Golf, by TourMiss

One of the rewards in reporting on tournament golf is to admire first-hand how new golf courses hosting new tournaments have matured. I was present at the 1991 Dubai Desert Classic and have been amazed not only at how the Majlis course has matured but how much Dubai has grown.  It is the same in attending the second Qatar Masters and admiring how the Doha Golf Club has matured and also how the course, once on the outskirts of the Qatar capital is now surrounded by buildings. Scotland’s Kingsbarns ...

In working the PGA Tour, we’ve spent many hours driving the Interstates of the U.S. I could probably mention every bend on the I-95 between West Palm Beach and the Georgia border and I could tell how many ‘bumps’ there are on the I-10 between Jacksonville and Texas. Of course, I’m exaggerating but you get the idea. A great thing about driving between Tour stops is the opportunities it presents compared to flying.   I cannot remember the number of occasions we’ve ended-up ...

For the Emirates Golf Club and host to the 2022 Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, it was an exercise delving into the past in looking ahead to the future. It’s remarkable that the first golf course to be built on the Arabian Peninsula will at the end of January 2022 celebrate the 34th anniversary of the tournament. The Carl Litten-designed course was built in 1987 and two years later joined the European Tour schedule. Back then, the course was sitting all by itself laid out in the desert far away ...

* This article first published in January 2021 and updated January, 2024 There’s always that unique joy in playing a golf course you’ve not played before. Normally, it is a golf course you know well or you’ve read about. Also, that delight is magnified if you’ve managed to play well. There is also the joy teeing up at a golf course you know relatively little about but where you also play well and while missing a couple of birdie putts, you do manage a handful of pars. Adding ...

For the golfers out there who enjoy more than the experience of savouring a new golfing adventure here’s a destination to really whet your adventurous side. On the outskirts of the town of Gap in Haute Alpes of France, the Bayard plateau rises to an alitude of 1,250m.  In winter the plateau is a hive for Nordic skiiing. When the snow melts, there’s nine groomed and marked trials offering around 50 kilometers of ideal mounting hiking. The summer rays also reveal a stunning golf course ...

Here’s an adventure for the golfer’s out there who enjoy discovering new heights. Now that restrictions to travel are being lifted, why not treat a flight yourself to double French alpine flying and golfing adventure? This is what we did recently thanks to Alpine Flying School – https://alpineflyingschool.fr  and the Gay Bayard Golf Club – http://www.gap-bayard.com/golf-de-gap-bayard The Alpine Flying School and Gap Bayard have their homes high in the stunning French Alps ...

For the ultra-keen golfer, a visit to St. Andrews is a quintessential ‘must do’ undertaking. Though for those of us who have stood at the back of the 1st tee or 18th green at the Old Course, there’s nothing to remind you of the full history that has unfolded over the 18 holes laid-out in front of you. Who is aware when the first Open was played at St. Andrews and also, how many times has the Old Course hosted golf’s oldest major? You could walk into the little café just off the right ...