Golf holiday review from Australia to Las Vegas

For a year after I finished University I was lucky enough to have  the opportunity to travel the world, with my golf clubs and a backpack, and experience different countries,  lifestyles, cultures and golf courses.
Having spent two months in south-east Asia, travelling but playing little golf, I arrived in Perth, where, through a family connection, I was able to find a job working on the number one ranked course in Western Australia, The Cut.  I had heard good reports about the course, but when I arrived all expectations were exceeded.  The back nine was quite simply stunning; meandering its way along the Indian Ocean, it seamlessly combined natural beauty with excellent golf holes. Yet when the wind got up I have yet to experience a tougher nine holes.  I was lucky enough to have a house overlooking the ninth hole, so when I was not working (either in the bar, the shop or on the carts) there was a good chance I was on the course.

I spent a glorious six months with this lifestyle. Throughout this time I played most of the courses in and around the Perth area, none of which were quite the experience or the challenge of The Cut. However amongst them there were some fantastic courses. Two courses which particularly spring to mind are Joondalup and Kennedy Bay.

In January a few regulars from The Cut and I decided to venture over to Melbourne to play a few courses and enter the NEC Master of the Amateurs, which was being held there. On our first night in the tournament hotel we met two PGA coaches. It emerged later that these two men were two of the top coaches on the US tour (their names almost cartoon like – Rick Rarick and Rick Larose who coach Rory Sabbatini and Jim Furyk amongst others).  They were over with four top College players from the United States and we were surprised when they invited us to join their group. We spent a fantastic few days playing some of Melbourne’s finest courses, including the elegant Royal Melbourne, and the practice day for the NEC at Yarra Yarra, a simple yet surprisingly tough tree lined course. We were treated to a master class by these college golfers over two wonderful days. One story worth re-telling is of the wager one of the regulars from The Cut made. Club champion and playing off scratch, he was confident in his ability and believed he could beat anyone. On the first tee he challenged any of the College boys to beat him for $50. Straight away up-stepped the long haired, short but athletic looking player who had introduced himself as Rickie, and took the bet.  As it turned out, Rickie was currently playing off +5 and was ranked no.2 in the amateur world rankings. He is now known as Rickie Fowler and is being tipped by many over-excited American golf journalists as the next Tiger Woods after coming second in his first PGA Tour event. Needless to say Rickie shot 65 and beat my outspoken friend by a measly 12 shots!

Within two weeks of our return to Perth I found myself caddying for local Perth hero and Wentworth course record holder Jarrod Moseley, in the Johnnie Walker Classic at The Vines, after his usual caddie pulled out. This was yet another unbelievable experience, not only seeing a top pro effortlessly works his way around courses but also getting firsthand experience of an international tournament. Sadly Jarrod did not do too well and missed the cut by a single shot. Naturally when back at The Cut I was blamed for his failure…

As the summer was drawing to a close, my visa ran out and I was forced to move on to New Zealand, where golf was put on the backburner for the likes of bungee jumping and skydiving. However in the month that I was there I was able to make a trip to Hawkes Bay to visit an aunt. Knowing that the supposedly breath-taking Cape Kidnappers was only a short drive away, I managed to twist the arm of my uncle to come and join me for a round. There are few words that can fittingly describe this course. It was certainly unique. On one hand it was the most lavish and extravagant course I have ever played, yet it had an aura of tranquillity and peacefulness about it. For example we drove past the very mundane wooden farm gate twice before we realised that behind this and the intercom was one of the gems of world golf courses.  The 10km winding country lane, once you were let through the gate, was even stranger, only enhanced by the occasional horse popping out onto the road. Yet once we emerged from the seemingly never-ending drive and could see through the rich green undulating fairways a bridge that would not have been out of place in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, we knew we had arrived. Despite battling the elements that day we left (after a few whiskey’s in a clubhouse that could easily be described as the world’s comfiest wooden shed) knowing that we may never again have such a surreal golfing experience.

Soon after this I moved on to Fiji, where on arrival in Nadi, I drove past a large sign saying ‘plays Vijay Singh’s home course’. Within a day I was at the Nadi Airport Golf Course with two other guys I had met on my travels in New Zealand.  Let’s just say I have played better courses and judging by the practice facilities I don’t think Vijay spent much time on the range there either.

After this I hopped my way around various Fijian islands, touching up on my bunker play on the stunning beaches, then moving onto the last leg of my grand tour, the United States of America. Having passed through some surprisingly poverty stricken streets of L.A and up and down the undulating streets of buoyant San Francisco, I found myself in the Arizona desert, visiting an old friend who was studying at Arizona State University in Tempe. While I had heard that golf was very popular in these parts and that there were some fantastic courses, I was not prepared for the golfing mecca that was before me.  The result was two weeks of heavenly golfing pleasure. We played a different top course everyday, which coupled with the company of the college girls at night, made for one of the best two weeks of my life. I played a variety of different desert courses from the true target golf on courses such as Legends Trail and Sunridge Canyon to the long, water feature filled courses such as Karsten and Raven at South Mountain.

Whilst it is hard to select a favourite course from Arizona, seeing as every course we played (whether it was $20 or $200 a round) was immaculately kept and the hospitality was fit for a king,  there were however two courses that just about topped the rest: Eagle Mountain and Troon North (Pinnacle). Both were simply fantastic, very well thought-out and well-designed holes kept in immaculate condition. They were quite simply my best two experiences of top-class desert golf.

As it turned out I played my last round of the grand tour at Karsten.  I had intended for my last round to be at the TPC Las Vegas (my next stop) but with all other activities the city had to offer it put paid to my golfing plans.

I soon returned home (via a brief stay in New York, with my golf clubs battered and bruised and a few shafts in need of replacement,) to cold wet England.  Despite a real sense of sadness that something so great had come to an end, every time I thought about all of the adventures  I had experienced, the people I had met, and the courses I had played, it brought a wry smile to my face and a real sense of achievement and satisfaction. It really was in my opinion the perfect golf holiday experience.