For more than a decade, whilst those lucky enough to make it to The Masters were enjoying Augusta, there has been another professional tournament taking place, the Madeira Islands Open. Its only moved last year, 2010, to a new home on Porto Santos, so what is Madeira's oldest golf club and course, its previous home, like?

Have you ever fancied playing golf in the sun but been put off by courses being restricted to club members or only available at the most inconvenient times? Now there is a new championship course that promises golf for everyone, every day of the year:

Golfers who fancy testing their skills on island greens and beautiful lakes this winter don't need to make the long haul trip to Florida but can take a short hop to an undiscovered gem nestling in the north east of Italy.

Golf Son Gual, Mallorca's number one golf destination, continues to rack up the plaudits despite opening only in 2007. The Thomas Himmel-designed course, just more than eight miles from the capital Palma, has been included in the new Rolex World's Top 1,000 Golf Courses guide, published by D'Algue Selection.

European Tour number one Martin Kaymer stopped off at La Manga Club last week to check out the golf courses and to do a spot of caddying.

Not so long ago it would have been impossible to imagine that one would be flying to the Czech Republic to visit Prague and to travel the countryside playing golf. What would be more unbelievable will be the history of some of the fascinating courses that were visited on the trip.

Your home course is a place for you to play, and compete, with your friends. You may not play at the most beautiful golf course but every eighteen (or nine) has its highlights and nuances, as well as its trouble. It's the combination of both the visual (popularist, individual, subtle) and the thoughtfulness of the design that gives you the satisfaction of being good enough - or more often not - to enjoy the experience of even a handful of holes. The better the course, the better the experience.