Iranian Amateur Open - Golf Tournament Transcends Politics

Mehdi M Shanjani - 2012 Iranian Amateur Open Winner.

Dylan Harris didn't let the naysayers dissuade him.  From the time the idea of an international amateur golf tournament in Iran first came to him, the stalwart British travel and event planner confronted myriad obstacles, but this past weekend The Inaugural Iranian Golf Open took place on schedule at Tehran's Enghelab Golf Course.

Despite the endless political posturing that has pitted the Iranian Government against those of Europe and North America for years, despite a takeover of the British embassy by protesters and an errant US spy drone now in Iranian custody... and the resonant rattling of sabers that accompanied those and other events... Dylan Harris persisted ... and this past weekend, working with the Iranian Golfing Federation, he succeeded in staging the tournament.

We'll have more on this groundbreaking tournament, including interviews and commentary from some of the participants, later in this week, but according to Dylan's latest dispatches Iran's Mehdi M Shanjani, took home the trophy, winning the event by two strokes. In an interesting side note, Mr. Shanjani also happens to own the country's largest chocolate factory.

The real story here, and I think this will be revealed as we hear more from Dylan and other IAO participants, is that the vast majority of Iranians are very friendly and completely open to foreigners, that international travelers feel very safe on the streets of Iranian cities, and that despite tensions and animosity created by politicians and perpetuated by news outlets desperate for drama, people who are passionate about golf... whatever their national origins... can get together and enjoy the game.

I had planned to go to Tehran for the tournament myself but in the end had scheduling conflicts that... when combined with negative reaction from friends and family who surmised it would be unsafe... caused me to cancel.  I'm glad Dylan didn't back out... and I definitely plan to be there for the next event.

The Travelers Championship: An Exemplary Gift of Golf

The Travelers Championship.  Here in Connecticut it's our biggest sporting event, and something we look forward to all year.

A rich history, an impeccable organization and a relaxed, friendly vibe haved helped make it the second most attended PGA Tour event annually, behind only the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

If you live in CT you've probably already got it on your calendar, and if you're from elsewhere it's a great occasion... and an awesome time of year... to visit our lovely coastal state.  I'm mentioning this because a couple of excellent ticket packages are available right now... and either one would make a stellar holiday gift... for just about any golfer or golf fan on your list. Including yourself naturally. See you in Connecticut.

Click here to order your package now !

Map Your Golf Travels: An Artful Display of Places You Play

Everyone has a dream... or two. Actually if you're a golfer you probably have several.  They're the courses you long to play... and I'm guessing you have them on a list somewhere.  I know I do.  I keep mine in a golf journal I've created. It takes up two pages.

There is however a more dynamic, inspiring... artful... way to keep track of the US courses you've played and/or those you dream of playing.

It comes from a company called Map Your Travels, it a graphically striking map of the United States that features a hundred top public golf courses in the country and it's mounted so that you can use the included pins and flags to mark past golf adventures and future golf dreams. Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Blackwolf - they're all there.  The map can be personalized and comes in a dark wood frame, ready to hang.

It makes a great gift... for yourself or for a golfer in your life.  And with gift-giving season right around the corner... timing is quite propitious.

Visit MapYourTravels.com

Of Rock Canyons & Velvet Fairways - Mesquite Golf

The Covered Wagon at Conestoga Golf Club - Photo: Golf Girl Media

In a lot of ways, Mesquite is quintessentially American.

The town is located about an hour north of Las Vegas, across an expanse of largely uninhabited desert, that makes it seem far more isolated than it actually is.  A jagged silhouette of sandstone peaks is constantly on the horizon, and approaching Mesquite, one can begin to make out the finer details of the etched pink cliffs and rugged rock canyons.

An hint of old west ambiance reigns in Mesquite too.  It's a friendly and casual place, and driving up to the Casablanca Resort and Casino we were impressed by the way a relaxing small town flavor prevailed at this upscale resort with its big city attractions.

Over the next several days we'd get to know the town... and a number of it's resorts... as well as several of the area's many golf courses where we discovered that the region's red rock canyons hid dozens and dozens of implausibly green fairways.  It was on some of those fairways that the Mesquite Amateur took place... and we were fortunate enough to be able to experience it: the camaraderie and competition of the golf, as well as the conviviality of the evening events.  I'll be writing about it all over the next several days... and I look forward to reliving some awesome memories.

Golfer's Lament: When Iceland Lives Up to Its Name

One of my golf goals, as I've said before, is to play a round under the midnight sun... in Iceland.

The numerous courses and uniquely dramatic landscape are said to offer an exotic and varied experience for golfers of all levels... and a 10:00 PM tee time would only add to the awesomeness.

Okay, I realize a country called Iceland might sound a bit frosty for some, but the island nation in the North Sea is actually warmed by the Gulf Stream, so despite its high latitude... just outside the Arctic Circle... it normally boasts a temperate climate.

Sometimes however, things happen that defy normal. That was the case this morning in the northern town of Akureyri.


Earlier today, I received a brief message from Kjartan Ólafsson, an Icelandic friend who manages the global golf networking site GolfPlanet.net.  "This is northern Iceland this morning!" was the extent of the text, however it linked to a video taken earlier today at Akureyri Golf Club, and, well, Iceland was living up to the its chilly name. And then some.

The clip features Skapti Hallgrímsson a journalist with Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið interviewing Akureyri GC's head greenskeeper, Steindór Ragnarsson... in a full on snowstorm.  A copy of the day's paper is displayed, presumably as proof for future generations of this 2011 meteorological anomaly.
The less than stellar weather conditions are expected to continue throughout the weekend,  but the outlook will undoubtedly improve soon, as normalcy returns and temperatures rise, and just over a month from now... as its done for almost two decades... Akureyri GC will host The Arctic Open, an international event which attracts golfers from all over the world.

It sounds to me like a perfect time to head north... way north... for a singular golf adventure.

Special thanks to Kjartan Ólafsson, Golfplanet.net 

Finnish Golfer Wins 2011 North Korean Open

The 2011 DPRK Amateur Golf Open is in the books… and by all accounts it was a stellar success.

The awesome event took place on the 29th April 2011 and was covered by journalists from the Associated Press and by Japanese and Korean media.  And how’s this for global golf: there were 17 competitors, from 8 different countries.  The nationalities included UK, South Africa, Finland, France, Germany, Australia, Luxembourg and DPRK.  --->

The tournament was played in Callaway format and the winning team, with a joint score of 72, was 25 year old Olli Lehtonen (hcp 1.1) and 31 year old Johannes Raitio (hcp 9.4), both from Finland. With the top gross score of 84, Olli was crowned the overall winner. I hope to be talking to Mr. Raitio in the coming days about his experience at the tournment and about what it's like to travel in North Korea.

North Korea is considered the world’s most isolated country and travel to what some call “the hermit kingdom” is quite controversial, particularly for US citizens. There are those who feel that anyone who travels to DPRK is supporting an enemy regime, others simply feel see it as a dark and dangerous place that should be avoided for safety’s sake.  I must say it doesn’t look particularly threatening on the tournament’s slide show.

Plans are already underway for next year’s event.  It’ll take place over 3 days in Pyongyang, from May 19th to 21st.  Additional information and reservations are available through Lupine Travel.

The Iceland Open Experience: An Awesome Adventure

Here in CT, we're just coming out of a long, cold winter, so it may seem counterintuitive to be talking about golf in iceland. Or any other place with ice in its name.

However, this is all about planing ahead which is often a good idea when it comes to a golf trip, and the Iceland Open Experience is more than just a golf trip.  In fact, it's a full-on sporting adventure that happens over four days in early October.

The golf takes place at Keilir Golf Course; a Scottish style links course, with nine holes playing directly along the ocean, and nine surrounded by lava fields, making it feel like Hawaii and Scotland rolled into one.

In addition to golf, The Iceland Open Experience includes salmon fishing, geothermal swimming, cave exploring, and glacier snowmobiling... that's what I mean by full-on adventure. There are myriad ways to customize your trip the details of which can be found on the Iceland Open site.

To me it looks like the perfect way to mark the end of an Indian Summer.

Great US Golf Destinations Attract Some Wild Vistors

I hardly blame the family of felines.

After all the Scottsdale golf course where they were spotted relaxing recently has been called one of the most picturesque courses in the world.

The mother mountain lion and her two cubs were spotted on the fourth hole of Desert Mountain Club's Cochise Course... as the lounged on the fairway of the 546-yard, par-5 hole.

Linda Borman, a resident of Desert Mountain snapped several beautiful photos of the big cats and described the sighting as rare... a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.  And that's probably a good thing for those who play the course regularly. As beautiful as they are I don't suppose they make good playing partners.

The desert of Arizona isn't the only top US golf destination where commanding creatures occasionally crawl the fairways and rest in the rough.

Though global golfers booking Orlando golf packages may feel that the only fauna they're likely to encounter will be in some way related to a mouse called Mickey it's not particularly uncommon to see a alligators sprawling in the sun at Orlando area golf courses.  In fact I've heard from a reliable source that hole 6 at Bay Hill is home to a rather impressive reptilian resident who makes fairly regular appearances on course.

Our gator on 6 at Bay Hill http://twitpic.com/41hqlrless than a minute ago via Twitpic   Favorite | Retweet | ReplySam Saunders
samsaunders87

The fact is we share the planet with what?... 2 million or more different species?  It's only natural that some of them are going to be attracted to the same types of environments we are.  For golfers visiting new locals I think the best advice would be to use reasonable caution, expect the unexpected and enjoy the occassional encounter with a wild visitor.

Read more: azcentral.comazcentral.com * nileguide.com

Playa del Carmen: Superlative Golf & a Very Sexy Hotel

A couple of decades ago Playa del Carmen was the small, sleepy fishing village tourists passed through on their way to Cozumel.  Now it's the center of the Mexican Rivera, and has itself become a mecca for travelers seeking a south-of-the-boarder holiday on the Caribbean Sea. Playa offers Mayan ruins, beautiful beaches and golf.  Lots of golf.

There's the Norman designed El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba, site of the PGA Tour's Mayakoba Classic. Then there's Robert Von Hagge course at Playacar Spa & Golf Club and a Jack Nicklaus design at Moon Palace Spa &Golf Club... to name just a few in the area.

The above resorts sound dreamy and romantic and all, but what if you wish to combine your golf break with a bit of old-fashioned... debaucherie?

Well then you may wish to book your stay at the Reina Roja Hotel.

Urban Daddy, the glossy online magazine/daily newsletter, describes the Reina as, "a sultry adults-only homage to titillation of all types..." and they elaborate with this:

"Upon arrival, you’ll notice everything is bathed in red light, from the deep, rich wood in the lobby bar to the chains hanging next to your bed."  ... and this ... "Eventually, you’ll return to one of the hotel’s five themed rooms. There’s the Espacio Erótico, which comes equipped with an extra-large cage—for very large birds, of course. But we’re thinking the After Hours space, a soundproofed abode with disco balls, room for eight people and mirrored ceilings."

So there you are.  And get this golfers: The themed rooms include one that appears to be designed especially for prurient putters; it's lined floor to ceiling with artificial turf ...the bed even has an astroturf comforter.   I'm guessing The Reina Roja would easily make the Sunday Times World's Best Hotels for a Dirty Weekend list.  Salacious sandbaggers can make reservations at reinarojahotel.com.

Photos (top to bottom): El Camaleón Golf Club via MyakobaGolfClassic.com --- Reina Roja Hotel via UrbanDaddy.com