Gill Hamilton, Newsletter Editor
It’s here! The new golf season lies fresh and newly pressed before us. The clocks
have gone forward, the nights are lighter and the weather’s better (supposedly)
- cue golfers everywhere stampeding out onto the course.
What are the highlights for the months ahead? In terms of Major events,
the ones I’m especially looking forward to are the US Masters, The Open at
Turnberry, the British Masters and the Women’s Open at
Royal Lytham and St Annes. I’ll also be gripped watching the Race
to
Dubai. The spectacular come back of
Tiger Woods at Bay Hill, the current form of Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia all mean that
it’s going to be one exciting year of golf. Did you know you can play most of the
European courses featured with Golfbreaks.com? So make sure you check them out on
our website (play
Oitavos Dunes, host to this month's Portuguese Open, and we’ll
give you some TaylorMade Burner balls).
On a more personal level, the start of the new season gives us golfers the opportunity
to start with a fresh slate; great intentions and willingness to this year lower
that handicap. No doubt most people already have a good idea of what area of their
game they need to work on in 2009, and our office is no exception. A quick poll
has revealed the following results – no surprises that putting and swing are key!
We’ve also put together a list of items that we think every golfer should check
before for the start of the new season. Get all of this in gear and I guarantee
you’ll be in the best possible place to start your quest for golfing perfection!
- Clubs – are you investing in new ones? If not, it’s worth making
sure the grooves on your irons are cleaned out to improve spin on impact
- Grips – make sure you don’t neglect these. If you can swing your
club with less grip pressure, most pros will agree it will help your swing mechanics.
If you don’t want to get a new grip, at least give them a scrub with warm soapy
water
- Golf balls and tees – a no brainer - there’s nothing worse then
getting to the first tee and realising you only have one sleeve of balls and a couple
of tees
- Gloves – if your glove has spent the winter as a hard lump at the
bottom of your golf bag, now is the time to buy a new one
- Spikes– the weather in the UK isn’t always as dry as we golfers
might like, so make sure your spikes are in good enough condition to give you that
extra traction on slippery grass and mud
- Bad weather preparation – make sure your windbreaker, umbrella,
waterproof trousers and thick gloves are in your bag now, rather than 20 mins before
your tee time?!
- Golf insurance – essential for golfers across the UK, not only
to protect your gear against theft, but also since the High Court ruled “Golfers
are liable for shots that cause injury, no matter how slight the risk”
- Tuition – everyone needs a bit of advice every now and then.
- Exercise – if you’re like me then you’ve spent a lot of winter
sitting around. Make sure you get those golf muscles in gear to prevent injury,
especially your core muscles (abs, lower back and hips) as well as your chest and
shoulder muscles to maximise swing.
So there we have it. Follow all of the above and you’ll be set up nicely for the
2009 golf season. All that remains now is to book that golf break and get out on
the course.
France: 4* breaks at 2* prices
Nick Liddle, Product Manager France
Image: Golf Barrière de Deauville
If you’re one of the many people who are avoiding playing the world class golf courses
in France because you think it will be too expensive in the current climate, think
again! As hoteliers and golf course managers want to tempt Golfbreaks.com clients
back across The Channel, they have given us some fantastic special offers at some
of our most popular venues – many of them up to
50% cheaper year on year (some
are even cheaper than in 2007!).
Here are my top savings for 2009 – 4* breaks at 2* prices:
Dolce Frégate 4*, South of France
from £165
2 nights and 2 rounds in April - Save over £160
Grab yourself a bargain last minute flight to Toulon or Marseille and treat yourself to this fabulous golf venue. Plus book before 19th April and receive a FREE room upgrade. Find out more...
Hôtel du Golf International de la Baule 4*, Brittany / Western Loire
from £155
3 nights and 3 rounds in April - Save over £70
With 2 wonderful courses onsite and a top hotel, this break is fantastic value for money and again, just a short drive from the very lively local town of La Baule.
Hôtel du Golf Barrière 4*, Normandy
from £269
3 nights for the price of 2 - Valid ALL YEAR - Save over £90
One of our best selling venues in 2008, this popular hotel is just a short drive from numerous
top courses and the restaurants, bars and casino of Deauville. Find out more...
POL Hôtel 4*, Le Touquet
from £269
3 nights, 3 rounds & Eurotunnel crossing in the high season - Save over £100
This upmarket hotel is right in the Le Touquet town centre and is perfectly located to play the renowned courses in the area and experience the vibrant town life. Find out more...
If you’re looking for a golfing getaway that combines the highest quality accommodation
with total privacy – all for a low price – then self-catering could be for you.
There are many benefits to booking an apartment, townhouse or lodge:
Privacy
- you can share with friends and family with the freedom to come and go as you please.
Plus you won’t have to worry about disturbing other people. Many have patios, balconies
or gardens which are perfect for BBQs and beers over the summer months.
Home
comforts - all self-catering lodges are a home away from home. They
have spacious living areas with big sofas, TV’s and music systems, fully equipped
kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms with all the mod-cons. Some of the De Vere lodges
even have Jacuzzi’s and saunas!
Price - sharing with friends and
family can really keep the costs of a golf break down.
Here are a few of our recommendations:
De Vere now offer a range of lodges at Slaley Hall, Cameron House
and Belton
Woods. Example package: 4 golfers can stay in a 2 bedroom lodge at
Cameron House, Loch Lomond for 3 nights' in June for £189 per person.
This includes 1 round on The Carrick and 15% off all food and beverage.
View more details
St Mellion Golf & Country
Club, Cornwall – a hidden jewel. The Nicklaus Course has just been renovated
and is better than ever. 2 nights' B&B & 2 rounds cost just
£135 per person (based on 4 sharing). Book and travel before 31st May.
View more details
Trevose, Cornwall – a
Golfbreaks.com favourite with a stunning links Championship course. 2 nights' self-
catering and 2 day tickets on the Championship course costs just £155 per person
(based on 4 people). View more
details
Adare Manor Hotel, Golf & Spa,
Adare, Ireland – home to the 2008 Irish Open. The townhouses are extremely luxurious
with every home comfort you would expect, plus you have full use of the hotel leisure
facilities. 2 nights' B&B, 1 dinner and 1 round from £225 per person
(based on 4 sharing). View more
details
Fota Island Golf Club,
Cork, Ireland – a stunning resort that is home to a cracking parkland beauty,
the 5* lodges at Fota Island are a real treat. 2 nights' and 2 rounds with full use
of the hotels’ leisure facilities are from £199 (based on 4 people).
View more details
Click
here to see all our De Vere Lodge offers
Click here to see our
venues in the South West, England
Click here to see our Irish venues
Cameron Ritchie, Product Manager Ireland
Getting the best price on a flight is an essential part of taking a golf break abroad.
So we thought we would share some of our top tips on how to keep the cost of getting
there and back down.
1. Early birds really DO
get the worm! Most of the well known airlines work on an availability model that
tells them how many seats they have sold at any one time. The fewer seats left on
a flight mean higher prices, so the more in advance you book your flight, the more
space on the plane hence better deals.
Here are a few comparisons of return prices on some of the most popular low cost
airlines:
|
|
May
|
[bold: October}
|
|
London Heathrow - Dublin
|
£90
|
£54
|
|
London Stansted - Nice
|
£68
|
£47
|
|
London Stansted - Malaga
|
£139
|
£47
|
|
London Stansted - Faro
|
£202
|
£72
|
2. Avoid the school holidays
and bank holidays, flight prices are always at a premium when travelling in between
the last two weeks of July and the whole of August.
3. Club carriage is always
a bit of a nasty extra as most airlines don’t include it in their price. However
some routes are offering free club carriage from major airports to Faro in May and
October - ask our sales for details. Take advantage of some of the offers were we
have included
FREE club hire – in Ireland
The K Club 5* and
Carton House Hotel
& Golf Club 5* provide new (or very nearly new) sets of TaylorMade clubs.
In the Spain the
Hotel La Manga Principe
Felipe 5* (previously Hyatt Regency) at La Manga is offering
FREE Callaway
clubs. You
might even find using new sticks will knock a few shots off your game!
4.
Book your parking in advance, this can save you as much as 40% on your parking.
5. Lastly, but don’t say
we said so… you might want combine two sets to golf clubs (in pencils bags) in one
big golf travel bag.
Top 10 May Day golf breaks
The first May Day bank holiday is a month away. Beat the crowds and book your golf
break now. With breaks at some of the top golf destinations across the UK for
as
little as £85, treat yourself to a bank holiday to remember.
1.
The Essex Golf & Country Club, Essex
from £85 - 1 in 16 FREE
1 night's dinner, bed & breakfast and 2 rounds of golf - from £85
2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast and 3 rounds of golf - from £135
3.
De Vere Mottram Hall, Cheshire
from £95 - 1 in 16 FREE
1 night's dinner, bed & breakfast and 2 rounds of golf - from £95
2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast and 3 rounds of golf - from £215
4.
De Vere Staverton Park, Northants
from £95 - 1 in 16 FREE
1 night's dinner, bed & breakfast and 2 rounds of golf - from £95
2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast and 3 rounds of golf - from £199
5.
Bournemouth Golf Tour
from £109 - 1 in 8 Stay and Play for FREE
Play Queens Park, Moors Valley and Parkland, Canford Magna
1 night's dinner, bed & breakfast and 2 rounds of golf - from £109
2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast and 3 rounds of golf - from £165
7.
De Vere Wychwood Park, Cheshire
from £115 - 1 in 16 FREE
1 night's dinner, bed & breakfast and 2 rounds of golf - from £115
2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast and 3 rounds of golf - from £185 - Save £10
8.
Blackpool Golf Tour
from £129 - 1 in 8 Stay and Play for FREE
Play Herons Reach, Blackpool North Shore and Knott End
1 night's dinner, bed & breakfast and 2 rounds of golf - from £129
2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast and 3 rounds of golf - from £199