br />
at Golf Citrus.<br />
A more sedate experience is a trip to<br />
souk, which roughly translates as ‘market’.<br />
Actually, it might not be that sedate, if you<br />
really get into the spirit of politely haggling<br />
for a bargain!<br />
Or, just 8km from Teboursouk, to the<br />
west of Tunis, are the ruins of Dougga –<br />
which is a remarkable Roman site of what<br />
was once a thriving town. The site has been<br />
even better preserved than at Carthage,<br />
which is clearly also worth visiting.<br />
Tunisia’s key courses<br />
The Citrus club in Hammamet has 45 fine<br />
holes to entertain you, all routed by<br />
American Ron Fream. He has laid the holes<br />
out around seven lakes in an area stretching<br />
to 173 hectares, which is slightly undulating<br />
and dominated by olive groves and other<br />
indigenous trees.<br />
The tougher test is the aptly-named La<br />
Foret, with pine trees framing much of it.<br />
In addition to the trees, there are also blind<br />
holes, water hazards and tiered greens to<br />
challenge visitors, with the 6th arguably the<br />
pick – a par 3 of 170 yards which is played<br />
over a ravine to a green with out of bounds<br />
to the back.<br />
The 17th is also a good hole, a short,<br />
dog-leg par 5 protected by lines of trees<br />
with a hidden, well-bunkered green.<br />
Les Oliviers was equally well named,<br />
being routed among an olive grove. The<br />
breeze is often felt here and with the holes<br />
changing direction frequently it requires<br />
clear thinking and good ball-striking to<br />
score well. The 9th is a highlight; a blind,<br />
dog-leg hole that has out of bounds<br />
running down the left and three fairway<br />
bunkers on the corner. Even if you find the<br />
fairway, you will need a good mid-iron<br />
approach to find the narrow green.<br />
Next, to Yasmine Valley, which was for<br />
many years considered the pick among<br />
those in the north of Tunisia, and although<br />
Citrus’ La Foret might now be pushing it<br />
hard for that title, it should still be looked<br />
on as a key part of any golf itinerary to<br />
Hammamet.<br />
Opened in 1991, Yasmine Valley is<br />
another Fream design punctuated by large,<br />
jigsaw-shaped bunkers, tiered greens and<br />
plenty of water.<br />
It begins in dramatic fashion with a<br />
downhill drive (always a nice, confidenceboosting<br />
start...) followed by a second that<br />
is played past the lake which skirts the right<br />
side of the hole.<br />
It is a championship test of more than<br />
6,500 yards but the three par 5s are good<br />
chances for birdie because the fairways are<br />
so firm and fast... although the strength and<br />
direction of the frequent wind is a<br />
significant factor.<br />
Yasmine offers a good variety of holes –<br />
not least in its collection of par 3s.<br />
It is tough too, with the greens on the<br />
6th (very shallow), 4th and 16th (acutely<br />
sloping) or the 5th and 17th (hidden runoffs)<br />
no time to be off key. n<br />
QUICK GUIDE<br />
THE CLIMATE Splendid all year round<br />
with 24C in the winter and only a few<br />
showers.<br />
GETTING THERE You can fly direct to<br />
Tunis-Carthage from Heathrow and<br />
Manchester with Tunisair for under<br />
£200. Located in the capital, it’s a short<br />
drive north of Hammamet. Or just as<br />
close, but to the south, is Enfida – fly<br />
there from various UK airports.<br />
TIME DIFFERENCE GMT+1<br />
MORE INFORMATION Visit<br />
cometotunisia.co.uk. Citrus – golfcitrus.<br />
com; Yasmine – golfyasmine.com<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 73
The firsT 45-hole<br />
comPlex in Tunisia<br />
An international golf concept<br />
created around seven lakes,<br />
featuring olive trees and forest<br />
in a 173-hectare area.<br />
Golf Citrus is located<br />
only a few minutes<br />
away from the Bay of<br />
Hammamet. The Golf Citrus<br />
course, designed by Ronald<br />
Fream, makes full use of the<br />
natural characteristics of the<br />
area with the slightly undulating<br />
ground of the olive grove and<br />
the steep hills of the forest. Golf<br />
Citrus at Hammamet features<br />
two courses, the ‘Les Oliviers’<br />
and ‘La Forêt’, two 18-hole<br />
Championship courses, par 72.<br />
Both are relaxing and stimulating<br />
for players of all levels. The ‘Les<br />
Oliviers’ course 6,106m (men)<br />
and 5,290m (ladies) and ‘La<br />
Forêt’ course 6,066m (men) and<br />
5,235m (ladies).<br />
The Golf Citrus clubhouse has<br />
been completely renovated<br />
in 2006 and is located on the<br />
beautiful hills overlooking<br />
the city of Hammamet and<br />
the surrounding landscape.<br />
The luxurious clubhouse in<br />
its appearance recalls the<br />
traditional architecture of the<br />
country, while the interiors<br />
are decorated in a minimal<br />
style. A welcoming reception,<br />
a front office, a hall, a snack<br />
bar, a well-stocked pro shop<br />
and restaurant/bar are located<br />
www.golfcitrus.com<br />
inside the clubhouse. From<br />
the spacious terraces, you can<br />
enjoy the wonderful view of<br />
the green (from holes 9 to 18,<br />
La Forêt) and the enchanting<br />
surrounding landscape. The<br />
locker rooms, caddy master<br />
and golf equipment for hire are<br />
located on the ground floor.<br />
Guests staying at the shareholder<br />
hotels benefit from a free shuttle<br />
service as well as preferential<br />
green fee<br />
rates.<br />
sPecial offers<br />
• Play 3 rounds of golf and only pay for 2 • 4 ball, only 3 pay<br />
Available from: Dec 1st–Dec 20th & Jan 3rd–Feb 12th, May 1st–May 31st
SUN, <strong>GOLF</strong> & FUN<br />
TWO HOURS FROM YOUR HOME<br />
UNISIA today is rapidly gaining a reputation<br />
as one of the Mediterranean's foremost golfng<br />
Tdestinations.<br />
Designed in 1990 by American architect Ronald Fream,<br />
Yasmine Valley ofers superb weather conditions year<br />
round, witha friendly and relaxed atmosphere.<br />
Yasmine has an 18-hole, Par-71 course with twin lakes<br />
and steep greens, and even experienced golfers will fnd<br />
their skills put to the test.<br />
Driver's, the main clubhouse restaurant, ofers an<br />
international menu with Tunisian fusion elements.<br />
Relax and enjoy views overlooking the 1st tee and the<br />
19th green from the panoramic Sunset Terrace.<br />
Price of<br />
Green fee<br />
High season<br />
44 £<br />
Price of<br />
Green fee<br />
Low season<br />
30 £<br />
International member ship for 1 year<br />
1109£<br />
Special Discount at Yasmine Valley, Hammamet, Tunisia<br />
First name............................................. | Last name..................................................<br />
Show this coupon at reception and get 15% off your entire purchase<br />
Valid from January 1st 2015 to December 31st 2015<br />
E-mail: booking@golfyasmine.com | Phone: +216 72 227 001 | Website: www.golfyasmine.com
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ABU DHABI<br />
from £1,295 PP<br />
4* Crowne Plaza<br />
7 nights b&b with 4 rounds of golf incl. golf buggy<br />
Incl. flights<br />
TENERIFE<br />
from £595 PP<br />
5* Las Madrigueras<br />
5 nights b&b, 2 evening meals & unlimited golf<br />
Excl. flights & transfers.<br />
FLORIDA<br />
from £1,730 PP<br />
5* Marriott Marco Island<br />
1 week b&b with 4 dinners & $200 room credit per room<br />
4 rounds of golf including buggy<br />
Incl. flights<br />
SOUTH AFRICA<br />
from £1,895 PP<br />
2 weeks Garden Route<br />
12 nights b&b with 6 rounds of golf on 6 diferent courses<br />
Incl. flights & hire car<br />
MEXICO<br />
from £1,875 PP<br />
5* Moon Palace Resort<br />
2 weeks all inclusive with unlimited golf on 2 courses<br />
Incl. flights & transfers<br />
ESCORTED TOURS<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> TOURNAMENTS<br />
MAURITIUS MIXED PAIRS<br />
Includes:<br />
• Return flights with golf club carriage<br />
• Five tournament rounds of golf<br />
• Unlimited green fees<br />
• Stay 12 nights at Belle Mare Plage<br />
Departs -<br />
Departs: 27th Sep - 11th Oct 2015<br />
From £2,295 pp<br />
TO SEE OUR RANGE OF ESCORTED TOURS AND <strong>GOLF</strong> TOURNAMENTS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
focus on<br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
Dubai and Abu Dhabi offer a very distinctive, world-class experience to the travelling golfer.<br />
It’s never tiresome to see the pictures of<br />
Dubai that were being flashed about<br />
Twitter in the last week of January. Those<br />
‘Then’ and ‘Now’ aerial images of the<br />
host of the Dubai Desert Classic are as<br />
fascinating as they are instructive.<br />
The image of the Emirates Club from 25<br />
years ago, a green oasis among an otherwise<br />
barren desert, compared to the skyscraperdominated<br />
skyline of today was incredible.<br />
In just over two decades, the United Arab<br />
Emirates has gone from a curiosity to a<br />
staple diet. A golf holiday in Dubai has<br />
progressed from being an unlikely adventure<br />
to a destination you simply must consider.<br />
To anyone who hasn’t been, what you get<br />
in the UAE may well seem a step into the<br />
unknown. In actual fact, it is quite easy to<br />
sum up what is on offer; it is luxury, sun,<br />
opulence and world-class golf. It is Belek on<br />
steroids. It is whatever five-star golf resort<br />
you have been to in Iberia jacked up 30 per<br />
cent. It is downtown, bright lights America<br />
lifted to the middle of the Arizona desert.<br />
It is not for everyone, but if you like<br />
everything in life to be sumptuous, Dubai<br />
and Abu Dhabi are for you.<br />
You take a little while to get your bearings<br />
– and if you hire a car, take your wits with<br />
you! – but soon you will get into the rhythm<br />
of life in the UAE.<br />
The American analogy used earlier is a<br />
reference to everything being big: the<br />
motorways, the hotels, the offices (obviously),<br />
the golf courses and the clubhouses.<br />
The UAE doesn’t really do quaint.<br />
It’s all big (even Dubai airport is massive,<br />
and more like a swish hotel, all gleaming<br />
marble and glass panels), but it’s not<br />
daunting. Indeed, something you may not be<br />
aware of is that you can actually take a golf<br />
break in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi –<br />
they’re only 90 minutes apart. If you were<br />
really clever, you’d fly into one, hire a car,<br />
play your golf and fly out of the other.<br />
But most will base themselves in one or<br />
the other – and here is what to expect from<br />
the courses in each.<br />
Lowdown on Dubai<br />
Emirates Golf Club opened in 1988 – the<br />
first grass championship course in the region.<br />
Emirates’ Majlis is ranked in Golf World’s<br />
Top 100 Courses of the World and has been<br />
a fabulous annual host for the Dubai Desert<br />
Classic, won this year by Rory McIlroy and<br />
with a roll call of champions equal to a<br />
Major. It is backed up by the acclaimed<br />
Faldo, whose attractions are enhanced by the<br />
fact it offers unique ‘Night Golf’. They blend<br />
natural desert terrain with strategic design.<br />
The clubhouse at Emirates Golf Club, in<br />
the shape of Bedouin tents, is an icon of golf.<br />
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club is also<br />
another of Dubai Golf’s premier resorts and<br />
is in the heart of the city. Its location is<br />
remarkable; barely more than a thumping<br />
drive away from the airport and surrounded<br />
by skyscrapers, this creekside venue is also<br />
one of the world’s ‘Top 100’. It offers a<br />
variety of views – over the creek, towards<br />
high-rise buildings or to downtown Dubai.<br />
One of the lavish newer projects in Dubai<br />
quick<br />
guide<br />
Getting there: A seven-hour flight from<br />
London, Manchester and Glasgow with<br />
Etihad, BA, Emirates and Virgin.<br />
Time diference: GMT +4<br />
When to go: Dubai and Abu Dhabi are truly<br />
all-year round destinations, but the best<br />
time to visit is between October and<br />
May when the heat is not quite so<br />
stifling.<br />
78 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
Long Haul: UAE<br />
is at Jumeirah Estates. It’s here that the<br />
European Tour’s end-of-season World<br />
Championship is played and it is a fitting site<br />
for such a large event.<br />
The Earth and Fire courses are mightily<br />
impressive, as is the clubhouse and practice<br />
facilities. This is very much a 21st century<br />
operation. It sits next to the huge Jumeirah<br />
residential estate, which is laid out as a series<br />
of ever decreasing circles. Greg Norman was<br />
drafted in to design the courses and they are<br />
notable for the red-bark contrast with the<br />
white-sand bunkers and lush green fairways.<br />
Big budgets, big courses, big-name designer –<br />
you won’t feel undercharged here.<br />
Another superstar designer worked at<br />
neighbouring Dubai Sports City, where<br />
Ernie Els laid out a course with a links look<br />
of fairways lined by wispy rough and sand.<br />
Colin Montgomerie has made his mark<br />
too, at The Montgomerie, a less lavish affair<br />
but a well-constructed course nonetheless.<br />
Jebel Ali resort has lots of fans, not least<br />
the media who enjoy staying here during the<br />
Desert Classic. Al Badia is a championship<br />
course designed by Robert Trent Jones II.<br />
Lowdown on Abu Dhabi<br />
There are six courses in Abu Dhabi but we<br />
will focus on the main three; Saadiyat Beach,<br />
Yas Links and Abu Dhabi GC.<br />
The latter venue is the host of the<br />
The 8th hole on the Majlis.<br />
European Tour’s event and has impressed<br />
since becoming a regular stop for the likes of<br />
Rory et al. This 27-hole championship<br />
course – there is a nine-hole loop that is a<br />
great warm-up – weaves through undulating<br />
terrain punctuated by stands of palms,<br />
ornamental trees and shrubs. Another iconic<br />
clubhouse completes the picture.<br />
Abu Dhabi GC is close to the heart of the<br />
city, but just a few miles back towards Dubai,<br />
The 18th at Yas Links.<br />
are the other two courses, Yas Links and<br />
Saadiyat Beach. You can play all three on<br />
a visit here very easily as there is a mere<br />
35-minute journey at most.<br />
They are located on spits of land that arc<br />
round the top of the city and are linked by a<br />
motorway that sees speeds similar to that of<br />
the nearby Yas Marina F1 circuit!<br />
Yas is a Kyle Phillips design that has the<br />
look of a very authentic links, not only<br />
because of its rumpled, all-sand base<br />
fairways, but also thanks to the Paspalum<br />
grass that runs through tees, fairways and<br />
greens. Eight holes run right along the shore.<br />
Saadiyat Beach is set on a stretch of<br />
environmentally-protected beach on Saadiyat<br />
Island and was laid out by Gary Player.<br />
The sun sets on the iconic<br />
Dubai Creek clubhouse.<br />
<strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015 79
Long Haul: Dubai<br />
THE ORIGINAL DEsERT ATTRAcTION<br />
The 10th on Emirates’ Majlis, home<br />
of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.<br />
Dubai<br />
Emirates Golf Club and Dubai<br />
Creek Golf & Yacht Club are the<br />
most established courses in the<br />
region – and are better than ever.<br />
The culmination to the European<br />
Tour’s Middle East Swing in 2014<br />
was in Dubai, where golf in this part<br />
of the world started and where it<br />
remains at its most compelling.<br />
It was back in 1988 that Dubai Golf<br />
unveiled Emirates Golf Club – the first grass<br />
championship course in the region and in just<br />
over 25 years the region has come a long way<br />
and is recognised as one of the world’s finest<br />
golf destinations. A year after opening,<br />
Emirates hosted the European Tour for the<br />
first time and in January 2015 Rory McIlroy<br />
claimed the title for the second time, having<br />
previously claimed his first European Tour<br />
Emirates’ Faldo by night.<br />
title at the tournament back in 2009.<br />
Emirates GC has also recently become the<br />
first course in the Middle East North Africa<br />
region to become GEO Certified®. GEO<br />
Certified® is golf’s internationally accredited<br />
ecolabel which is awarded based on the club<br />
demonstrating a commitment to continual<br />
improvement in six main areas of<br />
sustainability; water, nature, energy, supply<br />
chain, pollution control and community.<br />
Dubai’s courses continue to set the<br />
benchmark for quality and service, backed by<br />
luxury hotels, leisure and cultural attractions.<br />
Under the management of Dubai Golf,<br />
Emirates GC has been at the heart of Dubai’s<br />
rise to fame, offering members and guests a<br />
diverse and challenging golf experience as well<br />
as first-class leisure facilities and a host of<br />
international-standard cuisine. The showcase<br />
Majlis course, ranked in Golf World<br />
magazine’s Top 100 Courses of the World,<br />
and the highly-acclaimed Faldo Course<br />
continue to captivate, blending the natural<br />
rolling desert terrain with strategic design,<br />
offering an enjoyable and diverse challenge.<br />
The Faldo is a real ‘thinking man’s golf<br />
Dubai Creek clubhouse.<br />
course’ and offers one of the best challenges<br />
of course management and accuracy in the<br />
region. It is also the only course in Dubai to<br />
offer a full 18 holes under floodlights.<br />
The clubhouse at Emirates, in the shape<br />
of Bedouin tents, is one of golf’s iconic<br />
landmarks. As well as the Dubai Desert<br />
Classic, the Majlis also hosts the Omega<br />
Dubai Ladies Masters, the season ending<br />
Ladies European Tour event, luring the very<br />
best players from the ladies’ circuit in America<br />
for a rare foray onto the European Tour.<br />
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club opened in<br />
January 1993 to world acclaim and since then<br />
it has hosted numerous tournaments,<br />
including the Dubai Desert Classic twice.<br />
Located in the heart of Dubai it offers wellgroomed<br />
fairways lined with date palms and<br />
coconut trees, attractive water hazards and<br />
shrubbery lending a tropical air to the<br />
undulating 18-hole championship course.<br />
The majestic clubhouse – its design<br />
mirroring the sails of the traditional Arab<br />
dhow – captures the essence of Dubai’s<br />
seafaring traditions and presenting the perfect<br />
fusion of heritage with modernity and style.<br />
It is one of, if not the only, golf clubhouse in<br />
the world to feature on a national currency<br />
(AED20 note).<br />
The facility also incorporates a nine-hole<br />
Par-3 course, 18-hole Pearl Putting course,<br />
golf academy, seven restaurants and bars,<br />
gymnasium, tropical swimming pool and<br />
a 121-berth marina. n<br />
Further information: Visit dubaigolf.com to<br />
learn more about both clubs, experience ‘walk<br />
throughs’ of the courses, read about dining<br />
and leisure options, and access offers.<br />
80 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
It’s all in the experience<br />
With over 25 years of experience and a host of accolades, Dubai Golf’s championship golf courses at Emirates Golf Club,<br />
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Almouj Golf in Muscat, Oman, have garnered unparalleled prestige. So whether you’re<br />
taking a swing where the world’s top golfers have played or enjoying our award-winning hospitality, you’re guaranteed an<br />
experience that has become internationally renowned.<br />
To book your tee time please call +971 4 380 1234<br />
or email golfbooking@dubaigolf.com<br />
dubaigolf.com
Wish You Were There?<br />
SHORT HAUL<br />
Murtoli, Corsica<br />
Murtoli is a collection of former shepherd’s houses transformed into luxury<br />
villas in lush Corsican countryside. They sleep as few as two or as many as<br />
13 and sit either in a scenic valley or on a private beach. And now those who<br />
stay here can enjoy a unique golf concept devised by Kyle Phillips, whose<br />
reputation was forged at classic courses such as Kingsbarns and Yas Links.<br />
Phillips has laid out 12 greens, like the original Open course at Prestwick<br />
and, when at quiet times, his routing allows for crossing of holes – which<br />
can also be played both in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction. The<br />
course can be played in a nine-hole par 31, a 12-hole par 44, or an 18-hole<br />
par 67. Is this clever design and flexible routing the future of golf? ■<br />
Visit murtoli.com<br />
82 <strong>GOLF</strong> <strong>ESCAPES</strong> 2015
See why our golf course<br />
is on everyone’s travel list<br />
Book a 5 nights stay on Yas Island<br />
with 5 rounds of golf from only GBP 665* per person.<br />
Plan your next excursion to the number 1 golf course in the UAE. Inspire yourself<br />
on the region’s first true links course designed by Kyle Phillips. Enjoy views of the Arabian Gulf<br />
on every hole and test your skill on the undulating terrain.<br />
Add Yas Links to your ‘must play’ list!<br />
Book your golf package today with Hala Abu Dhabi,<br />
the Destination Management Company of Etihad Airways,<br />
on golfbookings@etihad.ae and quote<br />
“Golfescapes2015” in the subject box.<br />
For general enquiries about Yas Links Golf Course,<br />
please call +97128107710 or email info@yaslinks.com.<br />
*Terms and conditions apply.<br />
Price is based on shared/twin occupancy and is subject to availability at the time of booking.