As 2002 draws to a close, it’s not too early to begin planning for the 2003 season. It was a great year of superb golf in the British Isles, and with the exception of Saturday’s round at Muirfield, the weather was stellar during The Open Championship, Ryder Cup, American Express Championship and Dunhill Links Championship. Many people that canceled or postponed trips in 2002 are returning in 2003, so booking early is suggested to secure tee times at the most popular courses. In addition, the Dunhill Links Championship is moving a week earlier into September, to accommodate the American Express Championship next year, which will affect available tee times for September in the St. Andrews area.

We have recently added the PerryGolf Private Collection to our Grand Touring Portfolio. This collection of small intimate properties is perfect for groups utilizing the VIP Golf Coaches and Concierge Drivers. The current collection is profiled in depth in this issue of the Advisor.

If you have thought about taking one of our “British Isles Golf By Sea” programs and are not sure exactly what the experience entails, the main feature this issue details last year’s The Best of Scotland by Sea trip. We now have a complimentary short video available from our Atlanta office to give you a personal first hand look at why these programs have become so popular.

John Huggan, one of Scotland’s most respected golf writers, chronicles his experiences playing the Old Course, St. Andrews in reverse, which is the orginal routing, last April. If you would like to play the historic course in its orginal state the St. Andrews Links Trust is again offering the experience next April and our Golf Travel Specialists can combine it into an itinerary to Scotland or the British Isles.

The 2002 Top 100 Courses in the British Isles (Golf World, UK) is just out and the entire list, plus five newcomers to watch, is listed in this issue. Its a great planning tool for scheduling your next itinerary to play some Top 100 Courses you may have missed.

There’s new information on our golf course and accommodation partners in News From The PerryGolf World and interesting tidbits on the international world of golf in the PerryGolf Insider section. And the Advisor has found several limited edition books, among other new releases, in Advised Reading that would make perfect Christmas presents for the golf enthusiast.

We hope you enjoy –

See You on the Links –

Gordon Dalgleish
President
e-mail: gordon.dalgleish@golftravel.com