A Trip to the Sunshine?

Standing in a lengthy airport check-in queue is always such a mind numbing pleasure that I almost missed out on the automatic check-in service offered by Monarch at Manchester. One quick scan of my passport, a couple of quick questions on the screen, and there I was with my boarding card in my hand. Off to the baggage check in and the whole procedure was over and done with - in 2-3 minutes. Wonderful.

The flight to Tenerife South was uneventful, and it was only on arrival that I realised I had, as usual, managed to be the harbinger of bad weather. Gale force winds were sweeping the island, bringing torrential rain to the coastal areas and over a foot of snow to El Teide.

After an interesting, and sometimes hair-raising drive I arrived at the Maritim Hotel, situated close to Puerto de la Cruz on the North Coast. First impressions, albeit in the wind and the rain were not good, as the exterior reminded me of a 1960’s apartment block. However once inside, I was, not for the first time proven very wrong. The décor and ambience were splendid, and I was delighted by the genuine warmth and friendliness of the greeting by the hotel staff. Life was quickly restored by a beer and a steak, and not even the entertainment in the nightclub, which turned out to be by the Drifters (yes still alive and very good) could dampen my spirits. I forgot to mention, on arrival my virtuoso parking exhibition was obviously welcomed by the security staff and guests alike, but finally I got the vehicle vaguely straight, and they all went off to have a snigger somewhere else.

The next morning the rain had stopped, and the wind had abated, so I was able to explore the hotels splendid, if by now somewhat battered, gardens and enjoy a superb and well presented breakfast on the sheltered terrace. Then it was off to play golf at the Real Club at El Peñó, situated close to the airport at Tenerife North. By the time I had reached there it was back to torrential rain and gales, and it was obvious there would be no golf that day. The Real is the second oldest golf course in Spain, and would, I am sure, have been quite a challenge. It has, so I am assured, splendid views of both the mountains and the sea. Thanks to all the staff who watched from the window whilst I struggled to remove a large tree branch blocking the driveway entrance to the club, I really look forward to visiting again.

On my way back to the Maritim I paused at the wine museum (Casa Del Vino) at El Sauzal, which proved to be a splendid diversion and a pleasant way of learning about the wines of Tenerife. Finally back to the Maritim, where it was still windy, but thankfully now without rain. I took the hotels’ free shuttle bus the two kilometres into Puerto de la Cruz, passing the Loro Parque, a large zoo and botanical garden, which must be a compulsory day out if you have children of any age in your party. After a quick walk round the port area, and a look at the wide range of shops, I hopped back on the bus, and later that evening had an excellent meal in the á la carte restaurant. Next morning the sea was still lumpy, but the weather had turned milder, and the prospect for golf at Buenavista was good. A quick call by the hotel staff confirmed that it was fine, and playable, and so I took a short and very pleasant, forty minute drive to this Seve Ballesteros designed course situated in the North West corner of the island, on the edge of the Teno Regional Park area.

What a difference a day makes. The course was in very good condition, the staff throughout the club were exceptionally helpful and friendly, and even the seagulls welcomed me in their traditional manner. The course is 18 hole, 72 par with a 6019 metre length from the white tees, and 4932 from the red.

The course pivots around a well equipped club house, and the views are stunning from almost everywhere. The course has its’ own well hidden desalination plant which enables the course to maintain a high standard of watering throughout the year. There is also a natural swimming pool situated alongside the 16th fairway.

Following a pleasant time at Buenavista I drove across the mountains, an interesting experience, towards Los Gigantes, the 2,000foot cliffs that plummet to the sea. Then back to the airport, with a short detour to Abama, and a quick look at some of the other courses to be found in the Las Americas area.

Sadly the two day trip was at an end, but despite the weather I had a most enjoyable visit, with good golf, good food, and a very pleasant, relaxing hotel.

A few days in the desert?

When I announced to the guys at the golf club that I was flying to Abu Dhabi for a few days golf most of them looked incredulous, after all, as one pointed out, you can drive there in less than two hours. Once we had painstakingly established that I was not going to Aberdovey, but to the Persian Gulf, (it was fairly late at night by this time), the amount of advice I received, mainly from people who had never actually been there, but knew someone who lived near Dubai, was quite staggering.

“It’s a long way, it’s hot , it’s full of flies and nasty things, it is dangerous, there is one hotel called(sorry I can’t remember its name), there is nothing to do, “beware the camels” (I have no idea), there is nowhere to play golf, you can’t get an alcoholic drink”. All these followed by improbable anecdotes and tales of woe.

So I have been, played golf, had a drink, and found things to do, and now I can try and put the record straight.

From Manchester Airport by a daily Etihad flight, it takes approximately six and a half hours. At least half the people on the flight were in transit to Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, and of course to other Middle Eastern destinations.

Abu Dhabi airport is the hub for the operations of Etihad, an airline equipped with a modern fleet of Boeing and Airbus airliners, all seemingly offering good legroom and great service in all classes. Processing at Abu Dhabi was swift, and in no time at all I was ready for my transport into the city. Our luggage arrived safely, which for the press troop, arriving from sundry airports, and mainly with golf clubs, was something of a first.

Ethiad
Ethiad is the flagship airline of the UAE (Abu Dhabi being the capital of the UAE), fly from London and Manchester, and are rumoured to be beginning operations from Birmingham shortly.

It’s so hot
No getting away from this one, it is after all on the Persian Gulf. The daytime temperature when I was there was thirtyfive degrees centigrade, with one day some five degrees higher, but all the public buildings are air-conditioned, there is plenty of shade to be had on the beaches, and even on the golf courses, and provided one is sensible the heat will not present a major problem. Having said that we did see holiday makers sitting “out in the mid-day sun”, and this did not seem to be very wise. Hats, sun cream with a high factor value and plenty of fluid intake is the order of the day, and try to avoid that mid-day sun.

It’s full of flies and nasty things
No it isn’t.

I will admit there are scorpions out in the desert, and I am told there are camel spiders and snakes, but I didn’t see any, nor did I go looking. We saw a number of lizards, all of which were harmless to humans, but probably not to the flies.

Beware of the camels
I never did find out why this warning came my way, all the camels I met seemed perfectly charming.

It’s dangerous.
I saw more gun toting policemen at Manchester airport than I did in Abu Dhabi, and the armed police that I did see had holstered side arms, mot wandering about with their fingers on the trigger of a Hechler and Koch MP5 sub machine gun. We had no problems walking around after dark, saw no evidence of any street crime, or felt threatened in any way. However do be careful crossing the roads.

There is one very expensive Hotel called “sorry, I can’t remember its name”.
It is called the Emirates Palace and is absolutely fantastic. And yes, it is expensive by Travel Lodge standards. However if you should be offered the opportunity to stay there, or even visit (they offer guided tours) then take it. It is physically imposing, with beautiful gardens, a most impressive interior, stunning restaurants and very comfortable rooms. You are greeted by no less a person than your personal butler, and the staff are attentive and very helpful. I happened to visit on the day of my birthday, and this was noticed by the reception staff when I registered. Later that evening an enormous chocolate and orange birthday cake, together with a bottle of champagne was left in my room with the compliments of the management. It’s that good.

If that is not to your taste, or pocket, then Abu Dhabi offers a wide range of accommodation including hotels operated by Hilton, Sheraton, Meridian, Grand Continental, Golden Tulip, and most of the other major chains, as well as having family run hotels. All seem to be furnished to a high standard, and offer a wide range of facilities.

There is nothing to do
Again this is a fair comment. Once you have been on a desert excursion in a 4×4vehicle, seen the belly dancing, had a henna tattoo,sailed offshore on a dhow, perhaps been to the horse or camel racing, seen a falconry display, gone sport fishing or done some sub aqua diving, shopped at either a traditional souk or an ultramodern mall, or sat about on the beach getting a tan there is absolutely nothing to do.

Unless you want to play golf, go horse or camel riding, visit a spa, eat, visit another of the Emirates (Dubai is only a little over two hours drive away), go on an excursion to the interior and visit an oasis such as Al Ain, then there is definitely nothing to do.

There is nowhere to play golf.
Abu Dhabi city itself has some three golf clubs, the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the Al Ghazal Golf and Equestrian Club, with another course at Al Ain. Two more courses are planned over the next few years.

The Abu Dhabi Golf Club is situated a twenty five minute drive from the centre of the city, and approximately ten minutes from the International Airport. It features two courses, the eighteen hole National Course, and the nine hole Garden Course, both designed by Peter Harradine. The National Course is par 72: 7334 yard course with extensive water features, adequate shade facilities, some evil bunkers which held an almost magnetic attraction for me, and a most impressive club house.

One of the signature holes is the twelfth, described thus:-

“Hole 12, 183 yards par 3. Amid length par three over water to a long but narrow green with a landscaped rock wall back drop with date trees and shrubbery. Club selection is critical, as well as feel and control on this rollercoaster green”

In reality this means that if you under club you end up, as three of us did, in the water in front of the green, whilst if you over club as the other member of the four ball did, you hit the wall at the back of the green and rebound into the water. A challenging hole.

To complement the main championship course there is a nine hole, par 36 course that is described as being slightly more forgiving. As if any such golf course could forgive. In addition to these two courses there are extensive facilities such as swimming pools, a gymnasium, tennis and squash courts, spa and sauna, practice greens for both chipping and putting, practice bunkers,(I learnt of this a little too late) and bars restraints, and a conference room. There is also a Golf Academy.

Note, taking to take a short cut across a sand strip to retrieve a wayward ball may result in having to get a tractor to tow out your buggy, and cost you a round of drinks to shut the others up.

The Al Ghazal Golf Club is a sand course, with browns instead of greens, bunkers made of sand, water hazards and often rock-hard fair- ways. You do not play in spikes as these have an adverse effect on the browns, which are made of sand and oil, you do take with you a piece of astro- turf to place your ball on, you do drink lots of water, and wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare, and you most definitely have a great deal of fun.

The browns/greens if swept correctly are extremely fast and true, and you are advised to roll up to the greens , as any high pitch will drop, and form a nice little egg cup. Players must also contend with the numerous burrows dug by desert lizards, known as dhubs. These burrows may also house scorpions, so do not go ferreting about in them.

This golf course is regarded as one of the best sand golf courses in the world; and the World Sand Golf Championships recently took place on this course, and will do so again in 2007.

The Club also has a state of the art academy, a sports field which is now home to the Abu Dhabi Football Academy. There is also a health club equipped with gym sauna steam room and Jacuzzi. There are three tennis courts and two multi courts where basket ball, five aside football and volley ball can be played.

The club and its staff are very welcoming, and the club house is a home from home, especially if you have a bar in your home. The course is situated close to the airport, but there was no real discernable noise to interrupt play.

The Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club is located in the Al Mushrif area, just ten minutes from the city centre, with the complex consisting of an international standard racecourse, with racing conditions that are comparable to anywhere in the world; together with a spectacular show jumping arena, in which an obstacle similar to the famous Hickstead Bank has been constructed, along with a natural water jump that adds to the variety of the show-jumping events that take place throughout the season. The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club has a riding school attached to it.

For the golfer there is a 9hole grass surfaced golf course in the middle of the race course, which is equipped with floodlighting, enabling play before sunrise, and after sunset. In addition the Golf Academy includes a large driving range available to all, and lessons are available from the Club’s golf professionals. The club also has tennis courts and a swimming pool. The course has a number of interesting hazards, including a large lake, and a race course which is used for exercising some very expensive bloodstock. Race meetings are frequent during the summer months.

There is also a nine hole course attached to the Hilton Hotel at Al Ain, but I am saving that for my next visit.

You cannot get an alcoholic drink.
Oh yes you can, all the hotels, and the golf clubs that are affiliated to the hotels, can serve alcohol; to adults, all reasonably priced, and this includes some quite drinkable beer and larger.

Finally, there was a comment that it is very expensive to visit and play golf in Abu Dhabi. A number if tour operators have begun to offer holidays in Abu Dhabi, including Thompson Worldwide, Etihad Holidays, and letgo2.com, who can provide a tailor made holiday. In addition hotels such as Sheraton and Hilton offer stop-over golf breaks.

So the verdict, would I go again? Yes is the straight answer, with no provisos or qualms. I found the whole experience very pleasant, very refreshing, and I was able to dispel the pre- conceptions of a late night in a golf club bar, where all decisions are routinely taken. There is good golf, it is easy to get to, reasonably priced, and it’s warm. What more could you need?

Mauritius

After an interesting journey to Heathrow airport, involving a Virgin intercity train from North Wales, a coach transfer from Watford and a wander round the airport carrying clubs and a bemused expression, I finally found the appropriate check in (thanks to the ever helpful BAA staff) I surrendered myself to the efficient and friendly Air Mauritius staff, who in return fed me, and cosseted me and made my twelve hour, non-stop flight to Mauritius part of the holiday experience.

Once I arrived the ground staff was also courteous and efficient, officialdom was not bad, and soon I was on my way, being driven through sugar cane fields to the Heritage Golf and Spa complex, situated on the South of the island at Bel Ombre.

The welcome was startling, as we drove through the gates a drumming noise started, culminating in a crescendo as we stopped at the main entrance. A very memorable reception; I have been drummed out of places before, but never drummed in. We learned later that this was the hotels way of greeting guests, and pretty soon you knew when anyone had arrived.

Then a welcome drink, check-in formalities completed whilst sitting on a very large and comfortable sofa, and then off to my room, a very welcome shower, and then off to breakfast. What a great way to start the tour.

The hotel with its beach front, its’ numerous pools, and other leisure facilities was playing host to a golf tournament, and so later in the day I visited the Golf du Chateau course to see what I was up against. We journalists were arriving the day before we began play; the professionals arrived a little earlier.

The course was in first class condition, and my play at the practice ground was really very good. I just knew that I was going to play well the next day.

How wrong can you be?

Back to the hotel, and the pre tournament briefing; I found that my tee time was 0800, an ungodly hour for me. I am not a morning person.

Next day I was up bright and early, with only the teeniest suggestion of a hangover, (blaming it on Jet-lag doesn’t really wash, Mauritius is only four hours ahead of the UK) I sallied forth onto the practice ground at 0730, played my best golf of the day, and went to find my buggy and my playing partners. And so play began. Suffice it to say that I saw parts of the course that even the designers probably didn’t know existed, lost a goodly number of balls, kept my temper, just, and had the sort of game best forgotten, but sadly etched in the memory.

Everyone else had a great game, and they were so very patient, offered lots of good advice and were all very kind. But it was to no avail, I had a bad, bad day. The course was great, the greens were fast, and the man with the drinks cart frequently appeared. The sun shone and everything was really very pleasant, if we discount the golf, which was what the scorer did.

Next day was a little better; I didn’t lose as many balls as I had on the first day, and managed a reasonable score, at least by my normal standard. However, because of my first day, and the fact that I am not very good any way, I came last.

Just one note, one hole lay in wait just for me. It was the fifth, a par four downhill, and 291 meter dog –leg with a raised green. What fun. I hit my drive from the green just to a point where a large piece of rock reared out of the ground, and it, of course, hit said mountain, careering off into the tall, sharp, dense grass and was out of bounds. My playing partner hit a similar drive, hit the same rock, bounced the other way and was perfectly placed for an easy approach shot. Me, I finally got there and then watched my putt gather momentum as it rolled round the rim of the hole, and disappear over the edge of a precipice that was lurking at the back of the green. I won’t prolong the agony, mine at least. But that was the sort of day I was having. Notwithstanding that, the course was great and I can’t wait to get back on it, because I know that I can do better.

Not only that, but the views are stunning, the weather great, and the wildlife interesting, and all the staff at the clubhouse very welcoming, efficient, and knowledgeable.

There is also, in the centre of the course, an excellent 9 hole, par 3 course. I did ever so well on this one, and even broke par on the 89 meter 8^th. Boy was I overjoyed.

Wildlife
As you would expect for a course in the tropics there was abundant wildlife, and we were assured this did not involve snakes.

On the course there were many birds, giant snails (which, as my playing partner Kirsty, found out, make a horrible crunching noise when you run over them with a trolley, not a buggy) “It jumped out at me” is not an excuse.

There are also large chameleons, lizards, hares, and a troupe of monkeys who apparently take up occasional residence on the 13^th and 14^th and barrack the players.

With regards to the birdlife, we asked one of the caddies the name of some of the birds, and were enlightened to learn that anything larger than a thrush was a “pidgon”, anything red was a “cardinal”, and everything else was a “petit oisseau”. I finally bought a bird book and found that we had mynah birds, parakeets, shrikes cardinals, and a pink pigeon, crows, sparrows, and kestrels for company.

The club is planning to erect some information boards around the course which will help the golfer to identify the wild-life.

Being journalists we managed to visit the local rum distillery, had a lazy time by the pool with a bar directly beside it, enjoyed visits to the spa for massages and general treatments, and ate superb food. I understand that some of my colleagues found a drink called Rum Vanilla, comprising of a lot of rum, a little vanilla, and some raisins soaked in rum and vanilla. I am led to believe it is quite drinkable, and offers only a mild hang-over to the recipient, after “quite a few”. I had a mild hangover twice.

The hotel cannot be praised enough; it is a great place to get away from it all, and most of all to RELAX. Sadly all good things come to an end, as the cliché would have it, but not before a pleasant flight back across Africa. Then it was freezing Heathrow on Friday evening, the M 25, the train back to North Wales, and memories.

One other thing, the tournament was won by Kirsty Louden, (of Lady Golfer, Peebles, and snail crunching) and I finished. The medal, well, actually, everybody got one, but I am very proud of mine, and determined to do better.

Thanks to Air Mauritius, the Varanda Resorts Group, and to all the friendly management and staff of Heritage Hotel, and the Golf du Chateau.

Lost Greens of North Wales

When browsing through an old guide book of North  Wales, published about 1912, I came across a list of Golf Courses available for the Edwardian golfer, and even in some instances, his lady, to play on. This list included a number of courses long since lost to the golfer; some forgotten by most and some still, after many years, fresh in the memory of elderly golfers. It is possible to visit some of the sites and even to trace various elements of the courses, whilst others have been completely obliterated.

After some diligent research, involving County Archives, old Ordnance survey maps, very Old Golfers and  guide books, I have managed to  compile information on a number of these courses.

Great Orme

The Great Orme Hotel and Golf Course, based on the former Telegraph Station at the top of the Orme, was established in approximately 1908. The course comprised of an 18 hole course, and a hotel of some XX bedrooms. The course, which was advertised as having stunning views towards Anglesey and Snowdonia, was completely enclosed by a 7 foot high dry stone wall. The object of this was to secure the site from sheep, day trippers and  others who might interfere with the pleasure of the golfer

Trefiw

Next to the cemetery on  Fford YYYY was the Trefiw course, a “compact” nine hole course which operated from 19** until 192&, when it was abandoned. The club house was purchased by a local farmer and moved to a site alongside the Afon Conwy in Trefiw, where it can still be seen, in a somewhat dilapidated condition, serving as a cow byre.

Colwyn Heights

Llanberis

Conwy Oakwood Hotel

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Commenting on this year’s New Star Rookies, Richard Wilson,Marketing Director at New Star Asset Management, said:“The UK, Spain and Italy are all important markets for us and we are delighted to be able to support a player from each of these countries. We wish all of the New Star Rookies success during their first season on the LET.”

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For further information on New star Asset Management, please contact:

Trina Arthur
International PR Manager
Telephone: +44 20 7225 9574
Email: tarthur@newstaram.com

For further information on the Ladies European Tour, please go to:
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
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Play Away Gentlemen

With those words from the starter echoing in your ears, and having somehow acquired the honour, you must now drive away from the first tee. Not just any old first tee, but the first tee at the Old Course, St Andrews. No pressure here, then.

Prior to this you have reported to the starter, met your caddies, been announced to a small, but enthusiastic “gallery” of Italian tourists, and stood around trying to keep warm. St Andrews in early April is not the warmest spot on the map. And then you are away.You mutter a silent prayer “Please, Lord let me get away from here with a decent drive.”And the drive was good, as were those of my playing companions. And so, marching down the fairway with the caddie laconically murmuring “you’ll get your colour back soon”.

Second shots however were slightly different, with my ball showing an uncanny desire to enter the Swill Can Burn, another player going out of bounds to the left, a third player joining me in the burn and the fourth player chipping way over the green. It could only get better, please.

But I am getting ahead of myself. The original purpose of the visit to St Andrews was to “play the Old Course backwards”. The Old Course was originally played the opposite way round to the way it is played today, with players starting on what is now the 18th fairway and playing to the 17th green. They then played from today’s 18th tee to the present-day 16th green and so on. When they reached the turn, they played back the way they had come.

Tom Morris created the present first green in the 1870s and thus the anti-clockwise route became an alternative. In the late 19th and the early 20th century players alternated between the left hand circuit and the right hand circuit on a weekly basis until gradually the right-hand, or anticlockwise, began to prevail. (It must have been quite interesting should you have forgotten what week it was.)

As a result of the change many of the bunkers are not visible from the tee and are clearly positioned to threaten shots from the opposite direction.The clockwise route is now offered for a couple of days at the beginning of April each year.

In order to achieve this the course largely uses temporary tees and one occasionally shares a green. As you have great difficulty viewing the flag from many of these tees then it can make for an interesting round.

My advice is to invest in at least one caddie per party, he, or she, can make the day go considerably better when you are not “flying blind”.The St Andrews Links Trust publish an excellent booklet on the “reverse Course”, study it before you play, and not find out about it when you are beginning the bragging in the bar after the event.

Playing the course in reverse was a great experience, but not one your would put a card in from.

Just some other points about the Monday game. It was like playing in a war zone, with RAF Leuchars playing “touch and go” with their Tornados, helicopters and several other unidentifiable warplanes, whilst over the water at Carnoustie the live firing range used by the Army was having a machine gun day. Just to assist the quiet day out in the country the quarry on the hills in the distance was continually blasting. According to Alan, one of our caddies, ” it is worse when they have the air show”. But not when they have any tournaments that are televised world wide, I notice.

Other observations. Heather, who has the tea wagon at the turn, sells life-saving hot soups and smiles at frozen golfers, she is a national treasure. And the final point, despite what you see on television, St Andrews Old Course is not flat, the gorse is very sharp , and there are bunkers you could hide a Centurion tank in. These bunkers also have some form of magnetic attraction to small white objects, honest.

And so back to Wednesday.

After a splendid meal on the previous night at the Craws Nest, Anstruther, we returned to St Andrews to play the course the correct way round.

I, and others, travelled the tourist route that day, lost a couple of balls, found three (gorse bushes again) and visited the tea wagon, got chivvied along by the marshal and damn near froze to death. As to my card, that is between me and my maker, although I am quite pleased with it. As an experience it was wonderful, as a feat of golf it was not. Would I do it again, just try and stop me.

And next time I see one of the names on TV playing the Old Course I will be able to comment to anyone within earshot about my own recollections of that hole and how best to play it. Oh Bliss.

Thanks to all concerned for making it such a memorable few days, especially Neil.The rest of you know who you are.

Links

www.standrews.org.uk
www.crawsnesthotel.co.uk
www.scottishgolfistory.net