PerryGolf -- The Advisor Travel Newsletter


MARCH/APRIL 2003		VOLUME 03 NUMBER 01

MEMO FROM HELENSBURGH

With all the fuss about lengthening courses in the United States, and more and more players reaching the 300 yard mark off the tee, it is a testament to the game’s early designers and Mother Nature that the historic links of the British Isles have held up to the test of time, with many coming in around or under 7,000 yards, and par of less than 72. As Peter Dawson, the R & A Secretary, succinctly put it, “Sometimes I see bunkers at tournaments in America that players can hit a 1-iron out of. We don’t have any of those.” And that is part of the allure of playing golf on the great championship linksland courses of the British Isles, no amount of modern equipment can replace the value of shotmaking required to score well. Mother Nature serves up hazards equally on the ground, with dips, dunes and gorse, and in the air, with wind, rain and mist. This is golf as it was intended and its traditions are alive and well in the British Isles.

The Advisor this edition takes an indepth look at one of the great hidden gems of British Isles golf, Southerness Golf Club, a Mackenzie Ross masterpiece. Although young for a championship links, it only turned 50 in 1997, its relative remote location and dedication to preserving the ideals of links golf have created a worthy addition to anyone’s ‘must play’ list. Southerness, along with other great remote layouts such as Machrie, Machrihanish, Royal Dornoch, Brora, Ballyliffin, and Carne are now more accessible to visiting golfers through PerryGolf’s Special Air Services (detailed further in this Advisor), which utilize helicopters and small planes to maximize travel time and quality golf on our client’s itineraries. The playing experiences they provide will enrich any visit and we greatly encourage you to add these and other more conveniently located hidden gems to your tours.

We attended the The PGA Show in Orlando last month and it was a tremendous success. We would like to thank all of our partners that participated – Bushmills Inn; Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle; Carnoustie Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa; DeVere Cameron House; Dromoland Castle; Hastings Slieve Donard Hotel; Hayfield Manor; Killarney Park Hotel; Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links; Royal Golf Hotel, Dornoch; Rusacks Hotel; St Andrews Bay Golf Resort & Spa; St Andrews Golf Hotel; The Gleneagles Hotel; The Marcliffe at Pitfodels; The Marine Hotel, Troon; The Westin Turnberry Resort; and The Woodstock Hotel. We are looking forward to working with all our partners for another outstanding season of golf in the British Isles.

And congratulations to Doonbeg (profiled in the September 2002 Advisor) for being named the 2002 ‘Best New International Golf Course,’ by Golf Digest Magazine. Greg Norman’s modern tribute to the great traditional links courses is a wonderful addition to any itinerary.

Good Golfing
The Helensburgh Staff
Operations@PerryGolf.com