GOLF PAR EXCELLENCE
Hand Forged Holidays.

Golf holidays in France are a delightful combination of uncrowded courses, good weather, great food, excellent wines and probably the best value golf in Europe: an important factor in these straitened times.  Wherever you travel in this vast fertile land you will find well designed and beautifully maintained golf courses: around the major cities there are charming traditional Golf Clubs, out in the provinces stylish modern Clubhouses abound with similarly styled golf courses.  In most French départments golf is still somewhat undiscovered, so Green-fees are great value and the golf courses are seldom busy, quite the contrary in fact - particularly mid-week.

As we all know, apart from the golf courses, France has some spectacular scenery, wide-open acres of countryside, long sandy beaches and historic towns.  With a population density roughly a third of the UK's, there is also plenty of time and space to relax and take it all in.  The North of France is very accessible for UK golfers living in the Southeast via the tunnel and ferry ports along the south coast.  If you are travelling from further North or planning on heading further into France, there is no shortage of airlines offering good value flights to destinations further south.

When it comes to cuisine France is pretty well unmatched in Europe, every region has its own specialities, so there are always new delicacies to discover.  Need we add that there are some rather fine wines on offer too?  During our trips to France, we make a point of finding out where is good and who is up and coming on the local culinary scene: these recommendations we send to you along with your tickets and other travel documents.  Let us know what you think of them and please pass on news of any good restaurants that you find yourselves!

Every year we send more and more golfers to corners of France they had not previously considered and every year we receive more and more letters of appreciation from Club Members all over the British Isles.  We will be more than happy to recommend courses and hotels for you, plus provide you with all the travel help and area information that you might need.  So why don't you give France a try this year?

Italian golf holidays: bellissimo!  When it comes to golf holidays, Italy pretty much has it all: epic scenery, fabulous climate, superb food (and wine) and stunning golf courses.  Plus the fact that very few golfers choose to take their golf holiday in Italy, means that midweek you may well find that you have the pick of the Italian golf courses to yourself!

The rolling hills of Italy, richly fertile and bathed in sunshine, coupled with its wealth of artistic and historic (not to mention culinary) heritage have made Italy a world renowned tourist destination.  Add some beautifully designed golf courses to the scenery and you have yourself the perfect golf holiday destination.

You will find golf courses throughout Italy, some mature Golf Clubs around the major cities,: Rome, Milan, Turin etc.  And newer courses designed in the nineties by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player et al, that are now blossoming under the golden Italian sun.  So far these have only been discovered by the more intrepid golfer.  No doubt the secret will one day get out, so we say now is the time to make the most of the empty Italian golf courses and enjoy some millionaires' golf - midweek in particular.

For Winter sunshine golf holidays, Portugal continues to grow in popularity and it's easy to understand why.  There are more good golf courses appearing all over the country in addition to the huge number of Golf Clubs that already exist down on the Algarve.

The area around Lisbon in particular has many new golf courses and classy golf resorts, both North and South of the Portuguese capital.

One of the reasons why Portugal is so popular for golf holidays is of course the climate.  As the Southwestern outpost of Europe (next stop North Africa), it has a temperate climate ideal for year-round golf holidays.  High Summer is maybe a little too warm for golfing, but Spring and Autumn are ideal and even in the Winter the daytime temperatures rarely drop out of the upper 60’s - and you'll get to see some blue sky!

Heading to Spain for you golf holiday has been almost an automatic reaction for many golfers over the years.  This has encouraged a plethora of golf courses to spring up across the Spanish countryside, almost too many in certain places.

In the South of Spain the belt of golf courses along the Costa del Sol are extremely well frequented by all standards of European golfers, keen to make the most of their days - and often the most of their nights too.

The South-west of Spain (towards Gibraltar) and the area around Sotogrande is much quieter than the Costa del Sol (and slightly greener) making for a much more relaxing golfing holiday environment.

For tranquil seaside towns, a taste of real Spain and superb quality golf courses (slowly being discovered), head for the Costa Brava between Barcelona and Girona - for a golf holiday in Spain's quieter corner.

Another area of Spain for a quieter Spanish golf holiday is Jerez, Seville and Cadiz over towards the Portuguese border.  Apart from some excellent golf courses there is also the Spanish national tipple to try (sweet, medium or dry)  - in moderation) of course!

Golf holidays in Morocco are quite simply fascinating.  It is a very different place to play golf and an enticing country to visit.  The closest part of Africa to Europe - a unique melting pot of races and cultures, where various desert peoples crisscrossed the plains, towns and mountains; each adding their own spice to the proceedings.  Unsurprisingly, the country has a very Arabian feel to it, but there is also a ready awareness of Western culture, so the culture shock is never too severe!  If you have never been to Africa before, then Morocco is a great place to start.

The epicentre of everything (including golf) is Marrakech.  A wonderful city with an attraction that never dims,  no matter how many times you might have visited.  All around the throbbing centre are luxury hotels and just outside the city limits a dozen golf courses to choose between.  The weather in the Winter is perfect for golf - dry, blue skies and around 20 degrees during the day - just lovely.

In the warmer months head for the coast at El Jadida (Mazagan), Essaouira or Agadir, where the ocean zephyrs will keep you cool. All have  a selection of great golf courses, making Morocco truly a golf destination for all seasons.

Taking a golf holiday in Belgium might not spring instantly to many golfer's minds, but with a broad range of golf courses, good connections to all parts of Europe and some stimulating cities to visit, Belgium is well worthy of consideration when planning your next golfing break.  True, the weather might not match the incessant sunshine of more southern golfing destinations, but you will find the cooler Belgian climes ensure that golf courses maintain their greenness throughout the Summer.  Although nowadays at the very centre of Europe, Belgium still remains a mystery to many people. The combination of cultures at this continental crossroads lends Belgium a very cosmopolitan feel.

In the North of Belgium, Dutch and Flemish are the languages commonly spoken and the people have a correspondingly Teutonic approach to life: in the southern half of the country the language of choice is French and a more relaxed lifestyle is discernible. But whichever half of the country you head for, just about everybody speaks perfect English in addition to their mother tongue, so there are rarely any Belgian communication problems!

Near the Belgian coast, around Oostende and Zeebrugge, the land has only recently (geologically speaking) returned from the sea and is fairly flat sandy links with outbreaks of dunes here and there - perfect golfing terrain for links style courses.  Heading south, the countryside soon changes to farmland, small villages and green rolling hills, a fine pastoral framework for parkland and woodland golf courses.

The Belgians, supposedly famous for not being famous, will point out that their beers, chocolates and mussels are second to none (difficult to argue with that!). And that there is plenty more on the tourist menu besides these highlights. 

They will also be only too pleased to point out some of the other attractions of this intriguing coalition of contrasts and why it's a country so well worth discovering.

In a land where the grass is the greenest, it is no surprise that golf vacations have been taken for so long - and with such passion! It is worthy of note that of the 150 links courses in the world 44 of them are to be found in Ireland.

You do not have to travel too far in Ireland to begin discovering these superb golf courses, plus the affable characters and warm Clubhouses that Ireland is so famous for.  We have researched the very best Irish golfing destinations, spread across the island of Ireland from Dublin to Killarney and Cork to Portrush.