Miles of Isles

Courtesy of Enniscrone Golf Club

Eight pilgrimages to the peerless links of Great Britain and Ireland

From May - June 2008

by M. Brandon Wall

England: London

The Deal

Regal London: five nights at the Capital hotel, named one of the world’s best by Travel + Leisure; six rounds; airport pickup and transportation to and from courses; dinner and theater tickets; massage; daily breakfast and lunch

The Golf

The itinerary includes the best courses in the Surrey heathland: Walton Heath Old, Wentworth West, Sunningdale Old and New, and St. George’s Hill, not to mention Harry Colt’s design at Swinley Forest, which is so private you may have it to yourself.

Price*

From $7,495 per golfer and $5,250 per nongolfer; through December 31

Contact

GolfTI golfti.com; 866-866-9295

England: Norfolk

The Deal

Golf in Norfolk: six nights in the Congham Hall hotel, a Georgian manor set among parkland and orchards in the village of Grimston, northeast of London; five rounds; rental of automatic car or minivan; daily breakfast

The Golf

The North Sea borders low-lying Norfolk on two sides, so it’s a seedbed for links golf. On offer here is the testing Hunstanton; Royal Cromer and Sheringham, both along a cliff’s edge; Royal West Norfolk, one of the world’s best-loved links; and Royal Norwich.

Price*

$2,950 per golfer; available until October 31

Contact

AtlanticGolf atlanticgolf.com; 800-542-6224

Ireland: The Northwest

The Deal

Darren Clarke’s Castle Dargan: six nights in the four-star Castle Dargan Estate, a country hotel and spa set on 170 acres in County Sligo; five rounds; rental minivan; daily Irish breakfast and dinner in the hotel restaurant

The Golf

Play some choice courses in Yeats country: Castle Dargan, a new parkland layout by Tour player Darren Clarke; the scenic County Sligo; Donegal; Strandhill; and Enniscrone, which benefited greatly from Donald Steel’s six-hole addition a few years back.

Price*

$1,696 per golfer; available until September 30

Contact

Eire Golf Tours eiregolftours.com; 011-353/643-1638

Ireland: The Southwest

The Deal

Classic Southwest: seven nights in four- and five-star hotels, including the Tides Guesthouse, Killarney Plaza, Muckross Park and Bunratty Castle; seven rounds; transportation to the courses, hotels and airport; daily breakfast

The Golf

Follow Greg Norman’s Doonbeg with turns at the Old and Cashen courses at Ballybunion—among the best thirty-six-hole loops in the game—Waterville, Tralee, Lahinch, and either Mahony’s Point or Killeen at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.

Price*

$3,795 per golfer; available until October 31

Contact

Hidden Links hiddenlinksgolf.com; 888-364-3219

Scotland: Edinburgh and Gleneagles

The Deal

Luxury Tour: six nights total, three at the Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh and three at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire; six rounds; a driver/guide for the duration of the tour; discounted airfare; daily breakfast

The Golf

Tee it up at North Berwick West, Gullane No. 1 and the inimitable Muirfield before heading up to Gleneagles to play its three courses: the PGA Centenary and the King’s and Queen’s, widely considered two of the best inland courses in Scotland.

Price*

$5,970 per golfer for eight, single occupancy; available until December 31

Contact

Travelling the Fairways ttfgolf.com; 800-414-8519

Scotland: The Highlands and St. Andrews

The Deal

St. Andrews and Highlands Adventure: three nights in the Culloden House and three in Rusacks Hotel; five rounds; a playable set of hickories for each golfer; luxury transportation with a driver/guide; daily breakfast and dinner

The Golf

This history-focused trip intersperses the golf—at Royal Dornoch, Nairn, Carnoustie, the Old Course and Kingsbarns—with a jaunt on the Malt Whisky Trail, a dinner cruise on Loch Ness, a day of fishing for shark or trout, and a meal with “Old Tom Morris.”

Price*

From $7,920 per golfer; available through December 31

Contact

St. Andrews Golf Tours standrews-golftours.com; 800-348-4902

Scotland: St. Andrews

The Deal

Summer Golf at St. Andrews: eight nights in the Fairmont St. Andrews, located on the road to Crail and offering views of the North Sea, Fife and the medieval skyline; seven rounds; four-passenger automatic vehicle; daily breakfast

The Golf

Lifetime rounds at the Old Course and Carnoustie are complemented by games at Torrance and Devlin, the New Course and Crail, in addition to the highly anticipated Castle Course, the first new championship eighteen in St. Andrews in nearly a century.

Price*

$5,290 per golfer, $2,690 per nongolfer; available through October 15

Contact

PerryGolf perrygolf.com; 800-344-5257

Wales: The Coast

The Deal

The Magnificent Seven: seven nights in a choice of hotels, including the Groes Inn, Bodysgallen Hall, Penhelig Arms, Penmaenuchaf Hall, the St. Brides Spa Hotel, and Fairyhill; seven rounds; daily Welsh breakfast

The Golf

The first six courses on this review of Wales’s best are more than a hundred years old: Conwy, Aberdovey, Tenby, and the excellent Royal St. David’s, Royal Porthcawl and Pennard. Finish with the Twenty Ten at Celtic Manor, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2010.

Price*

From $2,750 per golfer; available through December 31

Contact

Welsh Rarebits rarebits.co.uk; 800-441-9329

* Details accurate at press time but subject to change. Blackout Dates may apply. Prices based on double occupancy. Airfare not included.

The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published in May 2008 but we suggest you confirm all details and prices directly with any establishments mentioned. The quality of offerings and services tends to change over time.

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