Best of the British Isles DREAM GOLF IN THE LANDS WHERE THE GAME BEGAN
Best of The British Isles
Š Brian Morgan
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Best of The British Isles
Drink it in Trump International in Scotland
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This is your first step to a golfing experience unlike any other
T
HERE can’t be a golfer on earth who hasn’t at some point dreamed of
playing golf in the lands where the game began. Boasting 85% of the world’s links courses many of which have hosted the world’s oldest Major, the Open Championship – the game in Scotland, England & Ireland is steeped in the unique challenge of coastal golf.
Names like St Andrews & Carnoustie, Birkdale & Lytham, Portrush & Ballybunion all roll off the tongue so easily, and although the prospect of arranging a trip to play these venerable layouts can be intimidating, with just a little bit of advance planning you can play every single course on the Open Championship rota. And that’s where we come in. Formed in 1998, we are one of the world’s leading specialist golf tour operators and run our
business on the simple principles of delivering the best choice, value and service. Each year we arrange vacations for more than 200,000 golfers to golf destinations worldwide, 60% of which are in the UK and Ireland. In 2013 we opened up our first North American office in Charleston, South Carolina enabling us to offer our services to US and Canadian golfers. In short, we know our golf and are all passionate about the game – so when it comes to
booking that dream trip, you’re in safe hands. Playing links golf in Britain and Ireland is a golfing experience like no other. And it is an experience you are never going to forget.
Daniel Grave CEO Golfbreaks.com USA
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Scotland Golf Course s 1. Brora 2. Carnoustie 3. Castle Stuart 4. Crail 5. Cruden Bay 6. Dundonald Links 7. Gailes Links 8. Gleneagles 9. Gullane No.1 10. Kingsbarns 11. Loch Lomond
1
21
12. Lundin Links 13. Machrihanish 14. Muirfield 15. Murcar Links
3
16. Nairn
5 24 15 20
16
Inverness
17. North Berwick
Aberdeen
18. Prestwick 19. Renaissance 20. Royal Aberdeen 21. Royal Dornoch 22. Royal Troon 2
23. St Andrews 24. Trump International
8
25. Turnberry
23
Dundee
26. Western Gailes 11
Key
Edinburgh
St AndrewS & eASt LothiAn
7
6
weSt CoASt LinkS
26
GLeneAGLeS & eASt CoASt hiGhLAndS & Aberdeen
10
4
12
19 14 17 9
Glasgow
18
22
13 25
0
Miles
40
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Scotland | St Andrews and East Lothian
i
F you are heading to Scotland then the only place to start your trip is in
St Andrews. As well as the endless history, double greens and hidden pot bunkers of the peerless Old Course, you can use the charming, ancient university town as your base to explore Kingsbarns, Crail and Lundin Links, all of which are within a 15-minute drive and offer near-constant sea views. Lundin is a favourite of Brad Faxon, who once qualified here for a St Andrews Open Championship and fell in love with it. One of the many joys about Scotland is that you are never far away from where you need to be next. Within two hours of leaving St Andrews you will be in East Lothian.
St AndrewS & eASt lothiAn
The cradle of the game and home to countless great links
“North Berwick is Scotland’s most charming links” This may just be the part of the country most densely populated with great golf – travelling east away from the capital, Edinburgh, you can drive for an hour and never be more than a mile away from the nearest course. One of the very best is North Berwick. This is perhaps the most charming seaside course in the country – which is saying something. There are holes here that you will never forget – including one where the green’s chief protection is a stone wall. A few miles away is the golfobsessed village of Gullane, which contains five courses. Gullane No 1 is a joy – with the view from the elevated 7th tee one of the best in golf. This is a quintessential links experience.
historic St Andrews needs no introduction
St Andrews & East Lothian Tour Play at: St Andrews Old Course & Jubilee Course, Kingsbarns, North Berwick West Links, Gullane No.1, Crail Stay at: 2 Nights - Muirfield 5*, 6 Nights - St Andrews 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Edinburgh International. Ask us about booking your flights 8 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $3,425 USD pp
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Scotland | West Coast
A
yrShire can proudly present three Open Championship host courses: Prestwick, royal Troon and Turnberry. Turnberry is undoubtedly the most spectacular and familiar of the trio – with the stunning backdrop of the lighthouse and that rock of ages, Ailsa Craig. But if it comes to number of championships hosted, then there really is no contest. Beginning in 1860, Prestwick hosted the first 11 Opens and 24 in total, with the most recent being in 1925. Famous champions here include Old and young Tom Morris, Willie Park Senior, harry Vardon and James Braid. Troon’s Open-hosting history dates back to 1923 with the ninth and latest instalment set to take place in 2016. Turnberry, meanwhile, is a relative newcomer with the 1977 Duel in the Sun a spectacular debut.
west coast links
Starring Turnberry, Royal Troon and Prestwick
“Beginning in 1860, Prestwick hosted the first 11 Opens” The three courses offer wildly contrasting golfing experiences. Prestwick is the most outrageous – beginning with a unique opening hole that might only require a 7 iron and a wedge yet strikes terror into every golfer’s heart thanks to the Glasgow railway line that is separated from the tee, fairway and green by the width of a modest stone wall. Within a couple of miles are the two famous Gailes courses – Western Gailes and Glasgow Links. Both are top-class seaside courses. A Kyle Phillips design, Dundonald – the sister course of Loch Lomond – completes your incredible west coast odyssey.
true romance all who visit fall in love with turnberry
West Coast Links Tour Play at: Royal Troon, Prestwick, Western Gailes, Gailes Links, Dundonald Links, Turnberry Ailsa & Kintyre Stay at: 5 Nights - Troon 4*, 3 Nights - Trump Turnberry Resort 5* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Glasgow International. Ask us about booking your flights 8 Nights’ B&B, 7 Rounds and car rental
from $3,185 USD pp Enjoy your own tailored golf trip to the British Isles - Call toll free (+1) 844.676.4653
Scotland | Gleneagles & East Coast
P
LAyiNG a ryder Cup venue is a special thrill – and you can visit Gleneagles to experience for yourself this world-famous and world-class country resort in the Perthshire hills. The Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary is the ryder Cup host course but the James Braid-designed King’s and Queen’s layouts certainly do not pale by comparison. The views are amazing, the turf crisp, and the greens true at two of the finest inland courses anywhere in Britain.
gleneagles & east coast
The Ryder Cup venue, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie
“Carnoustie is the ultimate test of a golfer’s skills” you can also stay in incredible style at a hotel that has hosted world leaders at a G8 summit. From there, head east to mighty Carnoustie, universally recognised as the ultimate test of a golfer’s skills. At the course where Tom Watson won the first of his five Claret Jugs in 1975, every par must be earned. An hour to the south in Fife, on the clifftops, are Kingsbarns and Crail. What a contrast they provide: the former is little more than 10 years old and the work by Kyle Phillips – it is a stunning modern take on links golf. it co-hosts the Dunhill Links each year with St Andrews and Carnoustie, an event that attracts the cream of the european Tour as well as celebrities like Samuel L Jackson and Bill Murray. Crail, on the other hand, dates back to the late 19th century and was designed by Old Tom Morris. you will love them both – but for completely different reasons.
Real thing kingsbarns: a modern classic
Gleneagles & East Coast Links Tour Play at: Gleneagles - PGA (Ryder Cup Course), Kings & Queens Courses, Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Crail Stay at: 2 Nights - Gleneagles Hotel 5*, 5 Nights - St Andrews 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Edinburgh International. Ask us about booking your flights 7 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $2,825 USD pp
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Scotland | Highlands & Aberdeen
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F you are prepared to travel halfway around the globe to play golf then an extra 100 miles really should not put you off. The world’s most northerly championship links is waiting for you at Royal Dornoch. Much admired by Tom Watson, this is a course – and town – that you will fall in love with. It offers all that is alluring and pure about links golf: almost constant sea views, charming and occasionally eccentric holes, brilliant green complexes that will leave you scratching your head – and more often than not reaching for the putter rather than a wedge – tight, sandy turf to strike your irons from and a genuinely warm welcome. Just to the north of Dornoch is Brora, a special and evocative James Braid design where sheep roam the fairways.
highlands & aberdeen
Experience remote Royal Dornoch and Trump International
“Much loved by Tom Watson, you will fall for Dornoch” To the south are Scottish Open host Castle Stuart and Nairn, Curtis Cup venue in 2012. Both are stunning and in the heart of Scotland’s whisky trail. Pretty much equidistant from St Andrews and Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, is Aberdeen. Here can be found Trump International, modestly described by the man himself as the greatest course in the world. It’s certainly special, with gigantic dune complexes making for some sensational elevated vistas. The 2011 Walker Cup and Scottish Open venue Royal Aberdeen is close by – as are special Cruden Bay and Murcar Links.
Wow factor dramatic Trump international
Highlands & Aberdeen Tour Play at: Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Nairn, Brora, Royal Aberdeen, Trump International Stay at: 4 Nights - Inverness 4*, 3 Nights - Aberdeen 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Glasgow or Edinburgh International. Ask us about booking your flights 7 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $2,395 USD pp
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Scotland | Championship Tour
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F you could cherry-pick your dream Scottish itinerary then the Old Course at St Andrews and Turnbery’s achingly romantic Ailsa would be at the very top of the list. Add Carnoustie and you have the beast to Turnberry’s beauty. Factor in quirky Prestwick for the birthplace of the Open Championship, golf’s oldest and most august Major. All four are, of course, Open venues and between them they offer something for everyone.
Championship Tour
Play six of Scotland’s most desirable courses in one trip
“Add Carnoustie for the beast to Turnberry’s beauty” Purely as a golf course, if you can separate history and surroundings from the holes themselves, Carnoustie is in a class of its own. The professionals recognise that it is supremely fair and you will not find tighter seaside turf or truer greens anywhere. Complete your experience with a game on either the New or Jubilee courses that run alongside the Old at St Andrews and you pretty much have the ultimate experience. This sensational trip does all of the above, taking you across Scotland to show you exactly what makes the game so special in its historical birthplace. With three nights at each of Fairmont St Andrews and the Trump Turnberry Resort, you will stay in almost as much style as you will find on the golf courses. The biggest surprise may come when you play the New or Jubilee courses. The turf is every bit as crisp as on the Old Course and the locals say they are a better test of your game.
deep blue enjoy sea views at Turnberry
Championship To ur Play at: St Andrews Old Course & New Course, Turnberry Ailsa, Royal Troon, Prestwick, Carnoustie Stay at: 3 Nights - Trump Turnberry Resort 5*, 3 Nights - Fairmont St Andrews 5* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Glasgow or Edinburgh International. Ask us about booking your flights 6 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $3,845 USD pp
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Ireland Gol f Cou r se s 1. Adare Manor
3
22
21 25
2. Ballybunion 3. Ballyliffin 4. Carne 5. Carton House 8
6. Connemara 7. Co Sligo (Rosses Point)
17
Belfast
8. Donegal 9. Dooks
4
10. Doonbeg
12
23
7
11. Druids Glen 12. Enniscrone 13. European, The 14. Island, The 15. K Club, The 16. Lahinch
14
5
6
17. Lough Erne
15
Galway
18. Mount Juliet
24 20
Dublin 11
19. Old Head Links
13
20. Portmarnock Old
16
21. Portstewart
10 18
Shannon
22. Rosapenna 23. Royal County Down
2
24. Royal Dublin
1
26
25. Royal Portrush 26. Tralee
9
27. Waterville 27
Key North West IrelaNd
Kerry Cork
19
south West IrelaNd
0
Miles
70
NortherN IrelaNd & dublIN
Enjoy your own tailored golf trip to the British Isles - Call toll free (+1) 844.676.4653 GB pp 10-11 GB&I | Map, North West Ireland.indd 2
05/09/2014 14:16
Ireland | North West
G
OLf in Ireland is, above all, fun. And if it’s wild, highoctane thrills you are after then the west coast of the Emerald Isle is the only place to be. With dune formations created by Mother Nature, the result of Atlantic Ocean waves thudding into the Irish coastline for centuries, there are holes on the likes of Carne and Enniscrone, in Mayo and Sligo respectively, that simply have to be seen to be believed.
North west irelaNd Wild dunes and lush green fairways
“Dune formations here are the work of Mother Nature” Every hole is a new adventure, and you will find yourself confronted with carries over chasms, blind tee shots and greens in sunken hollows. At Ballyliffin, further north in mountainous Donegal, which is also home to many of the best and secluded beaches in Ireland, there are two links courses – Pat Ruddy’s Glashedy, on a grand scale, and the Old Course, subject to a recent renovation at the hands of Sir Nick faldo. Also in Donegal, which in typically Irish fashion is the northernmost point in the country yet part of Southern Ireland, is Rosapenna. Here also are two fine courses – the Old Tom Morris and the Sandy Hills. The latter is the jewel in the crown and was designed by Ruddy, opening for play in 2003. The dune systems are extraordinary and the holes must be seen to be believed. The craic is legendary in these parts, which means you can enjoy some traditional Irish hospitality – something they happen to be exeptionally good at.
wild rover enniscrone has the wow factor
North West Ireland Tour Play at: Ballyliffin, Carne, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo (Rosses Point), Rosapenna, Connemara Stay at: 7 Nights - Mount Falcon 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Shannon or Galway. Ask us about booking your flights 7 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $2,045 USD pp
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05/09/2014 14:17
Ireland | South West
I
f this is your first trip to Ireland then look no further. A visit to the Emerald Isle’s great south-west seaside courses will provide the golfing holiday you have always dreamed of. The Irish are natural and warm hosts. Take the trouble to visit their land and they will make it a personal mission to ensure it will not be the last time you set foot here. flying into Shannon, it could not be easier. You will be clear of the airport in no time and straight into rural Ireland. Let’s work from north to south and begin with a course touched by two of the greatest names in golf architecture, Old Tom Morris and Dr Alister Mackenzie. Lahinch, in Co Clare, is a theme park of a course, outrageous in some parts and just plain brilliant in others. There is a par 3 here played to a sliver of a green situated between two sandhills.
“Lahinch is in parts outrageous, and brilliant in others” You can’t see it from the tee and the pin position of the day is indicated by a stone on a pulley that moves from side to side. Just down the coast is another of Donald Trump’s recent acquisitions, Doonbeg. The course here was designed by Greg Norman and the twotime Open champion knows a thing or two about links golf. Moving south across the Shannon, your next stop is Ballybunion. Tom Watson played a part in bringing this spectacular links to global attention. The stretch that begins towards the end of the front nine and runs parallel to the ocean stands comparison with anything in world golf.
Double take Incredible Old Head in Co Cork
The best hole is the 11th, with incredible Atlantic views and a fairway that descends in steps to the green. Now we are in famous Co Kerry, and a little further south is Arnold Palmer’s Tralee. It is hard to credit, but the back nine here is even more dramatic than Ballybunion. Don’t worry about your score here – just enjoy the experience and savour the
once-in-a-lifetime challenge. On the scenic Ring of Kerry is Waterville, recently renovated by Tom fazio, where a statue of the late Payne Stewart stands. He was a frequent and much-loved visitor here, while Tiger Woods is another to have warmed up for the Open on what is probably the finest links in the South of Ireland. finally, and more dramatic
than any that have gone before is the Old Head of Kinsale, which clings on to the southern tip of Ireland by little more than a strand of turf. A clifftop course entirely at the mercy of the elements, you frequently play from a cliff edge across the ocean to a distant fairway. If this is the final act of your trip, what a way to conclude your Irish adventure.
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Ireland | South West
sOutH west IrelanD
Simply sensational seaside courses and golf on a grand scale
“The Old Head of Kinsale clings on to the southern tip of Ireland by little more than a strand of turf”
South West Ireland Tour Play at: Old Head Links, Waterville, Tralee, Doonbeg, Lahinch, Ballybunion Stay at: 1 Night - Kinsale 4*, 2 Nights - Doonbeg 5*, 4 Nights - Killarney 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Shannon Ask us about booking your flights 7 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $2,195 USD pp
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Ireland | Northern Ireland & Dublin
A
RGUE all you like about course rankings lists, not too many
good judges will claim that Royal County Down and Royal Portrush are anything other than the best in Ireland. In fact, the former is probably the pick anywhere in the British Isles, a quite remarkable combination of the spectacular and the strategic. Expect blind shots aplenty – all you have to go at are small whitewashed stones to use as targets – and fearsome trademark bunkers with hairy ‘eyebrows’. The real challenge here though is on and around the greens, which are raised, firm and incredibly rapid. Even good players can chip up from one side and either see the ball come back to their feet or roll off the other side of the green.
“Portrush, home of Graeme McDowell, is a driver’s course” The views are incredible – especially on the front nine when you are adjacent to the beach. When you turn back towards the clubhouse, savour one of the great vistas in golf – the Mountains of Mourne that sweep into the sea. As for the spectacular Portrush, on the north Antrim coast, the Irish Opens recently held here were such a success that it will deservedly host the British Open Championship again in 2019. This is the home club of Graeme McDowell, while Darren Clarke has a house in town overlooking the links. It is more of a driver’s course, with the greens flatter and less fearsome than at Royal County Down.
Links heaven Magnificent Royal County Down
Watch out for the infamous par 3 on the back nine, Calamity, where your tee shot must carry 150 yards over a sandy chasm to reach the green beyond. Next door to Portrush is Portstewart, where the front nine is jaw-droppingly spectacular. You will know that from the moment you stand up on the 1st tee and survey the fairway
snaking away below you. The dunes here are on an epic scale and it makes for some unforgettable holes. Belfast, the Northern Irish capital, to Dublin, the Republic’s equivalent, is a drive of just a couple of hours, and in the latter you can tackle classy Portmarnock, and The Island, old and traditional in style.
Walker Cup in 1995, which Phil Mickelson and David Duval played in, as well as being where Arnold Palmer first encountered links golf in the early 1960s. An hour south is a newer links, The European. Created and owned by Pat Ruddy, it has 20 holes and a green that is almost 130 yards long. You can’t fail to have fun here.
Portmarnock hosted the
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Ireland | Northern Ireland & Dublin
NoRtheRN iReLaND & DubLiN
Royal County Down and Portrush are the best in Ireland
“Royal County Down is widely accepted as being the best course in the British Isles”
North East & Dublin Links Tour Play at: Portstewart, Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, The Island, The European, Portmarnock Old Stay at: 3 Nights - Bushmills 4*, 4 Nights - Malahide 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Dublin Ask us about booking your flights 7 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $2,545 USD pp
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England | England’s Golf Coast
B
etween them, the three esteemed Royals of england’s Golf Coast – Birkdale, Liverpool and Lytham & St Annes – have hosted the Open Championship 32 times. the great news for the travelling golfer is that they are little more than a stone’s throw apart from one another – and there are some amazing, if lesser known, links courses, that you can play along the way should time permit. england is very much under-appreciated by travelling golfers, overshadowed by Scotland and Ireland. that’s understandable, but it has so much to offer.
“The courses on England’s Golf Coast just keep coming” Let’s begin with Royal Liverpool, known to the locals as Hoylake, which returned to the Open rota in 2006, when tiger woods eased to his third and most recent Claret Jug here over a burned and baked links, after a near 40-year absence. now it is very much part of the championship again – especially after Rory McIlroy’s famous victory. It is worth visiting just to spend time in the clubhouse – a museum in its own right. to the north is the golfing mecca of Southport, where the principal attraction is Royal Birkdale, commonly regarded as the best course in england. this is a supremely fair links with flat fairways that run through corridors between the dunes and lead to greens that are relatively benign. Standing behind the 18th green is the famous Art Deco clubhouse, designed to
Old master The fine clubhouse at Hoylake
resemble a great ocean liner ploughing through the waves – or dune systems in this case. the furthest north of the Open venues is Lytham, where ernie els added his fourth Major title in 2012 following Adam Scott’s late collapse. Lytham is rich in character and unusually surrounded by red-brick housing and a railway line. the pros love
the challenge it sets because Lytham is bunkered like no other golf course you have seen in terms of both sheer quantity and the punishment they mete out. It poses a rare strategic challenge. the supporting cast is exceptional. Formby was the Curtis Cup host venue in 2004 when Michelle wie and Paula Creamer were in the American
team. It is a classy blend of pine-clad and links holes. Hillside is adjacent to Birkdale and has a back nine once described by Greg norman as the “best in Britain”. High praise indeed. Finally, after all that links golf and pot bunkers, you might be pleased to retreat to the softer, greener surrounds of Formby Hall to round off your trip.
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England | England’s Golf Coast
england’s gOlf cOasT
A trinity of Open Championship venues is waiting to be discovered
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12
Manchester Liverpool
Birmingham
Heathrow
London Gatwick
Southport and England's Golf Coast Tour Play at: Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal Liverpool, Formby Hall, Formby, Hillside, Stay at: 7 Nights Formby Hall Resort 4* Flight Information: Recommended Arrival/Departure Airport - Manchester Ask us about booking your flights 7 Nights’ B&B, 6 Rounds and car rental
from $2,375 USD pp
Enjoy your own tailored golf trip to the British Isles - Call toll free (+1) 844.676.4653
Golf Courses 1. Caldy 2. Fairhaven 3. Formby 4. Formby Hall 5. Hesketh 6. Hillside 7. Royal Birkdale 8. Royal Liverpool 9. Royal Lytham & St Annes 10. Southport & Ainsdale 11. wallasey 12. west Lancs
BEST OF THE BRITISH ISLES
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