pack your clubs n play where the stars play
where to play facts n 9th hole on the Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor
UK and Ireland
n Peter Ellegard after sinking his putt on the 18th at the Earth Course
and avidly followed Tiger Woods’s record 15-stroke victory in the 2000 US Open, I finally realised my dream of playing it on a visit last year. The setting, right on the coast of the spectacular Monterey Peninsula, is to die for. The signature 8th hole hugs precipitous cliffs before demanding a heroic shot to the green across a yawning chasm with the churning blue Pacific deep below. Having already leaked my drive over a cliff, I hit a majestic third shot with my rescue club and raced after it – only to discover the fairway doglegged more than I thought as I watched my ball plummet into the ocean. Playing Pebble Beach is no drop in the ocean at $495 a round, excluding caddie or rental clubs. You can also only play if you stay at one of the Pebble Beach Resort hotels, where rooms start at almost $700 per night. But for devotees who can afford it, the cost doesn’t even come into the equation. For bragging rights with their golfing buddies back home, it is priceless. Another of my favourite courses I have played is Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, in South Carolina. Host course of the notorious “War by the Shore” Ryder Cup of 1991, it is a stunning swampland layout next to the Atlantic which will stage the US PGA Championship in August. Closer to home, Celtic Manor in Wales brings back special memories for me. I have played the Twenty Ten Course on four different visits, and was lucky enough to be a spectator on “Magic Monday” during the 2010 Ryder Cup with a grandstand view over the 18th fairway and green. Playing it twice last year with that fresh in my memory added excitement as I recalled how the pros played each hole. Conversely, I braved “Soggy Saturday” at Royal St George’s during last year’s Open and marvelled at how the stars were able to play with such finesse in sideways rain, when I was beaten into submission in perfect, calm conditions the day I had played it. We may play the same courses, but it’s a very different game.
82 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
All nine Open Championship venues are open to the public. The rota comprises: the Old Course, St Andrew’s (www.standrews.org.uk), Royal St George’s (www.royalstgeorges.com), 2012 host Royal Lytham & St Annes (www.royallytham.org), Turnberry (www.turnberryresort.co.uk), Royal Birkdale (www.royalbirkdale.com), Muirfield (www.muirfield.org.uk), Royal Liverpool, Hoylake (www.royal-liverpool-golf.com), Carnoustie (www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) and Royal Troon (www.royaltroon.co.uk). Recent Ryder Cup hosts include 2010 venue Celtic Manor (www.celtic-manor.com), 2006 host The K Club (www.kclub.ie) and multiple host The Belfry (www.thebelfry.co.uk), while Gleneagles (www.gleneagles.com) will stage the 2014 event. Wentworth (www.wentworthclub.com) hosts the European Tour’s annual flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship.
Celtic Manor Resort
Here are some of the world’s top tournament venues the public can play:
Europe You can play 1987 Ryder Cup venue Valderrama (www.valderrama.com) and France’s Le Golf National (www.golfnational.com), host in 2018. Finca Cortesin (www.fincacortesin.com) on the Costa del Sol stages the annual Volvo World Match Play Championship.
USA Not all US Open venues welcome the public, but notable past hosts that do include Pebble Beach (www.pebblebeach.com) and Pinehurst (www.pinehurst.com), as well as Torrey Pines (www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com) and Bethpage State Park (www.nysparks.com/golf-courses), which are public courses, along with 2015 host Chambers Bay (www.chambersbaygolf.com) near Seattle. Among US PGA Championship hosts open to all are 2012 venue Kiawah Island (www.kiawahresort.com) and 2010 host Whistling Straits (www.destinationkohler.com/golf). Most Ryder Cup venues in the US are private, but publicly-accessible hosts include Florida’s PGA National (www.pgaresort.com), Kiawah Island and West Viginia resort The Greenbrier (www.greenbrier.com). Other courses you can play include Players Championship host TPC Sawgrass (www.tpc.com/tpc-sawgrass), WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship venue Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain (www.ritzcarlton.com/dovemountain) in Arizona and the WGC-Cadillac Championship host Doral Resort (www.doralresort.com) in Florida.
Middle East/Africa/Asia The European Tour finale Dubai World Championship is played at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course (www.jumeirahgolfestates.com). South Africa’s Sun City (www.suncity.co.za) hosts the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge. China’s 10-course Mission Hills Haikou resort (www.missionhillschina.com) is the host of biannual team tournament, the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.
Winter 2011/12