While we do not offer domestic golf trips, a recent business meeting at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach was a very positive experience. The two Tom Fazio designed courses are almost 20 years old but the accommodation component only opened in 2008 and is spectacular.

I had previously attended a meeting at the resort and stayed overnight in it’s sister property but was impressed at that time with the physical plant. On this occasion I stayed at Pelican Hill for three nights and played both the North & South Courses.

The resort offers hotel rooms which they categorize as “Bungalows” and a Villa product which have 2 – 4 bedrooms in each unit. The Bungalows are spacious at over 800 square feet and provide a very well designed and thoughtful hotel experience. I did not see the interior of the Villas but understand they are also extremely well conceived.

The hotel is spread out and as a result their transportation system is extremely efficient and works very well. I never waited longer than a few minutes for a transfer within the resort and never heard a negative comment on this topic from any of the 30+ people within my group who were also at the resort.

The golf courses surpassed my fairly modest expectations. I thought they would be more contrived in design to fit into the land that Fazio had to work with, but I was pleasantly surprised. Both courses offered great vistas of the Pacific and Newport Beach. The courses were fairly typical Fazio and in good condition. On balance I probably preferred the North Course as it was more open but would not lose sleep over having to play either one again. The golf operation was good with engaged and pleasant forecaddies with each group (this is a Caddiemaster facility and did not disappoint).

Room service was also a well oiled machine with prompt and efficient delivery and clean up. Given the size and layout of the rooms room service was a good option.

I attended two group dining functions during my stay and both were well executed with good food, attentive staff and creative dining choices.

My wife used the spa as something of a professional spa-er and enjoyed both treatments although she commented that their use of the “quiet room” for dining was slightly incongruous but otherwise they delivered an enjoyable  spa experience.

The swimming pool is apparently the largest circular swimming pool in the world. Additionally it is salt water fresh and universally 3 1/2 feet deep. It was good by any measure and impressive.

My only negative was the dining room at the pool. On every occasion (total of four) the orders were mishandled, service was very slow and my sense was they were overstaffed with friendly, well dressed folks standing around. It was very out of context with the rest of the resort experience. If I were to return to Pelican Hill I would probably give this food outlet one chance to evidence improvement as the pattern was evident to me and others in the group.

In closing I have not done justice to the superior facilities that have been built at the resort. The service is very good with the one exception as noted. It is located only a few miles from  John Wayne Orange County Airport which provides excellent scheduled air access. All in all, Pelican Hill is resort worth visiting if you are looking for something in the Los Angeles area.

Matakauri Lodge, Queenstown is the sister property of Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers.  It opened in August 2010 and has recently appeared on the “Condé Nast Traveller Hot List 2011” (click here for details).  Matakauri is an outstanding property and a fantastic addition to Queenstown; it is a must stay while in the area as there is plenty to do and see and some of the scenery in this region of New Zealand is out of this world.  The golf is also excellent with Jacks Point which boasts a backdrop of 2300 vertical metres of the razorback Remarkables mountain range.  Need I say more!

By Denise McKee.  Denise has been with PerryGolf for over 11 years and handles our South Pacific Programmes.

Crail Golfing Society – which is just a short drive from St. Andrews – celebrates its 225^th birthday this year.   To think that this Golf Club has been in existence since before the USA’s first ever President was elected is quite an achievement.  There have only been 6 other golf clubs in the world to have reached this milestone, so it’s proving to be a special year for everyone at the club; which is the home of the excellent Balcomie Links and Craighead Links courses.  For anyone coming over to Scotland in search of golf at a club steeped in history, Crail fits the bill perfectly.

By Keith Baird.  Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Further to my post in January regarding The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links entering administration, I was pleased to read that the administrators have found a buyer and the property was sold for an undisclosed sum on Thursday 30 June 2011 to Machrie Golf LLP.

Machrie Golf LLP is a partnership established by Baroness Sue Nye (former Director of Government Relations at 10 Downing Street) and her husband Gavyn Davies (Chairman of Fulcrum Asset Management). The facility will now be managed by G3k, whose CEO is Stewart Smith; a Scottish golf professional for 28 years who has been involved with some very impressive golf course developments.

The Machrie

The Machrie estate is located on Islay on the West coast of Scotland and includes the hotel with bar and restaurant, lodges, golf shop and the 71-par championship golf course. The golf course is considered one of the world’s top links courses and is rated within the UK’s 100 top golf courses.  You can see further details by clicking here.  

With an array of single malt distilleries on the island Islay is a great destination for any golfers looking for something a bit different.  It can also work well with a trip to Scotland’s Ayrshire coast as you can fly there from Glasgow and this allows courses like Turnberry, Royal Troon and Prestwick to be included in a trip.

By Alastair Niven.  Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Mike Reeder at St. Andrews with caddy and film crew

Tomorrow night (July 19) at 7:00 EST on ESPN’s E:60 “The Best Stories in Sports” broadcast, we encourage you to tune in for the how a Vietnam veteran who lost both of his legs shot a solid 79 last fall at the Old Course, St Andrews!  It was PerryGolf’s distinct pleasure to accompany Mr Mike Reeder during his visit to Scotland when company Co-Founder Colin Dalgleish joined him for a game and a tour of the town.  Not only will you see an impressive golf swing, but you’ll meet a man who has turned a “bag of hammers” (a phrase Mike borrows from Michael J. Fox) into a powerful inspiration.  Mike’s visit was made possible by Challenged Athlete’s Foundation who partnered with ESPN who had seen mike interviewed by CNN.  Click here if you’d like to see the CNN interview.

Click here if you’d like to see the E:60 trailer.

Colin Dalgleish, Co Founding Director of PerryGolf with Rory McIlroy at 2007 Walker Cup Matches

What a great event and wonderful to see a new era evolve in competitive golf with a friendly, attractive personality. My brother as Captain of the 2007 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Team at Royal County Down Golf Club had the privelege of working with him and has consistently said that Rory was both mature for his years and a extremely pleasant young man…the camera does not always allow the “nice” to show through on television, but in this instance it did. Congratulations Rory! 

The Thursday pairings whereby the USGA grouped Spaniards and Italians together just seemed odd….the media did not seem to take issue with it but my sense is that it gave an slight advantage to players like Garcia who would have enjoyed 2 rounds with people they are comfortable with. 

Disappointing the way that the commentators decided early in the week to criticize the formula for the World Golf Rankings…that discussion would have more credibility when the US was better represented at the top of the rankings. The formula may well need to be redrawn, given the international scope of players and their event schedules but why pick now to discuss? 

An interesting statistic from the June 17 issue of Golfweek; “The British Amateur attracted only one player from USA in the world Top 100″. If that fact is correct, it would seem given the recent history of golfing achievements that younger US college players need to take a more global view than even those of their slightly older peers! 

It is great to see this new excitement in golf, some tremendous rivalries shaping up that will be for years to come….next stop Royal St. George’s.

LINKS Magazine celebrated the royal wedding last week with email releasing their list of the top 10 “Royal” clubs.  I’ve played seven so i can’t go all in but i do know after two rounds recently at Royal Aberdeen its a dandy.  Top 5 for me. 

The list is complemented by outstanding photography:

http://www.linksmagazine.com/golf_courses/features/top_10_royal_courses_intro.aspx

I was with a number of friends this past weekend whom had taken a Father & Son trip to Scotland last fall. They were telling me how much they enjoyed the experience and camaraderie. One story, told by a gentleman who has been extremely successful in business was wonderfully simple and cut at the heart of these generational trips.

Having paid for the land cost and airfare for his son, the father was having a conversation with his 26 year old, gainfully employed offspring prior to the trip about what his thoughts were on expenses during the trip. Father makes some suggestions on who should cover what expenses and what may be appropriate for junior to cover.

At this point, the son looks at his father and quizzically asks; “Dad, do you want me to go on the trip?”. The division of expenses dialoge was over!

Bordeaux in France is a popular area for golf, wine and food.

Les Sources de Caudalie is a luxury hotel located in the heart of renowned vineyards and offers an interesting spa treatment for those seeking something a little different; “Vinotherapie”.  This original and exclusive skin care is based on a combination of hot natural water and the health and beauty enhancing properties of grapes and wines.  Treatments include red wine bath, barrel bath, exhilarating massages, wine and honey wrap, water jet shower, spa bath with jet stream and Turkish bath and these can be incorporated into your tour cost.  The perfect way to pass the day and relax during your vacation.

By Denise McKee.  Denise has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is responsible for our Mediterranean programs.

Royal Golf Hotel

At the recent Golf Tourism Scotland awards ceremony, The Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch was named the ‘Hotel of the Year’ in the large hotel category.  After some extensive refurbishment and under new ownership, the hotel re-opened in April 2010.  Overlooking the first tee at Royal Dornoch Golf Club, the hotel is ideally located for golf in the Highlands.  Royal Dornoch, Brora, Tain, Golspie, Castle Stuart, and Nairn are all within striking distance and all come highly recommended.  Click here for more information.

By Gary Sheppard.  Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is a one of our Golf Travel Specialists.