pack your clubs n play where the stars play
pack your clubs n play where the stars play
n The Dubai World Championship final
n Amateur playing in the Ultimate Golf Challenge at Dubai
TPC
n Island green on the 17th
Peter Ellegard
pars
Enjoy watching your golfing heroes play some of the world’s top courses? Many of the venues that host key tournaments can also be played by weekend golfers, as Peter Ellegard discovered
England's Golf Coast
n The 18th hole at Royal Lytham
80 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
Winter 2011/12
our names, with prizes given out by former Ryder Cup player David Howell. And although it cost over £500 for the day, there were plenty of people willing to pay that for the chance to emulate the stars. Thankfully I had been invited to take part.
dream Following your golfing heroes in a top tournament, whether on TV or on the course itself, and then playing the same course is a dream for most amateurs. And it is a dream which is far more achievable than you might think. Many of the courses that host key events on the European, PGA and Asian tour circuits are open for the public to play. You might need to break open the piggy bank to play some of them, but others are surprisingly affordable, given their lofty status. I have been fortunate to have played on many famous courses over the years, albeit badly for the most part. No matter how you play, though, treading in the spike marks of the game’s greats leaves you feeling exhilarated. For me, nothing beats the spine-tingling thrill of walking onto the first tee or striding across the Swilken Bridge of the Old Course at St Andrews, the home of golf, or sending an approach shot to the 18th green of the Ailsa Course at Turnberry, where a hard bounce after the perfect approach robbed Tom Watson of a fairytale victory in the 2009 Open. Some of golf’s most famous holes which have produced drama aplenty over the years are open for amateurs to play. I have contrasting memories of playing two notorious 17th holes at courses open to the public. Peter Ellegard
Star-struck I
tried to shut out the huge spectator stand looming behind the green from my mind as I lined up my putt. I knew how it would break; the ball was in almost the identical place as Ian Poulter’s just two days earlier in his play-off match with Robert Karlsson for the 2010 Dubai World Championship title. Replaying the par-5 18th hole of Dubai’s Earth Course for the second time after they had finished all square, Poulter was left with a 30-foot birdie attempt putt. It came up agonisingly short – but he had accidentally dropped his ball onto his marker in any case, flipping it over and incurring a one-shot penalty. Karlsson rolled in his birdie and snatched the glory. The crowds had gone as I stood on the 18th, but with the stand, press centre, hospitality marquees and giant scoreboard all still in place, I could imagine just how it must have been for Poulter, putting for the 900,000 europlus (£750,000) first prize. I stroked the ball, watched it take the double break…and in it went! Eat your heart out, Poults, I thought and raised my arms to acknowledge the cheers from the non-existent spectators. Sadly, that was the only memorable moment of my round, but the day itself was amazing. I was taking part in a special “Ultimate Golf Experience” staged by the European Tour, which allowed weekend golfers like me to play Greg Norman’s superb Earth course in competition straight after the season-ending event, with the pins in the final day position, greens and fairways conditioned as they were for the pros and even playing from the same tees as the stars – all 7,675 yards! The day also included using the same lockers as the pro players, complete with personalised name badge (now adorning my office door) and a caddie bib with
Winter 2011/12
At Spain’s beautiful Valderrama, scene of Europe’s victory in the 1997 Ryder Cup under captain Seve Ballesteros, I managed to avoid the lurking lake with my third shot and my birdie putt agonisingly lipped out of the hole. Whereas on the infamous par-3 17th of the Stadium Course at Florida’s TPC Sawgrass – home to the so-called “Fifth Major”, the annual Players Championship – I gave up trying to land a wedge onto the island green after sending three balls into the water.
iconic I didn’t fare much better when I played another of golf’s iconic holes, the stunning par-4 8th at California’s Pebble Beach Links. Having watched Graeme McDowell win the US Open at Pebble Beach on TV in 2010
“Treading in the spike marks of the game’s greats leaves you feeling exhilarated”
star course packages One night’s bed and breakfast accommodation with one round at Gleneagles costs from £172.50 per person with Golfbreaks.com (www.golfbreaks.com). A seven-night stay on a room-only basis at Pebble Beach Resorts in California with rounds at four courses including Pebble Beach Golf Links costs from £2,950 per person with Bond Street Golf (www.bondstreetgolf.com). The price includes a large rental car but excludes flights. Enjoy an overnight stay at Celtic Manor Resort (www.celticmanor.com) with breakfast and 18 holes of golf on Ryder Cup host course the Twenty Ten as well as sister course The Montgomerie, from £119 per person until February 15 and from £182 in March. Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast at the Mission Hills Haikou resort costs from £1,499 per person with VGolfholidays.com (www.vgolfholidays.com) and includes unlimited golf on its 10 courses on weekdays, with a £10 supplement per course at weekends. Flights are extra.
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
81