IGTM Daily 2013 - Day 1

IGTM DailyDAY 1: TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER

The Ryder Cup comes

to IGTM

TUESDAY IGTM DAILY 01

IAGTO: 2014 outlook is for steady, sustainable growthAt his annual State of the Market address at IGTM this morning, IAGTO Chief Executive, Peter Walton, looked forward to a third consecutive year of golf tourism growth in 2014.

“Maybe now is a good time to put both of those well-worn economic terms ‘crisis’ and ‘recovery’ back into the locker,” he said.

“Recovery tends to suggest ploughing a path back to some previously-experienced heady height. The reality is different. The reality is that the global golf tourism industry is now in a period of growth, not rampant, nor exponential, but simple, steady healthy growth.”

Continued on page 6

Lumine’s famous 400… IGTM host venue welcomes record number of golfers in on day(see page 3)

Costa Daurada… check out the top courses that are just a short drive away(see page 14)

Read the full story on page 4

IGTM tees off in style

See more tournament day images on page 7

10 IGTM DAILY MONDAY


IGTM Daily Tuesday

Jumeirah wins race to become European Tour venue

Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai has been elected the ninth destination on the European Tour.

The announcement of the venue as the first in the Middle East to be brought under the European Tour Properties umbrella, comes as it opens its state-of-the-art European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI) – only the second of its kind. The institute will offer world-class training facilities for elite professional and amateur golfers alike.

As a European Tour Destination, Jumeirah Golf Estates now joins the likes of PGA Catalunya Resort in Spain; London Golf Club in England; Le Golf National in Paris, France (where The 2018 Ryder Cup will be played); and The Dutch in Holland.

The historic announcement coincides with the build-up to the fifth season-ending Race to Dubai tournament – the DP World Tour Championship – to be played over the superb Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates later this week.

Jumeirah’, which boasts Fire and Earth courses, both designed by Greg Norman, also delivers a luxury residential golf community within the

complex, adjacent to a state-of-the-art clubhouse, planned to be part operational in time for the 2014 DP World Tour Championship.

Yousuf Kazim, General Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates, commented: “This is very exciting news for Dubai and the region in general. The new partnership with the Tour further enhances our already strong relationship as we prepare for the fifth season-ending tournament here on the Earth course and ensures that we can look forward in confidence to the next phase of the development, including the first stage of clubhouse development, due for opening in October 2014, and the continued hand over of properties.”

European Tour champion and Ryder Cup player, David Howell, who recently captured his fifth Tour title in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, said of Jumeirah Golf Estates: “It’s a fantastic place to train and work on my game when I’m not playing on Tour. It has everything you need as a professional golfer, but it is also a great place for amateurs of all levels.”

Visit: www.jumeirahgolfestates.com

DUBAI

Lumine gets over the 400 hurdleLumine Golf Club recently played host at its two championship courses to 400 golfers in a single day – its highest number ever.

The red-letter day for the club is a snapshot of the significant year-on-year increase in business at Lumine, with tour operator rounds up 254 per cent.

Calle Carlsson, general manager of the Lumine Golf & Beach Club, said: “Four hundred rounds in one day has always been a benchmark number we have been striving to hit and I’m delighted that we have achieved this feat so early into what will be an extremely busy period for us over the coming months,”

He added: “Our entire team has been working tirelessly to deliver 45 holes of golf in pristine condition along with the very best in service hospitality and value in the game. It’s these aspects that see increasing numbers of golfers return to us every year.”

Other news from the Troon-managed Lumine club – which boasts two Greg Norman-designed courses – includes the announcement that it will host the PGAs of Europe’s Fourball Championship’s for a third consecutive year.

Added to that, Lumine will also be the venue for the Nordic Tour’s inaugural Winter Series.

Beyond the club’s 45 holes of championship golf and first class practice facilities, the growth in stature of the resort stems from its combination of accessibility (it lies just one hour’s drive from Barcelona Airport and 15

minutes from Reus Airport), and first-class sport and leisure facilities.

Mikael Sorling, CEO, Nordea Tour said: “Lumine Golf Club has been a popular choice thanks to accessibility from the Nordic region and the comprehensive facilities on offer to support an event of such size.”

Visit: www.lumine.com

The somewhat intimidating approach to the 18th green at Lumine Hills

Not a blade out of place – the sumptuous Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates

SPAIN

Editor Mike Hayes

Art Direction

Commercial Director Parminder Johal

Senior reporter Keith Osbourne

Production Manager Julie Ebsworth

Digital / Web Production 3S Media

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04 IGTM DAILY TUESDAY

IGTM Daily Tuesday

Mallorcan gem leaves old guard in the shadeOn the island of Mallorca, the youthful course at Club de Golf Alcanada has been given ‘favourite course’ status by not one but two popular media vehicles.

Users of the 1golf.eu website named it their ‘favourite European course’ for the third successive year, while readers of the leading German magazine Golf Journal have called it their favourite for an unprecedented fifth year in a row.

At only ten years old, Alcanada has overhauled established classic courses such as Spain’s Valderrama and the Old Course at St Andrews to take the top spot.

Kristoff Both, director of golf at Club de Golf Alcanada, said: “This is a fabulous way for us to celebrate our 10th anniversary – and we will be presented with the award at our members’

gala dinner to commemorate our successful 10 years.

“To be recognised by the users of 1golf.eu as their favourite course for the third successive year is an astonishing achievement and one of

which everybody here at Alcanada can be rightly proud. We have a fantastic golf course but we also pride ourselves on offering friendly, top-quality service and are privileged to have an outstanding venue in an enviable location.

“And clearly, that opinion is echoed by the users of 1golf.eu and the readers of Golf Journal. We thank them all for their votes and their patronage.”

Overlooking the Bay of Alcudia in the north of Mallorca, Alcanada’s

18-hole championship course, opened in 2003, is a founder member of The Leading Golf Courses of Spain collection.

Visit: www.golf-alcanada.com

Kids’ academy celebrates its birthday with Sergio

Having opened the first Junior Golf Academy at PGA Catalunya Resort a year ago, Spanish Ryder Cup star Sergio Garcia recently returned to join in with its first anniversary celebrations.

Garcia conducted golf clinics with local schoolchildren and a group from Consocri Sant Gregori in Girona, an organisation that helps people with special educational needs.

The day encapsulated the twin objectives of the academy; namely to produce Portugal’s next generation of professional golfing talent, and to give people with physical and learning disabilities the opportunity to learn and enjoy golf.

The impressive facilities at the

resort include a 2,000-square-metre putting and chipping green, which provided the perfect stage for Garcia to give young hopefuls a golfing masterclass.

He said: “The progress made in just a year by these juniors is impressive. With the highest quality of coaches and practice facilities available here, there is great potential to develop stars of the future, as well as introduce a new generation to the joys of the game”.

Julio Delgado, CEO of PGA Catalunya Resort, a European Tour Destination, said: “Sergio was an exceptional junior golfer himself and has proven to be an inspiration for new golfers across the globe.”

Visit: www.pgacatalunya.com

Ryder Cup on display at IGTMEuropean Tour Properties has taken its own bespoke stand – featuring The Ryder Cup trophy – at this year’s event.

Delegates on The European Tour Properties stand (number C408) include member venue colleagues from Le Golf National, host venue of The 2018 Ryder Cup; Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort, voted the International Association of Golf Tour Operators’ Resort of the Year for 2013; Diamond Country Club, near Vienna, host of the Lyoness Open on The European Tour International Schedule; PGA Catalunya Resort, near Barcelona; Estonian Golf & Country Club; and Quinta do Lago, on the Portuguese Algarve.

The Ryder Cup trophy itself, which symbolises one of the world’s greatest sporting contests, will be on display for the opening of the exhibition this morning and at various other times throughout the three days of intensive networking seen at IGTM.

David MacLaren, The European Tour’s Director of Property and Venue Development, said: “IGTM is a hugely significant event for the golf industry, so we are delighted and honoured to host a bespoke stand this year. Our network of venues has expanded greatly in recent years and will continue to do so in the future, so we are proud to showcase our Member Venues to a wide audience.

“The Ryder Cup is golf’s greatest team contest, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand to see the trophy and also to speak to the representatives from our worldclass venues, which of course include the host venue for The 2018 Ryder Cup, Le Golf National.”

Visit: www.europeantourproperties.com

SPAIN

SPAIN

Sweeping fairways of Club de Golf Alcanada, overlooking the Bay of Alcudia

The sprawling 16th hole at Oitavos Dunes

MONDAY IGTM DAILY 10Come visit our Stand C120

all about golfPut your swing to the test in the country awarded "Best golf destination” by IAGTO, and enjoy the most prestigious courses of the Caribbean, designed by renowned golfers and architects. Then, relax in the comfort of exclusive resorts and savor delicious gastronomy in paradisiacal surroundings.

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic Tourist Board:c/ Serrano, 114. 2º, ext. izq. • Madrid 28006, Spain

Tel. +34 91 417 73 75 • Fax +34 91 598 0025 [email protected] • [email protected]

www.godominicanrepublic.com • www.facebook.com/lotienetodo


IGTM Daily Tuesday

IAGTO report highlights ‘green shoots’ statistics Continued from front page

Walton implied that just by being here, IGTM delegates put themselves at an advantage.

“Building upon their own company’s key strengths is now what every IAGTO member needs to do in order to make this generic growth both personally relevant and sustainable over the longer term” he concluded.

IAGTO’s ground-breaking Global Golf Tourism Report published earlier this year showed that golf tour operator sales grew by an average of 9.3% across the world.

Operators predicted further growth in 2013 and Walton reported today that he expects the numbers to reflect this optimistic forecast when IAGTO’s 2nd annual Golf Tourism Report is published next February.

Walton explained that IAGTO’s role is to support the golf tourism industry as it prepares to target a third consecutive year of growth in 2014, by continuing to roll out new services, create more business opportunities, provide useful market intelligence and help reduce administrative and operational costs for its members.

According to IAGTO, the biggest frustration for most companies is when their business is affected by factors outside of their control.

Walton said that golf destinations were better placed to manage extraneous circumstances than were tour operators: “Golf resorts, courses and hotels should of course focus on their individual strengths or X Factors [as highlighted in his 2012 address], but every supplier can achieve even greater sales if the golf destination works together to position itself in the best possible way to attract more golf travellers and golf tour operator business.

“The regional and national tourist boards are on the tiller here, and if each performs just three integrated tasks they can make massive differences:

1) provide the structure and incentive to encourage the golf destination to work together;

2) weave a tapestry from the unique and exciting golf experiences and offers that comprise the golf destination;

3) promote that ‘tapestry’ with clear and targeted messages to the potential golf visitor”

Walton stated that IAGTO spends considerable time helping destinations do exactly this, having produced the golf tourism strategies for more than 30 countries and regions over the past decade.

Walton added: “The buyers at IGTM cannot lean on each other in the same way that suppliers can, of course. Outbound golf tour operators, the lifeblood for many golf destinations, are much more susceptible to small external changes, be they currency fluctuations, VAT hikes or local discounting that encourages product-switching at the expense of tour operator sales. Golf tour operators operate in a fiercely-competitive

market so they need to focus their energies on differentiation, unique communication channels and cost-effective promotions, while keeping costs low and their knowledge base high. IAGTO is the only international support network for golf tour operators and one of our primary roles is to work with the industry to maintain clear air around the operators, preventing unnecessary turbulence!”

In 2012, IAGTO operators made the golf travel arrangements for over 1.6 million golfers with sales in excess of €2 billion.

Walton explained that IAGTO’s role is to support the golf tourism industry as it prepares to target a third consecutive year of growth in 2014, by continuing to roll out new services, create more business opportunities, provide useful market intelligence and help reduce administrative and operational costs for its members.


IGTM Daily Tuesday

IGTM tees off… in picturesThe high winds that had both organisers and competitors worried on Sunday had thankfully moved on by the time the IGTM Golf Tournament got underway yesterday.

On all four courses – Lumine’s Lake and Hills courses, Club de Golf Bonmont and Club de Golf Costa Dorada (see page 14 for more course information) – a combination of excellent weather, combined with perfectly-manicured fairways and greens, made for some great rounds – and Golf GameBook ran all the scoring with their clever

interactive leaderboard.

As well as being able to see scores change hole-by-hole in real time, players enjoyed getting involved with social commentary across the four tournament venues, sending instant comments to fellow competitors.

Mikko Rantanen, CEO of GameBookInc CEO Mikko Rantanen, said: “We hope everyone enjoyed the new social dimension to the IGTM Golf Tournament this year – there were certainly a lot of comments and photos being shared.”


IGTM Daily Tuesday

£1 million clubhouse opens at Aviemore resort

The Spey Valley golf course at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort recently revamped’ its 19th hole with a brand new £1 million clubhouse overlooking the 1st tee.

The development, undertaken by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts was funded from £5 million

Fresh start … what could beat a morning round at Spey Valley?

Spain has a yen for Chinese touristsTourism officials in Sevilla aim to make high-spending additions to the half a million-plus golf sector tourists who visited in 2012, as they woo Chinese golf tourists.

Last month, the Spanish Tourism Office (OET) in Beijing, organized for a group from the Spanish Golf Circuit in China to visit Andalucia and sample the region’s golfing delights.

The group was welcomed by the Deputy of Employment and Innovation of Sevilla, Dolores Bravo, who spoke to them about the relevant benefits of the region for Chinese golf enthusiasts and their families.

With golf tourists typically spending an average of €171 per person per day in the region, the potential for high-spending Chinese tourists to increase the figure has doubtless given this initiative a boost.

Emirates Golf Club in Dubai has recorded its one millionth round of golf.

Established in 1988, the iconic club – the first in the Middle East to boast an all-grass course – now features the Majlis and Faldo courses, as well as world-class leisure, food and beverage facilities.

Andrew Whitelaw, General Manager of Emirates Golf Club, said: “Emirates Golf Club has become an icon in the UAE and one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. Over the past 25 years we have inspired golfers at all levels and set the bar for

the growth of the sport in the region.”

He added: “Serving one million golfers is another huge milestone – in a year of huge milestones – that we wanted to celebrate with members and guests.”

The Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, which is ranked in Golf Digest’s World Top 100 Courses, plays host to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both confirmed for the 2014 event.

DUBAI

Thanks... a million

SCOTLAND

SPAIN

investment capital, which the group set aside this year.

The two-storey clubhouse, finished in wood and natural stone to complement its rugged natural surroundings, offers visitors breathtaking views of the Cairngorm mountains and includes amenities such as changing areas, a retail outlet,

lounge bar, restaurant and a patio terrace for al fresco dining.

Ruaridh Macdonald, Operations Director, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, said of the project: “Our decision to invest £1 million in the new clubhouse, where visitors will be able to relax and enjoy the highest quality of food and drink, further underlines our continual drive to invest and ensure we remain a fairway from your standard hotel group.”

Further golf-related developments from the group include extensions to its Marine Hotel in North Berwick (the nearest hotel to Muirfield, host of this year’s Open Championship), and to the iconic Rusacks Hotel, overlooking the Old Course at St Andrews.

Visit: www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Aviemore


IGTM Daily Tuesday

Whats onTuesday 12 November

New members flock to Scottish course One of Scotland’s most dramatic Atlantic coast golf courses, Machrihanish Dunes, has invited local inhabitants to help keep the grass trimmed during the winter months – by eating it.

The local inhabitants in question are a flock of 40 black Hebridean sheep – now more readily known as the ‘natural lawnmowers’.

Apart from a very real job of keeping the rough under control, the sheep are a big hit with visitors, and no doubt helped Machrihanish Dunes secure the title of Number One Eco Golf Course in the World, awarded last year by the Association of British Travel Agents.

David Southworth, President and CEO of Southworth Development, owners and managers of the club, said: “Here at Machrihanish Dunes we are very proud of our eco friendly status and in particular the iconic characters who have helped us achieve our environmentally friendly credentials.”

www.machrihanishdunes.com

SCOTLAND

09:30 - 10:00 IGTM Welcome Address& Destination Catalonia/ Damascus Rooms, PortAventura Convention Centre Costa Daurada Presentation

10:00 - 10:35 IAGTO Address Damascus Rooms, PortAventura Convention Centre

10:50 - 12:50 Appointment Session 1 (5 appointments) PortAventura Convention Centre - Stands

11:15 Official Opening PortAventura Convention Centre

12:50 - 14:05 Lunch/Open Networking Session Hotel PortAventura (5 mins walk)

14:05 - 15:40 Appointment Session 2 (4 appointments) PortAventura Convention Centre - Stands

15:40 - 16:30 Open Networking Session PortAventura Convention Centre

16:30 - 18:05 Appointment Session 3 (4 appointments) PortAventura Convention Centre

20:00 - Onwards IAGTO Evening Far West evening at the PortAventura Theme Park

IGTM Daily Tuesday


Bubba Watson’s ‘hover-cart’ - ready for take off?Since 2012 US Masters champion Bubba Watson first ‘floated’ the idea of a hovercraft golf cart, there have those who said the idea wouldn’t fly.

The rest thought it was ‘air-brained’.

Well, it looks as though Bubba’s having the last laugh, as Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield, Ohio recently became the first course to buy a fleet of his US$58,000 BW1 (Bubba Watson 1) machines.

The club’s general manager, David Duffey, said: “We thought it was really cool, and we were looking for a hook that might help people notice the golf course and come out and play.”

Other advantages of the fact that the hovercraft can travel pretty much anywhere on the course (including through water hazards) and has the potential to put a smile on your face after the worst round of your life.

Better still, according to designer Chris Fitzgerald of Neoteric Hovercraft, it will do virtually no damage to the course, as its footprint is some 33 times lighter than that of a human.

With all this in mind, the idea might just be crazy enough to work – although, at $230 per-round at Windy Knoll, the price of taking a BW1 for a spin could leave golfers feeling just a little light-headed.

Name’s the game as Barcelona Golf & Spa Resort is relaunched

In collaboration with Club de Golf Barcelona, the Barcelona Golf hotel is being rebranded as Barcelona Golf & Spa Resort.

Located just 30 kilometres from Barcelona city and airport, the resort boasts 27 Jose Maria Olazabal-designed holes, plus a four-star hotel, within the renowned El Penedes wine-producing region.

It further offers guests excellent amenities such as an impressive 6,000-square-metre clubhouse, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a football field, squash and saunas, as well as restaurants, shopping and conference rooms for events and social meetings

On the thinking behind the new strategy, sales specialist Mar Bernat said: “This exciting new project demonstrates the two company’s commitment to providing astute travellers with spacious and modern rooms-style accommodation in a unique golf and gastronomic location.”

Visit: www.golfdebarcelona.com

SPAIN

USA

Barcelona Golf & Spa Resort… new name, same quality course

IGTM Daily Tuesday

MONDAY IGTM DAILY 11

IGTM is a great way of building new business relationships and preserving the ones you already have. A few intensive days of hard work combined with some golf and great social events at night make IGTM the most important and rewarding business trip of the year. It’s always in my calendar and as a great bonus for this year it’s here in Costa Daurada, in my own back yard.

Tomas BjörklundManaging DirectorCosta Daurada Golf Association

Denia and the Costa Blanca in general are emerging golf destinations and we have experienced how surprised individual golfers and golf groups are about the excellent courses, weather conditions and competitive prices. However, this area is less known than established destinations in Malaga, Balearic Islands, etc, and therefore it is important for us to be present at an important Golf Industry Fair like IGTM.

Jessica PastorEvents, Groups & Golf CoordinatorHotel Dénia Marriott La Sella Golf Resort & Spawww.lasellagolfresort.com

official review publication of Arabian Travel Market 2013

The best in customer publishing. Simply.

"With Limetree, I know I'll get the publication I want - plus those little details that make it special" Fiona Ashton, Marketing Manager, Reed Travel Exhibitions

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DAY 1 LTM HP ad IGTM.pdf 1 11/11/2013 18:45

Talking shop…What makes IGTM a ‘must-attend’ event


Best in show

IGTM Daily Tuesday

Golf holes that make you say ‘Wow!’The Show Daily team spread the word to this year’s exhibitors that we were looking for some of the most attractive, intimidating, tricky, awe-inspiring and downright impossible golf holes from the courses being represented at IGTM.

The response was overwhelming. Unfortunately, we don’t have the space to show you everything, but in each edition of the Show Daily, you’ll see some of the holes that most impressed us.”

East course18Hole

SicilyVerdura Golf & Spa Resort

“This unforgettable par 4 is a suitable climax to a superb course. The tee shot is played against a backdrop of cliffs and an ancient ruin, with the coastline to the right. The drive is aimed at a diagonally placed fairway with a drop in altitude of ten metres from the tee to a safe landing zone on closely mown grass. The demanding second shot to the green must carry a deep hollow before rising up to the undulating putting surface set directly against the cliff face and a ‘watery grave’ should you venture any distance right of the green.”

3Hole

17Hole

SpainClub de Golf Llavaneras

“This is a short par 4 with spectacular views. Be careful from the tee though – you do not want to be wayward on the right because from there your second shot is very complicated as it is completely blind. If you find yourself there, take a short club and be very precise because the green is guarded by three very deep bunkers at the front and there is more danger if you go beyond. The generous and uncomplicated green is the only straightforward thing about this beautiful hole.”

ScotlandThe Kittocks Course, Fairmont St Andrews

“This has been the signature hole for both Fairmont courses and is possibly the finest par 4 in Fife. Usually played into the breeze, the 17th plays towards St Andrews with the sea to the right over its entire length. A fine drive is required, favouring the left. Many good players play the 17th as a par five, laying up with their second shot, short of a deep ravine 50 yards before the green, after having used their straightest club off the tee.”


EstoniaEstonian Golf & Country Club

“Stand on the tee of our par 4 350-metre third hole and breathe in the beautiful expanse of Baltic Sea before you. Just try not to get too much adrenaline flowing as you strike the ball – fairway placement needs to be precise and if the approach shot is overhit, there is unimaginable trouble lying in wait beyond the green.A great hole from a course in Golf World’s Top 100 European Courses – and in an emerging golfing nation.”

PortugalSan Lorenzo Golf Club, Quinta do Lago

“This par 4 dog-leg is not particularly long, but it’s tricky. The wind will dictate club selection on quite a narrow fairway, which skirts the estuary. Standing on the elevated tee, looking out to the sea and to Ria Formosa, the temptation is to try to cut the corner with the drive; unless you get the line and distance just right, however, you will be penalised by landing in dense shrubs. Once the corner is turned, the green becomes visible, kicked off to the right. Good club selection on this great hole is paramount.”

3Hole

6Hole

16Hole

EnglandFormby Hall Golf Resort & Spa

“The Old Course at Formby Hall is home to a picturesque par 3 signature hole – but don’t be fooled by its appearance as it’s the toughest par 3 on the course. With a 130-yard carry over water and copious bunkers, this little gem is a real challenge. To add to its difficulty the crosswind from Southport makes club selection very important. You’ll feel a genuine sense of relief to leave this hole with a well-earned par.”


IGTM Daily Tuesday

Lumine Golf & Beach ClubThe most challenging course here is the Greg Norman-designed Lakes course. If you’re wayward, you’ll be wading, but you can always dry off in the sumptuous Mediterranean-style clubhouse – and there is an excellent driving range and golf school for ironing out the hooks and slices.

The Hills course has dramatic views, running through wooded areas, as well as olive and carob plantations. Some holes offer excellent sea views.

Another Norman design, Ruins is a flatter course, a little more forgiving for higher handicappers, with wider fairways. The beauty here is the distraction of Roman archaeological remains from the second century BC.

Bonmont Terres Noves Golf ClubA championship course, Bonmont – designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr – opened in 1990. The links includes 90 bunkers and some of the largest and most perfectly manicured greens in the region.

With some testing natural and manmade hazards, including gullies, rock-cut lakes, wooded areas and bridges, the course layout presents a significant challenge.

Club de Golf Costa DoradaClub de Golf Costa Dorada – designed by J. Gancedo – is 30 this year, yet retains its youthful good looks.

With the Mediterranean as a backdrop, the course winds thorugh pine trees and willows on softly undulating hills… with only a variety of water hazards and the second-longest Par 5 in Spain to raise the heart rate.

The club’s beautifully restored Catalan country house completes a thoroughly relaxing golfing experience.

Reus Aiguesverds Golf ClubEstablished in 1989, this course has no fewer than ten lakes and boasts a spectacular island green.

The hazards are offset, however, by the relatively flat topography, allowing for plenty of shotmaking (and round-saving) opportunities.

The clubhouse, a converted 19th Century colonial-style building, boasts a lively social life and this environmentally-friendly course (if such a thing really exists) is entirely watered with reclaimed water from the Reus treatment plant.

Sitges Terramar Golf ClubAnother relatively flat coastal course is perfect for those looking to refine their swing without losing too many balls; the fairways are generous.

There are some great driving holes here, along with a number of spectacular views out to sea. Par 3s are often long and a number of well-placed water hazards will catch out the unwary.

Club de Golf de BarcelonaEstablished in 1990, Jose Maria Olazabal designed this technically challenging course, which weaves through a steep-sided and rugged ravine.

Treasures of the Golden CoastWithin Catalonia lies the province of Tarragona, which in turn plays host to Costa Daurada.

This coastal region has some wonderfully golf-friendly topography, which has enticed the likes of Greg Norman, Jose Maria Olazabal, Bernhard Langer and Robert Trent Jones Jr to design courses here.

Visitors to Costa Daurada will still find fishing villages, farmland, vineyards, olive groves, hazel and almond trees. Interestingly, the region’s future success could actually come from its relative obscurity

in tourism terms.

Don’t be fooled though into thinking there’s little excitement here; the beaches are stunning, the cuisine is exceptional, accommodation is of the highest quality, and the mind-blowing diversity of Barcelona is literally up the road.

There’s also the small matter of PortAventura – one of Europe’s most-visited theme parks, and, lest we forget, a number of high-quality golf courses to tackle…

Calling it a ‘water hazard’ doesn’t quite do it justice.

Hazards. The merest mention of the word is likely to bring even the most seasoned golfer out in a cold sweat. And there’s no denying it, courses in Wales come with more than their fair share of them. But even if you don’t find

our hazards especially welcoming, you can rely on getting a warm reception in our clubhouses.

In 2014 Wales will host the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl.

golfasitshouldbe.com

WG20309 IGTM Advert.indd 1 07/11/2013 10:23

IGTM Daily 2013 - Day 1

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