Where Would You Play Golf in Europe in January?

[Thomas Dai]

Jersey is a good call. Royal Jersey particularly worth seeing and not only for the history of Vardon and Ray.
It's closer to France than England so fine for V4.

You can also nip across to nearby and visible France on the Jersey-Granville ferry and play Colts Granville course - http://www.golfdegranville.com/links-of-granville/ - Jersey/Guernsey/Granville would make a nice little golf trip, must look into it for some time in the future.


Atb

[Sam Andrews]

Tom,
You could also take a look at Mallorca, which has a lot of courses now. Alcanada in the north is a Robert Trent Jones Snr and Jr design that gets good write ups and there are a dozen or so others on a small island so all are easy to get to. Food's great but weather can be wet in January. I have played the Pollensa 9 hole course, which is no more than OK but I tend to go in August and it is too hot for golf then. Also played Son Vida back in the jurassic period with my future father in law and liked it at the time but couldn't take much in as I was trying hard to mind my Ps and Qs ahead of getting wed.
Concur with previous comments about Tenerife -- nothing to write home about.
Sam

[Jim McCann]

Tom


Unlike some others who don't think Tenerife is worth a golfing visit, I do.


Then again, I might be just a little easier to please.


Real Tenerife in the north of the island is a charming old track.
I understand Mackenzie & Ebert have consulted there in very recent times.


Abama's a big budget Dave Thomas production that won't be to everybody's liking
but I'd certainly be prepared to walk it if the visitor green fee was too steep for a hit.


The Ballesteros course in the northwest corner of the island is nice enough but the
best part of that excursion is getting there and back via the mountain village of Masca!


The best course in the region is Tecina, a Martin Ebert design from his days working
with Donald Steel. The ferry ride to the smaller island of La Gomera takes an hour from
Los Christianos and you can leave at 9.00am then return on the 5.00pm ferry.[size=78%] [/size]


Alternatively, the courses at Anfi Tauro, Salobre (South) and Maspalomas on Gran Canaria
look very interesting, though I personally haven't been there before.[/size][size=78%]  [/size]

[Tom_Doak]

Jim:


Thanks for the note on Tenerife.  My curiosity was raised by your reviews on the top100 web site.  I'm still leaning toward heading there.


Others:


Granville is definitely on my radar -- Masa gives it a 7 on the Doak scale, along with a handful of others, and I'm determined to find out if he is over-reaching, but it looks like my kind of place.  Jersey and Guernsey, too.  That's a trip with my wife, hopefully.


Thracian Cliffs [Bulgaria], Sand Valley [Poland] and Penati [Slovakia] are also among my top 10 targets.  None of my team have been to the last two, so I'm determined to go.  We'll see if that leaves me time to be third man in on Portugal.


Adrian:  Thanks for the tip on Syria.  There are a lot of U.S. politicians talking about putting people on the ground there, but I do not intend to be among them.

[/size][size=78%]  [/size]

[Phil Lipper]

I know someone that played golf in Sardinia earlier in the year and said it was pretty good

[Marty Bonnar]

With my complexion, I'm definitely not thinking about Morocco any time in the near future.
Even Turkey is starting to feel a bit twitchy.
F.
P.S. I forgot we played Las Americas in Tenerife when we were there fifteen years or so ago. I remember very little of it, so make of that what you will!

[Jim McCann]

Tom


I was in Morocco last week, looking at a number of new layouts in Marrakech, as well as visiting the coastal courses
at El Jadida Royal, Mazagan and Mogador.


Before I went there, I was largely unaware of how good the Kyle Phillips design at Taghazout Bay was, but having been
alerted to this by so many people when I was there, I'm planning to return next month to check it out, along with a few
others in Agadir that I've not yet seen.


All being well, I'll go back again the first week in May, when the Trophee Hassan II tournament reverts back to the
Red course at Royal Dar Es Salam, to run the rule over a few more courses in the northern half of the country.

[jeffwarne]

Well Jim,
That explains why the Morocco Top 10 list changed (and expanded to a top 20).
I checked your website before I left Dec 13 and few of the courses on our itinerary were on it.
And now they are!


Besides the Red, what are your favorites amongst the older more classic courses in Morocco?
PS-love your website!


And Martin, I'd I stuck out like a sore thumb 6 foot five, blond hair (grey?).
the people couldn't have been friendlier-and we spent a lot of time in public places.
I'd say Baltimore or Chicago would be a lot less safe than Morocco.
and they're all safer than the LI Expressway to NY Airports.

[Mark Bourgeois]

I like to be a pioneer.

I dare you.

https://tinyurl.com/oy48njm

[Simon Holt]

Tom:


Gran Canaria is a short flight from Tenerife and has a handful of courses.  I've only played a few of them and its very much vacation/resort golf stuff, in and around vast hotel complexes that wouldn't look out of place in Vegas.  Seriously.


One place that really interested me was Real Club de Golf Las Palmas.  Its sited on the edge of Caldera de Bandama which is an extinct volcano.  That alone makes it a challenging routing which while at times is fiddly, it is certainly unique.   The other interesting facts are that its the oldest club in Spain and apparently a Mackenzie Ross design.


I wouldn't jump on a plane to play there tomorrow but if you are in that area....


Simon

[Jim McCann]

Jeff:
 

 Here's a link to a write up of my trip to Morocco:
 
 http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/story.asp?id=634
 
 I think you'll realize after reading the story that the Top 100 Golf Courses website was not covering Morocco properly. I was there three years ago and had wanted to return for some time to update our data but had never got round to it.
 
 With one of the low cost carriers currently flying from Glasgow to Marrakech for less than a return journey to London, it was time to step in before the service stops for some reason in June of next year.
 
 My next visit will be to Agadir then I hope to do Casablanca/Fez/Rabat/Tangier in a four-day road trip in May.
 
 I thought the golf courses were of a very high standard overall. It's obvious that a LOT of money has been thrown at residential projects containing a golf element for some time now in Marrakech but, looking at many of the partially completed buildings surrounding a many of the layouts, I doubt very much if that particular economic model is working as well as the investors intended.
 
 I've seen 15 of the current Moroccan Top 20 and want to make a point of visiting another 15 in my next two visits.
 
 I'd hate people to think we don't take the ranking business seriously, you know...   
 
 Incidentally, like you, I found the ordinary people I came in contact with an absolute delight to be around.
 
 It helps to know a little schoolboy French (along with an Arab phrase or two picked up from 20 years working previously in Libya) but I found the locals were generally happy to converse in English as best they could.
 
 Looking at the bigger picture, it's a crying shame that so many good, ordinary people who are trying to earn an honest living in North Africa are having their future prosperity jeopardized by ongoing national security issues.
   

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Tom,

I have been to the area and played there a few times. Not a dream in terms of GCA and I wouldn't recommend going there just for the golf. The Canary Islands are further away than most people think: a 3h flight from mainland Spain and around 5h from London/Paris plus transfers. The weather is certainly the best in Europe in January (mostly because the islands are not in Europe...) and it should be 22-25 deg celsius. Temperature there is always the same year round. There are two major islands: Tenerife and Gran Canaria where golf is concentrated and the minor islands are harder to get to (except Lanzarote) and mostly don't have golf (Gomera has a course, but that's it).

In Tenerife you have Real Club de Golf de Tenerife, which is the older course in the island. The rest are touristic/resort layouts which are quite hilly and not so good. Abama (Dave Thomas), which is displayed highest in the ratings can only be played in a cart and is the most severe golf course I have played: all built on the hill of the Teide, the island's highest volcano. It has nice views and that's it. The second best ranked course is Costa Adeje, which is close to Abama. Its better, as it can be walked, but I find it a quite ordinary layout. I haven't played the other courses, but they are supposed to be worse.

In Gran Canaria there is better golf than in Tenerife. You have Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas. Designed by Mackenzie Ross and built on the cauldron of an extinct volcano, it is a nice course with some good holes. The other good course in the island is Maspalomas, also designed by Mackenzie Ross and located among a protected dunes landscape in the south of the island. Haven't been there for a while but it was also ok.

In my view the rest of the Mediterranean coast (Alicante, Costa del Sol, Valencia, Cataluña, etc.) and Algarve, is hit or miss in January. The better chances are in southeast Spain (Murcia and Almeria), but most of the golf courses over there have been built during the real estate boom (10-15 years ago), so mostly residential developments with no real interest in terms of GCA. I have played a couple of Nicklaus Design layouts (Hacienda Riquelme, El Valle) and the three courses at La Manga Club (Robert Putman). Reasonable golf, but not sure if worth the effort of getting there....

[Doug Hodgson]

I've brought clubs with me to Europe in January once ever. A trip to Rome with a few days in Sardinia.  Had a great time. Played about a half dozen courses in the Rome area. They were not busy so I played quickly and had plenty of time to see all the incredible sights of Rome afterwards.  Rome GC (Acquasanta) was my favourite.  Interesting layout on nicely undulated property.  Located on the Appian way with great views of important ancient ruins.  Some fairways are particularly humpy, and there is one plateau greensite, due to the presence of partially visible ancient ruins right underneath.  Incredible!  Very memorable place.
In Rome I also enjoyed Fioranello, with great views, an ancient acquaduct running through the course, friendly members, and a course that makes good use of the hilly property.  And the RTJ Senior course at Castegandolfo is also very attractive.
Sardinia is an interesting place in many ways and the courses are deserted in January. Pevero and Is Arenas are both beautiful courses that ramble over extensive and exotic terrains...

[jeffwarne]

Jim,
Thanks for the update.

It's interesting that the courses they chose to show us on the trip line up exactly with courses 2-6 on your list.
and they couldn't have used your list as it's two weeks old!
Normally the courses being promoted in a region don't line up with sophisticated lists, which I generally find yours to be.
I am interested if I return to play a few older more mature layouts that feel less developmenty-Maybe Royal Marrakech fits that bill?
Liked your word mystique, which I felt the Red had in spades.


I do think Tagazout belongs ahead of Royal Palm, and will be one of the premier courses once it matures.
Agreed with your views on Aussoufid-great terrain and variety

[Adam Lawrence]

I think Tagazhout is comfortably the best course in Morocco. Mazagan I liked very much but it was terribly let down by the greenkeeping - paspalum maintained damp and sticky us not the right choice for a course in among beautiful oceanfront sand dunes. I shall look forward to seeing Robin Hiseman's Plage des Nations in Rabat when it finally gets finished.


Jim is right, speaking French is a huge help in Morocco. As a solo traveller in the medina of Fes (one of the most amazing places I have ever visited) you would struggle without at least some ability to converse in French

[James Boon]

Tom,

I played Golf del Sur on Tenerife about 15 years ago. As my then girlfriend had dragged me there in the summer it was stupidly hot and so after negotiating some golf I could only play 9 holes at a time, early morning, before the temperatures became unbearable. I was keen to play as it had hosted the Tenerife Open on a number of occasions and I remember enjoying it, but that may be a lot to do with the novalty of the black volcanic sand in the bunkers and waste areas and that it was something considerably different from my normal golf at the time? I played the North and South nines. In all honesty I can't remember it well enough in detail to recommend it but I certainly didnt think it was dreadful...

I seem to recall there was  Shell's Wonderful World of Golf from there between Mickleson and Els?

Cheers,

James

[Martin Lehmann]

I'm a bit surprised nobody mentioned Monte Rei in southern Portugal, a Nicklaus signature course. I haven't played it myself, but was told by some friends that it's excellent. It ranks high on the new list of top 100 courses on the European continent that was published recently on Jim's website.


Belek isn't bad either. I played the Faldo courses a couple of years ago and Carya, a Peter Thomson design with MacKenzie style bunkering (I believe done by young Danish architect Philip Spogard). Carya has floodlight on 9 holes, so you can play at night too. The good thing about Turkey is the current Russian boycot, so it won't be overly crowded (and less ill-mannered people).



 

[Mark Chaplin]

I'm in Tenerife for most of January staying in a very local town called Playa San Juan less than 5 minutes from Abama. There's a few excellent restaurants if you get out there.

[Ulrich Mayring]

La Gomera is a pain to get to, but it's the coolest island I've seen (probably in part because of its limited accessibility, which attracts all sorts of hippies, who fit nowhere else) and the course La Tecina is certainly unusual. I would definitely go there, but whatever you do, remember this: never ever order the local drink called "Gomeron"!

Ulrich

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Tenerife is just one of the Canary Islands with golf.


As mentioned before Gran Canaria is traditionally the best island for golf with 7 courses including the legendary Real Club de Las Palmas designed by Ross MacKenzie with velcro Kikuyu.


But there are also four 18 Hole courses on the island of Fuerteventura, two of which (Salinas and Playitas) have lots of wind and fast and furious paspalum fairways.

[Bill Seitz]

My wife and I played the Abama course in Tenerife on our honeymoon a few months ago.  If it's one of the top courses in Spain, as I've seen written, it doesn't say much for Spanish golf.  Absolutely stunning views, as the first five or six holes go up the hill before turning back down, but the course itself isn't really all that interesting.  Not all that different or better than some low mountainside courses I've played in California (like Tierra Rejada, or Talega).  Not worth a trip there to see the course, but worth checking out if you're planning on vacationing there.  That said, it is kinda fun to see your ball in the air for 10-15 seconds on some of the extreme downhill holes.  We don't get a lot of that in Chicago.

As a vacation spot itself, the Canaries are probably great if you're already in Europe, but probably not worth the bother if you're coming from the States and not folding it into a longer European trip.  And if you do head there, Masca is definitely worth a visit, but you may want to hire a driver that day.  The road is in great shape, but it's still white knuckle driving, and was a little distressing for my afraid of heights wife.

[Ben Lovett]

In Belek we have 270 holes of golf all in one strip of sand based pine forest within 10 minutes of each other. Lykia is slightly further away but worth the trip. It's also close to Antalaya airport which makes logistics easy
As Adam said the weather is hit or miss with cold evenings and generally warm days apart from when the wind comes off the mountains when it can get chilly.
The courses are all good resort course with some very good holes.

[Marty Bonnar]

I was rather hoping young Mr Lovett would chip in extolling the virtues of Belek. I'd like to second him, with another vote for the area.
Really decent golf, with some very imaginative stuff to be found. FABULOUS accommodations (all-inclusive, 5-star hotels with great food, spas and kid-friendly stuff!)
If you do decide on Turkey, Tom, definitely look him up!
Cheers,
F.

[Brett Hochstein]

The course is closed for winter works, but we will be out at Hardelot Les Pins in January continuing this winter's program.  If you have seen it since Frank and Patrice's restoration works, it's probably not worth a special trip for what we are doing,  but if you are in the area it's certainly worth stopping by to see the green expansion/edits done on a few of the holes. If you haven't seen it since what they've done, it is much more worth going out of your way. 

Le Touquet is also nearby but undergoing similar winter work.  Weather was very pleasant in December, though I think that was atypical.  Still a maritime climate on the Channel either way.