And while the French football team may not have covered themselves in glory in South Africa congratulations must go to Frenchman Gregory Havret for his second place at Pebble Beach. I spoke with 2 golfing clients in France on the Monday after Pebble Beach and they were totally unaware of Havret’s achievement such is the level of media coverage given to golf in France.

And while not taking from Louis Oosthuizen’s great win at Saint Andrews we salute the performance of another Irishman who will surely go on to win major titles. Rory McIlroy’s determination in fighting back up the leader board after shooting an 80 on the Friday shows tremendous tenacity and will. Well done to both players!

Gregory Havret – Pebble Beach

In the Meantime Valderrama will host the Andalucia Masters during the last week of October 2010.

Monte studies his 2nd shot to the 17th at Valderrama.

Every month we like to bring you some good news. While all the talk is about budget deficits and belt tightening, clients in the UK may not have noticed but Sterling has appreciated by about 20% against the Euro since our last newsletter. So while our British clients who were just about getting used to the idea of the pound being worth no more than a Euro can now exchange their pounds for €1.20. Happy days are here again!!!

This of course means that your next golfing holiday will cost you 20% less than it would have a year earlier. This not insignificant appreciation puts Golf in Spain in a very competitive position versus other destinations.

The hogan Stand Bar

John Hogan has made the brave investment during these tough times and the almost total isolation of San Pedro to open a very impressive restaurant adjoining the very popular Hogan Stand Bar. The new restaurant serves international/Mediterranean cuisine with an Irish flavour at very reasonable prices. That bar is a great focal point for golfers who want to catch all sporting events in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Terminal 3 – Now Open

The new terminal (3) which is not really a new terminal but an extension of the existing terminal 2 had opened to much acclaim at Malaga Airport. While passengers from non- Schengan countries (UK & Ireland) have to do an extra bit of walking as they will arrive at the old terminal 2 everybody will benefit from the extra capacity and facilities.

“Seamus,

Everybody loved the trip.  One great golf course after another.  Thanks a lot for making it happen.

A few random notes:

We all loved Monte Mayor – you have to admire whoever looked at that valley and decided he could build a golf course there.  Spectacular holes.

Valle Romano is already a first rate course, and it will become great with a little aging.

It was nice of you to drop by to watch us tee off at Flamingos, even if I did dump my opening tee shot into the weeds.  By the way, after taking a Mulligan, I had my best round of the trip there with an 80.  Although I liked the two layouts, Flamingos has some issues such as signage, two blind lakes in the middle of fairways, incredibly tight driving holes on the #1 holes of each course, and some very slippery steps.

Finca Cortesin was a delight and they obviously studied at the American school of Customer Service.

Everybody was pleased with my choice of the H10 Estepona Palace Hotel with its generous sized bedrooms and great food. The Port of Estepona was a real plus with its relaxed atmosphere and great choice of restaurants – just right for our group.

On Saturday, Hilary and I went hiking at El Torcal, which is very close to Antequera.  Wonderful scenery!  Best two hour hike I’ve ever had – and I’ve done a lot of hiking.

I chose wisely when I picked you to organize our trip, and I hope you help many more groups to discover what a great golfing experience can be found at Costa del Sol.