Golf Adventure Guides Blog
September 22nd, 2005
Muirfield, the Home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, has a new web site. I’ve just updated the Scotland Golf Adventure Guide to include the URL of the web site as well as their improved procedure for requesting tee times.
From the Visitor Tee Times section of the web site, the club states:
We have introduced this facility to enable visitors to check if we have available tee times when they want thereby saving the time and cost on unnecessary phone calls. Please note that times in the peak season from May to September are taken up very quickly and you are advised to plan well in advance. Generally we can take bookings a year ahead but this will depend on when green fees are fixed for the following year. The calendar will show those dates up to which we can take a booking.
For those who are not successful in getting a peak season time, we would point out that Muirfield has ideal playing conditions all year round and we do not convert to temporary tees and greens in winter.
While it’s not really an online booking system, you are able to easily see which days they might have tee times available, then send a web-based email message (with all the pertinent details) to make contact with the club and start the booking process. Check out the Notes for the Guidance of Visitors page for booking details.
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Scotland |
September 14th, 2005
OK, it’s not like I’m giving away any really good stuff for free but I am now providing free demo versions of both the Ireland Golf Adventure Guide and the Scotland Golf Adventure Guide. The demo versions are PDFs of the main guide and include all of the pages in the actual guide. The catch is that I’ve removed most of the valuable content
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Guides, Ireland, Scotland |
August 24th, 2005
This is the story of the original Ireland Golf Adventure (IGA), written by my good friend Tim O
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Ireland |
August 18th, 2005
Aidan Bradley has a new and improved web site for his stunning golf course photography:
As you may know, I use many of Aidan’s images (thanks Aidan!) in my golf slideshows for Ireland and Scotland, which are intended to inspire you to start planning your golf trip. Aidan has a fantastic portfolio of images, including a very extensive set of Ireland golf course photographs.
And remember, when you purchase an Ireland Golf Adventure Guide or Scotland Golf Adventure Guide you are eligible to receive a $30 rebate (a 20% discount) on your first 16×20 print from Aidan. What a great reminder of your golf trip. Makes a great gift too! Hint, hint.
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Ireland, Photography, Scotland |
June 21st, 2005
Everybody likes free stuff! Well, here’s your chance to get some free GAG swag. Send me an email message with your mailing address and I’ll send you a free euro-inspired GAG bumper sticker:
These oval stickers are 3″ x 5″ and are printed on 4mil vinyl using water and UV resistant inks—meaning no fading in the sun or bleeding in the rain. Quantities are limited. Sorry, there are no more stickers.
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Guides |
June 15th, 2005
Over the last few years the euro has steadily risen against the U.S. Dollar, reducing the purchasing power for the travelling American golfer. This, in combination with increases in green fees, hotel rates, and most importantly pints of Guinness, has made taking a golf trip to Ireland an expensive affair.
The current exchange rate is around US$1.21 per euro. At the end of 2002 it was around 1.00, last summer it was hovering around the 1.20 – 1.22 range and then maxed out at 1.36 at the end of 2004. Thankfully, the dollar has been getting stronger since then and it’s back to around $1.21 today.
The June 11th issue of The Economist says there’s room for further improvement. The article Fast food and strong currencies suggests the euro is overvalued by 17% against the dollar, according to their “Big Mac index”:
How come? The euro is worth about $1.22 on the foreign-exchange markets. A Big Mac costs
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Ireland, Travel |
June 10th, 2005
It’s wonderful to experience the evolution, growth, and fine tuning of a golf course. Case in point, Doonbeg GC. This past winter, the lads at Doonbeg, along with the Greg Norman Golf Course Design team, have been busy making a great course even better. The previous year saw the enlargement of the third green (thanks!) and this year’s improvements are no less dramatic.
The landing area for the 4th hole has been expanded and flattened, giving the golfer a much better opportunity to hit a tee shot in the short grass. The 8th green has been moved to the right, which makes the approach shot much more visible (the green is visible from the tee now also) and fair. Not easy, but fair! Along the right side of the 8th, new mounding provides improved visual definition to the hole.
Tees for the 9th have been moved back, lengthening the hole which plays to a newly configured green complex. I missed a hole-in-one by about 1 inch, so I most definitely like this change. Tees for the 10th tee have been moved left and the fairway and creek have been reconfigured to allow more room and improved aesthetics. Good job on this one team!
As for the 18th hole, well that’s where the new lodge complex is being built and it’s going to be just fantastic. I can’t wait until the grand opening next spring to have a pint in the new clubhouse and savor the memories of my latest round at Doonbeg.
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Ireland |
April 13th, 2005
You can now purchase printed or electronic (immediate download) versions of our guides. Electronic versions are available at a 30% discount. Orders for printed versions of our guides are managed by CafePress, who do a great job of printing them on demand so you always get our most up-to-date content. More info and a link to place your order can be found on our purchase page.
Binding Options. We offer two different binding options: saddle-stitch or wire-o. Here’s what each looks like:
Saddle-Stitch Binding
Wire-O Binding
Personally, I prefer the Wire-O binding since the guide pages stay flat and it just seems to be a little easier to work with. But, we are able to offer you the choice so you get to decide which one works best for you.
The printing and binding quality produced by CafePress is fantastic; I’m very pleased with it. Again, the best part is that they are printed on demand using the very latest PDF versions of the guide so you’re ensure to get the most up-to-date content that we’ve produced. And remember, when you purchase a printed guide via CafePress you can also download the electronic version from us, which is great to use online. Free electronic updates too.
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Guides |
February 23rd, 2005
The Ireland and Scotland Golf Adventure Guides have been updated for 2005/06. All new purchases will receive these guides. Customers who have purchased any previous guide will receive a free update to the latest version of that guide. This is just one of the many advantages of purchasing one of our guides.
Updated information includes, but is not limited to:
- Green fees
- Golf course contact info (email, web sites, etc.)
- Flight schedules
If you buy a travel guide book that was printed sometime last year, or you already own one, I can guarantee that a good portion of the information in it is out of date and/or incorrect. By publishing our guides electronically, we can easily deliver you the latest — and most correct — information. And, even after you’ve made a purchase because you get free updates for life, you’ll always have access to accurate information when you decide to plan your next trip.
Why would anyone publish and purchase any other way?
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Guides |
January 31st, 2005
This is the story of the original Ireland Golf Adventure (IGA), written by my good friend Tim O
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Rob Babcock
Author/Golfer/The Golf Guide Guy
www.GolfAdventureGuides.com
Posted in Ireland |
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New Muirfield Web Site
