Great Turnberry October Offer

A very short article today to bring your attention to a new offer we are running to play the two fantastic championship courses at the Five Star Turnberry Resort.

For only £230 you can play the Ailsa Course which is the scene of many a famous Open Championship moment and the more recent Kintyre Course which was used as a final qualifying course when the Open was last played at Turnberry in 2009.

This short break runs from 27th September to 31st October and can be booked online. Just follow the link below.

http://www.hiddengemsgolftours.co.uk/tours/special-offers/turnberry-golf-break

The best free golf course in the world

For those of you still hanging around Edinburgh and struggling for something to do now that the Fringe and International Festivals are winding down - why not play a bit of golf for free!

Bruntsfield Links is a public park managed by the City of Edinburgh Council and is only a 20 minute walk from City Centre. It is 36 hole pitch and putt course and I've only ever played a full round as the temptation to play a few holes then stray into the Golf Tavern is usually too much. The holes are usually around 40-50 yards long so you're not playing anything more than a half wedge or sand iron (or a full shot if you are being flashy and bringing along your 65 degree wedge) It has no bunkers as the the slopes usually make it tricky enough to hit the small greens which are extremely well kept given it is a public park. However, the direction markers from each tee sometimes make it a bit of a mystery as to which green you should be playing to - all part of the experience though.

When you have finished a 5 minute walk up the road will take you into Bruntsfield itself which has plenty of bars and restaurants (my favourite is Montpelliers - where a man once walked in while I was having a drink with a flag from the Open Championship which he claimed had been given to him by Padraig Harrington - but thats another story!). If you want to walk further up towards Morningside there is Luca's cafe - where you get the best ice cream in Edinburgh (in my opinion).

To get there just walk to the West End of Princes Street then up Lothian Road until Tollcross (where the big clock in the centre of the road is) and take the right fork. The first tee is just behind the imposing Gothic architecture of Barclay Viewforth Church on the left hand side of Bruntsfield Place. There is a small hexagonal clubhouse which I've never seen open but I believe there is a club which organises competitions. If you don't fancy the walk a number 10 LRT Bus from Princes Street will take you there.

Here is a link to some photos which I found on a review site.

Born to Bogey T Shirts

As the US Open coverage starts I decided to avoid doing a piece on it as I have lost interest a bit in this major, given it is not broadcast on the BBC any more.

Instead I'm going to write about an an e-mail I received from a company called Born to Bogey who are in the market for producing alternative golf T-shirts. Not the sort of thing that would get you an invite to the R&A but that's precisely why I like them.

They have a number of different sections including golf humour, golf philosophy and golf definitions - the shirt with Lee Trevino's definition of pressure is my favourite.

I think they would do well to team up with the writers of "The Wit and Wisdom of Golf" using some of the quotes that are in this book. I reckon there is a market for this type of product with the younger golfer who is tired wearing the usual branded gear.

I was disappointed they don't have a Colin Montgomerie "Mrs Doubtfire" t-shirt but maybe that's one they might design in the future.

If you fancy buying one or finding out about their designs go to www.borntobogey.com

The Highland Open 2010

An e-mail dropped through my inbox last week promoting The Highland Open, played over Pitlochry Golf Club one of the courses in the Pitlochry Hideaway Short Break and the Perth & Kinross Explorer Tour. It's a fantastically scenic course which sits above the town amid the pine forests of Highland Perthshire - not the longest course in the world by any means but well positioned bunkers and tree lined fairways make it a great test of golf.

This year the event will be held from Sunday 8th to Friday 13th August with a warm up event on the Sunday to give those who haven't played Pitlochry before a chance to get to know the course. The competition on the Sunday has both a scratch and handicap prize.

The main event gets going on the Monday and Tuesday with two qualifying rounds of strokeplay. The top 32 scratch scores after the 2 qualifying rounds will then be placed in a draw for a matchplay knockout stage which takes place over the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to play for the scratch trophy. The same format applies for the top 32 net scores who will play for the handicap prize.

There are also prizes for golfers under the age of 18 and over 55 along with a separate event on the Thursday for those that don't qualify for the final stages of the matchplay.

There are also evening events in the clubhouse which will include a quiz night, a whisky tasting by the main sponsor Gordon & Macphail, karaoke on the Thursday night and a ceilidh on the final evening.

The cost of entry is £70 which guarantees at least 3 rounds of golf - if you go all the way to the final you play 8 rounds. If you want to play in the warm up competition on the Sunday that costs £10 and a ticket to the ceilidh costs £12 - a great value and fun way to play one of Scotland's most scenic courses.

There is good prize pot as well - prizes to the value of £120 for the top scratch score and £95 for the top handicap score in the 2 qualifying rounds. There are also prizes to the value of £320 for the winner of the scratch matchplay competition and £210 for the winner of the handicap matchplay competition.

Entries will be accepted until 31st July or when 200 names have been received, whichever happens first. The maximum handicap allowed for this event is 24.

For anyone thinking about playing in this event Hidden Gems Golf Tours would be delighted to put together a package for you.

Further information can be found at http://www.thehighlandopen.com/

Scottish Hydro Challenge

As I opened up "The Scotsman" this lunchtime the usual load of supplements fell out of the paper (which normally go straight in the recycling) however, there was one promoting the Scottish Hydro Challenge which is taking place at the Spey Valley Course in Aviemore from the 10th -13th June this month which is worth a mention.

This tournament used to take place at Cardrona in the Scottish Borders (one of the courses which I use on the North Borders Short Break) but for the last two years it has been hosted by the Spey Valley Course. This is a Dave Thomas designed course and was created in 2006 as part of the Macdonald Hotel complex and threads its way through the heather and silver birch just outside Aviemore. It has one of the most scenic backdrops in the Cairngorm Mountains which are still likely to still have a covering of snow on them when the tournament starts - a legacy of one of the coldest winters in years.

It is quite a long course at 7,118 yards from the championship tees with only 4 par 4s under 400 yards and only 1 par 3 under 200 yards. The 5th hole is a monster par 5 of 635 yards although Sandy Lyle (in his review of the course) says it is only tricky if the wind is coming from the East - I suppose it probably is for an ex-winner of the Masters.

The other great thing about this tournament is that all spectators can get in absolutely free and as one of the European Challenge Tour's biggest events with a prize fund of £172,000 it is attracting players like Matteo Manassero. It gives you the chance to get up close and see some of the stars of the future as well as some of the stars of the past with the former Open Champion Paul Lawrie playing this year. This tour has produced players like Constantina Rocca, Thomas Bjorn and Andrew Coltart all of whom went on to play in the Ryder Cup.

If you are just learning the game and want to see top class players without paying top prices for it I'd encourage you to go along and support this event. More information about the tournament can be found at
http://www.europeantour.com/challengetour/season=2010/tournamentid=2010738/index.html

2010 Open Championship Package

It's that time of year again where everyone involved with golf is starting to think about the Open Championship and Hidden Gems is no exception. It's the historic 150th staging of the championship and it couldn't be held anywhere else other than St Andrews to mark a century and a half of links golf's most prestigious trophy.

I've put together a package with 7 nights B&B, 4 rounds of golf and a season ticket for the championship based in Lundin Links, which is on 15 minutes drive from St Andrews. The package lets you experience what some of the pros have had to contend with in making it to the championship as two of the courses in the package, Scotscraig and Ladybank, are final Open Qualifying Courses.

Interested? Why not follow the link to our 2010 Open Championship Package and find out more.

To give you a little taster here is a photo of Ladybank

Back and Forth Across the Border

It's been a while since the last entry on the blog but with the opening of the golf season I've only just found time to post an update. I've had a number of parties on our tours and we got great feedback from them - they liked it, would come back again and would recommend it to their friends. But in any business you can't rest on your laurels and the promotion and marketing has to keep going.

To keep the wheels of the Hidden Gems PR machine oiled I had another two journalists sample our "Border Crossings Short Break" playing courses at Bamburgh Castle, Goswick (both in Northumberland) and The Roxburghe, near Kelso. They stayed in the Cross Keys Hotel in Kelso where we had a meal on the Friday night after playing Bamburgh Castle. I'd like to thank all of the courses involved for hosting our party - hopefully we'll all benefit from an increased awareness of these great courses among golfers planning a holiday at the moment.

At the end of the trip both journalists were saying nice things about the experience - hopefully that will translate into a couple of really good features about the company. If you are a subscriber to "Today's Golfer" there will be a feature in next months edition on Borders and Northumberland courses with Hidden Gems getting a mention - all good stuff to try and build your profile in these tough economic times.

I thought I'd finish with a nice photo which we took while at Bamburgh - I defy anyone who loves their golf not to be tempted to play here!

The stunning coastline at Bamburgh Castle Golf Club

Scottish Golf Show

It's that time of year again when the great and good of Scottish Golf put their wares on display to tempt us golfers into buying the latest golf related gadgets and gear which are new for this season.

The Scottish Golf Show has been running for five years and shows no signs of being hit by the recent problems in the economy judging by the number of exhibitors that are taking a stand this year. There are the usual mix of stalls showing equipment, holidays and clothing. I also noticed that Land Rover have a stand as well - maybe they are about to get into the golf buggy market - a buggy with 4 wheel drive could come in very handy on some of the hilly Scottish courses.

I'd also like to give a special mention to Purestrike Putters who are exhibiting at the show - their stand is well worth a visit, given that they have agreed to take some Hidden Gems flyers to the event!

My favourite part of the show is always the trick shots and they have Dave Edwards along again this year - probably the best in the business when it comes to entertaining the crowds with his patter, wacky collections of clubs and shots. If you're feeling really brave he usually gets the crowd involved - hitting a shot from a tee peg in someone's mouth.

Prices for admission start at £8 for juniors up to £25 for a family of four which is not bad value as it will get you a free lesson with one of the professionals who will be manning the driving range which is pretty good value.

The event will be held from the 26th - 28th of March at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) with doors open from 9.30am-5pm. The location is well served by public transport as there is a train station at the SECC (just get a westbound train from Glasgow Central low level and it takes about 5 minutes) which means you don't have to take your car into Glasgow City Centre and battle with weekend football traffic.

Unfortunately I won't make it along this year (mores the pity as my brother still has his student card and could have got us cheap tickets) but I hope you will all be able to make it along and support this flagship event for Scottish Golf.

Early Season Offer - 2 Rounds of Golf for Free

Just a very short entry today about a great offer that Hidden Gems are running for the month of March. We're giving away 2 free rounds of golf at Gatehouse and Kirkcudbright golf clubs with 2 nights dinner, bed & breakfast at the Selkirk Arms in Kirkcudbright for only £159 per golfer. This is only running for the month of March with limited availability Just follow the link to find out more and book online now - http://www.hiddengemsgolftours.co.uk/tours/special-offers/march-madness-offer

Is it time for a World Tour?

With European Tour events being played in India, Dubai and Arizona has the time come to create a World Tour. The old distinctions between tours in Europe, America and Asia appear to have disappeared and is it time now for the best players in the world to compete in a World Tour which would make the world rankings more meaningful with the top players battling it out week in week out for the top spot. Hopefully this tour will be more exciting and may tempt a few more fans and sponsors to support the venture. Just as long as they keep playing an event at Loch Lomond I'm definitely in favour.

Introducing Hidden Gems

Hello everyone

As you've probably guessed I'm involved in the golf tours business. I'm based in Edinburgh and organise golf holidays in Scotland and Northumbria. I do want you to log in to my website and buy lots & lots of short breaks and tours but its not all about ruthless self promotion - it's also nice to post some personal thoughts as a golfer on this great game of ours.

As I start out on with this I'm hoping it will be the John Daly of golf blogs. Unpredictable, entertaining and never shy to say what I think.

Jamie