Serving Golfers to The Iberian Peninsular since 1998
Antequera Golf Club closer due to new motorway.
Apart from the 50 or so excellent courses along the Costa del Sol there are also a few gems inland. The recently opened Malaga exterior bypass has taken Antequera Golf Club to within a 30 minute drive of the popular resorts of Benalmadena and Fuengirola. For this reason we will be proposing this excellent and spectacular course in many of our proposals in 2012.
You may have noticed that over the years, more and more golf cart friendly communities and golf cart retirement communities are popping up all over the country and the reason is because golf fans and players are growing.
Antequera Golf Club.
Antequera is over 6000 meters long and its Olive trees, acorn trees and natural herb plants, add to the natural environment and the special character of real inland Andalusia. In addition to the spectacular surroundings the journey inland to Antequera driving north from
Benalmadena over the Montes de Malaga and onto the Torcel de Antequera which is a massive plateau is truly spectacular.
To give you an idea of the spectacular scenery in this area click on the following link and take a bare knuckles walk on one of the world’s most spectacular treks!
“The entrances for this trail are closed but not policed. It was built in the 1920’s for hydro workers. There is no rail but there is a chain to hold onto but it doesn’t hold much weight and several people have fallen to their deaths. This is an amazing walk! This should have you on the edge of your seat possibly feeling slightly dizzy. It’s 6 minutes long and should be watched till the very end.
To intensify the experience, click on the full screen button (middle button that looks like four arrows on the lower right hand side of the screen when the player comes up). It’s enough to make you nauseous especially when you consider that it was filmed by someone who made the hike carrying a video camera while he did it.”
Extract from Angel Fire – Scariest Path
The new road means that extra care is needed by motorists returning cars to Malaga Airport as it adds a new divide in the motorway just before the airport.
Malaga’s new “Hipperronda (Super Ring) in blue.
Sterling vs Euro. Your pound goes further in 2012.
Sterling’s recent newfound strength – (hovering around € 1.20) or more correctly the euro’s weakness is helping inject even greater value into your Spanish golf holiday.
The same holiday at today’s prices (sterling equivalent) will cost you about 15% less compared to the same time last year. So the euro crisis does have a silver (sterling) that is lining!!
Monte Mayor Golf Club closes.
It is with great regret that we announce the closure for the foreseeable future of the famous Monte Mayor course in Benahavis / Estepona. It is really the first established course to close as a result of financial problems. This spectacular course was located in a very isolated area inland from Estepona.
It was a course golfers either loved or hated. Those who loved it were usually pretty handy golfers and those who didn’t were normal golfers. Monte as it was affectionately known had a cult following and something of a “macho” image which was reinforced by their slogan “you need balls to play Monte Mayor”.
We sincerely hope that when conditions improve that Monte Mayor will be reopened.
Mijas Los Lagos Golf Club
Mijas Los Lagos will close for the entire 2012 for a complete refurbishment. The Los Olivos course will of course remain open as usual. See the pictures below of work in progress.
From the last week ”Lagos” has this peculiar aspect due to the grass has been treated with poison to kill it and to begin reconstructions of the course. We will continue informing….
H10 Andalucia Plaza Hotel & Casino
The ever popular adult-only H10 Andalucia Plaza Hotel will reopen in February after its annual 2 month break for refurbishment.
During the month of February (all 29 days of it) the hotel is offering rooms at the cost of a half twin. In other words there is no single room supplement – you get the room as a single for the same price as if you were sharing.
Hotel Melia Marbella Banus
Golf Experience is delighted to add the 4 star Melia Marbella Banus hotel to its range of hotels in the Puerto Banus / Marbella area. Despite its name the hotel is probably the closest to the Marina in Puerto Banus and is about 50 meters from the beachfront. The hotel offers large refurbished rooms and the option of an upgrade to its “Level 1” superior rooms and service with a dedicated lounge with complementary food and drinks served throughout the day.
Melia Marbella Banus – Level 1 lounge.
San Pedro Tunnel
All we can say it that it’s getting there. The final touches such as new sign-posting and hard landscaping are being put in place. It looks as if it could certainly be open by mid 2012 even at the current snail’s pace of progress. The only caveat is that we said something very similar around the same time last year. So you may draw your own conclusions.
Ryder Cup Date for your diary
The 2014 Ryder Cup will take place from 26 September to 28 September,. The bi-Annual match between Europe and the United States will take place at Gleneagles in Perthshire.
Why not plan your 2012 Golf trip in Spain or Portugal to coincide with next year’s Ryder Cup which takes place in Chicago between Sept 30th & Oct 10th. With the benefit of the time difference you can play your leisurely round of golf and then sit back and relax with your golfing friends and enjoy TV coverage of the Ryder Cup with a few drinks without missing a shot.
Golf Geo-politics
Portrush will host the 2012 Irish Open
28 June to 1 July
In an interesting move the The European Tour has confirmed that the 2012 Irish Open will be hosted by Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland, with the tournament returning to Carton House Hotel and Golf resort in Maynooth, Co Kildare, in 2013. Golf on the Island of Ireland is governed by an All-Island Golfing Union of Ireland and although Portrush is ,of course in the United Kingdom this is the first time the Irish Open will have been held in the North since the 1950’s.
Another interesting upcoming conundrum concerns RORY MCILROY’s refusal to commit to either the British or the Irish team for the 2016 Olympic Games until he absolutely has to.
Golf becomes an official Olympic sport in four years’ time and McIlroy is bound to be one of the star attractions in Rio de Janeiro. Athletes from Northern Ireland are eligible to represent either Ireland or Great Britain at the Games, putting the 22-year-old from Hollywood, County Down at the centre of a high-profile tug o’war over his national allegiance.
“Basically, if I am going to be very honest, which I usually am, whatever I say is going to upset someone,” McIlroy said when asked about his Olympic intentions.
So I may as well just say I don’t know and wait until four or five years’ time, whenever I have to make a decision. A wise decision Rory!
Joke of the month !
Beware of Slow golfers
Joe decides to take his boss Phil to play 9 holes on their lunch hour. While both men are playing excellent golf they are held up by two women in front of them moving at a very slow pace.
Joe offers to talk to the women and see if they can speed it up a bit.
He gets about half the way there, stops and jogs back. His boss asks what the problem is.
“Well one of those women is my wife and the other my mistress”, complained Joe.
Phil just shook his head at Joe and started toward the women determined to finish his round of golf.
Preparing to ask the ladies to speed up their game, he too stopped short and turned around.
Joe asked “what’s wrong?” “It’s a small, small world Joe and you’re fired”.
