Great Golf Magazine Summer 2017

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Great Golf Europe's No.1 golf lifestyle magazine

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LOOKING FOR A GOLF PROPERTY? GREAT GOLF PROPERTY, THE ONLY DEDICATED GOLF PROPERTY WEBSITE www.greatgolfproperty.com

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K A E R B A D YOU NEE

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OUELLNESS GOLF RESORT BAD GRIESBACH

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Great Golf Europe's No.1 golf lifestyle magazine

Great Golf Contents

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FEATURES

14 Great Golf Photographer – Brian Oar 20 Azerbaijan - Dreamland Golf 28 Northern Ireland – Game changer 40 Top 20 European Golf resorts 46 Quellness Golf Resort - A Bavarian deligh 54 Domaine de Crecy – The French connection 66 Bahamas - The Abaco Club LUXURY

36 Reconvilier -

watches in a new era

FOOD, WINE ? SPA

74 Newport Restaurant – Edinburgh 82 Dunnet Bay – Gin Yummy 88 Turnberry Isle - Time to be well PRODUCTS

62 PuttOUT 13 Win a 6-night stay for two at the Sofitel Tamuda Bay Beach and Spa Morocco

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The Art of

Mauritius Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa

The best choice of Golf hotels on the island

PARADIS GOLF COURSE Set on the stunning Le Morne Peninsula the course is home to Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa and Dinarobin Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa. Luxury accommodation, fine dining and one of the islands most scenic locations. Golf on your doorstep does not get much better than this.

MONT CHOISY GOLF COURSE The newest golf course in Mauritius and the only course on the North West coast of the island.

Two Beachcomber hotels, Trou Aux Biches & Canonnier Resorts, both located just 5 minutes away (free shuttles are provided) enjoy reduced green fees and preferred tee-times at this superb new club.

For the best Mauritius Golf holidays Speak to your Travel Agent or call Beachcomber on 01483 445 618

www.beachcombertours.co.uk

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Great Golf

GOLF TRAVEL YOUR JOURNEY STARTS HERE...

30 Eridge Road Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8HR United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1892 544 872 www.greatgolfmagazine.co.uk MANAGING DIRECTOR

elcome one and all to the latest adventures from Great Golf. As always, we have an eclectic mix for you, with some well-known locations and some new and exciting editions to the market.

We make our first major foray into Germany, which thus far has not been high on the radar for British golfers, could this be about to change?

We travel to the Quellness Golf Resort Bad Griesbach in the beautiful region of Bavaria. With ten amazing courses and the biggest golf training facilities in Europe, you may soon wonder why you have not heard of it.

Azerbaijan is on a roll, with such major events as F1 racing now a permanent fixture, it was only a matter of time before top flight golf would appear on the scene. With the addition of the stunning Dreamland Golf Club, Azerbaijan is now taking on the big boys. UAE beware, you have been given notice.

On to Portrush in Northern Ireland, which will soon host the Open.

If you want to know the best places to stay and what to do on and off the course? then you really must read this article.

France will host the Ryder Cup in 2018 at Le National just outside Paris.

Domaine de Crecy Golf Resort which is located nearby boasts the only Arnold Palmer course in France and may be just the place to stay.

Attending the Ryder Cup is a golfer’s dream, but playing a round on a course designed by the great man himself is surely a must.

Our latest Golf Property feature delves into luxury living at the Abaco Club in the Bahamas. You may want to start saving your pennies after reading this.

But it’s not all about places to visit, what about the finer things in life?

We introduce Reconvilier, the only golf watch for the serious golfer. And with further features covering Gin from John O’ Groats and food from Edinburgh, we have all bases covered.

As always, we must state that no journalists were mistreated in the making of this publication, in fact, exactly the opposite.

W

Happy Golfing

Mike Kaas-Stock mike@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk CHAIRMAN

Colin Morrison EDITOR

Nils Bjornes nils@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR

Camilla Kaas-Stock camilla@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk ART DIRECTOR

Ketil Plassgaard ketil@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk ADVERTISING MANAGER

David Singh Tel. 020 8979 9858 david.singh@greatgolfmedia.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Karim Ullah karim@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk CONSULTANT EDITOR

Peter Ellegard peter@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk LUXURY PRODUCTS

Angus Davies angus@escapement.uk.com SENIOR SUB EDITOR

Louise Candy SUB EDITOR

Sophie Morrison CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE

Mark Alexander Clive Agran Dena Roché Andy Hiseman Brian Oar Camilla Kaas-Stock Mike Kaas-Stock Published by IPB Publishing Ltd Company No 6484115 Printed by The Magazine Printing Company www.magprint.co.uk For advertising enquiries please contact: david.singh@greatgolfmedia.com karim@greatgolfmagazine.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without prior written consent of Great Golf Magazine UK

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GREAT GOLF PHOTOGRAPHER; BRIAN OAR

brian@brianoar.com brianoar.com

Quivira - # 6 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Cabo and the southern tip of Baja Peninsula is a hotbed of golf currently. I was very excited to work on Quivira as I had seen a few jawdropping but rough pics of the site.

Cliffside holes and massive sand dunes set right along the ocean made for an unbelievable location for this Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course.

A week of cloudy skies and less than ideal light had me worried, but caught 2 days of perfect skies and excellent light to capture the incredible oceanside holes of Quivira.

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AZERBAIJAN

Land of fire, land of dreams EXOTIC, HISTORIC AND MESMERIC, Andy Hiseman leapt at the chance to visit one of Eastern Europe’s most spectacular cities, Baku, in Azerbaijan and its ambitious new golf resort.

Photo by Andy Hiseman

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M

y destination is Dreamland Golf Club, which opened in autumn 2015, just 20 minutes east of the city of Baku. With luxury housing and shopping facilities, plus an on-site SABIS Sun International school, the multi-faceted upscale community is wrapped around an impressive, tour-length golf course. And I can’t wait to check it out. Before that, though, let’s explore Azerbaijan, the Land of Fire, and its capital city Baku.

Azerbaijan remains a mystery for many westerners. Situated on the furthest tip of Eastern Europe, at the crossroads with Asia and on the western shores of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku is as little as a six-hour flight from the UK direct from London.

Baku is the lowest-lying national capital in the world, at 92ft CITY OF WINDS.

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(28m) below sea level. Although the Azeri people do not habitually learn English – many Azeris have Russian as a second language – Baku’s status as a magnet for western businesses means that you will have no problem finding English-speaking assistance in the city itself – and indeed at the golf resort.

In the summer Baku enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean-like climate, and its nickname ‘City of Winds’ is well deserved, so the heat never feels oppressive. It offers a perfect warm-weather golf holiday, especially compared to intimidatingly hot Middle East destinations.

Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union until gaining independence in 1991, and Baku is home to many giant corporations from the oil and gas industry – which has led to its reputation as something of a party city.

In fact, Lonely Planet puts Baku in the world’s top ten cities

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for urban nightlife, with scores of luxury brand outlets, lively bars, restaurants and nightclubs. It is a truly thrilling crossover city that offers an entertaining mix of Muslim culture and Western decadence.

It is all set against one of the most stunning waterfront backdrops enjoyed by any capital city in the world. The Baku city lights shimmer fashionably on a gracefully curving bay. A host of skyscrapers, many lit spectacularly at night, represent the new uber-luxury lifestyle generated by the petroleum reserves beneath the land.

Azerbaijan is now firmly on the global sporting map: Baku hosted the European Games athletics in 2015, its first F1 Grand Prix in 2016, and it is currently preparing venues for Euro 2020 football. And don’t forget golf; IMG Golf manages Dreamland Golf Club so look for a Tour event of some sort soon.

Baku offers a beautiful golfing climate from April to the end of November, and if you can get there for Grand Prix week (it switches to April in 2018), it is hard to imagine a more exciting golf holiday.

STAY, PLAY, EXPORE. Dreamland Golf will soon be opening its

own refined 42-suite hotel, overlooking Dreamland’s superb driving range and short game area. The club can also offer ‘stay & play’ deals with several of Baku’s leading five-star hotels, including the much-photographed Fairmont Flame Towers (with its spectacular views of the Bay of Baku), the Four Seasons hotel – situated right on the F1 Grand Prix City circuit – and the JW Marriott, which is close to all the nightlife.

The impressive Dreamland complex has 240 villas and 350 apartments, currently on sale to the discerning property investor, 23

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and a shopping mall filled with luxury brand stores will shortly open within the community.

Azerbaijan has plenty to explore and Dreamland can help you with this too. Baku’s historical core is the 12th-century Old City, an important UNESCO World Heritage site, and the resort can organise a fascinating guided tour.

For the more adventurous, try a daytrip to Azerbaijan’s famous mud volcanoes – which, as the name suggests, ooze bubbling mud. And yes, people do bathe in them.

Nor should you miss the incredible Burning Mountain, Yanar Dag, just half an hour from Baku. This natural gas fire blazes continuously on a hillside. See it at night: it is mesmerising. The Land of Fire, indeed.

Dreamland also arranges trips to the Amburan Beach Club, only 30 minutes from the golf club. A magnet for Baku’s sun 24

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worshippers, it is the ideal place to spend a day working on your tan, instead of your golf swing.

As for food, Dreamland offers a varied menu both at its main Lounge & Restaurant and also at Café T at the Academy. The local Azeri cuisine, based on barbequed chicken, lamb and steak, is popular with westerners. In the city we recommend the Mangal Steak House, the exquisite Russian menu at the Mari Vanna Baku, and the world-famous Buddha Bar in the JW Marriott Absheron.

TEE TIME. But what about the golf course at Dreamland? After all,

it’s what you came for. In less than two years Dreamland’s Cynthia Dye-designed golf course has already earned a reputation as one of the finest in Eastern Europe. It is in every way a five-star golfing venue, which this thrilling city deserves. The par-72 course can be stretched to an intimidating 7,478 yards, although you will more

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likely play from the Whites, which at 6,357 yards still offer a good test, especially when you factor in the almost constant Baku breezes.

Although Dreamland was carved out of the flatlands east of the city centre, you’ll rarely hit from a level lie on its fairways. Dye Designs golf course architect Cynthia Dye says this about her creation: “Dreamland Golf Club’s desert-like terrain meant that we were cutting into solid Baku Stone – an element which makes Baku city so enchanting, but highly challenging if you are building a golf course. Nevertheless, I think most golfers are very impressed by the undulating terrain they find at Dreamland now.

Water storage was also important and has been blended in to become a feature on the majority of the golf holes.”

Dreamland’s opening two holes – both par fours – i n t r o d u c e y o u t o D y e’s n i c e l y c r u m p l e d f a i r w a y s , immaculately contour-mown by Scotsman Martin McGavock

and his course management team.

The short par-four 2nd hole has no less than 23 bunkers, and the par five 3rd (the first of Dreamland’s 14 water holes) invites you to edge carefully around one of the resort’s many lakes.

The 4th offers your first par three: it’s a beauty with the green tight beside a lake, guarded by a cluster of bunkers. A picturesque on-course café sits nearby with ice-cold refreshments and hot snacks waiting to fortify you for the bigger challenges ahead.

Hole six is an invitingly short par five, with a testing approach shot over a links-like grassy hill. When the pin is set back-right, you have a blind pitch towards water which is not good for the nerves.

Bravery is the essential 15th club when you’re playing golf here.

After more water on the 7th and 8th, the front nine ends with an epic long par four which dog-legs around a lake to your left.

An enormous bunker travels half the length of the fairway and 25

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the large multi-tiered green, like most at Dreamland, is lightningfast. On the back nine you play closer to Dreamland’s real estate, although you do not feel crowded by the properties.

The 11th, regarded by many as Dreamland’s signature hole, is a flat-out stunning lakeside par three, the classic ‘water hole’, just 144yds (132m) from the White tees. A signature Cynthia Dye bunker sprawls almost the full length of the hole, stopping just short of a green which clings onto the side of the lake, guarded by bunkers either side. Viewed either from the tee or while looking back from the grassy mound behind the green, it is one of the most picturesque golf holes in Eastern Europe.

After the signature hole, you then tackle Dreamland’s signature lake. The 12th is a short par five, playing towards the resort’s impressive clubhouse and adjacent shopping mall, alongside a lake filled with fountains. At night they can be programmed to perform a spectacular water and light show.

Colin Montgomerie formally opened Dreamland Golf Club by striking the first tee shot in front of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on the 13th hole, which heads gently uphill back towards the golf course interior. The 15th is a particularly memorable short par four, with water from tee to green on the left, and the challenging par five 16th marks the start of a strong finish to the course.

The 17th is probably Dreamland’s toughest par three. It tends to play into the prevailing wind and can be a fairway wood to a lakeside green, guarded by a huge, snaking bunker to the left.

The dramatic final hole tempts your tee shot with a generous, undulating fairway, guarded again by water on the right all the way. Your final approach shot is played up to a large clover leafshaped green with dramatic contours, sitting right on the edge of the water.

AND RELAX. From there it’s a short walk to the Academy and

refreshments at one of Dreamland’s well-stocked bars. Here you’ll 26

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find Michael Sweenie, the club’s Head Professional, and his experienced IMG Academy staff waiting to help you work on your game. There’s also a cluster of golf carts waiting to whisk you anywhere on the resort.

To add further golfing variety to your stay, Dreamland can also organise a Stay & Play trip to the impressive and highly luxurious Rixos Quba hotel in the Caucasus Mountains, which is adjacent to the National Azerbaijan Golf Club. The 24-hour trip gives you 18 holes of golf, a night in the Quba hotel, and a drive into the mountains as a refreshing change of scenery.

It’s best to book directly through Dreamland Golf Club. They can organise your accommodation, excursions, your golf equipment and even your golf shoes, should you wish to travel light.

Azerbaijan is definitely still earning its spurs as a global golf destination, but when the golf course and facilities are as good as they are at Dreamland Golf Club, and with a city as memorable as Baku as your base, you will find that a week at Dreamland will simply fly by – and you’ll have a genuinely exotic, one-off golf experience to boast about to your friends at home afterwards.GGM RECOMMENDED ITINERARY – 7 NIGHTS • Flights to / from Baku • Three rounds of golf at Dreamland (six hotel nights) • One round of golf at National Azerbaijan (one hotel night) • Day Trip: Amburan Beach Club • Guided Tour: Old City of Baku • Guided Tour: Mud volcanoes • Guided Tour: Burning Mountain • Baku nightlife & restaurants Call Dreamland Golf Club, +994 (0)12 404 7404, or see www.dreamlandgolfclub.com.

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Game CHANGER

Over the next few years, Northern Ireland is set to undergo remarkable change. Mark Alexander reports on the developments already affecting golf tourism in the province Photo Mark Alexander and Northern Irish Tourism Board

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orthern Ireland may have hit the headlines lately, but another compelling story is bubbling beneath the power brokering and backroom deals. Along the province’s north coast, the talk may be of kingmakers and uneasy alliances, but other significant changes are afoot here in this green isle.

Here you will find packed tour buses transporting visitors along a magical stretch of jaw-dropping scenery with the faint but recognisable whiff of whiskey in the air. This, after all, is the land where Game of Thrones is filmed, and the impact of this hit TV series has been profound.

Since the programme was first aired in 2011, the province has seen a massive boost in tourism, with visitors to the stunning Giant's Causeway reaching almost one million in 2016. In fact, Northern Ireland’s annual tourism figures show that last year the number of overnight trips reached 2.6 million – the highest ever recorded.

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For those living along the North Antrim coast, the change has been marked. After all, not so long ago, booking a trip to Ulster would have been regarded as daring at best. Now, with its troubled past fading from view, the area’s winding country roads groan with holiday traffic rather than militarised Land Rovers.

I should know – 20 years ago I lived on a farm positioned between the seaside towns of Portstewart and Portrush. I had secured my first writing job with the National Trust and had been commissioned to research, write and design a tourist pamphlet for the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which spans a heart-stopping crevasse suspended almost 100ft above the Atlantic Ocean.

Back then, the roads were quiet, most ‘visitors’ came from Ireland and there certainly weren’t any multi-million-pound tourist information centres. Today, there are as many nationalities on site as there are tour guides beating a track along this rustic coastline. And it is genuinely heartening to see it.

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A MEMORABLE ROUND. But for all the buzz surrounding the

undoubted success of Game of Thrones, there is another delight drawing the crowds to Northern Ireland. The first time I played the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club, I experienced one of the most memorable rounds of my life. And it all started on the sixth tee.

Gripping on to a three iron, eyeing up a 185-yard par-three into the wind, I realised this was the apex; this was what golf was all about. My four-ball had just finished one of the most exhilarating holes we had ever played and the camaraderie had reached such a peak that all we could do was smile. That’s what Royal Portrush can do to you.

For as daunting as that shot was, it was a mere trifle compared to what had come before. White Rocks, a 411-yard, downhill par-four, begins with a formidable tee shot to a bunkerless fairway, shaped only by the dunes that sweep towards the cliffedge green. Hitting it in two is something that will live with you forever, so I was told.

While my golfing skills were no match for the devilishness of the Dunluce Links, the twists and turns of this fabulous layout became a splendid setting for the 2012 Irish Open. But even then, moves were afoot to bring an even grander prize to the North Antrim coast.

The course had last hosted the Irish Open in 1947, going one better four years later when it welcomed the jewel of all Majors – the Open Championship. That spectacle will be repeated in 2019, when the Claret Jug will leave mainland Britain once again destined for the Emerald Isle.

Reacting to the R&A’s official statement that the 148th Open will be played at Royal Portrush, Open Champion Darren Clarke said: “This is going to be absolutely huge for Northern Ireland and, indeed, Ireland as a whole. To have the world’s biggest and best golf championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing.”

Rory McIlroy, who lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool in 31

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2014, agreed: “Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue. They are going to add a couple of new holes to the golf course and I think that will be a great addition and make the course even stronger.

I’m really looking forward to it.”

ALTERATIONS. The new holes to which McIlroy refers have been sculpted by the prolific architectural pairing of Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert, who in the official proposals drafted in 2015, clarified the need for the alterations. “If there has been a criticism of the Dunluce Course over the years, it has been that the 17th and 18th holes are slightly weak after such an amazing tour of the

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dunes over the first 16 holes.”

It continues: “This will be addressed by creating two new holes that will continue to improve [Harry] Colt’s finest links. The dunescape which they will occupy is second to none, giving rise to two holes which will be more in-keeping with the other 16 holes on the course.”

The new seventh and eighth holes are now in play and will be tackled by the first band of elite players during the Cathedral Eye Clinic North of Ireland Amateur Championship in July. After walking the new holes, I predict Ireland’s amateurs and the world’s best professionals will be hard pushed to argue with the new look which utilises the dunes so well.

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The course now has a great finish in the form of the old 16th, and additional tweaks around the site have only added to what was already a phenomenal design. Following on from their work at Trump Turnberry, Mackenzie and Ebert have addressed the key issues turning former weaknesses into key assets. Roll on 2019.

NEW VISITORS’ CENTRE. The on-course improvements aren’t the only changes to affect the North Antrim coast. Since my time there, a new visitors’ centre at the Giant’s Causeway has been unveiled as part of an £18.5m investment. The building takes inspiration from the 40,000 hexagonal basalt stones that emerged from the seabed, following intense volcanic and geological activity

60 million years ago. As visitor centres go, it has clearly been designed to impress and is now befitting of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A new £8m, 103-bedroom hotel has also been planned for Portrush in order to meet growing tourism needs. Until then, the Portrush Atlantic Hotel will continue to provide an ideal location right in the town centre, just around the corner from the waterfront restaurants of Ramores and the Neptune & Prawn (both great venues to relax in after a round).

DOUBLE WINNERS. Elsewhere, the small town of Bushmills has

seen its four-star inn go from strength to strength. Bushmills Inn

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has picked up a number of accolades at the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards after being named double winners of both the Hotel of the Year and Customer Service Excellence Awards.

And then there is the town’s famous distillery, which is worldrenowned for its premium whiskey, first made here 400 years ago.

This is the oldest working distillery in Ireland and boy do you know it. The edifying guided tour gives you a potted history of the sprawling Bushmills plant but leaves you in no doubt as to the heritage on show. It finishes in a flurry of tasters in the purpose-built whiskey bar, which for those not driving and partial to a nip, is fitting end to a fine jaunt.

PAMPER TIME. Away from the coast, Galgorm Resort & Spa is

the ideal place to leave the daily pressures of modern life at the door. Set within 163 acres of peaceful parkland and with the River Maine flowing past the hotel, Galgorm succeeds in doing an awful lot of things very well indeed. The food, service, accommodation and surroundings all bring a pleasing smile to your face, while the spa facilities provide a multitude of options when it comes to the laudable pastime of pampering yourself.

A Celtic sauna, a snow cabin and the various pools and hot tubs, all with riverside locations, offer recuperation for tired bodies in need of TLC. But here too changes are afoot; the 122-bedroom hotel which boasts the three AA rosette River Room restaurant is being expanded significantly through a £2 million investment that includes new two-acre spa garden, a two-tier fitness suite, a spa eatery and an extension to one of its other food outlets. The spa garden and fitness suite is due to open in July 2017 [check before going to press as it may have opened].

For those in need of a golfing fix, the resort is the new title sponsor for the Northern Ireland Open – the annual professional tournament that showcases Northern Ireland’s golf offering. It is played at the nearby Galgorm Castle Golf Club, a scenic parkland layout that features generous fairways and inviting green complexes.

Here too the changes are being rung. As well as allowing wild flowers to propagate around teeing areas, creating colourful 34

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themes around the course, the team at Galgorm has been busy building a six-hole pitch-and-putt course and a vast putting green, which is a scaled replica of the famous St Andrews Himalayas attraction.

Easy and fun, this is a great facility to introduce kids, or adults, to golf.

In a neat coincidence that conveniently wraps up this whirlwind tour of the changing face of Northern Ireland, Galgorm’s new facility has been fashioned by the same design team responsible for the changes at Royal Portrush. After so much success on the course through the likes of McIlroy, and Clarke, a start now seems to have been made to deliver a concerted effort to establish Northern Ireland as a bone fide golfing destination. I, for one, wish them all the very best!

GGM GOOD TO KNOW WHERE TO PLAY ROYAL PORTRUSH GOLF CLUB T: +44 (0)28 7082 2311 E: info@royalportrushgolfclub.com W: www.royalportrushgolfclub.com GALGORM CASTLE GOLF CLUB T: +44 (0)28 2564 6161 E: golf@galgormcastle.com W: www.galgormcastle.com WHERE TO STAY PORTRUSH ATLANTIC HOTEL T: +44 (0)28 7082 6100 E: info@portrushatlantic.com W: www.portrushatlantic.com GALGORM RESORT & SPA T: +44 (0)28 2588 1001 E: reservations@galgorm.com W: www.galgorm.com FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT www.tourismni.com

1250 - Roe Park - Golf Advert Irish Open Portrush - A4.pdf

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The only Four Star Golf Resort & Spa at the Heart of the North Coast

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118 Luxury Guest Rooms | 2 Restaurants | 18 Hole Golf Course 12 Treatment Room Spa & Health Club Golf Academy | Resident PGA Professionals 18 Bay Floodlit Driving Range | Meeting & Event Facilities The perfect base for nearby links golf courses Castlerock Golf Club 25mins, 16miles

Portstewart Golf Club 35mins, 20miles

Royal Portrush Golf Club 35mins, 22miles

Ballyliffin Golf Club 60mins, 40miles

+44 (0) 28 7772 2222 | www.RoeParkResort.com

Watches.qxp_St Enodoc 23.08.2017 19.10 Side 1

GREAT WATCHES

PRECISION & INNOVATION

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GREAT WATCHES

S

ociété Horlogère Reconvilier (SHR) was first officially documented in 1905. The acquisition of the “Louis Roskopf & Cie” patents around 1923 created the basis for the fast increasing development and reputation of solid reliable and price competitive watches. Reconvilier became famous later in the 40s as “the people`s watch” and sold many pieces all over the world. During the watch crisis in the 60s the brand disappeared from the market.

In 2006 passionate investors recovered and revitalized the brand –locating it in the Swiss canton of Zug. Since its foundation Reconvilier belongs to the Swiss watch making tradition: Exclusive timepieces of exquisite craftsmanship, absolutely reliable, meticulously designed and sophisticated in terms of technical innovation.

The heart of every Reconvilier timepiece is the finest, intricate, precise and always reliable mechanical Swiss movement.

Technical innovations and selected materials determine the further development of the brand. The Reconvilier HERCULES-line builds the basis of the modern Reconvilier brand.

The model “Classic” is characterized by a contemporary dial architecture, which perfectly fits in the classical watch housing. The “Classic” model is available in stainless steel (polished and satined), white gold and pink gold with various colours for dials (i.e. titanium, black, white,

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charmoix) and indices (i.e. silver, white, gold, blue) – assembled to order or designed by the customer.

The innovative and new-to-the world HERCULES “Golf Master” is a perfect solution for the modern golf player with highest ambition. This watch was developed as a precious, mechanical, robust, water and shock-resistant (special shockabsorber) wristwatch with analogue display for hours, minutes and seconds.

Based on the Reconvilier tradition the “Golf Master” combines mechanical Swiss watch making with a high technology application as innovation for the golf enthusiast: Applied on the golf course measuring precisely the distance to the green using modern GPS-technology.

To realize this unique combination Reconvilier developed a new housing alternative with the “Rotar”- mechanism giving users the opportunity to display two different applications of the “Golf Master”: on one side it shows the exact time in classical, analogue display (mechanical chronometer-automatic calibre) and the other side enables the measurement of the exact distance (in meters or yards) from the golf ball/golf player to the green using GPS data technology linking the watch directly to your smartphone – with one touch on the crown at the same time showing actual time in digital display.

The “Golf Master” is available in titanium (housing) with dials in various colours (white, black, titanium) as well as various straps (leather or rubber).

GGM

Leggplan 2. 2017 100 sider.qxp_Layout 1 22.08.2017 10.40 Side 7

BT57 8XH | + 44(0)28 207 33218 www.bushmills.com | visitors.bushmills@bushmills.com

Top 20 european.qxp_St Enodoc 15.08.2017 15.07 Side 1

GREAT GOLF TOP 20

TOP 20 EUROPEAN GOLF RESORTS

To vote go to www.greatgolfmagazine.co.uk To book a golf holiday to these and many other locations, go to www.greatgolfholidays.net

100 GREATEST

Golf Resorts

2018 Great Golf MAGAZINE

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Top 20 european.qxp_St Enodoc 15.08.2017 15.07 Side 2

TURNBERRY – SCOTLAND

EVIAN RESORT – FRANCE

SHERATON SALOBRE GOLF RESORT & SPA – GRAN CANARIA

CELTIC MANOR RESORT – WALES, UK

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GLENEAGLES – SCOTLAND

VERDURA GOLF & SPA RESORT – SICILY, ITALY

CHATEAU D’AUGERVILLE – FRANCE

OLD COURSE HOTEL GOLF RESORT & SPA – SCOTLAND

GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE

Top 20 european.qxp_St Enodoc 15.08.2017 15.07 Side 4

THRACIAN CLIFFS BEACH & GOLF RESORT – BULGARIA

BEPINE CLIFFS RESORT – ALGARVE PORTUGAL

LA MANGA – SPAIN

BOVEY CASTLE – ENGLAND

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TRUMP DOONBEG – IRELAND

PGA CATALUNYA RESORT – SPAIN

WESTIN RESORT COSTA NAVARINO – GREECE

ARGENTARIO GOLF & SPA RESORT – TUSCANY, ITALY

GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE

Top 20 european.qxp_St Enodoc 15.08.2017 15.07 Side 6

QUELLNESS GOLF RESORT –GERMANY

FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS - SCOTLAND

APHRODITE HILLS RESORT - CYPRUS

ROCKLIFFE HALL – UK

To c h o o s e y o u r T O P FA M E LY F R I E N D LY G O L F L O C AT I O N , g o t o w w w. g r e a t g o l f m a g a z i n e . c o . u k 45

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MUNICH/GERMANY

t h g i l e d n a Bavaria

H ORT BAD GRIESBAC S E R LF O G & S S E N QUELL

Spain or Por tugal. t ul fa de by as w ay where no hen a golf holid Gone are the days w to look at new destinations, to boldly go Golfers are now keen . Bavaria is one such interesting place… re golfer has gone befo

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Maximilian Hotel

Maximilian Hotel

Maximilian Hotel

Uttlau Estate

Uttlau Estate

Penning Estate

A

t slightly shy of one hour and thirty minutes flying time from London, Munich is a short hop from the UK. Clean, safe and full of cultural surprises, there’s a lot here to like. The city, and indeed the region of Bavaria, is a contradiction in terms. Munich is a variable cornucopia of contrasting images. A trendy metropolis of art, technology and all-round innovation, this is also historic Bavaria – land of the Lederhosen, good beer and stunning scenery.

Bordering Austria and the Czech Republic creates a very unique region that has a lot to offer those keen to try something new.

I am, unfortunately, here at the wrong time of year to experience that most famous of Munich events, the Octoberfest.

The world’s largest beer festival is a veritable homage to the 48

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regional beer and can go on for up to 18 days. But at least while I am here, I consider it my duty to make sure that I get to taste some bier, purely for journalistic purposes.

AUTOBAHN EXPRESS. I pick up my hire car and in no time I am

heading east on the Autobahn. The beautiful German countryside glides past as I keep my progress to a steady 180kph. Yes, that does sound a little scary, but to be honest, German autobahns are well made and Germans are well-disciplined, sensible drivers. The idea of driving in the fast lane for no particular reason is anathema to them and a concept that drivers in the UK would do well to adhere to.

It’s a little over an hour’s drive to my destination, Quellness & Golf Resort Bad Griesbach, the sun is shining and my trusted Sat

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Fuerstenhof Hotel

Fuerstenhof Hotel

Fuerstenhof Hotel

Das Ludwig Hotel

Das Ludwig Hotel

Das Ludwig Hotel

Nav is every now and again advising me on my route.

Unfortunately, it’s in German since I forgot to ask the rental company to put it into English (note to myself for future trips).

QUELLINESS GOLF RESORT. This destination (formerly known as Hartl) is not well known in the UK, which is a real shame. It’s an amazing location with five 18-hole courses, three 9-hole and two 6hole courses that also includes one purely for kids. There are six hotels within a radius of max. ten minutes driving and the biggest golf training facility to be found anywhere in Europe. The spa and wellness centres (yes, plural) are second to none, with large spa facilities at the Maximilian, Das Ludwig and Furstenhof Hotels.

Each hotel on the resort has a unique purpose. The Das

Ludwig, for example, is very much geared towards families with a multitude of clubs and activities for children, leaving the parents able to sneak off for a round, a spa treatment or any one of the countless other activities available.

I am booked in the 5-Star Maximilian Hotel, the biggest hotel on the resort, with a total of 205 rooms. After a chat with general manager, Jens Bernitzky, I head up to my room to prepare for the first Bavarian golf foray.

BECKENBAUER-INSPIRED. The Beckenbauer is a European Tour

Course and is the first of three Bernhard Langer creations that I intend to play here at Quellness. Its namesake is the legendary German footballer Franz Beckenbauer, who is a native of Munich.

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Axel Lange Generali Golf Course Lederbach

Audi Golf Course

I have been advised that this is a tricky number with some sneaky surprises in store. Beautiful yet deceptive, it is fully capable of tripping up the unwary or overconfident golfer. The great man himself is often spotted here and, like many ex-footballers who spend time playing golf on retirement, he’s probably of a very high standard.

The course runs over flat fenland and many of the holes are quite tight, with water never far away for the unsuspecting.

Everything starts off easy, but by the second hole you get a taste of what is to come; this is a par-4, with a sharp dogleg right approaching the green. You can cut the corner but beware of the water, there is an awful lot of it.

It’s all about precision, which something that I lack. But the feeling of joy when I do have a good shot is fantastic, they just 50

GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE

tend to be in rather short supply. I soon learn that it’s better to play safe, even on the deceptively simpler holes, as there tends to be a sting in the tail.

The Beckenbauer is a great course that will thrill the better golfer and, depending on your approach, teach the lesser golfer about precision and humility. It seems humility is the order of the day.

FORGIVING FAIRWAYS. The very next day I tee off at the Audi course, which is located next to the Beckenbauer. Another creation of Langer, although quite new edition to the collection, it feels well established and seems as if it has been here for many years. As with the Beckenbauer, the course fits perfectly into the Bavarian meadow landscape.

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Beckenbauer Golf Course

St. Wolfgang Golf Course Uttlau

One thing that I notice very quickly is that the fairways do seem to be that little bit more forgiving. There are obvious hazards that break up the approach to the greens, which in turn force you to play strategically rather than shoot and hope. I particularly like the par-3s on the ninth and 13th holes, both of which are fully manageable but still requiring plenty of precision.

HIGH-TECH TRAINING Later, Bernitzky takes me to see the world-

class Quellness golf training facilities at the GolfodromÂŽ. This is quite an astounding set-up for anyone looking to improve their game and the facilities are impressive.

On offer is just about every form of instruction and guidance imaginable, including a swing analysis and fitting centre, where a

team of specialists use such advanced systems as radar technology to measure club head speed, spin rate, launch angle and carry distance. They are then able to offer the exact clubs to fit each individual golfer perfectly.

The three short nine-hole courses are set up purely for practice and instruction, along with practice bunkers, a pitching and chipping area, and two large putting greens (one is housed indoors for practice during the winter months). To complete this array of golfers’ delights are 210 grass tee-off bays and 109 covered tee-off bays, 23 of which can be heated for winter practice.

BAVARIAN FOOD. That evening I am treated to a feast of delicious food and beer at the Zum Heurigen, a traditional austrian51

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Brunnwies Golf Course

/bavarian restaurant and wine tavern located at the Das Ludwig Hotel. A veritable smorgasbord of hot and cold buffet with heaps of meats, homemade wurst, bread and a selection of salads are on offer, with chefs preparing many of the dishes in front of you.

My hosts for this adventure into Germanic cuisine are Bernitzky, from the Maximillian, and Hans Neumeier who is general manager of the Das Ludwig.

Over a wonderful meal with a selection of good local wines and beers, it’s agreed that Neumeier will join me in the morning for my final day of golf. I hear that he’s quite good, well I hope he’s good at finding golf balls (mine that is!).

BRUNNWIES COURSE. The final day before my return to the UK

and I get to play the third of my chosen Langer creations, the Brunnwies course. Neumeier, I have been told, finds time to play most of the courses regularly and I get the feeling that I am in for a lesson. This could be a case of damage limitation.

Now, I like the two previous courses, but having grown up on the hills of southwest England, I am a sucker for rolling landscapes, which this has by the bucket load. The hills here are often referred to as the Bavarian Tuscany, which should be perfect terrain for a born and bred Somerset boy.

That said, Neumeier proceeds to show me how the course should be played. The second is a lovely shot into a valley, with views out over the hills. It’s not quite a case of breaking into a rendition of The Sound of Music, but not far off.

I seem to be holding my own rather well until we stop after the ninth for some Bavarian beer and food. This turns out to be a very bad move on my part. It all seems unravel after that, and for the next few holes the loudest sound to be heard is me cursing as I send yet another ball careering off into the bushes. Luckily, I manage to get a grip for the final holes and save face. We approach the 18th which has a shot over water to reach the green. By this 52

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time, I am playing as safely as possible and overcompensate. My ball overshoots but at least I am not in the water.

Time to retire to the large and welcoming Bavarian-style clubhouse terrace to rehydrate.

SPECIAL SPA. For those golfers needing a bit of spoiling, or

anyone else for that matter, the Quellness Resort is a spa paradise.

Quelle is the German word for spring, and it’s the resorts natural thermal springs that make this place special, along with the countless treatments that are available. The water bubbles up from between 500 to 1,500 metres below ground and, depending on the depths it has travelled, it arrives at between 30-60°C. Spread between three hotels, the spa facilities are on a level that I have seen nowhere else. Ranging from thermal pools to beauty and spa treatments, all needs are catered for. But my time is short and this spa centre may have to be properly covered in a separate article of its own.

I would have loved a longer stay to discover more of the region, but I leave with a warm feeling and a desire to return. It’s easy to stereotype countries but this region has been full of delightful surprises and when it comes to Bavaria, I can guarantee that you will find a welcoming atmosphere here.

So, why should you visit? Simple: great golf, terrific hospitality, impressive training techniques, tasty food and wine, and let’s not forget that fine Bavarian beer.

GGM GOOD TO KNOW Book your trip to Quellness at www.GreatGolfHoliday.com Daily flights to Munich with EasyJet from many UK airports www.easyjet.com Quellness Golf Resort www.quellness-golf.com Car Hire – most international car rentals companies have offices at Munich Airport

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FRANCE

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I

t’s a bright, warm 6am start for me. I’m up early because I want to be at Domaine de Crecy Hotel and Golf in France by lunchtime. After a 45-minute drive from my house to the Eurotunnel, it’s then about three hours on the road, heading towards Paris, turning east just before hitting the city.

It’s an uneventful journey, which involves listening to the complete Blues Brothers collection and I can’t help but adapt a line from that classic film: “There are 300 kilometres to go, I’ve got a full set of golf clubs are in the back of the car, the sun is shining and I am wearing sunglasses.” I have a feeling I’m going to have a good day.

Domaine de Crécy Hotel and Golf is located near the beautiful

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town of Crécy-La-Chapelle. This is the heart of Brie country, heaven! The hotel dates back to the 17th century and was originally a large, grand farmhouse. Now converted and with 29 elegant rooms, it still has a rustic and authentic French charm. At the centre is a courtyard, which provides a perfect relaxing area, complete with swimming pool and outdoor seating for the restaurant.

I am in the heart of the magnificent French countryside but still only 40 kilometres from Paris and 15 kilometres from Disneyland. The well-known La Vallée Village is also nearby, perfect for those looking to add to their stylish wardrobe. With a lot of activities here to keep kids and partners happy, I could keep

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myself very busy but I am here for the golf… and to visit a very special course.

ARNOLD PALMER COURSE. There are two attached golf courses

here; the nine-hole Montpichet and the stunning 18-hole Vignoly.

And it’s the Vignoly that has my attention, for this is the only Arnold Palmer-designed course in France, and let’s face it, there are only a handful in the whole of Europe. Anyone who is a fan of the great man just has to play here.

Montpichet was also originally designed as an 18-hole course, but the owners decided to let nine holes return to nature and concentrate on maintaining and managing Arnold Palmer’s

impressive creation. So Montpichet is for guests and visitors who want to practice, or who feel that they are not quite up to taking on a Palmer’s masterpiece. For those looking for multiple courses, Fontainebleau and Le Golf National are only a short drive away, so there is plenty here to keep even the diehards happy.

AUTHENTIC FRENCH GETAWAY. I have an apartment to myself with superb views out to the French countryside. The space is divided into a lower living area/bedroom and there is a mezzanine area with a further two beds. The accommodation is great for families and with one of the biggest attractions in Europe (Disneyland Paris) only a short distance away, this is the perfect place to stay.

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A stroll around the grounds really does bring home the feeling of peace and calm. Although only a short distance from the French capital and even less to Charles De Gaulle airport, the only air traffic I see is way off on the horizon. The setting is perfect for anyone looking for that authentic French experience.

TIME TO TEE. Later that afternoon, and after a quick trip to the driving range to remind myself the intricacies of the game, I head out onto Palmer’s Vignoly course. It’s a hot day but I decide to walk the rather than take a cart, I want to experience this course from the ground, plus I have been invited for a meal in the 58

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restaurant later and need to work up a good appetite.

When I play a new course I want to be able to stand on every tee and be impressed by my surroundings. The views and the general lay of the land are very important factors. And I must say, I am not disappointed.

Hole number one sets the tone with a lovely par-4 into a valley.

The fairways are not overly tight but there are plenty of obstacles to keep you on your toes. Just be aware of a line of bunkers on the right that are best avoided, unless you are able to clear them.

So, warmed up, I move on to hole number two, where an abundance of water comes into play. This is a par-5, with a dogleg

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left, the fairway is hugging the lake on the left for most of the way.

Once you get within range of the green, remember that you have water to the left and rear and two bunkers guarding the approach.

At hole number six everything seems to unravel for me. It’s very narrow off the tees, with water to the left and an impenetrable mass of trees to the right. As a lefty with a tendency to slice, it’s the water that is my biggest concern. After strangely losing two to the dark woods, I bow to the inevitable, cut my losses and drop a ball.

I am overheating and so decide to pop into the clubhouse after the 9th and get some refreshments. It’s a hot day out there and I

neglected to bring any water. Plus I am of the opinion that a glass of French beer may improve my game, which has been wilting in the afternoon sun.

Half an hour later I continue and, much to my disappointment, the beer doesn’t seem to have helped in any shape or form. There is nothing that I can blame for my poor show; the greens are perfect and the fairways are reasonably forgiving (if only I could land on them).

The back nine are just as beautiful as the front, with water very much a feature of almost every hole. It’s not every day that you get to play an Arnold Palmer course and, even with my lowly 59

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FRANCE

performance on the sixth hole, I am thoroughly enjoying it.

It seems that taking a beer break was a good idea afterall; I have started the back nine before the latecomers have arrived and after the afternoon players have finished, so I appear to be very much on my own.

The shorter holes are usually more to my liking but I find the par-5s here to be well thought-out and enjoyable to play. They seem to have a lot more substance than many – the 10th being a perfect example, with both a dogleg left and right, and water to found on the left on the first dogleg and on the right nearer the green. The course completes with an excellent slightly uphill par4, and by the time I finish, it is early evening and a cool breeze has brought welcome relief.

FAMILY BUSINESS. Later that evening in the restaurant, I meet

up with brothers Adrien and Pierre-Louis, whose family own and run Domaine de Crécy. They took over the business several years ago and have been working hard to promote both the hotel and the course. Over excellent food they tell me of the family’s plans going forward. As well as the constant work to maintain and improve the course and the hotel, there are other plans to create further attractions and reasons to visit. “We also want to reach out to UK golfers and persuade them to come just that little bit further into northern France,” says Adrien. I must admit, I noticed on my journey here that the amount of UK-registered cars became less and less as you move away from the far north.

This is a shame because British golfers just don’t know what they are missing. It’s such a short distance and the courses really are worthy of our attention.

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CRECY LA CHAPELLE. The next day, before I begin my journey

home, I decide to visit the nearby town of Crécy la Chapelle, known as the Venice of the Brie. The town exudes charm and authenticity, a perfect place to sit at a café on a sunny day and watch the world go by. I make a point of visiting the town’s boulangerie to stock up with croissants and pain au chocolate. I find it’s the perfect bribery to take back to my wife so that she forgives me for going off on yet another golf trip. I know this is Brie country, but the thought of driving back with some ripe cheese sweating away in my car just doesn’t appeal, so I stick with the croissants.

I arrive at the Eurotunnel Calais and in no time at all am back on British soil. A trip by car to France is so simple and there is no excess charge for golf clubs. So my advice is to explore our closest neighbours… France is on our doorstep and if you are up for a drive that is still less than the time you would spend travelling by plane to one of the better-known golf locations, there is a world of possibilities awaiting you.

GGM GOOD TO KNOW You can book your trip to Domaine de Crecy at www.GreatGolfHoliday.com Eurotunnel have trains departing every two hours from Folkestone with a crossing time of 30 minutes. www.eurotunnel.com P&O travel between Dover and Calais with roughly one sailing every hour www.poferries.com Eurostar have trains to Paris every 30 minutes www.eurostar.com Domaine de Crecy website www.domainedecrecy.com W: www.royalpalm-hotels.com/home/royal-palm-marrakech

AUTUMN COLLECTION

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Westminster Arcade, Parliament Street, Harrogate HG1 2RN

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17/09/2016 15:50

PutOn.qxp_St Enodoc 15.08.2017 17.05 Side 1

PRODUCT TEST

d l o oh

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t l l ba

e h t in

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. t e g tar

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PuttOUT

he market is full of weird inventions that promise to improve your game, and I for one, have no intention of going out in freezing weather with some contraption strapped to my arms, legs, or any other extremity. But the PuttOUT is different, I could liken it to a ray of light in a very dark place!

The product duly arrived on my doorstep a few days later, and I opened the box with interest. From the off, it was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into it. This is not something knocked together in a shed, everything about it whispers cool elegance.

THE CONCEPT. Now for the all-important putting test. I must

point out that the logic behind the PuttOUT is to help you improve those short three or four foot putts that we all should make but usually go to pieces over.

The base of the product is a circular flat sculpted white piece of plastic representing the hole. Attached to this is a translucent polycarbonate ramp. The theory is that you aim at the hole and

the ramp will return the ball to you to an equal distance that the ball would have gone past the hole. So, an on-target putt will be returned to you, giving you an idea of how hard you struck the ball. A bad putt however, will not, thus forcing you to make the walk of shame to recover it.

The whole device folds in half and fits perfectly into the pocket of a golf bag, making it a useful tool to use at home, on the practice green, or anywhere else. In the middle of the ramp there’s a hole that can be open or closed. If open, a perfect putt will reward you with the ball sticking in the hole.

After only a few minutes, I must say I was quite enjoying myself.

My putting ability errs on the side of comical, but I soon found myself improving. It stands to reason that repetition is the pathway to perfection, and this simple device makes that possible anywhere.

I discovered quite quickly, that I came to expect to putt the ball, which obviously is confidence building.

Beware though, this product may become addictive. Much to my annoyance, my son insisted on having a go, which meant that I had to wait patiently until he got bored about an hour later.

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PRODUCT TEST

THE STORY BEHIND. The creator of the PuttOUT is the Director

of a Design Company. Well, that explains the packaging and presentation, but what about the reasoning? There is obviously a story behind this. So, one cold January morning I arrive at the offices of the Design company “Therefore” to meet the brains behind the invention, Martin Riddiford.

GGM - So where did the idea for PuttOUT come from?

Martin – “I used to play a lot when I was young, but then I went off to Art Collage, which I found was not overly full of golfers. I ended up really only playing at weekends. Life took over and I became an occasional golfer. I very rarely had a club in my hand and so got stuck at a handicap of 5, which over the years has steadily headed in the wrong direction”.

“Luckily I was still good enough to get into my old school team to take part in the Halford Hewitt Amateur Tournament, a competition with teams from the alumni of 64 public schools. It’s a great event where you often find yourself playing against some serious competition.

At one particular event, I and my playing partner performed extremely well. But for some reason I got left a whole bunch of three and four foot putts. I went on to miss six of them.

“We lost on the last, and this just got to me, I thought how ridiculous it was to lose just because of these short putts. I really wanted to go out and practice, which unfortunately is easier said than done when you are leading a busy life. So, prior to any of these competitions I would practice putting at home, just so that I could get myself into the swing of things. I used to line up two bricks side by side and aim for the middle. Not particularly inspiring, but at least it got me practicing”.

“Being a designer, I just thought that I had to come up with something better than this. My first foray was a box with a hole in the top and a ramp so the ball dropped into the box. It was an improvement, but not really much like putting on a green. The problem about putting on a floor is that you want to actually have the feel for putting at a hole. There was the added disadvantage that nothing returned the ball so you were constantly having to bend down to recover it”.

“A few years later, prior to the Halford Hewitt event, our team decided to spend some time before with the resident golf pro at the club. Just before lunch he set a task, sink 25 three foot putts in a row.

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If we missed any, then we had to start from the beginning again. So, we all set to it, and I must say, I was probably the last one in for lunch. That afternoon we decided to enforce a fine for any missed short putts. The interesting thing was that after the training of the morning, very little money was in the kitty at the end of the afternoon, the drill work had made a difference”. It made me realise just how useful this routine was. It’s so easy to get drawn into practicing ten foot putts, and occasionally you hole one which is great, but it’s the short distance shots that win games.

“The end result was that I became more serious about finding a way to practice. I came up with this idea of the ramp, so the ball comes back to you and you could easily do your 25 putts quite quickly.

Also, a perfect putt rewards you with the ball sticking in the hole on the ramp. A lot of thought went into the design to recreate for example, the effects of a lip out should your aim be off. After building the initial prototype and the usual discussion in the office, the general consensus was, nice product but it won’t sell. But, call it stubbornness, I could see something in this”.

GMM – So is the design something that you really have worked hard on?

Martin – “Absolutely, it has to look good but there is science behind it as well. Portability was important and with its ability to fold you can also take it with you to use on practice greens. For us, we only really figured out that there was a market after sending a prototype to the Golf YouTuber Mark Crossfield. He really liked it and agreed to do a video. That put the product in front or a large market of golfers and things have progressed from there”.

GMM – So what are the plans going forward?

Martin – “Firstly, try to keep up with demand which has already been a challenge, but further improvements would involve a selection of different colours and tweaks to the design”.

GMM - Is there possibly other golf products in the future?

Martin – “We have only scratched the surface, watch this space”. GGM PuttOUT is available at www.greatgolfproshop.com

GreatGolf Add.qxp_Layout 1 15.08.2017 17.45 Side 1

The Key to Great Putting www.greatgolfproshop.com

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BAHAMAS

Get up

AND GO TO

ABACO

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ention you are going to the Bahamas, then stand back and watch the predictable reaction of friends and family as they exhibit an unattractive mix of astonished disbelief and undiluted envy.

The fact that these inoffensive islands, lying just off the southern tip of Florida, have come to be synonymous with selfindulgence, extravagance and high-living is perhaps partly due to the popular perception of them as a tropical tax haven providing a perfect playground for the super-rich and hugely famous.

The advent of the Abaco Club certainly does nothing to alter this image as its unashamed upmarket appeal is to the fabulously wealthy seeking luxurious exclusivity. Peter de Savary, the Club’s founder, knows what the well-heeled want – he has created a string of top-notch boltholes, including Skibo Castle in Scotland.

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THE FORMULA. The strategy he employs is surprisingly simple.

First, find a fabulous site in a spectacular setting well away from the 68

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great unwashed. Then create quality accommodation that combines comfort with something distinctly different. Next, provide a rich array of activities to ensure your guests are always happily occupied and generate a supremely relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Finally, price it beyond the reach of common folk to keep it exceedingly private, gloriously quiet and frightfully exclusive.

De Savary knew what his rich clients wanted and gave it to them with coconuts at the Abaco Club.

US-based Southworth Development owns the property now and has added fabulous new facilities that make the prospects for the club only shine brighter.

What few people know is that the club allows non-members to visit as guests and act like they own the place up to three times.

Three may not be enough.

BONEFISH. Fishing is huge round these parts, as indeed are the fish. Super shy bonefish lurk nervously in the shallow mangrove flats of Abaco. You catch them – or not, as in my case – with a fly

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and the thrill when you hook one is tremendous, apparently.

Out to sea there are loads of exotic fish with equally exotic names such as grouper, wahoo, snapper, triggerfish and yellowtail.

Dolphin, too, are caught but not the friendly variety that squeak and leap through hoops. These dolphins are what you might call ‘regular’ fish.

Outside the barrier reef in the Atlantic proper, even bigger game awaits. Sport-fishermen from around the world descend on these deeper waters in search of mahi mahi (so good they named it twice!), blue marlin, sailfish and tuna. Boats with impressive arrays of outriggers and fridges full of beer go in pursuit of these big ‘uns.

GOOD GOLF. Although extremely popular, fishing isn’t the number one activity at the Abaco Club. Nor is walking the gorgeous twomile stretch of sandy beach, playing tennis, snorkelling, kayaking, sailing or relaxing at the spa. All are important ingredients in the overall mix, but the key component is clearly golf and a large chunk

of the sizeable investment sunk into this previously undiscovered corner of the charming island of Great Abaco went into the creation of an outstanding course.

Reserved for the handful of wealthy members lucky enough to own property here and a sprinkling of guests, the glorious course is absurdly uncrowded. There are no tee-times and you are more likely to record an albatross than be held up or pressed from behind.

Purists might quibble at the novel description of it as ‘Scottishstyle tropical links’ as you will never for a moment mistakenly imagine you are nearer the River Clyde than the Caribbean.

However, by the time you have sunk your last putt, instead of assuming the description originates in a malt whisky or rum cocktail, you will understand what lies behind it.

DAZZLING BEACH. The first four holes run parallel to the dazzling white sands and turquoise water of Winding Bay. Cute one-bedroom cabanas in pretty pastel shades (more of which later) initially obscure your view of the sea. Be patient, for the wait is 69

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well worthwhile. All is revealed when you reach the fourth green, but let your eyes adjust to the stunning spectacle of the dazzling sandy beach before attempting a putt.

Classic links courses traditionally follow a nine out, nine back pattern and Donald Steele’s design does its best to adhere to this historic template. However, to accommodate a mini-loop of four holes that provides a final flourish, it has been abbreviated here to seven out and seven back with the holes running east to west along a narrow neck of land stretching between Winding Bay and Yellow Wood Creek.

Although the terrain is essentially fairly flat, the wind has sculpted genuine dunes and the consequent mounds, bumps, ridges and hollows help create a true ‘linksy’ feel.

MANICURED FAIRWAYS. The bunkers, too, appear natural.

Generously proportioned and full of sugary white sand, they threaten both tee-shots and approaches and oblige you to plot your way carefully.

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Invariably raised, frequently tiered and full of subtle borrows, the greens are both decidedly tricky and a credible re-creation of what you might find stretched along the Fife coast. Dangerous little run-off hollows that suck balls down into them faster than a disappearing piña colada on a hot afternoon lurk alongside the greens with more menace than a basking shark.

The manicured fairways are generous and sympathetically contoured to encourage the ball back into the middle. However, stray too far off-line and the slopes work the other way and roll you into the colourful but inhospitable brush that skirts most holes.

PANORAMA. The only point at which you might regret eschewing a buggy in favour of walking this gentle course is when you leave the 14th green and begin a steep ascent to the 15th tee.

However, the weariness will soon be forgotten when you take in the glorious panorama that awaits you. What makes both the course and the resort unique in the area is the significant elevation provided by the rocky bluff that resembles a gnarled old finger

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sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean. The views from the final four holes are simply spectacular.

The best, however, is undoubtedly saved until last as the 18th is one of those majestic holes that make you glad that, despite all its frustrations, you took up golf. A sweeping par-five that runs along the cliff top with glorious vistas over the sea on both sides, it is undoubtedly one of the world’s most memorable finishing holes.

PERFECT PLACE TO RELAX. As you sip a well-earned rum cocktail on a balcony or terrace afterwards, reflect on your round, reassess your life and contemplate the future, you may well reach the conclusion that you’ve had enough of the 7.48 from Bagshot, filthy British winters, in particular, and suffering in general.

The Abaco Club on Winding Bay is simply the perfect place to relax and have fun. Anything further removed from the hassle and aggravation of everyday life is hard to imagine.

After the second cocktail, you may well have decided to investigate further the possibility of purchasing your own little

piece of paradise – thereby facilitating more frequent visits to this truly heavenly place.

PRETTY PROPERTY. Up on the bluff, by the edge of the ocean and fringing the fairways is a range of property to appeal to everyone from the simply rich to the exceedingly rich. The most affordable are the cute cabanas nestled amidst the lush tropical foliage alongside the opening fairway.

As well as having the enormous advantage of being just a short stroll from both the first tee and the beach, these pretty, octagonal, one-bedroom homes are cosy, comfortable and surprisingly luxurious. And their large verandas provide the perfect place to watch struggling golfers hack through the vegetation. As with all the homes, owners may, if they wish, put their cabana into the club-managed rental programme and earn an income from their investment.

Moving up the luxury scale we come next to what are curiously called cottages. If ‘cottage’ conjures images in your mind’s eye of 71

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squat, slightly cramped dwellings replace them with impressive and incredibly comfortable, two-storey houses with two, three or four bedrooms, loads of space (2,200 to 3,000 square feet), luxurious fittings, and expansive decks and terraces. Built in the Bahamian style, the cottages are on the Upper Ridge close to the spa, fitness centre and Cliff House restaurant. With spectacular elevated views over the island and out to sea, they are in great demand.

CREATE YOUR DREAM HOME. If you want to create your own

unique, tropical, dream home then it’s hard to imagine a more perfect place to do it. However, tough choices will have to be made. For example, do you want 200 feet of beach frontage or would you rather run half the length of a fairway next to the golf course? I warned you it wouldn’t be easy.

Most of the available lots are over an acre and so there’s plenty of room to express yourself and indulge your wildest fantasies.

Some small consolation for those of us lacking the wherewithal to go down this appealing path can at least be had by just wandering around the 453 acres of the Abaco Club at Winding Bay, admiring the magnificence of these spectacular homes and resolving to work harder so that one day we might own one. Wake up, Clive!

Even if, despite your very best endeavours, you never acquire an eight-bedroom, beachside mansion with its own pool and several Jacuzzis, the miracle is you can at least visit the Abaco Club 72

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at Winding Bay and glimpse the billionaire lifestyle. That on its own is a real pleasure and priviledge.

GGM GOOD TO KNOW You can choose your preferred accommodation type and start planning your visit to The Abaco Club at www.theabacoclub.com.

Abaco’s Marsh Harbour International Airport (MHH) is easily reachable via flights offered by several airlines, and the club also has a special relationship with JetSmarter for anyone who’d like to fly to the club by either shared or chartered private jet.

American Airlines flies to Abaco from Miami and Nassau. www.aa.com Delta Airlines flies to Abaco from Atlanta. www.delta.com Silver Airways flies to Abaco from Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville www.silverairways.com Bahamas Air flies to Abaco from Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Miami and Nassau. www.bahamasair.com Tropic-Ocean Airways flies to Abaco from a private Ft. Lauderdale terminal. www.flytropic.com For private jet flights via JetSmarter (chartered or shared), contact Kristi Hull at The Abaco Club: khull@theabacoclub.com You can also travel to Abaco from Nassau via ferry (a 13-hour overnight “red-eye” trip but an incredibly beautiful one) www.bahamasferries.com

TROPICAL ESCAPES · BEACH · GOLF · FISHING · DINING · SPA

THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE FOR MODERN-DAY LIFE. The Abaco Club isn’t a resort. It’s a private sporting club in The Bahamas. But you are welcome to visit as a guest and enjoy our luxurious island accommodations, Scottish-style links golf course, powder-soft beach, spa, world-class flats and deep-sea fishing, and more. The Abaco Club has everything you need to leave the world behind.

www.TheAbacoClub.com

To book your visit, or for more information on The Abaco Club, contact our Club Concierge at 242-367-0077, or email info@TheAbacoClub.com.

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NEWPORT RESTAURANT, EDINBURGH

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stroke MASTER

Photo Mark Alexander

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NEWPORT RESTAURANT, EDINBURGH

G

olf has an uncanny knack of throwing different worlds together and having them land perfectly in unison. Like a juggler’s finale, golf ’s unifying power brings together travel and sport effortlessly.

It offers a conduit between business and pleasure, and when the very best of gastronomy forges with the best of golf, there is a kind of synchronicity that defies logic or reason.

Jamie Scott, chef and owner of The Newport restaurant, embodies that intersection between the challenge of the links and

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the heat of the kitchen. “I try to get out once a week,” he admits.

“Playing golf used to be very competitive and stressful for me, but now I go out and relax. It’s four hours of fresh air.”

The 28-year-old gastronomic guru loves his golf. A member at Letham Grange near Arbroath, he has a handicap of 2.4 and has played more than 480 courses, including every links along the east coast of Scotland. To top it off, his mum is head chef at the Castle Course just outside St Andrews. “It’s my favourite course in Scotland,” he says. “It’s beautiful. I’ve played it the last four years

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straight and I’ve noticed it improving every year. I’ve played it on a beautiful sunny day and in a 40-knot wind. That was one of the hardest rounds of golf I have ever played.”

PROFESSIONAL WINNER. Make no mistake, Scott is a bonifide golf nut, but that’s not why you might recognise him or be inclined to visit his dapper restaurant in the north of Fife. Scott seeped into the public consciousness when he won MasterChef the Professionals in 2014. The hunt for young chefs who have what it

takes to make it in the culinary world is a well-established perennial favourite, and a couple of years ago Scott came out on top.

After seven weeks of cooking and culinary challenges, Scott became the eighth champion after being crowned winner by double Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing, chef Monica Galetti and MasterChef ’s seasoned diner Gregg Wallace.

At the time, Wareing described Scott as “a fantastic chef that has a personality and a big, big heart. That goes a long way in food and this is reflected in his plates – you can see it. We’ve found 77

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one of the future chefs of the country.”

Since his coronation, Scott has realised his goal of opening his own boutique eatery which has been tailored to his specific vision of what a good restaurant should be. But as Scott explains, winning MasterChef may have hastened his assent, but it didn’t change his life.

“No. I would have had a restaurant like this no matter what,” he says firmly. “I have the belief and the ability. Has it sped up the process and given me a profile and recognition? Yes. It gave 78

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me a confidence boost to what I could actually do. It’s OK being told by your wife, your mum, your dad and your best friend that you’re good, but it’s not until you get that peer recognition that you feel that you are actually good. That really helped me.”

In 2014, Scott was working at Rocca St Andrews, the muchapplauded restaurant at the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel and one of only 25 restaurants in Scotland with three AA Rosettes. As Scott explains, the Rocca family were instrumental in marking his path to MasterChef glory. “The previous head chef at Rocca had

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been asked to do MasterChef but he suggested I would be good for it,” he notes. “I was the sous chef at that time, so the owners applied for me but missed the deadline by a day.”

He watched the closing rounds of the 2013 competition with interest, never considering he would be put through his culinary paces in 12 months’ time. Next year, the Roccas reapplied and following two telephone interviews and face-to-face meeting in Edinburgh, he was in.

“It was a big process,” says Scott. “During a couple of rounds,

the pressure got to me, especially during the chefs’ table and the critics’ round which was really intense. However, generally I felt quite comfortable.”

Flying down to London to film MasterChef and then flying back to Edinburgh to do his shifts at Rocca meant it was a busy summer in St Andrews. But it was worth it. His triumph had an immediate effect with additional staff, new kit and his MasterChef menu on the tables at Rocca. “It was like returning to a new kitchen,” he says.

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NEWPORT RESTAURANT, EDINBURGH

POP-UP RESTAURANTS AND FESTIVALS. Scott had been at

Rocca for nearly four years, starting as a junior sous chef. Before that he had held numerous positions at various restaurants and bars, and perhaps more importantly came from a family immersed in hospitality. His parents purchased their own pub when he was 14 years old, with his mum Winnie being his biggest inspiration.

It was an upbringing surrounded by prepping for service and last orders, and it paid off handsomely. Within two and half years of being at Roccas, he had been made head chef.

“A lot of work went into it,” he says. “A lot of 100 hundred hour weeks. A lot of friends lost. That’s what our careers are. The real friends are still friends now. But those four years were the hardest of my life.”

He continues: “It was the grind. I did seven days for three and half months and six days for eight and a half months just because we were short-staffed. There was a lot of staff coming in and out – they just weren’t up to the standard we were looking for. It was hard.”

He has shown just as much commitment to his own restaurant, The Newport, which is perched on the southern banks of the river Tay. “It was always my intention to open my first restaurant in the Fife and Dundee area. This is where I grew up and drew all my inspiration from. The Newport gives me everything I wanted in my first venture.”

EXCEPTIONAL FOOD. And what a venture it is. While some MasterChef winners have been content to open conventional 40cover restaurants, Scott wasn’t one of them. The Newport is a creative space that has been moulded by Scott and his wife Kelly to accommodate and showcase their many talents. The restaurant itself is fitted with bespoke furniture, cutlery and crockery. Every detail has been considered. Every angle covered.

There is a warm welcome from the staff and the views across the Firth of Tay are nothing short of spell-binding. The main restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows that accentuate the vista and provide a remarkable frame through which to enjoy the flowing waters of Scotland’s longest river. Upstairs is a smaller, 80

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more intimate dining room, next to which is a private tasting facility and a classroom. There is also a bar and art gallery configured within the deceptively large building, as well as four bespoke bedrooms, making The Newport a perfect foodie destination.

But a clever layout and breath-taking views do not make an exceptional restaurant. What counts beyond all else is the food, and with dishes like St Monans crab draped in avocado, apple and sea herbs, and Isle of Mull scallops served with green strawberries, mirin (a rice wine) and fennel, The Newport does not disappoint.

The food is simply exquisite.

Scott cooks cerebral food that delights your taste buds and engages your palette. His presentation is carefully thought out and all the ingredients can be traced to local producers. It is pretty on the plate, but better in the mouth.

Marcus Wareing was right. Scott will surely become one the UK’s leading chefs with his devotion to experimentation and unswerving commitment to hard work. On his way there, he will however happily acknowledge the golfing clientele that have helped him build his understanding of the restaurant trade.

“During peak season at Rocca, 75 per cent of our customers were golfers,” he recalls. “It was a nice mix of people. They had come to play golf so not all of them were foodies, but they appreciated the food from the local area. Knowing that the beef came from Anstruther or the fish was sourced from Pittenweem was important. They appreciated that.”

He continues: “We get a few golfers at The Newport. We’ve had a lot of interest from golf parties from Perthshire and Aberdeen who want to come down, especially now we have the tasting room upstairs. We’ve got four golfing parties booked in who are having whisky and gin dinners. Ultimately, we want a business that produces really good food, has very good service and happy staff.”

Judging from the eight-course tasting menu I was lucky enough to enjoy, Scott is well on the way to achieving just that.

GGM The Newport: http://thenewportrestaurant.co.uk/

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THE MERCEDES-BENZ STYLE EDITION GARIA GOLF CAR

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Double-wishbone suspension. Leather sport seats. A carbon fiber dashboard. If these sound like features you would find in a car, you’re not far off. That’s because at Garia, our golf cars are just that. Golf cars.

With a history marked with partners such as the German premium tuning company Mansory and golf professional Bubba Watson, we only work with the best. That’s why when Mercedes-Benz Style approached us to create a new kind of golfing vehicle, it was a perfect match.

Guided by our design philosophy of high quality materials and revolutionary design, we bring you “a real sports car”.

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N I G YUMMY 82

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ortune favours the brave, so they say while no doubt pulling the safety blanket of hindsight reassuringly around themselves. Wrapped in its snug embrace, it is easy to identify success and then rashly assign reason to it. However, for those willing to act upon their own inner drive and cast aside any reservations, there is more to success than a catchy refrain.

Take Martin and Claire Murray and their remarkable journey from fanciful ideal to producing award-winning gin from the most northern distillery on mainland Britain, all in just three years. Since opening the Dunnet Bay Distillery in 2014, the couple have seen their fledgling business grow at a remarkable rate bolstered by the nationwide surge in gin consumption. The Wine and Spirits Trade Association estimates that UK exports alone will hit £500 million before the end of 2017.

When I visited their production plant along a stunning bay near Thurso, it became clear that the Murrays were caught up in the gathering pace of the business they had created. Engineers had arrived to fit solar panels to the roof and the groundwork had just been laid for a new, dedicated visitor centre to be opened later in the year. The bottling plant, where a four-strong team were handfinishing each unit, was at full tilt and the first batch of gin for a mainstream supermarket was being prepared for departure. It was exciting and frenetic all at the same time.

“I used to say I was a distiller but we’ve grown so much that I have to say I am a director,” says Martin Murray. “We were at a meeting recently with the local enterprise agency who said we had enough people working for us that I should be a director. I still regard myself as an engineer, so my job title has changed quite a bit.”

Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka. A move into the high street could, therefore, mark an important shift in the company’s development. That’s not to say it has been a slow start for the high-school sweethearts. Far from it.

After 10 years in the oil and gas sector, Murray opted to pursue his passion for brewing, trading shuttle flights to the rigs for recipe books and botanics. It was a leap of faith that had huge implications for his growing family.

“When we developed our business plan,” he explains, “we saw ourselves in this building for three years and I would continue to work in oil and gas, and eventually, if we got lucky, we would sell enough so I would quit my job and come home to do this fulltime. It turns out that after three months, I could have quit my job, but I had made a commitment to BP and left when my contract ended. That was after six months - two and half years ahead of schedule.”

He continues: “I left in February two years ago. Back then, oil was still good so I had plenty of back-up plans. When I left, we had three months of money in the business, so I knew we were OK for that amount of time. If it didn’t work out, I would go back to oil and gas. But in May, the oil price crashed and there was no back-up plan.”

Murray’s meticulous mind had calculated the risk and factored in safety measures to counter any uncertainty should the ambitious plans to launch a micro brewery fizzle out. The flailing fortunes of the oil industry, however, was an added dynamic that could have easily ended it all. Instead, it galvanized the husbandand-wife team to make the venture work. “It was good for us because it meant we had to focus everything on developing the business so we could provide for our family,” he explains.

MOVING UP. Until now, only high-end and specialist retailers, such as Fortnum & Mason and Harvey Nichols, have stocked the

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. Their efforts and Martin’s passion for

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creating hand-crafted Scottish gin resulted in a barn-storming

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launch recognised through multiple industry awards and, more importantly, sales. “We sold our first year’s planned production in the first three months,” he confirms. “We thought it would slow down during January, February and March but it just kept going.

By the end of each week, we were out of gin. We always tried to create stock by increasing production and hiring people but we still haven’t managed to hold on to stock by Friday.”

He continues: “We weren’t supposed to build an extension until year five and the visitor centre until year 10. We built the extension after 18 months and we are building the visitor centre after three years. People seem to like what we do.”

Murray has successfully mastered the art of the understatement.

It comes naturally to him. In fact, his modest demeanour and welcoming nature are hardly those of a hard-nosed businessman, and yet Dunnet Bay Distillers is a runaway success helped in no small way by a seemingly unquenchable market for gin.

It would be easy to lay the Murrays’ achievement at the feet of fortune, but that would ignore the unique combination of skills each one brings to the business and the relentless balancing act the pair perform between family and work (they have three children and a new puppy).

And while they were certainly fortunate to enter a market just ahead of a boom, they have developed a specialist, hand-made product that resonates with a voracious public eager to seek out provenance and quality.

As ever, Murray takes a self-effacing stance to explaining Dunnet Bay’s rise. “We were the second or third distillery to do craft gin in Scotland, so we were right there at the start and that helped us a lot,” he says. “The design of the bottle is very eye-catching and I developed the recipe. People seem to like the same style of gin that we like.”

TASTER SESSION. The gin itself is one to savour with a

distinctive and intricate flavour. “We have some really interesting ingredients that other gins don’t include,” he explains. “So, the challenge was to make a gin that we both liked that was better than anything we had on our shelf. The challenge was to make something we would still drink after six or eight weeks.

We tried different recipes and found we would love them for that first weekend and then by the third weekend, we thought it was OK and then by the fourth we would be back to one of our 86

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tried and trusted varieties. We wanted to create our go-to gin, and it took us a long time.”

With 18 ingredients including sea buckthorn, red rowan and juniper berries as well as a handful of seeds, spices and other plant substances which create a host of subtle flavours, the original Rock Rose gin is the ideal base from which to draw out the subtleties of the botanics through special garnishes and tonics. The result can be a refreshing G&T or an evocative cocktail full of charisma. And if you are still in doubt, Murray suggests simply adding water to create a tastetest comparison with your old favourite. “It has to be about 50:50 and it has to be room-temperature water because you don’t want to suppress the flavours,” he advises.

Looking further ahead, Murray is happy to do his very best to keep up with demand, delivering his gin and vodka in distinctive stone-printed bottles that are sealed on site allowing the production team to hand-wax and hand-number each carafe. The distillery is surrounded by well-kept gardens which also enables the team to produce small runs, or garden editions, that will entice people into the new visitor centre.

With three distributors on-board and a new contract with a high-street supermarket, Murray is on the lookout for new staff, while remaining characteristically grounded. “At the end of the day, I am still a pessimistic highlander, so we always think the bubble is going to burst at some point, but our sales have never dropped off. In the last two and a half years, every temporary staff we’ve taken on has ended up staying because we’ve not seen a seasonal dip. Once you’re through the door here, you generally stay. We’ve got to make hay while the sun shines, so as long as there is demand we’ll keep making gin.”

GGM GOOD TO KNOW Martin & Claire Murray Dunnet Bay Distillery Dunnet Thurso Caithness KW14 8XD T: +44 (0) 1847 851 287 E: info@dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk W: www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk

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TURNBERRY

Time to be well

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IN THE PAST

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ant some fantastic golf and a bit of pampering? No problem, just jump the pond to Turnberry Isle, Miami. It’s home to arguably the best courses in South Florida and a nearly £2 million new spa, offering complete wellness immersion.

Located north of the city, Turnberry offers 122 tropical hectares for guests to enjoy a golf and wellness retreat in a Mediterraneanstyle setting. The Autograph Collection hotel is celebrating 50 years of being one of the area’s top resorts and favourite celebrity haunt, attracting sports stars like Muhammad Ali and Arnold Palmer, artists like Andy Warhol and even world leaders like President Bill 90

GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE

Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair. And this past May, I joined the ranks of those who have stayed at the iconic property.

There are nearly 400 rooms and 27 suites. I selected a deluxe king golf room with a balcony overlooking the courses and 65 sq. metres of living space. The rooms were renovated in 2015 with modern furniture and a neutral colour palette, and feature Frette linens as well as Molton Brown amenities.

CHAMPIONSHIP COURSES. Golf has always been the standout

feature at Turnberry and I meet with Augie Natale, who calls himself the Maître D’ of Golf to explore the two championship courses on property; the Soffer and Miller.

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In the mid 2000s, Raymond Floyd gave both courses, originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, a ÂŁ35 million renovation and redesign. In 2012, Turnberry was named Golf Resort of the Year by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators and holds a 4.5 star rating from Golf Digest. It has hosted both PGA and LPGA tour stops. Like the hotel itself, the golf club attracts high profile members like Michael Jordan, Martina Navratilova and James Caan.

Golf carts are equipped with GPS with hole diagrams and accurate measurements from tee to pin. The facility includes a golf academy, two driving ranges, two putting areas and a chipping area. And thanks to a partnership with Ship Sticks you

can send your own clubs or rent Callaway XR clubs.

Both courses have a lush tropical feel and offer the challenge of elevation shifts, countered bunkers, sharp changes within holes and water features that can throw a twist into nearly every hole played.

With five sets of tees on the par-71 Soffer course, and six on the par-70 Miller, the courses are adaptable for all levels of play.

According to Natale the front of the Miller and the back of the Soffer are the most challenging. The signatures are the 18th hole on Soffer, a par-five, 571-yarder from the back tee, and the 5th hole, a par-5 that covers 566 yards from the back on Miller.

While you might be cussing your play throughout, the beauty of the course will bring a level of needed Zen. Over ÂŁ77,000 in 91

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landscaping was spent on each hole, and the courses are a veritable wildlife sanctuary with hundreds of tropical birds. Several nesting areas are situated on the courses, including ‘Flamingo Island’ built to allow these symbolic birds of Florida a safe place to nest. I see several of the graceful pink birds while I’m on the course, as well as many large iguanas roaming the grounds.

WELCOME TO WELLNESS. While the courses are gorgeous, the

beauty isn’t enough to overcome my frustration of being a newbie golfer. For me to really find my personal Zen I was going to have 92

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to check out Turnberry’s newest claim to fame; the Ame Spa & Wellness Collective.

The three-floor, 1900 sq. metre spa is one of the most comprehensive I have seen outside a destination spa. While they offer all the standard spa services (and more), they’ve created partnerships with other local healthcare providers to offer quite a comprehensive approach to health.

The board-certified doctors of Rezilir Health offer integrative and functional medicine services, including the Mechanical Golf Assessment or Office Ergonomic Assessment. Onsite cosmetic

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surgery is even provided by the Physician’s Institute of Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery, the same docs that performed Angelina Jolie’s reconstruction. Spa director Tammy Pahel tells me that the “Mommy Makeover” (tummy tuck and breast lift) is insanely popular. I get it, I’d rather recoup at Turnberry than a hospital or my home too.

But with nothing to nip, tuck or assess (remember I have no golf game to speak of ), I was here for the traditional spa services and Ame didn’t disappoint. There are over 70 treatments on the menu blending Eastern ,Western and Hydrotherapy modalities.

CHARIENI TREATMENT. I arrive at the spa early to take advantage of their Wellness Circuit that includes 20 minutes in the Aroma steam room, 20 minutes in the Himalayan Salt room and five minutes enjoying the powerful Swiss shower.

One thing that really sets Ame apart from other spas is the innovative Gharieni treatments. According to Pahel, Sammy Gharieni, an engineer by trade, created special massage beds and services for his wife who suffered from Fibromyalgia.

The first service I sample is the Alisselle Amethyst Himalayan Massage. It’s performed on a table with a bed of heated quartz 93

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While there is plenty of wellness and golf at the resort to keep you busy for days, you may want to experience the city of Miami as well. Most attractions, like famed South Beach, are about 32km and salt, which produces ionized air that is ideal for detoxing the respiratory system. The therapist cocoons me within the quartz, sort of like creating a snow angel, to ground me to the table and allow the heat to work its magic as she uses both Quartz poultices and her hands in a full-body massage.

With my body like jelly from the soothing massage, it’s time to get my brain in balance and my skin glowing with the Hypnotic Facial. What makes this European facial unique is that it is performed on the Spa Wave table, which combines a water-filled pillow-top bed with vibrational sound and colour therapy. I get situated on the table and have flashbacks to a childhood sleepover in a 1980s waterbed. The Natura Bissé facial is customised to my skin type and when it is finished the therapist gives me noise cancelling headphones to enjoy 30-minutes of Quantum Harmonic sounds.

The audio frequencies are designed to match the chakras of the body and are deeply relaxing. Clinical studies found that one treatment can reduce stress and depression by 40 to 60 per cent, improve sleep and reduce pain. During the service, coloured lights, which correspond to the chakras, are also displayed.

I’m not a huge fan of body scrubs, but if you are you must book one here to experience the new Libra table. This bed also has a heated water mattress and the Vichy shower has a built in sound system and chromatherapy that choreographs to the treatment.

FITNESS AND FOOD. The Ame Spa isn’t all about pampering, it also has some serious fitness chops with over 96 fitness classes per 94

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week, and most are complimentary for resort guests. Check out the yoga, Pilates and spin studios at the well-appointed fitness centre.

Figuring my yoga class and time in the gym pre-burned calories, I feel no guilt heading to the resort’s main restaurant, Bourbon Steak, from James Beard Award-winning chef, Michael Mina. As with any steakhouse, you can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you like. This being a wellness trip, I stick to clean eating, sharing the epic chilled seafood tour of shrimp, lobster, oysters and crab with my boyfriend before we split the signature Miso-glazed Sea Bass. My one indulgence is a bottle of Heitz Cellars cabernet, one of my favourite labels.

While there is plenty of wellness and golf at the resort to keep you busy for days, you may want to experience the city of Miami as well. Most attractions, like famed South Beach, are about 32km away. Miami has a strong car-sharing network so you can get around using Uber if you choose not to rent a car. The Aventura Mall across the street from Turnberry is the third largest mall in the country and is a favourite with Brits.

Turnberry Isle Miami is proof positive that you can keep the household peace and enjoy a tropical golf and spa getaway in one.

GGM

GOOD TO KNOW Getting here: Direct flights are available on a wide variety of airlines from London to Miami. The Miami airport is 29km away.

Turnberry Isle Miami: http://www.turnberryislemiami.com/

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Spain - Cadiz

SHERRY GOLF JEREZ esigned by Stirling & Martin from Global Golf Company, Sherry Golf appears like an accessible course for amateurs and challenging for professionals. Proof of this are the many important tournaments we have had the honour to host, like the Spanish Open Amateur Championship, two years in a row, and the Seniors International Championship. We are also the official venue of the 2nd Stage of the PGA Qualifying School.

The layout is characterized as being one of the most pleasant walkthroughs in Spain: - 18 holes Championship course: 6572 meters, Par 72 - Pitch & Putt course: 911 meters, Par 3 Sherry Golf is within the new concepts of American golf course design: fun but safe in the game with undulations and well placed hazards, without making it too hilly, in order to ensure a pleasant

D

walkthrough. Wide fairways and ample greens, puts Sherry Golf into the category of a luxury course.

The Clubhouse counts more than 2,800 sq metres designed under the Sherry flair, with a warm, welcoming atmosphere just like the city of Jerez. Its facilities caters to every single aspect of the sport as well as tournaments, including pro-shop, club storage room, locker rooms, restaurant, terrace grill, cafeteria, spike bar, lounges, golf academy, and much more.

The exceptional geographic location of Jerez and its surroundings make this area the perfect destination for the visitor.

3,200 hours of sun light per year, gives this area of the coast its name, Costa de la Luz (Coast of light).

Sherry Golf is located only 5 minutes from the international airport of Jerez, 50 minutes from Seville airport and 1 hour from Malaga International, thanks to the new motorway from Jerez to Los Barrios.

CONTACT

SHERRY GOLF JERE Z , 11407 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz Telephone +34 956 088 330. Fax +34 956 088 331 Email info@sherrygolf.com • www.sherrygolf.com

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Magazine

Until the next edition.

The Great Golf Team 98

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In support of

Time for life—with limited edition timepieces in support of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. Each watch raises £100 for the Nobel Peace Prize winning humanitarian organisation.

And still these handcrafted mechanical watches with the red 12 cost the same as the classic Tangente models from NOMOS Glashütte. Help now, wear forever. £100 from every timepiece sold is paid to Médecins Sans Frontières UK, a UK registered charity no. 1026588. NOMOS retailers helping to help include Watches of Switzerland, Fraser Hart, Mappin & Webb, Berry’s, Hamilton & Inches, Catherine Jones, CS Bedford, CW Sellors, Perfect Timing, Orro, Stewart’s Watches. Find these and many other authorised NOMOS retailers at nomos-glashuette.com, or order online at nomos-store.com.

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03.05.16 14:55

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26/09/2016 14:34