Many times over the years I have visited Dorset on family holidays and the one characteristic that has always stayed in the forefront of my mind is the kind and laid-back nature of the Dorset people, always a good morning, always a smile, and always pleasant in conversation.

This was the case at Yeovil and it has to be one of the friendliest clubs I have visited for a long time. The members were courteous, particularly when asking one member for the code to the changing rooms - without any hesitation he keyed it in for me. I could have been anyone, but it just goes to show the kind trusting nature of the members of this golf club.

The course was quite busy on this particular day with various matches being played, but several times members asked if I wanted to play through which is how the game should be played. Their etiquette was second to none.

After playing a very pleasurable opening hole, I moved on to the next tee, the excellent uphill par 3 second. My tee shot found the green but I quickly realised that if you miss on the left, it’s game over. Continuing on I found there were another four outstanding golf holes, the 9th, 14th, 15th and the 17th: the best one being the 14th. Aside from that, the rest of the course was still a pleasure to play. The greens were very tricky and in good condition considering the severe winter we have had - the green keepers have done a great job getting them ready for the golfing season.

The 300 yard par 4, 9th Hole is another of my favourites as it provides the opportunity for big hitters to go for the green, but there are two deep bunkers strategically placed which provide an element of danger ready to gobble up any misdirected tee shot.

The entire course was in really good condition and well worth playing; having played it once, you will certainly want to return. Personally, I always endeavour to look for the good side of any golf club, but in truth the visit here lived up to my expectations, and my only regret was when the round ended. This course certainly ranks among the best I have found in the South West of England and I will retain a fond memory of a splendid day spent at the Yeovil Golf Club.

For further information please visit the clubs website at www.yeovilgolfclub.com

Came Down is one of a kind, steeped in Ryder Cup and Open Championship history. Every so often a special kind of golf course is surpassed by its history but this is certainly not the case in this instance. So, I want to tell you about Came Down as it is today, because it genuinely deserves to be judged on its own merits.

As soon as I arrived at the pro shop I was greeted by the resident PGA pro, Nick Rogers. Nick is a true gentleman, and one of the most helpful people I have had the pleasure to meet at golf clubs in Dorset. I was also introduced to the steward, Kevin Beardsley who was also very welcoming and whose knowledge of the club is second to none. In fact, I met several other people there including one very canny Scotsman with whom I played the first few holes. His guidance on how to play this course saved me a number of shots during my round of golf.

There is something really special about this club and the club members and staff make you feel you are a part of their household. The course is blessed with spectacular panoramic views of places such as Dorchester, Isle of White, Maiden Castle, Portland and Weymouth where Samuel Ryder used to go on holiday.

The first thing that strikes you is the sheer quality of the tees, fairways and greens. I was particularly impressed with the seventh hole, into a prevailing wind which usually acts as a natural defence barrier, defying those who believe they can overpower this historic course.

To play Came Down really well you need to be a great ball striker as every club in the bag is needed. But even if you are a beginner, this is great place to hone your golfing skills because if you play this course well you will be armed with an array of shots to take on any golf course in the country.

To give you some idea, the highly talented golfing family, the Whitcombe brothers played most of their golf at this club, with Reg Whitcombe winning the Open Championship at Royal St Georges in 1938. All young aspiring golfers with dreams of one day winning the Open should spend a great deal of their time playing this magnificent golf course. But the hardest aspect I have in writing this review is in trying to highlight the best golf hole. To be truthful, I am unable to. And the reason is simply this…. I liked every one of them.

In my opinion, the one thing that should be changed at this club is the memorial stone at the entrance. It should be replaced by a National Trust emblem depicting the clubs historic past and importance to the game of golf. The Ryder Cup probably would never have been created had it not been for the Whitcombe Brothers, Samuel Ryder and last but not least, Came Down.

The next passage has been taken from the history of Came Down, extracted from the clubs website and brochure.

Came Down is one of a kind, steeped in Ryder Cup and Open Championship history

“Came Down Golf Club played an important part in the founding of the Ryder Cup. Samuel Ryder, the donor of the Ryder Cup, was a St Albans seed merchant who made his fortune partly thanks to having the foresight to sell seeds to the public in the form of the ‘Penny Seed Packet’. A member of the Verulam Golf Club, he was determined to improve the lowly status of the golf professional. Accordingly he arranged for one of his companies to sponsor the ‘Heath and Heather’ tournament at his beloved Verulam club in 1923.

For his holidays Ryder liked to go to the seaside resort of Weymouth on Dorset’s coast (a few miles from Came Down Golf Course). Taking a party with him comprised of various relations and golfing friends, he always stayed right on the esplanade at the Royal Hotel. Ryder played golf at Came Down and eventually became a member and took the greatest of interests in the club’s affairs. In particular he noticed the brilliant play of the Whitcombe brothers. He asked Ernest if they ever played in important tournaments, Ernest replied that they rarely did. They could ill afford the unpaid time and travel costs. Ernest told Ryder, “the Americans come over here smartly dressed and backed by wealthy supporters. The Britisher has a poor chance compared to that”.

Now Sam Ryder was a man full of pity and sympathy for ‘the other chap’. It was just this kind of sympathy for the underdog that Ernest Whitcombe’s comments brought out. Samuel Ryder’s eldest daughter Mrs Marjorie Claisen takes up the story in her 1979 booklet entitled ‘The Ryder Family’.

Father considered that something vital was required to rouse golf clubs to take a real interest and responsibility in encouraging any young ‘pros’ who showed promise, such as the Whitcombes at Came Down. He consulted his friends Abe Mitchell and George Duncan who had both made names for themselves in the golfing world. Together they discussed the question of the poor support given to British ‘pros’, and the idea emerged for some important contest to be set up and played solely between Britain and America.

Father provided the golf Cup; beautifully designed and bearing on top the figure of a golfer based on a photograph of Abe Mitchell.

So was born The Ryder Cup. It has definitely achieved the aim which father had in mind - British ‘pros’ are now respected and supported by clubs eager that their man shall be included in The Ryder Cup team, on equal standing with the wealthy Americans. The golfing world now has opportunities for them which were impossible in the old days before ‘ The Ryder Cup ‘. The rest, as they say, is history”.

So there you have it, a golf club that is blessed with historic importance, a splendid place to play golf and above all a club that is friendly where you will always be welcomed.

For further information please visit the clubs website at www.camedowngolfclub.co.uk

Founded in 1898 and originally laid out by Tom Dunn the course was then redesigned in 1914 by the celebrated H.S.Colt. Broadstone lays claim to a truly demanding layout, with a course that is a spectacular and deceptively tough par 70, the status of which continues to attract a host of top national amateur events.

Set in the splendid Dorset countryside, Broadstone is one of the premium examples of a well-preserved heathland golf course in the South of England and is deservedly so highly ranked in the Top 100 golf courses in the UK and Ireland. Contained by 250 acres of rolling landscape, the fairways run generously and individually through outstanding natural heathland with its shroud of heather, pine, gorse and rhododendrons. There are so many holes that offer splendid views of the Dorset countryside you could easily become sidetracked from your golf game.

The really attractive ingredient of this course is the fact that as you play each hole you rarely see any of the other holes on the course until you have finished the previous one. This is a wonderful quality that not many modern golf courses incorporate these days.

Bernard Darwin once described Broadstone as the “Gleneagles of the South” and added that it was “one of those spots clearly designed by providence for a golf course.” I would go as far as to say that Broadstone should never be compared with any golf course - it is unmistakably unique in its own right. The course is very undulating but not to the extent that it is hard to walk, although, on a hot summer’s day I would imagine that most of the golf buggies are rented out to the senior members that have strolled the pine laden fairways for the last forty years or so.

Contained by 250 acres of rolling landscape, the fairways run generously and individually through outstanding natural heathland

At Broadstone the tee times on average are ten minutes apart and therefore you rarely ever get held up, although there were two poor souls in front of me that found themselves in the heather and gorse that rigorously defends each hole from those mere mortals that bite off more than they can chew. I watched as they slashed at the bell heather like samurai warriors in the futile expectation that their ensnared golf balls would be liberated. Despondently - and with mulligans in hand - they meandered off to the next tee, soundly beaten and bloodied by the natural resistance of Broadstone.

The key to playing this course well is to be patient and think carefully about each shot. A prime example is the par four 5th Hole which at 281 yards from the yellow tees entices one to hit a driver in the hope of reaching the green, the problem that you face is that if you are slightly off line with the tee shot, you are in serious trouble. For instance, even if you hit two seven irons you would fly the green so it makes common sense to play this hole conservatively.

This is the case with many of the holes at Broadstone including the stroke index one 7th. If you hit the driver in the wrong place you will end up on very steep downhill slope which is covered in even more of the club entangling stuff, and I am afraid that the only way out of there is if you happen to have a Black & Decker garden strimmer handily tucked away in your golf bag.

Over the years a number of dignitaries have played at Broadstone including former Prime Ministers Bonar Law, A J Balfour, Ramsey McDonald and Winston Churchill in his later years, there are not many golf clubs in this country that can boast this fact.

One of the most outstanding features of this course is the sheer quality of the greens, they are truly exceptional and the teeing areas are perfectly manicured as is the rest of the golf course. Broadstone is a golfer’s heaven: pack your clubs in the boot of the car and drive to Dorset, not only will find the people really friendly you will play by far the best heathland golf course in the South of England and one of the best in the United Kingdom.

For further information please visit the club’s website at www.broadstonegolfclub.com

Yes, I can tell you that Bridport is the oldest club in Dorset, founded in 1891 and that the original clubhouse was destroyed by fire in 1969 and a whole host of other interesting facts. However, I believe that the gentlemanly thing do is to educate our readers on just why they should go and play Bridport & West Dorset in the present day.

If I only had one word to describe Bridport golf course, that word would be ’sensational’. Luckily, I have many words at my disposal. So just what makes this place so special? Firstly, it is located on the magnificent Jurassic coastline with exceptional views stretching across Lyme Bay and along the Chesil Beach to Portland. On top of this is the 133 yard par three sixth hole named Port Coombe which is one of the most incredible golf holes that I have ever had the pleasure to play. To give you some idea, the hole is question is rated as one of the top 100 golf holes in the world. There is a ninety foot drop from the tee to the green and with views of the Jurassic coastline as a stage set, it is worth playing the course just for this particular hole alone.

Another outstanding hole is the par 5 sixteenth which features a magnificent undulating fairway and a well protected green that entices the big hitter to go for it in two

The great thing about Bridport & West Dorset is that every hole on the course is first-class; it’s like a winding road in that you never know what is round the next corner. As Bridport is a cliff top course, one would imagine that if wind began to blow this gentle, kind on the eye golf course could easily become a brutal scorecard wrecking monster. Having said that, on a hot summers day the soothing current of air that traditionally blows from the sea is a calming reprieve.

The first two opening holes are both really good par 4s, although it is only when you stand on the tee of the par 5 third hole you begin to catch a glimpse of the incredible Jurassic coastline. The third hole has quite a fear-provoking tee shot: to the eye the design of the hole leads you to believe that there is no room for error, to the left is thick club tangling rough and on the right is a sheer drop of a hundred feet or so to the sea. This is a really good par 5 that most low handicappers could reach in two decent shots.

Another outstanding hole is the par 5 sixteenth which features a magnificent undulating fairway and a well protected green that entices the big hitter to go for it in two. However, a word of warning: miss this green to the left and your ball will vanish into the long grass never to be seen again. As you stand on the tee of this hole its worth taking a few moments to absorb the truly inspirational view of West Bay.

In truth, there are so many good golf holes on this course it is a shame to pick out one particular hole over another, although the sixth hole is cut above the rest. Another thing that I should mention is, despite this year’s very bad winter, the greens are in excellent condition as is the case with the rest of the golf course in general. The pro shop is very well stocked, the facilities are impressive and above all you are guaranteed a warm welcome at Bridport & West Dorset, in fact the club prides itself on this fact.

Whether you just want a friendly game of golf, a corporate event or a golf society day out, I would certainly recommend this club to anyone. If you would like to know the full history of Bridport & West Golf Club and any further information, then I would suggest that you visit the clubs website at www.bridportgolfclub.org.uk

Even if you are not a golfer, it is well worth a visit to the golf club for the scenery alone, there are wonderful views over the Blackmore Vale to the South and Glastonbury Tor to the North. It is even said that on a clear day you can distinguish the Mendips and Cheddar and beyond the Bristol channel to Wales.

Sherborne is not a long golf course by today’s standards, in fact it is just how a golf course should be. It is enjoyable to play and has a wonderful feel good factor, you won’t find any 500 yard par 4s on this course or any 250 yard par 3’s for that matter and neither will find any manmade lakes dyed ultramarine blue. What you will find are undulating fairways that are lined with scotch pines; larch; lime; oak and silver birch, top class greens and great golfing holes that are a delight on the eye while remaining a challenge to your golfing competence.

The members are both welcoming and helpful and genuinely affable. If you became a member of Sherborne there would be no shortage of members willing to invite you to join them for a game, it’s just that kind of place.

Sherborne is not a long golf course by today’s standards, in fact it is just how a golf course should be

Sherborne is a par 72 measuring 6415 yards from the men’s tees, although it wasn’t always that way. In 2002 the course was lengthened from 5500 yards to keep up with the times and modern golf technology in order to make it more challenging. Two new holes were added - numbers two and three - to the existing layout and in addition a new practice ground and short game area were also introduced.

Thomas Hardy once said, “Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change”. I believe Thomas Hardy’s quote, as with many of our great golf courses, can be said of Sherborne. The course has blended the old with the new very well: the new holes are still very pleasurable to play and in time you would never know that the course had been altered from the original James Braid design.

Usually at this point I would start to describe which holes are the finest on the course but I am not going to because Thomas Hardy himself couldn’t put into words the beauty of Sherborne golf course, so who am I to describe a place that simply cannot be put into words. The pictures speak for themselves. Take a simple piece of advice, go and play Sherborne, you will not be disappointed. The only disappointment you may feel is when you are driving home wishing you were back playing this truly beautiful golf course.

For further information visit the clubs website at www.sherbornegolfclub.co.uk

The par-71, 6,748-yard course was so named by its creators, golf course architects Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril, in reference to Annie Palmer, the notorious ‘White Witch,’ who was mistress of the Rose Hall Plantation in the early 19th Century on which the course is built.

The course certainly casts a spell, as it spills up and down the hills high above the sea. Many holes demand long and scary carries over chasms filled with rocks and two of the par-three holes feature stomach-dropping shots from elevated tees to water-fronted greens far below. “The White Witch is a course that will give you a different experience each time you play, and we have done that by creating multiple tees throughout,” says head golf professional Mike Cole.

The White Witch is situated on Jamaica’s north coast. It is one member of a quartet of premier courses that includes the Half Moon, the Tryall Club and Cinnamon Hill, all clustered around the elite enclave of Rose Hall, near Montego Bay. Although there are another eight courses on the island (including the oldest golf course in the Western Hemisphere, the historic 9-hole Manchester Club, founded in 1865), these four are the most varied and distinctive and provide a good focus for a Jamaican golf vacation.

The following morning we have a tee time with Director of Golf, Ewan Peebles, at Half Moon Golf Club. For Scottish born Ewan, a qualified PGA-pro since 2001 and a professional golfer for more than 11 years, each course in the Rose Hall area holds a certain charm. “To me, Half Moon is the most user friendly of the bunch and is more open and forgiving,” he says.

Half Moon’s signature hole is the relatively short, 362-yard par-4 fourth, which offers a choice of going for the green in one or hitting an iron down the open side to the green. It is well guarded by a water hazard to the right. My caddy, 31-year-old Orville Christie, known locally as the Jamaican John Daly, decides to tee one up and have a crack, but alas pushes it to the right.

Despite expert caddie advice on reading the nuances of the confusing Bermuda grass greens and a few three putts, we manage to hold it all together until holing out at the last. After tipping the excellent caddies and enjoying a beverage at the 19th hole, we head back to Half Moon resort to enjoy the facilities and an afternoon siesta.

Holes 5 and 6 are so close to the water that a cranky sea breeze can easily whip your ball into the deep.

Jamaican Greens
After Jamaican jerk, it’s back to the Jamaican greens as we tackle the final two courses of our north-coast quartet – the Tryall Club and Cinnamon Hill. Located 12 miles from Montego Bay, the Tryall Club is a 6,772-yard Ralph Plummer beauty built in 1960 and features spectacular ocean panoramas and exotic tree-lined fairways, with nine level holes by the sea and nine rolling holes in the hills.

By contrast to Half Moon and the Tryall Club, Cinnamon Hill offers a real variety of terrain. The gently rolling front nine of the 6,798-yard par 71, Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril layout opens under the gaze of the 18th-century Rose Hall Great House, then rambles past the walled graveyard of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s family and down to the ocean. Holes 5 and 6 are so close to the water that a cranky sea breeze can easily whip your ball into the deep.

In contrast, the back nine takes to the remote hills of the plantation, making its way through narrow canyons and across deep chasms with a handful of elevated tee shots. The par-3 fifteenth drops dramatically to a green next to a picturesque waterfall which was used as a location in the James Bond film Live and Let Die.

Robert is great company and keeps us nicely entertained with facts about the course, his planned changes, stories about caddying for Stephen during his famous victory at the Player’s Championship in 2006, and even throws a few much needed golf lessons into the mix.

The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the final green of Cinnamon Hill, defining every undulation, bump and hollow. “Hope you’ve enjoyed it lads,” says Rob, after we all hole out. “Maybe catch you later for some jerk chicken and a Red Stripe?”

Ballesteros has described the return of the former world number one as “the best news that golf can have”.

Woods has not completed since the middle of November as he took a break to try and save his marriage.

“I am pleased to see that Tiger Woods made the decision to come back. He has a good chance to win the Masters this year, of course,” said five-time major winner Ballesteros.

“If he decides to compete in the Masters it is because he knows that he has a good chance. We all know his potential and Augusta is a very long course.”

Pearl Valley sits to the north of Stellenbosch in the heart of Cape wine country, where the vineyards run for miles in the shadows cast by the Drakenstein mountains. Just down the road is the site of one of the 20th Century’s defining moments, when Nelson Mandela walked free from Victor Verster prison after 27 years in captivity and signalled the end of the Apartheid era. These days the jail is a regular stop off on the Wine Trail that cuts through this stunning piece of land. But beyond its history, location and the quality of the wine on offer, Pearl Valley tells us much about how the business of golf works today.

Pearl Valley Golf Estates was bought by oil money in the form of Leisurecorp, the Dubai based investment company. The plan is to combine golf and wine as hooks to sell real estate; multi million dollar homes line the course. It’s a business model borrowed from Leisurecorp’s other project, Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai and it is driving golf’s love affair with the Middle East, turning Leisurecorp into one of the powerbrokers of the world game.

The company is funding the European Tour’s new $20million end of season bonanza, the Dubai World Championship, itself the culmination of The Race to Dubai, as the Tour’s Order of Merit is now called. “We will be giving $140m over the next five years [to the European Tour]. That is a good little treasure chest,” said David Spencer, chief exec of Leisurecorp, pointing out that “we are not a golf company, we’re a real estate company.” Spencer is an affable and very well connected Australian, whose job it is to mix the three most potent elements in today’s sports marketplace: oil, real estate and celebrity.

There are few better ways of promoting a resort than having a golf tournament with live coverage over four days. “Even if people watch it for two minutes they realise there is a infrastructure there, airports, hotels, everything that gives a lot of confidence to tourists to go and look,” says Spencer. “The people who travel to play golf spend four and half times more than average tourists, are impeccably behaved and repeat their business”.

By using top level events in this way, Leisurecorp’s influence is stretching around the world. In Scotland, they paid £55million for Turnberry, the course that hosts the 2009 Open Championship. The European Open, formerly at the K Club, may move to Turnberry permanently from 2010. Given their spending power, it’s unsurprising that Leisurecorp’s name is linked to other potential purchases, either in the US or closer to home; Loch Lomond and Carnoustie to name just two.

But for now, their money is funding ambitious plans down here in South Africa. The South African Open will be hosted here for the foreseeable future and more luxury accommodation is being added ahead of the 2010 World Cup, when it will host some of the teams playing in the tournament.

The other key ingredient to Leisurecorp’s strategy is celebrity. The homes will be kitted out to specifications laid down by TV chef Jamie Oliver and partnerships with high class brands such as Bang & Olufsen, B&B Italia, and Poggenpohl offer high quality throughout.

Executive Golf’s visit to Pearl Valley coincided with that of former Wimbledon champion Chris Evert and her new husband, Greg Norman, who arrived in GN1 his private jet. Both are on the Leisurecorp payroll and charged with adding some stardust to the project. Chris Evert plans to open her own tennis academy here, consisting of four courts, matching the four different surfaces of Grand Slam tennis. And a new 18 hole course is being built, designed by Greg Norman, to add to the existing Jack Nicklaus layout.

The existing Nicklaus course stands 6801 metres off the back tees and is a tough test for the even the best tour pros. Only a couple finished under par during this year’s South Africa Open. But from the members’ tees, the length ranges from a more friendly 4685 to 5876 metres. Nicklaus’ signature courses are renowned for their extensive bunkering, and here they are numerous but not frightening, offering an easy exit in most cases. Driving is important, as is the ability to play in the wind, which whistles through the mountains and across the vineyards.

The final four holes are long and treacherous, a mix of 400 yard par 4s and a card wrecking par 5 to finish. There’s water, sand and that wind. Get through that lot in par and you’ll be doing very well indeed. If not, well, there’s always the scenery. And the wine is good too.

Many Executive Golf readers will be attracted by the spectacular championship golf course, but there are other sporting activities to be enjoyed as well, such as using the two tennis courts and snooker tables. If you’ve had your fill of sporting action after a hard day on the course then unwind by using the spa facilities which includes an indoor heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room and a Hydro Spa pool.

The Carlyon Bay Hotel has over 250 acres of secluded gardens and grounds to be enjoyed and is ideally located for visiting all of the counties top attractions including the Eden Project, Lands End and The Minack Theatre.

Executive Golf readers expect the highest standards when staying away from home and Carlyon Bay Hotel matches these exacting expectations Furnished to provide every comfort and with breathtaking views from most rooms, you’ll find bottled water and chocolates in our deluxe rooms. And if you are celebrating a special occasion, it is no problem to arrange for a bottle of wine or champagne on arrival.

Championship Golf
The Carlyon Bay Hotel Golf Course is set amidst some of Cornwall’s most breathtaking coastal scenery and every one of the 18 holes enjoys magnificent views across St Austell Bay and its miles of golden sand.

The 18 hole championship golf course offers 6,500 yards of endlessly stimulating golf and is maintained in peak condition throughout the year. For those who are more comfortable with the Executive side, rather than the Golf, there is a 10 acre practice ground, 2 putting lawns and a picturesque 9 hole approach course – great places to whip that swing into place.

Tuition and good advice is always available from our resident professionals and our fully equipped pro shops offer a wide range of equipment and clothing, together with our unique ladies shop.

The clubhouse welcomes non-golfers and golfers alike and offers a wide range of bar meals complemented by memorable views across the course and bay.

Elegant Dining and Fine Cuisine
Along with the fantastic facilities and location, we are extremely passionate about our food, which is why, when you eat at the Bay View restaurant, you can expect great food, beautifully cooked by our team of chefs using fresh and locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. We source our meat and fish from West Country producers, which means that it’s not only fresh, but delicious too. Our extensive wine list makes good use of local produce too, with some delicious prize winning vintages. It’s just another ingredient that goes into making every stay at the Carlyon Bay Hotel a truly wonderful West Country experience.

For more information Executive Golf readers should visit the website at www.carlyonbay.com or call the reservations team on 01726 812304

Membership to the Executive Golf club is free. Simply click here and become a member of Executive Golf

Woods is taking a break from the game to sort out personal problems and is yet to indicate whether he will play in the most famous golf competition in the world.

Montgomerie thinks Woods will return to the game soon and despite the 34-year-old’s obvious benefits to the American team, he is keen to see the 14-time major winner taking on his side.

“A lot depends on whether Tiger plays as he hasn’t lost in the singles. But if our 12 play to their potential, with the crowd’s backing, we will win,” commented Montgomerie.

“Nobody is quite sure how long his [Woods’] absence is going to be. We hope he gets back playing and winning tournaments as soon as possible. He will come back, but whether he will retain that mystique as an iconic player, I’m not sure. It will be tougher for him, but he’ll be out to prove he do this under extreme pressure.”