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Friendly debate on everything Golf
How well do we know the game of golf ?
I bet that most of the golfers in the Commonwealth countries and the United States did not realise that most Europeans need to pass a Golfing exam before they are allowed on a golf course. The course consists of between 12 and 16 hours of tuition depending on how many students take part. Most golf academies advertise for a maximum of 4 students per teaching pro. In addition to these hours they are expected to practise these learned techniques until they have reached a certain level of consistency to play a Tee-shot 120 m ( 132 yrds ) straight onto the fairway. (Ladies 100 m). Once they have "mastered" fairway shots, chipping, bunkershots and putting a playing exam awaits the very nervous student. The points (some variation on this depending which country the exam is taken) are awarded according to the Stableford system. Over a 9 hole test the 6 best played holes need to add up to 12 points with 3 over par equaling 2 points or Par. 95% of students will manage this. Quite remarkable considering the average age for a beginner is 40. My oldest student started at 72 years young. But what I really appreciate about having to do a course in golf is that the second part before they pass, is a theory and etiquette exam. Yes, every beginner learns the most important rules of the game of golf and how not to waste time on a golf course before they ever played a round. The question I would like to post : Should we not introduce this to the English speaking world. The argument has been that we grow up with the sport and like football we just know! I disagree. The number of times I see players scoring their card before leaving the green or placing their trolleys on the wrong side of the next tee or not repairing pitchmarks is numerous. I forget the number of times I have had to explain the rules that apply for an unplayable ball to one of my fellow players. If in doubt ask a Dutchman, German or Norwegian.
Funny that ! Do you agree or disagree with an exam for every player?
Learn to improve your game from Green to Tee
Having just seen Fred Funk come close to winning the Senior British open and follow that up by winning the US senior open, proves that we can score well without being the longest player on the planet. It always amazes me when I see how few times the players leading the longest drive stats, win tournaments. See who you recognise from the following US PGA list:
1 . Robert Garrigus 310.2
2 Bubba Watson 310.1
T3 Dustin Johnson 307.3
T3 Gary Woodland 307.3
5 Nick Watney 304.1
Ok, so most of us will have heard of Bubba Watson. Imagine playing a 460 yard par 4 and facing a 135 yard wedge shot for your approach. Would be nice, would it not?. How can those guys not win every second week? Well, they are obviously not very good at approach shots, chipping and putting! (Measured in terms of PGA tour pro level.) It is the same when we walk onto a driving range. Every one without exception is practising their long game.The full swing.
It is obvious that as we can not see our own swing it will be difficult to make great improvements quickly, without the help of video and a golf teacher. What probably happens is that we're grooving the swingfault (s) by hitting ball after ball , bucket after bucket.
So, if you're serious about reducing your handicap start practising chipping, putting and pitching and probably in that order. Not only are you going to get more up and downs you will also feel more in control of your game when you do miss a green. This in turn takes the tension out of your approach shots. There are plenty of short game drills described on varying websites that can be easily understood and will bring great rewards. And book a lesson if you're hoping to improve your full swing.
Do you have any comments on this article?
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Algarve golf, is it expensive ?
First, let me say that not including the costs of flights you can come to the Algarve to play 4 rounds of golf (e.g Castro Marim, Quinta do Vale, Salgados Links and Pinheiros Altos) stay for 6 nights in reasonable accommodation for less than £ 240.00 per person sharing a twin room.
A shared charge for hiring a car or transfers and you have got it covered. For groups of eight players it is even cheaper as on several courses they would receive a free place. Pestana courses being one of the surprising exceptions. My advise is to get the golf holiday organised early, as the greatest variable will be your flight prices. The sooner you get them booked the more you save. I know you have to forget about all the extra charges they levy, as well as the carriage charge for golf bags and concentrate on the bottom line. It still is pretty reasonable.
High season for golf are the months of March, April, 1 - 15 May,
15 -30 September, October and November. Which means you will pay a somewhat higher green fee but if you stay clear of September your accommdation prices are really quite low. The most expensive time because of the high season are July and August. Yes, you pay less for your golf during this time in the Algarve but that is because it is hot!
Talking about hot what about playing Monte Rei, San Lorenzo,
Victoria and Faldo. Some of the best golf courses in the Algarve that are also the most expensive. This golf only package would cost in the low season December, January,July and August around £ 450.00
Still if you consider it includes a buggy ( except San Lorenzo ) it is probably worth thinking about.( High season price £ 530.00 )
Algarve residents pay the most for their golf. To join a golf club in the Algarve you have to start at around € 2000.00 per annum
membership. Most golf courses charge ( a lot ) more.
Only fair to let you find the rules of golf!.
PlayBetterGolf
Home of Algarve golf
Travelling below volcanic ash levels
As most travellers caught up by the ash spewing volcano I too was trying to get home. Home being the Algarve. Having visited our office in Perth I set off for Glasgow airport on Thursday morning. Listening to the news at around 6am the ash story was not yet headline news. This had all changed by 6.30am as this had become the only news. I realised when entering the terminal building there was no chance of flying out on my scheduled flight. It was remarkably calm inside the airport. 30 to 40 passengers queing up at the service desks to reschedule flights. The news must have got through to many travellers who decided to stay at home. My alternative was to drive to Newcastle as Glasgow flights were booked up for several days. When I arrived at the Britannia airport hotel I was told that the flight I was now rebooked on was not going to operate either. The airport was deserterd apart from television crews and airport staff. The decision was to travel the next morning to Liverpool John Lennon airport. I returned to the Newcastle car rental desk to extend the rental by one extra day and drive to Liverpool. I was informed that my original rental had finished and that to rent the car for one more day it was going to cost
£ 145.00. This turned out to be £ 40.00 more than what I paid for the first 4 days! As I had all day I decided to take the bus to Liverpool. The coach station was full with Korean travellers trying to get back to Seoul! The 5 hour coach journey became a scenic tour of Yorkshire as the motorway had a 14 mile traffic jam due to an accident. Our driver becoming more stressed with every half hour additional delay, decided to leave the motorway and take the back roads. Beautiful but not the solution. I arrived at Liverpool at 8.15 pm after 6 1/2 hours on the coach. I decided to spoil myself and took a taxi to the beautiful Hampton on Hilton Hotel at Liverpool airport. After some less convincing arguments by my BNP supporting taxi driver I checked in at the hotel just after 9pm. The driver's explaination for the ash cloud was not the Volcano but it was caused by a cleaner opening the Everton trophy room!! Switching on the news it was clear that all flights were still cancelled and that my travels were in vain. If anything, the Icelandic Volcano was getting angrier!
I phoned Mark in our Perth office and after a 3 hour wait he managed to book a rental car. I was on my way home. Eurotunnel was confirmed and I drove off at 10:30 on Saturday morning to arrive in rainy Portugal on Sunday at 5.30pm. After a good night sleep it was time to drive to Vilamoura. My mission was to find a trustworthy person to drive the car back to the UK.
Imagine if all flights had been operating by the time I got to the Algarve. I would have had to drive the car back myself. I met up with a young man who had been in the Algarve to train for the Marathon. As he missed his flight back he missed the marathon.
Faro airport officials were told about his plight and suggested that he run the marathon
inside the airport terminal!! Blueprints showed a stretch of the terminal at 130 meters long.
After 4 hours he completed the 26 miles and 385 yards by running the length of the terminal building 325 times. Not helped by cleaning ladies tyding up the water bottles he had put at either side of the building! He is now safely home in the UK having driven the rental car back to the UK.
Plus point : Mark Hogan Buckley ( PlayBetterGolf)
The Hampton on Hilton Liverpool ,
The Eurotunnel crossing,
The drive through the Pyrenees mountains
The beautiful drive on the N433 from Spain into Portugal.
Minus points: The increase in fares and charges by travel suppliers
The VW polo which loves petrol
The toll charges through France
The pertol prices in France
Summer Specials at Vilamoura Golf courses released for 2011
1st June - 15th September 2011
After a very succesful 2010 "Summer Special " golf greenfee offer, Oceanico have decided to repeat this for 2011. As a response to a difficult economic climate in which uncertainties such as the cancellation of flights due to volcanic ash, British Airways strikes and the value of the pound have
all contributed to a slow season in golf tourism to the Algarve,
Oceanico have decided to reduce Algarve greenfees once again.
.
They have made a few changes to the rates compared to 2010.
The month of June and 1 - 15 September 2011 the greenfees are € 5.00 more per person compared to July and August 2011. The good news is that the Summer Special Greenfees are available for teeing off as early as 11am.
All of the 7 Oceanico golf courses have added some great value by including shared Golf buggies and Callaway rental clubs. The rental clubs normally charged by most airlines as additional sports luggage will save significantly on the total costs of flights. Add to that the complimentary buggies and you will realise that this is the best time ever to come and play golf in the Algarve. Juniors under 16 go free!
PlayBetterGolf : some great ideas for golf in the Algarve.
I do apologise in advance if you have noticed some of our special golf offers but I
thought it might be a good idea to highlight those that deserve your attention.
1) A special BBQ evening with several golf skill tests. Normally group organisers like to schedule this event at the end of the last round of golf played in the Algarve. We reserve Vilamoura Supergolf academy where the catering staff will put on a great barbeque evening with two free drinks ( further drinks for just € 1.00 ).
The PlayBetterGolf staff will organise 6 different golf tests and the person with the fewest points wins the event. From 6pm - 9pm @ € 26.50 per person. Great Fun!
2) Sao Rafael 5* hotel 3 km outside Albufeira including breakfast are charging just € 61.00 per person per night and this includes a round of golf on one of the three CS golf courses: Morgado, Alamos and Salgados Links.
3) The Oceanico Easter Special offer 18th April - 01 May 2011 great value on offer as the greenfee on Laguna € 41.00, Pinhal € 44.00, Millennium € 46.00, Old Course Vilamoura € 69.00, Victoria & Faldo € 72.00 and O'Connor € 69.00 includes a shared buggy as well as Callaway clubs. And if that was not enough juniors play for free with one paying adult.
What would be the best 5 round golf package in the Algarve?
Let me start my making the point that the Algarve offers many 5 round packages to cater for all level of golf and budgets. It is therefore difficult to come up with one 5 round package
that would be the ideal Algarve golf package for everyone. I have therefore decided
to list three 5 round Algarve golf itineraries. The first is based on the finest golf courses
regardless of budgets and for golfers who love to play the most challenging courses.
A) San Lorenzo - Monte Rei - Vale do Lobo Royal - Faldo - Laranjal
The second itinerary I selected is for those players choosing to play the Vilamoura courses each time they are visiting the Algarve. This selection will not cost you anymore even including extra tranfers costs. Never mind the transfer times, it is well worth it.
B) Quinta da Cima - Gramacho - Boavista - Penina - Vila Sol
This third selection represents great value for money.
C) Alamos - Quinta da Ria - Vale da Pinta - Castro Marim - Parque da Floresta
