New Golf Experience Web presence
Golf Experience has just completed totally revamping its very long and well established website. While we were one of the first to embrace the web after all these years it is time to re-invent the monster which our sprawling site has become.
Our IT consultants were threatening to abandon us if we didn’t change it complaining that working on it was akin to servicing a model T Ford car at the local Ford dealership today. They promise us that this new platform will pay for itself in no time with better SEO performance. If it doesn’t, we mayabandon them!
The idea is that the look and feel of the site will be largely unchanged but that all the behind the scene stuff will be state of the art making their job easy! Sound familiar?
Take a look on www.golfexperience.net
White Santana
TheCosta del Solis experiencing its best winter in living memory. Golf Experience has not lost a single green-fee to weather this winter which is quite remarkable given that when it rains here is really rains.
Despite that we had an unusual occurrence during January when a very localized hail storm turned Santana Golf Course white in all of 20 minutes. Even the neighbouring La Cala was totally unaffected.
Santana Golf Club 27th January
Security on golf courses
In parallel with the general state of the Spanish economy, an increase in petty crime and theft on golf courses is unfortunately becoming all too common.
We would advise clients not to take unnecessary valuables onto courses and leave them exposed on buggies or in their golf bags. Visitors who are unfamiliar with courses can be unsighted from their buggies while concentrating on their game. In the time it takes you to putt out the deed can take place leaving a very sour taste.
Golf Club Rental.
Golf Experience has just invested in another 25 sets of Taylor Made Tour Edition clubs for rental bringing our total stock to 45 sets. These include right & left handed sets, both steel and graphite shafts as well as ladies clubs.
As fewer and fewer golfers are willing to pay the exhorbitant carriage charges which airlines are charging they are turning to their agent to supply clubs. It’s cheaper, less hassle and very convenient.
In fact Golf Experience offer the unique service of having the clubs already in your rented car when you arrive at Malaga Airport. No need to go looking for your clubs at some depot we simply put them in your car and you leave them in it on your return.
HOW EASY IS THAT ?
Of course you must rent the car from us.
Lights on the motorway
Darkness has fallen on manyCosta del Solmotorways in the last 6 months due to town halls deciding against or simply not being able to pay for motorway lighting, so a little extra precaution is called for when navigating our sometimes tricky roads.
That Tunnel (or lack of one) in San Pedro!
OK it’s official – the San Pedro tunnel will open in June (2012). €50m over budget and 3 years late stretching the “Mañana” concept a little.
La Cala Resort Special Offers
La Cala Resort has recently launched some excellent value packages at its top class Resort Hotel. Most of you will be familiar with the Resort’s 3 courses and wonderful Clubhouse facilities in Mijas.
We have a variety of very attractive special offers which include 7 night stays with 3 free rounds of golf and one “Spa” Experience
3 – 6 night stays with one free round of Golf
Combinable with the above offers is also 1 free in 8. We also have excellent early booking discounts.
So for those of you who may have assumed that La Cala Resort’s accommodation was above your budget why not ask us for a quotation and let us surprise you!
La Cala Resort – Mijas
La Cala is Europe’s largest integrated golf resort boasting 3 x 18 holes courses and aDavidLeadbetterGolfAcademy. It also has an equestrian center, football pitch and all the usual facilities of a top class hotel including a state of the art Spa.
Alcaidesa Golf Club
The editor took time off recently to play the redesigned Alcaidesa Links and Heathland courses and he was very impressed. The new clubhouse is a wonderful piece of architecture and the newly designed Links seems wider (perhaps I was just hitting them straight for once) and more holes having spectacular views of “The Rock”.
Alcaidesa Golf Club and the Rock of Gibraltar
Alcaidesa’s Clubhouse the most spectacular Clubhouse on the Costa.
The New Heathland was also a pleasant surprise – long and varied and mostly flat although the course layout would make a buggy obligatory. With blue skies the Alcaidesa experience is a very satisfying one.
More importantly the management have woken up to the reality of pricing in the marketing mix and have given Golf Experience clients a wide range of attractive options which make it far more competitive than hitherto. Please consult us.
Auriga Crown Rent-a-Car cease trading
Crown / Aurega Malaga’s largest car-hire company has ceased trading. There has been something of a blood-bath in recent years with ridiculously cheap prices for car-hire. However we expect things to stabilise now with the departure of the biggest player with a fleet of 4500 vehicles.
We continue to recommend Espacar with its superior service and quality Renault cars and no nonsense pricing which includes everything (no surprises regarding prices on arrival atMalagaAirport). What you are quoted is what you pay.
VAT rise in Portugal
VAT on green-fees and most tourism relates expenditure has risen to 23% inPortugalmaking the destination a little less attractive versus theCosta del Sol.
Driving in Algarve – new tolls
TheAlgarvehas just introduced a motorway toll system and nobody has any idea how it will operate in relation to rented cars or cars travelling from across the border inSpain. We will endeavor to find out.
Bubba at the Masters.
This man can do in one shot where it takes the me at least 3!
Tolls on A22, Portugal to take Spain to Court
The political representatives of Andalusia will proceed with legal action against Portugal in the Court of Justice of the European Union because they believe the government’s decision to start charging tolls on the Via do Infante (Algarve Costal Motorway) are illegal.
This road was built with community funds and is a vital economic actuary between the Algarve and Huelva province,” said Jose Maria Mayo, of the Partido Popular.
For Spain, this route cannot have a Toll applied to it because “more than two thirds were paid by EU funds.”
The president of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio GRIÑÁN, has called for clarification from the CCDR – Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve.
At the same time, the Commission on the Via do Infante users will also come up with an injunction to try to curb the government’s decision to charge tolls once the legislation is enacted.
Suspension bridge separating Spain and Portugal’s Algarve
Wozzilroy!
Rory McIllroy and Caroline Woziacki (Otherwise known as” Wozzilroy) at Newbury Race Course recently. Captions welcome