Top UK Golf Breaks

During these austere times it is surprising to see that the demand for golf holidays at top venues is rising. Such great demand means the best golf resorts are competing for our custom and prices are subsequently being driven down. This has brought luxury golf breaks to the masses. Perhaps the best way to experience such resorts is to book a short stay and play package that will see you relaxing in a top hotel, pampering yourself in a lavish spa and of course, playing some of the best golf courses around. Here are five of the very best UK stay and play packages available for less than £150. Read more

Girl Power rules at The Celtic Manor

It was girl power that proved most effective at the inaugural PowerPlay golf event at The Celtic Manor, as the girls – Paula Creamer, Helen Alfredsson and Caroline Hedwall – filled the first three places in the modified Stableford competition at the Wales venue.

For the first time ever, the event dubbed golf’s equivalent of Twenty20 cricket and Rugby sevens hit Europe and the spectacle was enjoyed by some 5,000 spectators – an impressive turnout given the appearance of nearby Swansea City in the afternoon’s Championship Playoff final.

The event was played over the 2010 Ryder Cup venue’s back nine, and featured the likes of US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Paul Casey, John Daly and Gary Player amongst the first dozen players to try their hand at the format.

United States’ Paula Creamer, playing with McDowell and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson set the early target of 26 points, thrashing her playing partners’ scores. But her lead was shortlived as first Helen Alfredsson posted 29 points before Caroline Hedwall bettered that total with an impressive 32 points.

Ian Poulter finished as top male player with 27 points to finish alongside Creamer, while Paul Casey might have won with a hole-in-one at the last, but twice found water. He finished well back on 20 points.

Welshman Ian Woosnam, playing the 2010 course for the first time, finished with 25 points, one behind French amateur Dubuisson; while golf legend Gary Player scored 18 points.

It was a disappointing day for US Open champion McDowell, however, and the Irishman brought up the rear alongside the injured Jon Daly – who did well to finish the nine holes – on 15 points.

Hedwall’s victory came a day after she celebrated her maiden win on the Ladies European Tour at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open. She birdied each of the final three holes, and covered her 9 holes in 5-under par.

The PowerPlay Golf concept is the brainchild of former British amateur champion Peter McEvoy, and further events are scheduled for later in the year in the United States and Asia, with a further seven events next year.

Florida Golf Tour Review

A big thanks to Your Golf Travel for all your help with our recent USA golf tour. What a fantastic experience we had. Great weather, superb courses, wonderful hospitality and some of the lad’s even managed to play some excellent golf all week long. Read more

Monty misses out on US Open slot

Colin Montgomerie will be at Congressional next month for the US Open – but not as a player. Instead the big Scot will be part of the Sky Sports commentary team.

The Scot, who captained Europe to Ryder Cup success last year at The Celtic Manor failed to qualify for the season’s second major at Walton Heath, despite carding his first top-10 finish in three years at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth over the weekend.

With 11 qualifying slots available at Walton Heath, the day promised a lot of drama, but play was set back by over three hours due to fog.

Amongst those to book their seats on the plane to Maryland were Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts who topped the field on 9-under par, one ahead of Irelands Shane Lowry. English trio Robert Rock, Richard Dinwiddie and David Howell also qualified, as did Scot Stephen Gallacher.

Maarten Lafeber, Thomas Levet, Marcel Siem and Alex Noren also qualified while Swede Johan Edfors secured the final place at Congressional with a play-off win over Andreas Harto.

Scot Richard Ramsay should also have been in the playoff after tying with the pair but he had already left the course to catch a flight to Belfast to attend fellow golfer Gareth Maybin’s wedding reception, wrongly believing the play-off wouldn’t take place due to bad light.

It did, however, and Ramsay couldn’t make it back to the course in time to take part. By the time he had returned to the Surrey venue, Edfors and Harto had already completed the play-off.

“It’s just been an horrific day – an awful, awful day,” said Ramsay. “As I left it was 5.30pm and guys were teeing off the first. I actually feel physically sick – I can’t believe they played when it was pitch dark.”

Ryder Cup star Ross Fisher was a notable name to miss out, but still has a chance to make the field. Fisher needs to reach the world’s top 50 by the end of next week – he is currently 52nd in the world.

Poulter & McIlroy vent anger at Wentworth changes

Ernie Els’ changes to Wentworth have once again come under fire from some top pros in the wake of the BMW PGA Championship, with the course setup at the famous Surrey venue being met with some dissention.

Els, a 3-time major winner, made extensive changes to the Wentworth west course ahead of the 2010 renewal of the BMW PGA Championship and revisited some of those changes ahead of this year’s renewal. But as was the case in 2010, both he and the European Tour have got both barrels once again; this time from Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy.

Poulter, winner of the Volvo World Match Play at Finca Cortesin last week has never been one for keeping quiet and on Friday the flamboyant Poulter was less than complimentary about the course.

“I don’t like this golf course. Period. End of story,” he said after signing for a 3-over par 74.

Much of Poulter’s ire came from the double-bogey seven that he carded on the 18th.

“I don’t have a problem with tough courses but I am absolutely fuming. I’ve hit what I thought was a perfect shot and it finishes in the water. Marvellous. Is it fun? No, it’s not fun.”

Poulter was joined by Rory McIlroy who said that some of the pin and tee placements were strange and made it very difficult to score well. Rory’s comments came after Saturday’s third round, despite him carding a 3-under par 68.

“I don’t know who set the course up this week but some of the pin positions today were brutal. You couldn’t get close to them at all.”

“The fans who have paid 35 pounds or whatever it is to come in, they want to see birdies and people hitting great shots and getting it close. On some of the holes round here you just can’t do that.”

Els however has hit back at the criticism, much of which he feels is unfair.

“Wentworth is now a fair and honest test of golf,” he said. “Players who don’t have a good time on the 18th will have a go and I understand that. But you have to look at the overall picture and I do not believe you will find better surfaces to putt on anywhere in the world.”

What do you think? Are Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy right to lambast the way Wentworth has been changed? Did you prefer Wentworth before Els’ changes? Or have Els’ changes made the course better?

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