However the industry is resilient if only because you the traveller love to do just that – travel.

The last 10 days have been a very stressful period with staff working flat out to cope with the problems faced by our clients. We were busy repatriating golfers overland to Ireland, UK, Norway and France. Others choose to sit tight and see the storm out. These were accommodated and taken care of and most actually enjoyed the prolonged period and some fine weather.

We had numerous cancellations over the last 10 days. Our policy has been to refund all money or to reschedule if clients could arrange new dates. Many of these groups were able to roll-over the booking to future dates. Others cancelled and rebooked immediately when the skies suddenly reopened on Monday 19th April. Most of our suppliers, the hotels, golf courses and transport companies all cooperated and in the spirit of a real disaster “played ball” by ignoring the usual stringent cancellation policies. For this we would like to thank them.

Serious questions will have to be asked about the events and the management of the crisis. The politicians, aviation experts, air traffic controllers and meteorologists all seemed to have been a little at sea in coordinating a response.

I personally feel that the travelling public owe a debt of gratitude to British Airways CEO, Willie Walsh, who single handedly seems to have convinced the other sector decision makers that enough was enough and to allow planes to fly again. Walsh, a former pilot himself had the authority and credibility to bang heads together and get things moving.

We are not so impressed by the policy of the other infamous Irish aviator Michael O’Leary whose Ryanair simply issued a statement that they were closed for business until whenever the dust settled. And when it did that they would only refund passengers the amount of their tickets in total defiance of the EU charter on Air travel. Mr O’Leary needs to realise that with flying passengers on return tickets comes responsibilities and consequences and if he needs to factor this into his pricing policy so be it.

Valle Romano Golf Club in Estepona has now opened and we are delighted to say that it lives up to the hype. This Cabell Robinson (Finca Cortesin & La Reserva) designed course is setting the standard in terms of service and value for money. It is a very open course measuring 6000m off the yellows and is relatively flat although buggies are recommended due to the distances between greens and tees.

The greens are very large and undulating and the club house is among the most impressive on the Costa del Sol.

We have a great “opening” offer of €55 up to the end of September so we would highly recommend you including Valle Romano in your itinerary – you won’t be disappointed.

Terminal 3 Now Open

Note that you will now be arriving into the new terminal at Malaga Airport. If you have rented a car with us, the Espacar representative will meet you as you enter the arrivals hall. Do not go to the car-hire desk area. Unlike in the past he will not have your name on display but will have an Espacar logo.

Look for the Espacar Logo

If you do not see him immediately wait with the other car hire reps as he is probably out taking care of another client and will return very shortly..

The Espacar Team

We reiterate our call for clients to book their car-rentals for peak periods early this year. The shortage of cars will remain a feature throughout the year so for summer, Easter and all school breaks contact us as soon as possible. We recommend as usual our preferred partner “Espacar” at Malaga and Gibraltar airport.

Over the years we have considered sending clients across the Straits of Gibraltar to Tangiers and beyond and feel that the time is now right.

Morocco’s infrastructure has improved immensely in resent years with billions being spent improving the motor and rail network as well as a much improved air access with low cost carriers such as Easyjet and Ryanair who now serve Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangiers and Agadier in the south.

We are approaching the market from two different angles:

Firstly as an add-on to a Costa del Sol trip.

Clients from the UK can fly into Malaga and out of Casablanca with Easyjet for example. Having crossed the Straits of Gibraltar by fast ferry (50 minutes) the journey-time to Rabat is 2 hours and 20 minutes on an international standard motorway.

By spending your last night in the capital Rabat you can play both courses at the magnificent Dar el Salam Club just outside Rabat. These Robert Trent Jones designed courses (45 holes) host the annual King-Hassan Trophy which will be a PGA European tour event this year.Previous winners include Payne Steward, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomery.

Secondly we have a selection of Morocco only packages based in Marrakech, combining Marrakech with El Jadida and Rabat. These will mean taking direct flights from the UK to Morocco without a stay in Spain.

Caddies are an integral part of the Moroccan Experience.

Morocco has for a long time been the reserve of a francophone golfer.

However its golfing secret is fast escaping and we would love to show you this completely different and world class golfing experience.

Alcohol is freely available and while pub-crawls may not be the order of the day there are plenty of suitable watering holes and night-clubs to satisfy even the most demanding revelers.

For those with a sense of adventure and appreciation for an authentic and different golfing experience we would say that Morocco is definitely for you and that you won’t be disappointed.

Courses designed by Robert Trent Jones ( Dar Es Salam, Palmeraie in Marrakech ) and Cabell B. Robinson (Royal Fes, El Jadida, Amelkis in Marrakech, The Dunes Golf Club) are among the selection of world class course on offer. Some of Morocco’s courses date back to the 1920’s when French ruling classes indulged in the sport.

In recent years the royal family became the main patron of the sport.

The courses are unspoilt by real-estate and by European standards are excellent value. The top tier courses cost €50 including a caddie.

For more details on our exciting Morocco Golf Packages contact us on info@golfexperience.net

Don’t you just love this photo?

Valle Romano Golf Club in Estepona was due to open in November as we have come to expect with openings it has been delayed for a few months. We will keep you posted as this promises to be a top 10 contender on the Costa.

Golf Experience is particularly pleased with our special “golfers” rates at the excellent H10 Andalucia Plaza & Casino in Puerto Banus and its sister hotel the H10Estepona Palace.

We strongly recommend value and quality conscious clients to take the half-board options at either of these excellent properties. For clients venturing to Gran Canaria we are also offering the 5 star H10Playa Meloneras Palace – contact us for details.

H10 Andalucia Plaza Hotel & Casino – Puerto Banus

H10 Estepona Palace

H10 Playa Meloneras Palace

Situated in Meloneras, in the south of Gran Canaria, the H10 Playa Meloneras Palace is located on a quiet area in front of the sea and next to the Golf Meloneras. The thoughtful landscaping, and its cosy interior design make it a particularly charming hotel. Allow yourself be pampered at the Meloneras Wellness health and beauty centre.

The shortage of cars will remain a feature throughout the year so for summer, Easter and all school breaks contact us as soon as possible.

We recommend as usual our preferred partner “Espacar” at Malaga and Gibraltar airports.

For those who want the absolute cheapest car and especially at other main airports on the Iberian Peninsula and indeed anywhere in Europe, Golf Experience has teamed up with CarTrawler who will find you the cheapest deal around.

We knew that this first year would not be easy, but thanks to the efforts of all the Finca Cortesín staff their resort has been unanimously praised by players, press and public.

The weather was wonderful during the four-day tournament and the large number of fans that visited Finca Cortesín really enjoyed watching some of today’s golf stars. Of course, we are already working to improve the presentation and the organization for the 2010 tournament.

Here are some of the comments made by players about Finca Cortesín during the week:

Paul Casey: “This tournament is fantastic. Finca Cortesín is a wonderful place and it is one of the best hotels in which I have ever been in my life, it’s truly impressive. The golf course is in magnificent condition”

Angel Cabrera: “the best of this course are the Greens, they are truly spectacular”

Lee Westwood: “the Finca Cortesín golf course is fantastic, perfect for Match Play, a course for long hitters, I suppose in any course, you have an advantage if you hit it long but at Finca Cortesin you must also hit it very straight. The par 5′s are just reachable same as a couple of the Par 4′s. The course is in perfect condition, and the greens are immaculate. It’s a course that I really like”

Sergio Garcia: “the Greens are impressive, they have nothing to envy Augusta”

If you wish to view some tournament videos, please visit:
www.youtube.com/volvoworldmatchplay

The travel section of www.pgatour.com has selected Finca Cortesín Golf Club as October Course of the Month and has published an extensive article and review of the layouts main features.

We highly recommend reading it because it highlights several technical aspects of our course and compares it to some of the best creations of Robert Trent Jones.

It also refers to the hotel, it states it should really be “6 stars” and ranks it as the “best of the Costa del Sol”

You can see the full article if you click on the link below

www.pgatour.com

The Costa del Sol has for years attracted not just golfers but every other sport imaginable to train in our excellent year round climate.

Apart from having a 3000m ski resort 2 hours from Malaga Airport the Costa de Sol is temporary home to scores of football (all forms thereof), tennis, hockey etc. teams during their off-season.

Purely from client demand Golf Experience has this year organized training camps for Gaelic Football, Tennis and Rugby clubs from Ireland and the UK and a hockey club from Holland. Golfing clients who are also involved in other sports have asked us to organize football warm-weather training camps and we have been delighted to oblige.

So positive has been the feedback that we have decided to actively develop this side of our business.

Our roots are in the G.A.A. and we know a thing or two about the club scene in Ireland.

The season can be long and demanding so why not kick-start it with an invaluable bonding trip to train in Spain’s sunshine coast.

Apart from training you can play golf on one of the 50 courses on this sun-drenched part of Europe or enjoy any of the many other sporting activities on the Costa del Sol.

We provide accommodation, transport, world-class training facilities and can even organise a challenge match with the local GAA Club “Costa Gaels” who are the current Spanish Champions.

Since our inception in 1989 we have catered for GAA, Rugby, Hockey, Soccer and Golf teams to the Costa del Sol. So whether you are a men’s, ladies, mixed or even a veterans team we would love to have the opportunity to put in place a memorable trip for your club.