New Horizons
In order to continue our expansion in selling new destinations Golf Experience has recently gone through the lengthy process of becoming a Licensed & Bonded Spanish Tour Operator. This allows us sell a range of destinations other than the Iberian Peninsula. What it means for you the customer is that our you get the same guarantees as you would if booking through a high street Travel Agent in the UK – ABTA member or an ITAA Travel Agent in Ireland). Our Reference is C.I.A.N. 293034-2
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Graham McDowell on his great victory at Pebble Beach and to Rory McIlroy for his 3rd place at “The Open”.
The man from Portrush Co. Antrim who learned his trade at the Rathmore club (not the more prestigious Royal Portrush and who went on to take a scholarship at the University of Birmingham (Alabama) has become the first European since Tony Jacklin to win the US Open in 1970 – hard to believe!.
And while the French football team may not have covered themselves in glory in South Africa congratulations must go to Frenchman Gregory Havret for his second place at Pebble Beach. I spoke with 2 golfing clients in France on the Monday after Pebble Beach and they were totally unaware of Havret’s achievement such is the level of media coverage given to golf in France.
And while not taking from Louis Oosthuizen’s great win at Saint Andrews we salute the performance of another Irishman who will surely go on to win major titles. Rory McIlroy’s determination in fighting back up the leader board after shooting an 80 on the Friday shows tremendous tenacity and will. Well done to both players!
Finca Cortesin – Volvo World Match-Play Championship
Dates for the next World Match-Play Championship at Finca Cortesin have been announced. They are May 19th -21st 2011. Due to a very congested Tour calendar in October it has been decided to push the event back into 2011.
In the Meantime Valderrama will host the Andalucia Masters during the last week of October 2010.
The Good News – the Euro is weak!!
Sterling strength makes Spanish Golf great value
Every month we like to bring you some good news. While all the talk is about budget deficits and belt tightening, clients in the UK may not have noticed but Sterling has appreciated by about 20% against the Euro since our last newsletter. So while our British clients who were just about getting used to the idea of the pound being worth no more than a Euro can now exchange their pounds for €1.20. Happy days are here again!!!
This of course means that your next golfing holiday will cost you 20% less than it would have a year earlier. This not insignificant appreciation puts Golf in Spain in a very competitive position versus other destinations.
San Pedro Tunnel reaches completion
It will come as a relief to many of our clients to know that the end of the tunnelling at San Pedro de Alcantara is near. For many of you it will be open on your next trip. However we should be cautious about giving a date but don’t be surprised if it is open. The familiar and iconic Marbella Arch has been consigned to the history books at it was deemed incompatible with the new road system. Also it is suspected that the decision had political overtones, it having been erected by the controversial and disgraced former Mayor of Marbella, Jesus Gil.
It will certainly be a relief to John Hogan at the very popular Hogan Stand Bar and Restaurant whose premises have been facing onto the road-works for the last two years.
John Hogan has made the brave investment during these tough times and the almost total isolation of San Pedro to open a very impressive restaurant adjoining the very popular Hogan Stand Bar. The new restaurant serves international/Mediterranean cuisine with an Irish flavour at very reasonable prices. That bar is a great focal point for golfers who want to catch all sporting events in a very relaxed atmosphere.
Costa’s Golf Courses in great condition
This winter saw an unprecedented amount of rainfall on the Costa del Sol. Not in living memory has it rained so much. We had 3 year’s average rainfall in 3 months. The upside to this disruption is that courses did not have to rely on recycled water for their watering. Natural rain water which is rich in minerals is just what our courses needed and the grass in now so good that green-keepers are deciding that they can now skip out on usual late summer maintenance.
New Terminal 3 Opened at Malaga Airport
The new terminal (3) which is not really a new terminal but an extension of the existing terminal 2 had opened to much acclaim at Malaga Airport. While passengers from non-Schengan countries(UK & Ireland) have to do an extra bit of walking as they will arrive at the old terminal 2 everybody will benefit from the extra capacity and facilities.
Testimonial
This month’s testimonial is from Gene Dykes who visited in June with 8 friends from Pittsburg.
“Seamus,
Everybody loved the trip. One great golf course after another. Thanks a lot for making it happen.
A few random notes:
We all loved Monte Mayor – you have to admire whoever looked at that valley and decided he could build a golf course there. Spectacular holes.
Valle Romano is already a first rate course, and it will become great with a little aging.
It was nice of you to drop by to watch us tee off at Flamingos, even if I did dump my opening tee shot into the weeds. By the way, after taking aMulligan, I had my best round of the trip there with an 80. Although I liked the two layouts, Flamingos has some issues such as signage, two blind lakes in the middle of fairways, incredibly tight driving holes on the #1 holes of each course, and some very slippery steps.
Finca Cortesin was a delight and they obviously studied at the American school of Customer Service.
Everybody was pleased with my choice of the H10 Estepona Palace Hotel with its generous sized bedrooms and great food. The Port of Estepona was a real plus with its relaxed atmosphere and great choice of restaurants – just right for our group.
On Saturday, Hilary and I went hiking at El Torcal, which is very close to Antequera. Wonderful scenery! Best two hour hike I’ve ever had – and I’ve done a lot of hiking.
I chose wisely when I picked you to organize our trip, and I hope you help many more groups to discover what a great golfing experience can be found at Costa del Sol.
— Gene Dykes – Philadelphia , PA.”
