GOLF
TRAVELLER
THE ONE
2021 THE OPEN GOLF TOUR
30 June – 19 July 2021
ISSUE 18
• THE 150TH OPEN AT ST ANDREWS • 2021 GOLF TOUR TO SCOTLAND AND IRELAND WITH COMPLIMENTS
2
GOLF TRAVELLER ISSUE18
Andrew Redington/Getty Images
THE ONE
2021 THE OPEN GOLF TOUR
30 June – 19 July 2021
The 2021 Golf Tour to The 150TH Open at St Andrews Including Ireland and Scotland. There will be no greater golfing spectacle in 2021 than the 150TH Open when it returns to the Old Course, St Andrews, in Scotland. Well that’s PaR nz Golfing Holidays opinion, at least. We are gearing up to host one of our very best and memorable golf tours ever! The question is, will you be part of it? This exclusive tour from PaR nz Golfing Holidays includes two days at The 150TH Open at St Andrews. This includes general admission and access to the ‘Clubmakers’, offering guests an unforgettable experience. Located within the 5-star Old Course Hotel, in the Hall of Champions, situated next to the famous 17th “road” hole, you’ll enjoy world-class hospitality. From the moment you arrive with access to a private garden where only a small wall separates you from the world’s greatest golfers, this will be a special occasion! The Clubmakers Experience offer the perfect balance of witnessing sublime golf whilst indulging in the best Scottish fayre St Andrews has
to offer. Enjoy over 10 hours of fully inclusive hospitality in a prime position, as elite golfers use the tools of their trade to try to claim the enviable title of Champion Golfer of the Year. This package includes private room facilities, a complimentary bar including champagne, full television coverage throughout the facility, a three-course lunch, traditional Afternoon Tea and a souvenir programme. So welcome and please join us from Dublin, to Doonbeg, onto Rosapenna, Belfast, Edinburgh and The 150 TH Open at St Andrews. PaR nz Golfing Holidays is proudly New Zealand’s only ‘Authorised Provider’ for hospitality packages to the 150TH Open. Thank you. Denise & Kim denise@parnz.co.nz and kim@parnz.co.nz PaR nz Golfing Holidays
www.parnz.co.nz Or call us on +64 9 486 1077, Australia Toll Free 1800 018 575
www.parnz.co.nz
3
Portmarnock Links
Rosapenna
Royal Portrush
4
GOLF TRAVELLER ISSUE18
The Island
Rosapenna Overview Our 2021 Golf Tour will be a special Ireland & Scotland Combo, playing some of the world’s best links courses and enjoying plenty of Guinness and Scotch Whisky along the way! For our Irish leg we start in Dublin and finish in Belfast, taking in some of Ireland’s best before crossing the seas by ferry to Scotland, playing and staying at Trump Turnberry. For our final stay we will base ourselves in Edinburgh to attend The 150TH Open at St Andrews, being spoiled in full hospitality venues on the course. In Dublin we stay at the renovated Portmarnock Links Hotel for three nights. An Irish welcome awaits along with two links challenges, Portmarnock Links and The Island before our celebratory ‘Shebeen’ evening. Portmarnock Links, was designed by Bernard Langer in 1995, who was inspired by the historic Old Portmarnock Course just down the way. Portmarnock Links is located on the past Jameson Whiskey family estate, is a modern links course, and a delightful challenge by the sea that will sweep away any lingering jet-lag pains. The Island dates back to 1890 and was recently upgraded and improved by a trio of architects
under the leadership of Fred Hawtree. A previous host to regional qualifying for The Open and a co-host of the Amateur Championship this year (2019). Doonbeg is one of those special places and an excellent 5-star golfing retreat – we spend three nights here with golf at Trump’s Doonbeg and Lahinch. Australia’s Greg Norman opened his Doonbeg offering with a stunning links challenge overlooking the Atlantic. Located in County Clare, Trump Doonbeg is just down the road from Lahinch, a fiercely private members course that we hope to secure tee times in 2021. We then travel north, to Rosapenna and stay on-site at the Rosapenna Hotel for four nights. The courses and hotel are privately owned by the Casey family who have continually invested in the properties. With three courses and challenges, designers include Old Tom Morris, Harry Vardon, James Braid, Harry Colt and Tom Doak along with Pat Ruddy of more recent times. A wonderful facility with a tremendous practice area and range. Enjoy! While in Rosapenna we plan to include Royal Portrush. Host of the 2019 Open where of course Shane Lowry lifted the Claret Jug. PaR nz Golfing Holidays were there! Royal Portrush
Trump International Doonbeg
www.parnz.co.nz
5
The Ailsa at Trump Turnberry
The Glasshouse, Edinburgh
King Robert the Bruce, Turnberry
6
GOLF TRAVELLER ISSUE18
Snug Bar at The Glasshouse
hails like many iconic links courses in Ireland from the late 1900’s – designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1888. The many changes and alterations that the R&A made for The 148TH Open – were significant – we look forward to taking on this great course. We have one night in Belfast, and the chance to visit the ‘Titanic Museum’ – a remarkable monument to Belfast’s maritime heritage, on the site of the former Harland and Wolff shipyard, in the Titanic Quarter. Tales, displays and interactive attractions – the tale of Titanic and sister ships RMS Olympic and HMAS Britannic is brilliantly presented. ‘The pipes they are a calling’ – so we are off to Scotland by ferry – staying at Trump Turnberry for three nights. We will play both the Turnberry courses – the championship Ailsa Course and the Robert The Bruce Course. Both are exceptional with the iconic lighthouse back dropping many holes. We stay in Edinburgh for five nights to conclude our 2021 tour. Staying at the 5-star Glasshouse Hotel, our time here will include two rounds of golf, including one at Gleneagles. We have confirmed tee times, in carts, at the PGA Championship course, somewhat of a coup over this very busy time! Gleneagles is one of Scotland’s top iconic golfing resorts hosting a number of major golf tournaments – the most memorable the 2014 Ryder Cup played on the PGA Centenary Course. Designed by the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus himself, a
day at Gleneagles will be a treat in our final days on tour. We celebrate the 150TH Open with two days hospitality including food and beverage on / around the 17th, the infamous ‘Road Hole’ at St Andrews. This tournament will be The One! The Open, often referred to as The British Open, returns to The Old Course, St Andrews in 2021 which will be The 150TH Open. The world’s greatest golfers will compete for the famous Claret Jug at “The Home of Golf” for the first time since 2015 when Zach Johnson was crowned Champion Golfer of the Year. This will be the thirtieth time The Open has been held in St Andrews with Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood leading a group of British golfers keen to land golf’s ultimate prize. This is what the R&A write: “The likes of Willie Park Snr and Old Tom Morris could never have imagined what The Open would become when they played in the 1st Championship at Prestwick in 1860, with a field of just 8 players. Now, 161 years, and 149 Opens later the home of golf will host The 150TH Open at the Old Course, St Andrews. On what is sure to be a historic Open with record crowds, the world’s greatest players will descend on Fife to try and capture the Claret Jug.” Don’t miss out, join us in 2021. Contact denise@parnz.co.nz or kim@parnz.co.nz for a full list of tour inclusions and all prices.
Gleneagles
www.parnz.co.nz Or call us on +64 9 486 1077, Australia Toll Free 1800 018 575
www.parnz.co.nz
7
THE OPEN
Elite event The 150TH Open in 2021 will be played on the historic links of The Old Course at St Andrews, ‘the Home of Golf’, for the 30th time. The British Open, as it’s sometimes called to distinguish it from other national tournaments, is the oldest of golf’s four majors, which include The Masters, the US Open, and the PGA Championship. The champions from Downunder Kiwi golfer Sir Bob Charles became the first – and to date only – New Zealander to be awarded The Golf Champion Trophy when he won The Open in 1963 at Royal Lytham and St Annes. Charles and Michael Campbell are the only two New Zealand men to have won a major golfing championship, and Lydia Ko, the only female major winner.. Australian Peter Thomson was the only golfer in the 20th Century to win The Open in three consecutive years. He won in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1965 and, remarkably, he finished within the top two from 1952 to 1958. Kel Nagle was a surprise winner of the Centenary Open at St Andrews in 1960 as the then 39-year-old Australian had never finished in the top-10 at any previous major. He hit his stride and went on to win the French, Swiss and Canadian Opens over the next four years. Others to follow in these greats’ footsteps were Australian Greg ‘The Shark’ Norman, who was Champion in 1986 (Turnberry) and 1993 (Royal St George’s), and fellow Australian Ian Baker-Finch who won at Royal Birkdale in 1991. The competitors In the modern era, most of The Open’s 156 competitors earn their place in the starting field on merit from past Nicklaus North achievements. But every year about 2500 players on five
8
GOLF TRAVELLER ISSUE18
continents attempt to qualify for The Open in a series of tournaments beginning in January. A minimum of 46 places in The Open starting field are available at 16 qualifying events on the PGA TOUR, the European Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Asian Tour, the Korean Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the Sunshine Tour. It’s a far cry from when Willie Park Snr beat seven other players to win the first Open Championship at Prestwick in 1860. The spoils From 1860 to 1870, the top prize was a wide Challenge Belt made of red Moroccan leather with a large, engraved silver buckle and medallions recording previous winners and their scores. Tom Morris Junior was allowed to keep the belt when he won his third title in 1870. In 1908, after his death, the belt was returned to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) and is on public display at the St Andrews clubhouse. There was no tournament held in 1871, but Tom Morris Jnr’s name became the first to be engraved on the present Golf Champion Trophy, a silver claret jug, when he became Champion Golfer of the Year in 1872 at Prestwick. The jug wasn’t ready in time for the ceremony, so he was presented with a gold medal instead. The Claret Jug was first physically awarded in 1873 to new champion Tom Kidd at St Andrews, when the Open was played there for the first time. Since 1928, R&A has retained the original Claret Jug on permanent display at St Andrews. and a Champions’ replica of the Claret Jug being presented to the winner. The replica stays with the Champion until the next year’s tournament. A cash prize has been awarded to the winner since 1864, and today total prize money is over US$10 million, with almost US$2 million going to the Champion.
Talking points • The Open has just one cut, which takes place after 36 holes. Any player in 70th place or better (including ties) makes the cut and can continue to play the final 36 holes. However, this wasn’t always the case. From 1968 to 1985, the championship was played under a double-cut rule, with one cut after 36 holes, and another after 54 holes. • The tournament has been held outside of Scotland and England only twice: in 1951 and in 2019. Both times this was at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. • When Tiger Woods won The Open at St Andrews for the first time in 2000 Golf Courses as included, PaR nz image libraries. a record 238,000 spectators were there to witness it.
www.parnz.co.nz
9
Andrew Redington/Getty Images
THERE IS
ONLY ONE!
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP!
THE 150TH OPEN AT ST ANDREWS!
For all details and a 2021 Tour Package to The 150TH Open at St Andrews contact: denise@parnz.co.nz
VISIT US AT: www.parnz.co.nz Or call us on +64 9 486 1077 Australia Toll Free 1800 018 575
PaR nz Golfing Holidays Partners and Associates PaR nz Golfing Holidays is a member of:
PaR nz Golfing Holidays proudly works with:
PaR nz Golfing Holidays Golf Partners
PaR nz Golfing Holidays Chosen Charities:
PaR nz Golfing Holidays proudly has a Corporate membership with Windross:
PaR nz Golfing Holidays – 2019 Best Outbound and Inbound Golf Tour Operator – World Golf Awards 2017 and 2018 Best Outbound Golf Tour Operator – World Golf Awards 2016 Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator – World Golf Awards
New Zealand's Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator
New Zealand's Best Outbound Golf Tour Operator
New Zealand's Best Outbound Golf Tour Operator
New Zealand's Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator
New Zealand's Best Outbound Golf Tour Operator
PaR nz Corporate Events Limited trading as PaR nz Golfing Holidays, Established August 2000. Office located in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. Postal address PO Box 331395, North Shore 0740 Phone +64 (9) 486 1077. Directors Denise Langdon & Kim Buckley Contact denise@parnz.co.nz and kim@parnz.co.nz Photo credits: R&A supplied, Getty images, AGE image library & PaR nz image libraries.