We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers and friends a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Your continued support throughout the year has helped us maintain the growth in recent years. For this we are very grateful and promise to continue offering the high level of service you have become accustomed to. We would also like to take this opportunity to fill you in on some development with regard to golf in Spain and on the Algarve.

Costa Del Sol Developments

Flamingos New Course – Gran Flamingos

For those of you familiar with Flamingos Golf Club you will be interested in knowing that the new course “Gran Flamingos” has recently opened. We had the pleasure of playing it and must say that it represents a superb golfing challenge. Nine of the new holes are tight, even by the existing course’s standards and the other nine are “comfortable” enough. The par 73 course has probably the best greens on the Costa.

Antequera Golf Club

We have recently been enticed up to Antequera – just an hour north of Malaga to visit their Spa Hotel and Golf Course. The experience was very worthwhile. The course is wonderfully challenging parkland with spectacular views over the nearby Sierra de Ronda mountain range.

The Golf Club is anxious to attract groups holidaying on the Costa and is providing a courtesy transfer service to and from your hotel for groups of 8 and more. This will considerably lesson the cost of the day’s golf and the green-fee is a very reasonable €50.

For anyone wanting to combine a game of golf and a half day touring in the spectacular mountains inland from the Costa del Sol this Antequera is the place to go.

Monte Mayor

Monte Mayor Add a Driving Range

Fans of Monte Mayor will be happy to learn that the club has opened its new driving range.

El Paraiso Club

Since the end of the summer the very popular El Paraiso Golf Club has experienced problems with its fairways. Sizeable area of fairway have seen the grass die leaving unsightly patches. The situation has improved in recent weeks and hopefully the course will soon be back to its usual pristine condition.

Alcaidesa

The Course: The new course designed by Dave Thomas Ltd offers a variety of natural landscapes ranging from the plateau area (holes 1 to 5 & 17th & 18th) where the course has the feel of a Heathland course with wide fairways & outstanding views of the Mediterranean Sea & the local Mountain Ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, to the river valley where the holes meander along the valley & incorporate various water features / hazards.

Algarve Developments

The new Jack Nicklaus designed Monte Rei course east of Faro has now opened.

The Monte Rei golf course is a golfing masterpiece using the spectacular natural terrain of the area to determine the challenging layout which includes natural water hazards, breathtaking views and the chance to marvel at Nicklaus and nature working hand-in-hand.

Green-fees range from low season rates of €130 to high season €190 so at these prices you can expect only the best. Monte Rei is about a 50 minute drive east of Vilamoura.
However when integrated into a Golf Experience package these rates will be much more reasonable.

Villamoura

Due to increased demand for the Algarve and in particular Vilamoura in 2007 Golf Experience has contracted the Dom Pedro Hotel chain to supply rooms in 2008.

Due to increased demand for the Algarve and in particular Vilamoura in 2007 Golf Experience has contracted the Dom Pedro Hotel chain to supply rooms in 2008.

Vila Sol Golf Club

For those looking for accommodation slightly away from the marina, Vila Sol has recently opened a magnificent Hotel and Spa overlooking the golf course. Golf Experience has negotiated excellent rates for our clients and indeed at the course which we like very much.

With the increased availability of flights to Girona Airport which is an hour north of Barcelona and in the heart of a cluster of excellent courses, we have decided to commence offering this region in addition to the ever popular Costa del Sol and Algarve.

Ryanair now use Girona as a hub with direct flights from Scotland, Dublin, Shannon, London Stansted and a variety of continental European cities.
Announcing our Expansion to include the Costa Brava!

We have put together sample packages available on request which include the iconic PGA Catalunya course which is used for the European PGA qualifying tour each year. We also include the Links and Forest course at Emporda Golf and Plajya D’Aro with its spectacular views over the Mediterranean.

We have also selected quality four and five star hotels in Girona and in the sea-side resort of Platja D’Aro.

The area offers all the other excellent mix of culture and nightlife that regular visitors to the Costa del Sol expect. So for regular visitors to the Costa del Sol who are looking for a change of scenery and excellent golf we would recommend the Costa Brava.

Rental of Golf Clubs on the Costa del Sol.

Regular visitors will have noticed a growing number of airlines are charging for carrying golf clubs. While airfares are probably at their cheapest in aviation history the tendency to charge for everything means that club-hire at your destination may be beginning to makes sense.

While we appreciate that all serious golfers will always want to play with their own clubs, for the less than serious, who make up a big slice of the market, or those on a very short trip playing perhaps only a couple of times it may indeed make sense to rent on arrival.

Golf Experience has teamed up with a leading player in the club hire market here on the Costa del Sol allowing us to offer 3 day rental for as little as €60 including free delivery and collection to accommodation or golf club. www.spanishgolfclubrental.com.

Volvo Masters – Valderrama 2007

Justin Rose – winner of 2007 Volvo Masters – Valderrama

Congratulations to Justin Rose who was a worthy and indeed extremely popular winner of this year’s Volvo Masters in Valderrama. For clients coming to the Costa del Sol in October / November they could do worse then take in a day at Valderrama to see some of the world’s best players contest the Masters and as it’s the last European tour event, the Order of Merit is usually also at steak.

Tickets are easily available and very reasonably priced and the galleries are small by northern European standards so you really can get up close to some of the world’s greats. In addition for those who have never played Valderrama you get the opportunity to see one of the world’s greatest courses.