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Contents and reference guide SPRING LAKE CITY RESORT China www.springcityresort.com Page 4-5
STONEFOREST INTERNATIONAL CLUB China www.golf-kunming.com Page 6-7
SUN VALLEY SANYA RESORT China www.sunvalleygolfresort.com Page 8-9
YALONG BAY GOLF CLUB China www.yalongbaygolfclub.com Page 10-11
ARGENTARIO GOLF RESORT Italy www.argentariogolfresortspa.it Page 12-13
IS AERENAS GOLF Italy www.isarenas.it Page 14-15
MENAGGIO GOLF CLUB Italy www.menaggio.it Page 16-17
PALAZZO ARGAZA GOLF Italy www.palazzoarzaga.com Page 18-19
HAMILTON ISLAND GC Australia Page 20-21
PARADISE PALMS GOLF CLUB Australia www.paradisepalms.com.au Page 22-23
PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB Australia www.peninsulagolf.com.au Page 24-25
NATADOLA BAY GOLF CLUB Fiji www.natadolabay.com Page 26-27
COOL GOLF Andrew Marshall checks out snow golf in Chile Page 28-33
CATALONIA BAVARO RESORT Dominican Republic www.hoteles-catalonia.com Page 36-39
ALMERIMAR RESORT Spain www.almerimar-resort.com Page 40-43
AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB United Arab Emirates www.alhamragolf.com Page 44-47
www.hamiltonislandgolfclub.com.au
Features
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Destination Golf TRAVEL
Destination Golf Media Ltd
184 Charlesland Wood Greystones Co. Wicklow Ireland
destinationgolf@live.com www.destinationgolf.ie ■ PUBLISHER Dermot Synnott ■ EDITOR Karl Doyle ■ CONTRIBUTORS Andrew Marshall Paul Marshall ■ DIRECTOR Vincent Synnott ■ FINANCIAL CONTROLLER Darren Maguire
New year, new travel plans...
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new year is upon us, and with it the chance to arrange your travel plans for 2013. As ever, we’re here to inspire you – whether you plan on packing your bags and making the trip, or if you simply want to gaze at what’s on offer and dream away your lunch break!
First, we head to the delights of China – a country that is witnessing a huge boom in golf terms. We also turn our attentions closer to home in Europe, looking at some of the beautiful courses in Italy. Then it’s off to the Southern Hemisphere and some of the delights on offer in Australia and Fiji. Regular contributor, Andrew Marshall, dons the thermals and reports back on his trip to the Snow Golf Championships in Chile, where the ball is orange and the ‘greens’ are ‘whites’. Our resort features focus on the Dominican Republic and Spain, and the UAE is the location for our golf course feature. Enjoy the trip!
■ CREDIT CONTROLLER Mallory Courell ■ UK OPERATIONS Peter Barnes ■ OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helen Duggan ■ INTERNATIONAL SALES Gianni Attanasio David Cooney Albert Ferrer I Lahoz
FRONT COVER La Parva Ski Resort, Chile
(Photo: Paul Marshall)
Karl Doyle
EDITOR editor@destinationgolf.ie Dermot Synnott
Editorial Director
Andrew Marshall
Golf Travel Writer
Paul Marshall
Golf Travel Photographer
Follow Us!
Facebook: facebook.com/DestinationGolf Twitter: twitter.com/Dest_Golf LinkedIn: ie.linkedin.com/in/dermotsynnott YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/destinationgolf
Volume 1 • Issue 2
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Spring Lake City Resort Yunnan, China
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Stoneforest International Club
Kunming, China
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Sun Valley Sanya Resort
Yalong Bay, China
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Yalong Bay Golf Club Sanya, China
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Argentario Golf Resort
Porto Ercole, Italy
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Is Aerenas Golf Narbolia, Italy
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Menaggio Golf Course Lake Como, Italy
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Palazzo Argaza Golf Course Lake Garda, Italy 18
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Hamilton Island Golf Course
Great Barrier Reef, Australia 20 Destination Golf TRAVEL
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Paradise Palms Country Club Cairns, Australia
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Peninsula Country Club Victoria, Australia
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Natadola Bay Golf Course Natadola Bay, Fiji
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Cool golf... I
Words: Andrew Marshall
Photos: Paul Marshall
N RECENT years, snow golf has become ‘cool’, as evidenced by the increasing number of tournaments and events that take place in areas better suited to snowshoes and skis than golf spikes. One of these is the Chivas Snow Golf Championship, which tees it up each year in the ski resort of La Parva, (located 50kms from Santiago de Chile) and stands at 2,700 metres above sea level. The tournament routinely attracts over 250 competitors from Canada, the Caribbean, South America and Europe. Played on a 9-hole course designed by ex-Danish pro Henrik Bergqvist (a specialist snow golf course builder) and set in a breathtaking backdrop of the Andes mountain range, snow golf is played on fairways which are made of compacted snow, the greens - which are 'whites' - consisting of frozen snow, and the balls used are a fluorescent amber colour. Unlike grass golf, the flags are left in the holes (which are around 30cm in diameter) at all times, as they are frozen in! Players are permitted to re-tee every shot (using a tee or pyramid of snow) apart from the putts on the 'whites.' Cool golf anyone?
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CHILE’S snow-c in extreme golf inner cities and
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covered peaks are perfect for a growing trend f that takes those who dare to the Artic Circle, d desert sands. ANDREW MARSHALL reports.
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From previous page HISTORY OF SNOW GOLF
Ice Golf has its beginnings way back in the 17th century. A painting by the Dutch painter Aert van der Neer (1603-1677) shows players with a club in their hands attempting to get a ball into a hole in the ice covering a frozen canal in Holland. At that time the game was called kolven. Legend has it that Rudyard Kipling was the first person to experiment with snow golf, when, on one winter's day back in 1893, he painted some golf balls red and whacked them around his estate in Vermont. The game has evolved into a sport which now boasts two international tournaments each year – one in St Moritz, Switzerland, and the other in Umanaaq, Greenland. The sport is exactly the same as golf except it is, needless to say, played on snow. On ‘whites,’ an orange ball is more practical than a white one and, depending on local rules, after the tee shot you place the ball either on a tee or a matt for subsequent shots. Putting on ice can be very tricky, but this is somewhat offset by larger holes compared to standard golf.
GOLF VS SNOW GOLF
◆ The greens are ‘white’ and are fashioned from flattened ice. ◆ The ball is fluorescent orange. ◆ The holes are twice the size of a normal golf hole. ◆ Steel-shafted clubs are recommended, because of the low temperatures. ◆ Trolleys are not permitted as they can ruin the course. ◆ The ball may be dropped within 15cm of where it landed, without a penalty. ◆ The ball can also be teed up on a plastic peg or a shaped pyramid of snow
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From previous page TIPS FROM THE PROS
Tip 1: Wear Warm Clothes Snow golf requires warm clothes, which will not restrict your swing. It’s best to go for many layers and ensure that you can rotate your back and torso muscles, bend your knees and properly grip the club. Boots suitable for wearing for prolonged periods in the snow and cold are a must (no golf shoes), and don’t forget your sunglasses and sun block! Tip 2: Higher and Further The ball rolls less on snow-covered fairways, so it’s imperative to play lower clubs than you normally would, and also to hit your shots higher. You do this by allowing the club head to overtake the arc of your hands at the point of impact. The club head angle of inclination increases and the ball flies higher. Tip 3: Better Putting To help with aligning putts, draw a straight line around the centre of the ball. Line up this line with the hole and the line marked on most putters. If the line stays visible on the rolling ball, you have hit the putt well. Tip 4: Bring a Towel The rules in snow golf allow for the ball to be lifted and cleaned prior to each shot and then placed either directly on the snow or on a plastic peg. It is also important to carefully clean any snow off the club head so that the club strikes the ball cleanly.
For more information email
info@chivas.com or see
www.thisisthelife.com www.chivas.com Volume 1 • Issue 2
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R T R E O R ES TU A
Punta Cana Dominican Republic
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Catalonia Bavaro
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Catalonia Bavaro
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Dominican paradise
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he All-Inclusive Catalonia Bávaro Beach Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, brings you the best of the Caribbean.
Adjacent to the famous Bavaro Beach – with its distinctive white sand and turquoise waters – the hotel is surrounded by a tropical paradise of lakes, and coconut and palm plantations. Activities at the resort are plentiful, throughout the day or night. The 18-hole, par 72-course or the 9-hole executive courses are a welcome on-site activity for the golfers, while the live beach entertainment, thrilling Casino and range of bars occupy the night. There is a plethora of themed restaurants, which take your taste-buds on culinary journeys around the world. Taste the delights of the Far East with Teppanyaki cuisine, Mediterranean seafood at the Italian restaurant with its Mediterranean influences, or take on a hearty steak meal in the all-American inspired restaurant.
For more information see www.cataloniapuntacana.com Volume 1 • Issue 2
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Almerimar Resort
Almeria, Spain
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Almerimar Resort
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Accessible luxury
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ur European Hotel feature for this month is the fabulous Hotel Almerimar, situated in the heart of the Costa de Almeria in the South East of Spain, only 1-hour from Almeria Airport. This is one of the warmest areas in Europe, with over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, and an average temperature of 20º C This four-star hotel benefits from a privileged located in the impressive tourist resort of Almerimar – a regular haunt for families and golf groups alike. It’s exceptional Mediterranean location is right on the beachfront, and is a mere 5km from El Ejido town. The majority of the 278 rooms boast exceptional views of the sea or golf course, and a full range of facilities –including 2 outdoor swimming pools, gym, fitness centre, Turkish bath and more – are available. The entertainment programme always proves popular with family holidays. Almerimar Golf is the adjacent golf course. Designed by Ron Kirby and Gary Player, this course integrates wide fairways with natural water and palm tree features, making it a pleasant course in scenic surroundings. For more information see
www.hotelalmerimar.com Volume 1 • Issue 2
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Al Hamra
Ras Al Khaimah United Arab Emirates
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Al Hamra Golf Club
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Golf under the stars
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l Hamra Golf Club is a popular choice for the travelling golfer in the Arabian Gulf. It’s interesting design and strict levels of maintenance provide a truly polished course in a fantastic part of the United Arab Emirates.
The course was designed by Harradine Golf, who are responsible for five courses in the Emirates and over 160 projects worldwide. Originally planned to be built on the salt flats bordering the water edge, some five million cubic meters of sand, combined with expert shaping, have come together to create gentle elevation changes as the terrain moves around the lagoons. The end result is a Championship layout that sprawls out across 7,325 yards from the back tees, but golfers of all levels are catered for with various tee box choices. The unique flood-lit 9-hole course at Al Hamra provides the perfect option for the business person after work, or for the true golf enthusiast who wants to experience golf under the stars. Lastly, the course is also complemented by a full range of facilities such as a Golf Academy, Gym, Pro Shop and restaurant. For more information see
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