Golf Travel News Dec. 24, 2023

Golf Travel News Dec. 24, 2023

If you are sitting in your home looking out at a cold and snowy landscape on Christmas Eve, here are a few places to dream of:

• Gleneagles: The World’s #1 Golf Resort Beyond U.S. Shores
• HERITAGE GOLF CLUB, MAURITIUS BECOMES A WORLD TOP 25 GOLF RESORT
• Camiral Golf & Wellness: Spain’s No.1 among World’s Top 20 Golf Resorts
• Costa Brava: The Perfect Winter Golf Destination

Gleneagles: The World’s #1 Golf Resort Beyond U.S. Shores

Gleneagles, the iconic Scottish hotel and global luxury destination, has again been recognised as the ‘World’s #1 Golf Resort’ outside the USA, a title it has now held for four consecutive years.

Gleneagles is the only venue in Europe to have staged both The Ryder Cup (2014) and The Solheim Cup (2019). It also welcomed the Senior Open Presented by Rolex to The King’s Course in 2022, and remains the clear #1 golf resort in the UK & Ireland, a title it has held for eight consecutive years.

Gleneagles’ three championship golf courses all feature in numerous Top 100 rankings in their own right. The King’s and The Queen’s courses, regarded as James Braid classics, have benefitted from significant renovation projects in recent years, restoring them to their original ‘inland links’ and heathland designs. 

Beyond the fairways, Gleneagles’ guests can unwind and relax at the hotel, where a wealth of food and drink options await, including The Strathearn, the theatrical Franco-Scottish dining experience, the Birnam, a vibrant and relaxed Italian-American grill, where the finest cuts are seared, slow cooked and grilled to perfection, or toast the day’s play in Auchterarder 70, overlooking the 18th greens of The King’s and Queen’s.

Gleneagles also boasts more than 50 pursuits, including fly-fishing, falconry, cycling, off-roading, equestrian experiences and archery. Guests have use of a range of leisure facilities, including the pitch-and-putt course, lawn games and outdoor tennis courts.

For bookings and further information about staying at Gleneagles, call Resort Sales on: 0800 704 705, or +44 (0)1764 662231.

HERITAGE GOLF CLUB, MAURITIUS BECOMES A WORLD TOP 25 GOLF RESORT

(Heritage Golf Club, Mauritius, 20th December, 2023) The opening of its eagerly-anticipated second course, La Réserve Golf Links  has catapulted Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius and its wider hotels – Heritage Awali and Heritage Le Telfair – into the world’s top 25 resorts.

In the latest Top 100 World Golf Resorts listing, published by Golf World, the luxury golf and beach resort, crafted along the southern shores of Mauritius, has climbed an emphatic 16 spots to place 25th.    

With panoramic vistas of the ocean from every hole, the first and only contemporary links in the Indian Ocean offers players pure golfing drama. Co-designed by acclaimed course architect Peter Matkovich alongside Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, it is inspired by the wild open spaces of the great seaside links and plays hand-in-hand with nature, mindful of its location alongside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

“This accomplishment emphasises Heritage Resorts’ dedication to delivering an unparalleled golfing experience among stunning landscapes and world-class amenities,” commented Jonathan Menteath, Heritage Golf Club General Manager.

The resort’s accommodation includes Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which offers refined elegance and a variety of sumptuous dining options, Heritage Awali Golf & Spa that provides a luxurious family all-inclusive experience and a collection of private pool villas nestled amongst the estate’s 2,500 hectares of unspoilt countryside.

Located on Mauritius’ south-west corner, in the Domaine de Bel Ombre, Heritage Resorts offers a world of experiences, from an abundance of outdoor activities and two serene spas, providing guests the opportunity to relax and restore, to no less than 12 restaurants, with most of the ingredients served hand-picked from the estate.

Camiral Golf & Wellness: Spain’s No.1 among World’s Top 20 Golf Resorts

     

(Girona, Spain – 20 December 2023) – As it prepares to celebrate its 25^th anniversary in 2024, Camiral Golf & Wellness has continued its reign as Spain’s No.1 Golf Resort in the new World Top 100 Golf Resorts, published by Golf World.

Part of the European Tour Destinations network, the resort formerly known as PGA Catalunya, has risen in the new listing, placing 17^th, reinforcing its position as a must-visit destination for discerning international golf travellers.  

Golf World’s Top 100 Resorts editor, Chris Bertram, said: “Camiral Golf & Wellness has been one of Europe’s leading golf destinations for over two decades, but it is now so much more than ‘just’ one of the best places on the continent to play the game.

“Its two world-class golf courses and the two onsite hotels – the uber-stylish and luxurious Hotel Camiral and the beautiful LAVIDA – and the amenities they boast, have turned it into a first-class contemporary leisure and wellness resort that is attracting an ever-increasing number of international customers.”

Beyond the fairways, Camiral Golf & Wellness offers many sport and leisure facilities, a wide range of dining experiences and luxurious wellbeing treatments at the state-of-the-art Wellness Centre, where guests indulge in treatments from whole-body cryotherapy to holistic massages.

Located just outside the gastronomic city of Girona and just one hour from Barcelona, Camiral Golf & Wellness is a world-class retreat for golfers, sports enthusiasts, wellness retreat seekers and their families.

Costa Brava: The Perfect Winter Golf Destination

(Girona, Spain – December 20, 2023) – Renowned as one of Europe’s finest golf destinations, Costa Brava showcases unique winter activities and golf experiences for those seeking a perfect winter escape.

While Spain’s Costa Brava is synonymous with year-round sunshine, world-class golf venues and its picturesque, 120-metre-long rugged coast, the region is also a winter sports haven.

Golfers visiting this north-eastern corner of Catalunya can combine their unforgettable golfing experiences with the athletic pursuits of skiing, hiking and white-water rafting in the popular Pyrenees mountain range.

“Only a couple of hours from Spain’s number one golf resort and Costa Brava’s diverse range of popular golf clubs and venues, the Girona Pyrenees is an attractive winter sun destination, with a breadth of activities many golfers might not have been aware of,” said Norbert Bes, Director of the Costa Brava Tourist Board. 

“The unique region of Cerdanya is home to one of the Pyrenees’ pioneer ski resorts – La Molina – where alpine and cross-country skiers, as well as snowboarders have congregated for over 100 years. 

“Not many places can offer the opportunity to combine a morning on the slopes with an afternoon on critically-acclaimed fairways, all in the same day – but here in the Costa Brava, it is possible.”

Throughout the winter months, visitors to the Catalan region can enjoy a unique range of activities and experiences for the whole family, both on and off the slopes and fairways:

Golf courses to play while visiting Costa Brava include:

• Camiral Golf & Wellness – ranked among the world’s top 20 golf resorts and a DP World Tour venue
• Club de Golf Costa Brava – one of the region’s oldest golf courses
• Club Golf d’Aro-Mas Nou – Costa Brava’s highest golf venue with breath-taking views of the Mediterranean 
• Empordà Golf Resort – among Spain’s top golf venues, offering 36-holes set in beautiful parkland
• Golf de Pals – the first golf course in Costa Brava, a traditional British design on the seafront 
• Par 3 Gualta – an 18-hole par-3 course for golfers of all abilities looking for a quick round
• Golf Serres de Pals – new 9-hole course part of a modern sporting complex 
• Club de Golf Peralada – nestled at the foothills of the Pyrenees, the 18-hole course blends seamlessly into the stunning nature of the Empordà
• Torremirona Golf Club – surrounded by fields and forests, the course boasts wonderful views of the Pyrenees

Ski resorts within a couple of hours from the region’s fairways:

• La Molina – established in 1908 and host to the Spanish and Catalan ski championships in 1924, World Cup alpine races in December 2008 (women’s technical events), and recently hosted the Snowboarding World Championships in January 2011
• Masella – offers a total of 74 km of pistes to suit all levels, and with 90% of its slopes oriented towards the north, it offers skiers one of the longest seasons in the Pyrenees
• Vall De Núria – a mountain resort only accessible by rack-rail, it offers the region’s biggest snow coverage area (66 km)   
• Vallter Ski Resort – the easternmost ski resort in the Catalan Pyrenees situated at 2000m, has been a go-to for intermediate skiers and snowboarders for over 40 years
• Guils Fontanera – is the region’s only cross-country skiing resort (29km), surrounded by a large black pine forest