Polaris World

9th hole at Hacienda Riqeulme

The winter months are here, the course is short, and you are dressed in all your waterproofs or warm clothes trying to swing a club. It's safe to say you're not enjoying the game you love. Spring isn't for at least four months so what can you do? Solution: Take a trip abroad! 

I have just returned from a short break to sample some of Polaris World's top resorts and I can highly recommend a visit if you're getting frustrated by the British weather.
I was part of a press trip - flown by Monarch Airlines - to the fantastic La Torre golf resort in south east Spain.

The transfer from Alicante is around 45 minutes and after checking into our rooms it was time to get acquainted with the rest of the group before sitting down for some delicious traditional Spanish cuisine at La Vinoteca.

Mar Menor
Next morning it was back into the taxi to take a trip to Mar Menor, which was the first resort from Polaris World. The course itself has been extended to an 18 hole challenge with the new holes created by Jack Nicklaus' design team.

You can really see which part of the course has been altered with the highlight of the round coming at 12, 13 and 14. These holes are played around a lake, the starter a very tough par four that teases you into thinking you can cut the corner to leave a shorter shot to the green which is guarded by bunkers to one side and the lake to the other.
The 13th is a long par three over water. The hole favours a slight fade to ensure you stay away from the lake but if you don't quite catch your shot you will find the beach (and by beach I'm not exaggerating, it's like no bunker I've been in before).

The 325-metre 14th hole is classic risk-reward as a huge bunker runs all down the left and in the ultimate landing area. I would advise you lay up with a long iron/fairway wood to leave a 100 yard wedge shot.
Mar Menor is a good challenge for mid to high handicap golfers and well worth a visit. It will test all your ability and is a fair price.

La Torre
After the round it was back to La Torre for lunch in The Wood House which is the bar/restaurant attached to the golf course, another Nicklaus design. Unfortunately there was only time to play the first nine but, of the holes I sampled at La Torre, the ninth stands out. It's a picturesque mid to long par three played over water next to the hotel. Players can bail out to the left but most will try to impress the sunbathers by going for the green!

After the golf and a few beverages it was time to eat at Trattoria Acacia - the resort's acclaimed Italian restaurant which offers authentic pasta, pizza and risotto.

Across the way is an Irish Sports Pub called The Clover which was advertising karaoke. This is a perfect place to go to watch a football match or laugh at the holidaymakers attempting to sing classic songs from past decades. Our group couldn't resist either, belting out dubious renditions of Elvis and Sinatra.

Hacienda Riquelme
Unfortunately I didn't get to sample the renowned El Valle, which hosted European Tour Q-School qualifying earlier this month, but we did get to play our third Nicklaus-designed course - Hacienda Riquelme. And in my eyes we saved the best for last.

The course is perfectly manicured and from the back tees you add an extra 600 yards (yes, I was brave/stupid enough to play from these). The first nine is a test for golfers of all standards and position is everything. You are faced with water on many of the holes and that makes you think about every shot.
I would say my favourite hole was the fourth as you hit from an elevated tee with water waiting for you down the left hand side of the fairway. The hole is a par five but reachable in two for longer hitters. A bad shot is punished by a lake and well placed bunkers.

After playing 45 holes of golf in two days it was time to unwind in La Torre's spa before a meal in the Ginko Club and finishing off the evening in The Clover where it was my turn to attempt karaoke!
I would definitely recommend the Polaris World resorts and all the golf courses I played. El Valle does look a class act but Hacienda is on par and a real test.

* I would like to thank Mason Williams for organising the trip, Monarch airways for their fantastic service and of course Polaris World for their excellent hospitality.

* For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk

Hole in One!

On Saturday 3rd September I hit my 3rd hole in one. Here are all my hole in one balls.

British Airways Pairs Championship

It was a good way to mark the first day of September - an invite to the British Airways Pairs Championship at The Mere Golf & Country Club in Cheshire.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Pairs Championship, this is a brand new event for 2011, with some of the finest courses in the UK hosting the qualifying events before the winners jet off to the Bahamas for the final!

The event is a four-ball better ball competition off full handicap which means you both play your own ball and take the best net score on each hole to tally up a final stableford points total.

Being a one handicap golfer, I assumed I needed to pull in a ringer with plenty of shots for maximum chances of winning. After reading through all applications Sky Bet's golf manager John Rhodes got the nod as his 11 handicap meant we had plenty of shots to play with around the Cheshire course.

We arrived bright and early at this picturesque setting and it was obvious why so many footballers and celebrities visit the Mere on a regular basis.

After checking in we sat down to breakfast and looked through the course planner to see which holes we classed as the hardest and our complimentary goody bag which consisted of a Cleveland shoe bag, cap, towel, pitch repairer, ball marker and a dozen Srixon golf balls.

Next it was down to the driving range for a type of warm-up I hadn't experienced before - playing shots off a raised platform into a lake! As it was quite early in the morning I actually felt like I was going to either fall off the ledge or throw my club straight into the lake itself!

After our warm-up and a sly check of the European Tour scores on our phones it was to the first tee where we met Sky Sports competition winners Tony and Roger Roberts. A small crowd gathered and our names were called out one by one by the announcer to start our round. Yes I was first on the tee and after swinging with my eyes closed I actually hit possibly my best drive of the day straight down the middle of the par 5 first hole.

A birdie to start plus a 40-foot putt for a two on the third by John set us on our way and after a few up and downs on the next few holes we made our way to the 8th where there was a nearest-the-hole challenge. I flushed a 7-iron to around seven feet but it wasn't enough as the eventual winner finished just a couple inches from a hole in one! Still another birdie sent us on the way to the 9th hole where a longest drive competition was held. I was actually leading this after knocking it just a few yards past the previous attempt but the guys behind us looked like handy players and after hearing the smash from the tee I looked back to see a ball 20 yards past my attempt. Thwarted again!

After the 9th hole where John's eagle attempt had just lipped out we had accumulated 22 points which equated to four-under par. We were pleased with our efforts and high in confidence ahead of the second nine.

Unfortunately we couldn't match our front 9 and after John lost a ball on the last hole (a reachable in two par 5) we saw our hopes of winning a prize dashed. When our scores were totted up we'd finished on 41 points (5 under par) which was good enough for sixth place.

After the golf we were treated to an excellent buffet meal and the prize presentation. Winners on the day, with 47 points, were a couple of fellas from York playing off handicaps of 5 and 18. In their speech they spoke of never entering anything like this before and coming down for the day for a "bit of fun".

The guys will now jet off to the Bahamas for the final and good luck to them. I just hope they wear masks next time!!

All in all it was a fantastic day on a golf course which is surrounded by some of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen up close. If you get a chance to enter the 2012 Pairs Championship I can guarantee you'll have a great day and if you're lucky enough you could win one of the prizes!

Thanks to Roger Wolfe from Yumax for the invitation. Much appreciated.