1490 Hartmanns Mag 30-56 TP:Layout 121/2/08 10:15 Page 26
Royal CountyDown
Fairways to Heaven
Closer to home, competition between clubs has driven spiralling
investmentingolf facilities.The aficionadohas never been so spoilt
for choice. Courses are buffed and pampered to perfection,the greens
watered, shaved and rolled into natural carpets. Clubhouses compare
to the smartest countryclubs, and compete witheach other to
providethe bestrestaurants and high-endadd-onsfrom spas to
accommodation.Meanwhile, easy air travel has brought the most
far-flung courses in Britain and Ireland within two or three hours of
most of us. The weekend golfing break now offers limitless variety.
The Westin TurnberryScotland may be the home of the venerable “OldCourse” at
St Andrews,but thatdoesn’t mean there is no room for innovation.
Located just 50 minutesfrom Glasgow, The Westin TurnberryResort
is situated in aspectacular coastal settingwith breathtaking viewsof
Arran and the Irish Sea. Play world-classgolf on the internationally
renowned Ailsa and Kintyre golf courses and experiencethe latest
teaching and practice facilitiesatThe Colin Montgomerie Links Golf “You can tread
Academy.Green fees from £50/€ 70 (T:01655 334 032).
Aroundofgolf at someofthe grandestcourses can be less expensive in thefootsteps of
than you might think. At Royal County Down,near Newcastle in
Northern Ireland,where the magnificentviews of the mountains
match the exhilaration of the golf,green fees startatjust £25/€ 36 golfing history”
(T:028 4372 3314). Yetthis course, whichhosted the 2007
Walker Cup, is regularly listed amongthe world’s top 10.
Acrossthe border on Ireland’s gloriouswest coast, aroundcostsas
little as € 50/£35 at GalwayGolf Club (T:091 522 033), ahistoric
course dating from 1895 withanew clubhouse justthree miles from
Galway city. The course was designed by the world famous Dr.Alistair
McKenzie who,alongsideBobbyJones,designed CypressPoint and
Augusta National.
The venue for the Irish Open in 2007/8/9 is AdareManor Castle and
Golf Resort ,which opened in 1995. It was the last major course
designed by RobertTrent Jones Senior,and is rated one of hisbest.
Green fees from € 80/£56 (T:061 605 200).
There’s also plentyofstunning golfwithin easy strikingdistanceof
central London–none more so than at Sunningdale ,where two
courses on the Surrey-Berkshiresand belt combinetoprovidepossibly
the best36holes in Britain.Visitors are welcome on weekdays, with
green feesfrom £85/€ 122 (T:01344 298 006).
On Sunningdale’s hauntingly beautiful Old Course, you can tread in
the footsteps of golfing historyfrom the firstgolden age, for it was
here that the great US amateur BobbyJones shot his mostfamous Galway
roundduring qualification for the 1926 Open –a66made up of 33
shotsand 33 putts. Golf really doesn’t get any betterthan that.
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