Final swing in the Seychelles

PREVIOUSLY the European Senior Tour, the 2018 Staysure Tour is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older. The MCB Tour Championship will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The Seychelles Tourism Board has announced that the 2018 Staysure Tour season will end in the island of Praslin at Constance Lemuria, one of Seychelles’ most exquisite golf courses. Staysure Tour members will compete for almost £600K (US$800K) in prize money at the MCB Tour Championship from 14 to 16 December.

This is the first time the #Seychelles will host a #golf tournament of such calibre, and the archipelago is bound to impress. Stunning natural surroundings, year-round sunshine and warm weather, welcoming hospitality and world-class golf courses make the Seychelles a golfer’s dream.


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Italy seeing significant increase in golf visitors

ITALY has enjoyed a significant increase in the number of #golf visitors in recent times, with international bookings having risen by an impressive 25% over the last two years of growth.

With Italy Golf & More, the first pan-Italian international promotional golf project, providing the driving force, latest figures show that the number of rounds played by international golfers in the country has gone up by around a quarter since 2015.

Green fee bookings rose by around 15 per cent in 2016 and have increased by a further 10 per cent so far this year, with a rise in numbers reported in regions across the north and south of #Italy.

The likes of Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Sicily have all seen international numbers rise in the last 12 months, while the number of foreign golfers playing rounds in the regions of Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia has almost doubled during the same period.

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Golf tourism on the rise in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND'S unique golf courses, many created within landscapes forged by nature are proving a draw card for international visitors.

Golf visitors are up a record 31% annually, with a 16% increase in average spend per visitor. It is estimated that over 61,000 international visitors played golf in #NewZealand last year contributing around $329 million to the economy.

And the world is taking notice, helped by the country securing a range of major international events that will give New Zealand’s course exposure the world over like never before.

2017 looks to be remembered as the year of #golf with major events taking place including the first Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour event to be held in New Zealand.

The MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open will take place at the end of September at the country’s newest course, Windross Farm in Ardmore.

The year of golf teed off last week with the ISPS Handa New Zealand Open at Queenstown’s renowned courses Millbrook Resort and The Hills. The tier one event is part of the Professional Golf Association Tour of Australasia.

Rounding off the year, the Royal Wellington Golf Club will host the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October. The event will bring 120 top players from the Asia-Pacific region to the capital.

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La Manga named Spain's best golf resort sixth year in a row

THE prestigious resort in Murcia, south-east #Spain, was the overwhelming first choice of readers of the UK’s best-selling #golf magazine, receiving nearly 10 per cent more votes than its nearest challenger at the 2017 Today’s Golfer Travel Awards.

The new accolade extends #LaManga Club’s amazing record of having won the coveted title every year since it was introduced, and is further confirmation of the resort’s status as one of Europe’s most popular golf resorts.

Set across an area of 1,400 acres, La Manga Club has been at the forefront of European sports and leisure destinations for more than four decades.

Featuring three 18-hole golf courses, a nine-hole academy course and outstanding practice facilities, La Manga Club has enjoyed a rich golfing history since its inception in 1972, while its array of other outstanding sports and leisure amenities, bars and restaurants has helped establish it as a firm favourite with golfers worldwide.

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Asia's leading golf tour operator expands

PATTAYA , #Thailand has been recognised as Asia's largest golf and party destination. Once a sleepy fishing village and the R&R center of American GI's during Vietnam War in the 1970s Pattaya now has the largest concentration of #golf courses in one destination in Asia today.

Golfasian has recently acquired Solar Golf and as explained by Mark Siegel, Managing Director of Golfasian. "A vital ingredient of our success is to have a strong operational presence in our key destinations. With over 10 years of presence in Pattaya and a strong UK market share, Solar Golf was the perfect fit for us".

With its vast selection of global branded hotels & resorts, short distance from Bangkok, more than 20 golf courses and excellent year-round golf weather all combine to make Pattaya a golfer's heaven. Over 10 million annual visitors and growing, Pattaya is the fastest growing region for golfers.

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Golf at La Manga

LAMANGA Club launched their new #Golf Academy on October 1, a training centre with a new concept of learning, based on the previous experience of the student.

The renowned Swedish instructor, Thomas Johansson, will be in charge of directing the Academy, and the new Academy will be a training centre rather than a practice centre. “The student does not practice alone. Here, we train so that your level of golf improves, by means of determined exercises and paying attention to progressive results”, explains Johansson about the method of training that will be put in place.

The opening of this new Golf Academy represents the rest of the investments that #LaManga Club have carried out over the years and in the last few months in their golfing section: the renovation of the fleet of buggies, the substitution of all the golf course signs and the upscaling of the bars and restaurants, such as 37 Spike & Sports Bar.

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Tee off for gold in Algarve

#ALGARVE #golf is marking its 50th year with the introduction of ‘Golden Tees’. 

From June, all of the region’s top courses will feature commemorative golden tee markers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of its first course – Penina – in 1966.

Each visiting golfer will be invited to play their part in marking the milestone by playing from the new golden tees and will then get the chance to register their details on a website for an opportunity to win 50 green fees. Fifty green fees will be given away as prizes to be used on courses throughout 2017.

President of the Algarve Tourism Association, Carlos Luis, said: ‘We are honoured to be able to mark the 50th anniversary of golf in the Algarve this year and hope golfers will be part of the celebrations with us. It’s just another perfect reason for golfers to visit us in 2016 as the Algarve golf industry continues to provide the very best in hospitality, accommodation, and golf venues with great value and diversity. It should be a golden year for the Algarve.’

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Italy tees off for golf tourism

#ITALY is to launch its greatest ever co-ordinated #golf tourism initiative this summer under the Italy Golf & More brand. 

Known worldwide for its outstanding history, culture, and gastronomy, Italy is also home to no fewer than 141 18-hole golf courses. Italy Golf & More is a collaboration between private sector partner regions, the Italian Golf Federation, and the Ministry of Tourism, who have come together to embark on a seven-figure investment to increase awareness and boost golf tourism.

Bruno Bertero, project co-ordinator for Italy Golf & More, said: ‘Italy is a country full of wonderful and different golf courses, a fact that is often overlooked when golfers are looking to book a golf break. We are very proud of the golf product we have to offer which, combined with the many tourist attractions available, great flight access, and comparatively low green fees, makes us a match for any of the more traditional European golf destinations.

‘These are very exciting times for Italian golf, with the Ryder Cup due to take place here in 2022, and this new collaboration gives us a fantastic opportunity to showcase the country to golfers in the UK and Ireland, two of the most important golf tourism markets in Europe.’

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Tee off on Majorca

#MAJORCA hosts the International #GolfTravelMarket later this year. It will be an opportunity to showcase the island as one of the leading golfing holiday destinations in the Med.

Nineteen courses are members of the Golf Course Association of Majorca, and they are all within easy reach. Just 45 minutes is the longest drive players would expect to make between the two furthermost clubs on the island.

Last year, tourists played 600,000 rounds of #golf on the island and for 2016, the target is to add another 30,000 to that total.

Son Vida is the oldest club on Mallorca, dating back to 1964 and there has been steady growth in the number of courses since then. Eight clubs have been added since 2000. The island's golf history stretches back much further to 1934 when a nine-hole course in Alcudia was established before it was shut down during the Spanish civil war, when the fairways were used for aircraft.

Andrew Smith at Your Golf Travel, says: ‘Mallorca has long been heralded as one of Europe's foremost golf destinations and it's difficult to find fault with any aspect of the island's golf offering.

‘There is a great choice of golf courses all within close proximity of each other, fabulous year-round weather, frequent flights, and so many other things for golfers to enjoy while visiting the island.

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Scottish travel firm targets golfers

A TRAVEL firm specializing in attracting #golf tourists to #Scotland has been launched. DP&L Golf says it will target British, European and US players, but will focus particularly on the emerging Chinese market.

The firm is part of DP&L Travel, an established independent travel business in Scotland and a subsidiary of the DP&L (Dundee, Perth, and London) group.

The new company will operate from St Andrews and Dundee where staff will create packages to suit budgets for individuals, couples, families, or groups.

Alick Bisset, managing director of the DP&L Group said: ‘The emphasis will be on providing outstanding golfing experiences harnessed to great value for money. We will provide a full tour arrangement for our clients which includes the provision of flights for both UK and overseas customers. DP&L Golf’s aim is to ensure its customers always enjoy the best offer at the best price and come away with an unforgettable Scottish golfing holiday experience.

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Tee Off in Lisbon!

LISBON'S golf sector is looking ahead to 2016, with a series of high-profile national and international tournaments. 

86th Portuguese International Amateur Championship
January-February 2016
Featuring an elegant clubhouse surrounded by a pine forest, #EstorilGolf is one of the oldest courses in Portugal, originally founded in 1929. The course hosts the annual Portuguese International Amateur Championships, which in 2016 will take place between January 27-30 (women) and February 10-13 (men).

Orizonte Lisbon Golf Trophy
February 22-26
This international amateur golf event was launched in 2015 to showcase some of Lisbon's best courses to UK and European golfers. It involves a friendly competition across two handicap categories, bringing together six well-established golf courses.

5th Oitavos Classic
February 25-28
This tournament is at the 18-hole Oitavos Dunes, considered one of the best links courses in the world. Open to amateur golfers, the maximum tournament handicap will be 28 for men and women.

Many of the #Lisbon #Golf Coast's courses are within or close to five-star hotels and resorts.

Direct flights to Lisbon operate from London, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Bristol with TAP Portugal, British Airways, easyJet, and Ryanair.

www.visitlisboa.com 

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Brittany Ferries tees off with golf breaks in France & Spain

BRITTANY FERRIES has published its 2016 #golf breaks programme, providing access to 84 courses in Western #France and nine in Northern #Spain. The ferry service enables golfers to carry all of their kit their cars, without having to pay excess baggage charges. 

In France, travellers on a golf tour can take advantage of the food, wine, and cultural experiences on offer, while Northern Spain can still feel largely undiscovered, boasting the Picos de Europa mountains and vineyards.

Graham Ruth, Brittany Ferries’ director of Golf, says: ‘Many of our customers come back again and again, and I think this is because once you have discovered how easy and delightful golfing in France and Northern Spain is, you are hooked. And whether you are a couple or a group, the Brittany Ferries golf desk, staffed by keen golfers with a wealth of local knowledge, can advise not only on the courses, but also on restaurants and the sights you shouldn’t miss.’

Brittany Ferries runs overnight sailings, and a high-speed, three-hour service to France in just three hours.

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