Golf, by TourMiss

While the professional and modern game has moved to younger and longer venues, Estoril Golf Club continues to present a challenge to those of us not earning a living in the play-for-pay ranks. Estoril Golf Club is very much one of the founding father’s of Portuguese golf in that it is among the three oldest courses in Portugal after having opened in 1929 before being redesigned in 1936 by renowned Scottish architech Mackenzie Ross, who also designed Southness and Turnberry. Estoril staged it’s ...

It had been three years and a month after the excitement of first visiting Askernish Golf Club and the ‘Old’ Tom Morris designed links gem laid out along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline on the west coast of the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. On that maiden visit we were warmly greeted by Askernish Club chairman Ralph Thompson and invited to compete in one of the club’s competitions. Unfortunately, Ralph could not join us on our second visit but then he had a pretty decent ...

In another golfing first this week we visited a Texas golf club, the Legendary Oaks GC, where you will find a chapel lying to side of the practice range. Of course, it triggered immediate thoughts whether the chapel is there in calling on divine intervention before a round of golf or to possibly later give thanks for a miracle 18 holes or maybe to seek forgiveness for any miss-givings on the course at Hempstead and located to the north of Houston.

Thanks to the owners of Bluejack National we were fortunate to get a first look this afternoon at Tiger Woods first designed golf course in the U.S. – Bluejack National located on the outskirts of Montgomery and about an hour’s drive north of this week’s Shell Houston Open host venue. A little rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of organizers nor the media who were very warmly welcomed in what is an extremely inviting yet a temporary clubhouse. Eric Bauer, Director of Agronomy ...

For so many years I had been driven past Vila Sol Golf Course on route to Vilamoura to report on the Portugal Masters. And in travelling the main thoroughfare from Faro to Vilamoura each year we passed by a fairway where set into the banking of this particular fairway is the words ‘Vila Sol’. However I was always curious what hole it was where the sign was located. I found out first hand last year as it was Vila Sol’s sixth hole and one of the most picturesque and delightful holes ...

It was a very special anniversary when I had the pleasure for a first time in visiting Stromness Golf Club on the Scotland island of Orkney. It was 6th June, 2014 and the 70th anniversary of the D. Day landings and while Stromness is a long way from the sandy beaches of Normandy there was no mistaking as I made my about the course the part played by the Orkney Islands in both world war conflicts. Of course, lying at the heart of the Orkney Islands is Scapa Flow, and no one should need any reminding ...

There is something very unique in travelling to Doha each year for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. It is the only country on the 2014/15 European Tour International schedule that boasts just one golf course. (NB: At the time of writing this article in 2015 the Jose Maria Olazabla designed course had not been built) Fortunately the Doha Golf Club is a 27-hole complex with the 18-hole championship lay-out that has played host to the event since 1998, and there is a nine-hole Academy layout. And ...