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GOLF TOURS – BOURNEMOUTH |
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There are a number of UK Towns and Cities which are great for Golf Tours – Southport, St Andrews, Deal, Troon, Leeds are just a few to mention and, of course, the same applies to Ireland. A Golf Tour base that will appeal to lots of people is Bournemouth (and Poole) as the town offers a very wide range of accommodation and entertainment, to go with lots of golf.
The region does not possess a ‘Championship’ venue (or two) as per some of those mentioned above so those who want to walk in the footsteps of past Open Champions might have crossed the region off a list of possibles for fear of not being tested ‘properly’ for both golf and green fee price. This really is no reason to not come South as at least one or two of the course we have reviewed are really tough tests of golf and as a mark throughout, the standard of courses was excellent, as high as anywhere else.
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Nick Dougherty – back on track. |
| Nick Dougherty has come to the Marriott Forest of Arden as Youth Ambassador for the Golf Foundation. It’s the Weetabix Age Group Championships for 2003, the culmination of qualification for some stars of the future after regional finals all over the UK and with the Walker Cup just two weeks away, Dougherty is a star from then and a star for now, having ‘saved his card’ with a mid summer 2nd place in Sweden just a few days beforehand. Until those four days success, 2003 was turning into possibly a career changing disaster as Dougherty, Rookie of the Year on the European Tour in 2002, was not competing properly because of illness. |
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Paul Casey – how and why he won the B&H |
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If you think you are good, take another look at what you can do. At the top of his game, Paul Casey plays as well as anyone, Tiger Woods included. He has just walked into the Media Centre having won one of the most famous trophies on the European Tour (which he clutches to his chest with real pride) in some pretty indifferent weather and against one of the strongest fields so far in 2003. |
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JUSTIN ROSE - a week in the life of |
| Its June and it’s the British Masters, the last of four titles that Justin Rose is defending from 2002. It’s the most special one as it was this time last year that Justin’s father Ken saw his son win, the only time in those special four weeks.
For a man whose has life undergone so much public scrutiny, Rose just accepts this very well. The memories are a private part of his life that he allows into the media with dignity and openness. This isn’t another Tournament yet it is, and Rose’s presence is a very important part of a new sponsorship agreement, new promoters, all this going on when everyone is talking about the following week and the US Open – and many top European Stars are ‘acclimatising’ in America.
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Broadstone |
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The Broadstone Golf Club has a reputation. It deserves one.
Few clubs can match the care and the presentation of their course. For our review, it was in excellent condition and where there was further work needed, the club was obviously doing so. The clubhouse works so well to create an impression of somewhere special as you walk out across to the first tee, an opening par five which is much more challenging than its yardage.
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Isle of Purbeck |
| The drive at the 5th at the Isle of Purbeck is the closest (in real terms) to one of those fantasy golf hole calendars you will ever play. You stand looking back at Poole and Bournemouth, and try keeping your ball out of the English Channel (should you possess golf balls that can fly a few miles). On a perfect English Summer’s day, the detail of the landscape in front of you, and to the right, and left (from the nine hole course Swanage is the other perfect vista) appears so close, so touchable, so easy to find. On the other hand, when the weather is more capricious, you could still be trying to find the fairway this time thrashing a driver (or two) to find the green. The views might be more Turneresque on this weather occasion – it would still be a reason why Purbeck has a place on any golfer’s list of places to play. |
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