Hey! Been lucky to head out to Portugal this year in April.

Played 3 courses on the Dom Pedro estate, Old course which was the crown duels of there courses , it was a joy to play and nothing was out of place.

Also played Victoria which is were Titleist brand tour pro Jordon Smith won the Portugal masters, that was my best round of the 3 days.

Also played Millennium course which was well locked after and a good test.

Going again next year (2024) and playing the old course again, Pinhal and Millennium.

Also had the chance to play Walton Health old with your kind self so thanks again for that, looking forward to getting to play the new course with you.

Pencilled in the TT day coming up at Frilford health Golf course, and that will be it for the year apart from my local club.

Hope all is well and hope to see you soon.

Simon,
You've missed out on Laguna, which is co-located with Millennium and as the name implies, is slightly more damp!
Have to say, it's a great set-up around that area, with the five Dom Pedro courses plus Pestana Vila Sol (27 holes) all within the Vilamoura transport network (Is that still a free golf shuttle network??) If you are feeling energetic, you can get Twilight deals as well.
The marina and town with its bars and restaurants provides plenty of scope for the evenings.
The O'Connor and Faldo courses at Amendoeira are excellent and not too far away by car/taxi if you get the opportunity to give them a go....
As you might guess, I'm quite a fan of that area.
JT

Summer has definitely felt like an alien concept this year! Can scarcely think of a worse summer.

Fortunately, we were lucky enough to head off to Turkey just at the start of summer and I was able to get some golf in whilst I was over there. The Belek region is incredible for the amount of quality courses and facilities they have in such a small area.

I have now played the Cornelia Course, Mongtomerie Maxx and Gloria Old and New and enjoyed them all. The Cornelia Course is three loops of 9 and you can tell that they were designed by Nick Faldo. If you want to play well you need to think about where you are hitting it and then hit it straight there. Monty's course was more playable with some amazing holes only let down by some where it feels like they need to squeeze them in. Of the two at Gloria, the New was my favourite. Played it from the back tees and played well which always helps but the condition of it was just out of this world. It seemed like there was not a blade of grass which was out of place.

We are already planning our guys trip there next year. Myself and a group of us all have a big birthday (don't want to talk about it haha) and we are planning on heading away to golf, celebrate and enjoy a beverage or two.

Hey Matthew.

Hope all is well and the golfing gods are being kind to you.

Interesting read reading Turkey, never been but looking into it, you spoke about Monty’s course “ Maxx, Gloria old & new “ .

May I ask who did you book though and was all your transfers included? Also how was the weather? I holiday a lot in Turkey and know how Hot it can get?

Was it expensive around the grounds I.e pro shops and food & drink on site.

Any information would be grateful thanks

Hi Simon, sorry, I had completely missed your message before now, my apologies.

We stayed at Cornelia Deluxe so organising that was just through the hotel and was literally a case of going to guest relations and picking a time.

For the other courses the first time we went across it was all booked in advance and that included transfers, etc but this year, we waited until we got out there, decided which days we wanted to go and booked through guest relations at our hotel as well. They contacted the respective courses whilst we were with them, gave us a note of available times, whether we needed buggies, etc and that was us. Everything is so close that we then just asked the hotel to book a taxi for us and we were never in one for more than 5 minutes.

Heat wise - it has either been May or September that we have gone and it has been great. Unlike at home where I never do anything other than walk, we used buggies exclusively and that had the added benefit of keeping us cool enough to play golf but warm enough to where a cold beer when we got in went down perfectly.

In all honesty, I could not recommend Turkey any more. Already itching to get back!

Just got back from Aphrodite hills in Cyprus fantastic

Just got back from Aphrodite hills in Cyprus fantastic

Afternoon John.

Be interesting to know how you got on? Who did you book with and what did you get for your money ?

Hi We booked a villa with Air bnb and then booked the golf directly with aphrodite hills. The golf was 99 euros with lunch and a buggy as you have to have one.
Many different ways to book as you can book packages with golf travel companies and there is a hotel onsite also if you don't want an apartment or villa. You can also book with Aphrodite residences who have the apartments and villas. We have gone in August for the last 6 years and love it. The golf is cheaper then as its hot but the course is usually pretty empty. The course is amazing and the caddies are now like friends, who remember us every time we return!! 7 hole par 3 is a must play over a ravine!!
Also played Elea and Secret Valley.
If you need anymore info just shout.

Hi there.

One of the courses I really want to get out and play.

One of the local pros from back in the day ended up working there, always fancied a round after he started sharing his experiences.

Ian

Thanks for the information John, definitely food for thought. Will reach out soon.

saunton is my home club, its a tough course in good weather let alone when its windy and rainy. i had the saunton 36 hole blue tee challenge in brutal conditions which seen the majority of the field N/R.

any how, hope you had a great trip, next time try the west too, some may say its alot more tricky as you have to plot yourself around more

Did an "All Inclusive" to El Rompedo in May. Some OK golf with friends I've known for more years than I'd care to count. Personal quirky high-point: 385 yard drive... Alright, it was down a serious hill, hooky and hit the cart path, possibly more than once, but it still shows up on my Garmin stats as my longest drive!!
The rain is currently battering the window - Looking forward to a break in Spain (with the same motley crew) a month from now. The "menu" includes Torquebrada, Santana, Santa Maria and Lauro.... Can't wait
JT