The End of the Garden Route Golf Tour!

To all the loyal supporters of the original blog, if you haven't moved your readership across to the new site, www.shoestringgolfer.com, you will have missed out on all the new blogs and videos I have been posting while on the road up the Garden Route.

I am back in Cape Town now and getting the last couple of blogs down to wrap up this awesome trip before I leave on my next guiding trip through Southern Africa next week.

You can find all the new videos on the new site or on my YouTube Channel.

I look forward to hearing your responses!

Cheers,

The Shoestring Golfer

The Shoestring Golfer is Moving!

Even though I haven't been at this address for very long and I gave you all such a hard time about 'Following' the blog, the time has come to move on to bigger and better things.

I have started a new website www.shoestringgolfer.com and have been waiting to put my latest adventure up there before telling you all about it.

I am very excited to be starting the first official trip as The Shoestring Golfer, so be sure to check out the video and blog updates over the next two weeks!

As a starter, here's what you can expect to see:



I look forward to seeing you on the other site!

The Shoestring Golfer

Turkey & Greece for Golfers

Fairy Chimney Cave Houses, Cappadocia, Turkey

Welcome back to The Shoestring Golfer's blog!  As you know, the focus of this blog is to highlight the many affordable golfing destinations in the World and to destroy the global misconception that golf is only a game for those with loads of money.

While planning my most recent adventure, a six week backpacking trip through Turkey and Greece, I found very little in either country in terms of budget golf options, so decided, instead of taking my entire golf bag, I would pack my own ‘Golfer’s Survival Kit’.

This idea came to me in the last few years, while guiding on one of my tours through Southern Africa, all my guests had gone off for the day at Victoria Falls, partaking in whatever crazy, adrenalin filled activity caught their fancy and left me, with a very unusual day to myself.  Once the menu, shopping list and planning for the following week had been arranged, the shopping done and the paperwork balanced, I toyed with the idea of heading off to the Livingstone Royal Golf and Country Club, and while the US $ 30 (ZAR200) Green Fee & Club Hire was very affordable, not having any balls, tees, markers or a glove with me, would mean I would need to buy all these things and possibly double the cost.  And so, from that day forward, I decided to always travel with my ‘Golfer’s Survival Kit', comprising of two Ziplock bags; one with 6 golf balls; and the other with; a glove, tees,  ball marker, pencil and pitch mark repairer.  Neither bag taking up much space in my backpack and both vital to an impromptu game of golf on the road.

Once I arrived in Istanbul and started my journey through Turkey, my research proved accurate and no golfing opportunities presented themselves.  After almost two weeks, I started getting close to the first potential golf courses, the resorts near Antalya on the Mediterranean Coast.  While sitting overlooking the beach in a small resort town of Kizkalesi, I went online again to see what I could find and unfortunately two things became clear; one - I hadn’t won 1 Million Pounds in the British Lotto (which I didn’t enter) like the emails had told me, and two - the cheapest of the thirteen resort courses was going to set me back at least 80 Euros (ZAR780) for the Green Fees alone.  Looking through the websites of the various resorts, with courses designed by the likes of Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and David Feherty, I was reminded how lucky I was to play, for free, at the Country Clubs where I had worked in the USA.

What all this meant, was that I still wasn’t going to get a game and as my bus past the area of Belek, just outside Antalya, I sat staring longingly out the window at the massive billboards advertising golf and pointing to the coast.

The Golfer's Survival Kit

Another two weeks passed and on my final stop in Turkey, I came to the coastal town of Bodrum.  The two guys at the Bodrum Backpackers were not very helpful, actually, pretty useless and declared that there was no golf to be played.  Not trusting the, I only went to bed three hours ago and had way too much to drink last night glaze in their eyes, I went online to research it out anyway......and found two options.  Again the resort option turning out to be too expensive, but the Bodrum Golf Club looked like it might just be affordable enough and relatively close to the bus route.

Having decided I was going to go check it out, I drew my own version of a map, using a Google Earth image and Google Map, and was sure I would find it easily enough.  The reality of it was that the road I had seen on Google Earth was actually a dry river bed, but after being pointed in that direction by one of the locals, I followed it anyway.  Finally coming to the top of a hill, I spotted a flag fluttering between some trees in the distance and started making my way in that direction.  Some relief came as I got closer, I spotted a sign on the side of the road, pointing me in the right direction and giving me some hope.

When I finally arrived, the small bridge leading into the club was as significant for me as if I were crossing the famous Swilcan Bridge on the 18^th Hole of St Andrews Old Course in Scotland.

Par Putt on 1st Hole

The few people that were bustling around in the club area finally managed to get me some rental clubs and onto the course.  The course was only 5 Holes, with the longest being the 155m Par 4 1^st Hole, which doglegged around the river (dry river bed) and was not visible from the tee, so I decided not to go for it.  The other four holes ranged between 90 and 120 metres, so I didn’t need much more than the pitching wedge from the set they had loaned me.

120m 2nd Hole

Fortunately the Green Fees of 60 Lira (ZAR250) were on a daily basis, and I could play the 5 Hole loop as many times as I liked. My first loop was a bit of a disaster, but I managed to get used to the rough, sandy greens and by my fourth and final loop, I managed a one over par, 17.

5th and Final Hole

During this time, the club had taken on a distinctly festive atmosphere, with celebrations taking place for Turkey’s National Children’s Day.  The scene reminded me again of the many functions I had been involved in while working at the various Country Clubs in the USA.  Dodging the hoards of children, laden with balloons and toffee apples, I made my way back to the Club House to settle up and head off.  The parking area, which had been deserted when I arrived, was now overflowing and the line of cars went all the way up the road I had walked in on.

The next big task was to try find my way back to the bus stop and to town.  The adrenalin that had been pumping through my body while seeking for the course, seemed to have gobbled up all the mental breadcrumbs I had left behind, but when I spotted the dry river bed again, I knew I was in the right place and followed it back to the main road.

The town of Oia, Santorini, Greece

This would unfortunately be my only golfing experience of the trip, the Greek Islands of Kos, Santorini and Mykonos providing many activities other than golf and the next available course I found was the Glyfada Golf Club in Athens, which again worked out to be too expensive, at around 90 Euros (ZAR875) for Green Fees and Club Rentals.

I was disappointed not to be able to play more golf, but knew as ‘The Shoestring Golfer’ that I would be able to turn this disappointment into a convincing ‘Turkey & Greece is not the ideal shoestring golfer destination’ blog and until the general public take up the game and some local courses are developed to cater for this market, the high end tourist resort courses will be the only option.

This being said, if you have any other reason for travelling, be it nature, culture, food or whatever tickles your fancy......neither of these destinations will disappoint!  I had an absolutely amazing time, saw some incredible things, met loads of awesome people and had all expectations blown out of the water.

For now, the quest for the world’s cheap golf courses continues, and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell you when I find them!

GOLF .... It's all in the blog!

No matter who you are playing golf with, be it friends, family, colleagues or strangers, 9 times out of 10 one of your playing partners will have some wise word on the best way to play a certain shot.  Whether it is the latest bunker technique they saw on the TV the night before or a putting drill from their latest golf magazine, they will no doubt be sharing it with the rest of the group and we will, without consciously thinking about, try it before the end of the round, that nagging suspicion in the back of your mind questioning if it will actually work or if they have relayed it properly to you.

I’ve never been for an official golf lesson, but one of the many perks of working at a Country Club or in a golf shop is working with a bunch of very talented Golf Professionals, so when on the range or out on the course, when you are given some pointers, you know you can trust them.  And so with these bits of guidance and assistance and some natural hand eye co-ordination, I have managed to slowly improve my game. 

I say slowly, cause my golfing career probably started when I was in my early teens with a 9-iron on the field at the end of the street and playing once a year in the winter holidays at the local course, where on one memorable occasion the head of my 4-iron broke from the shaft on impact with the ball and ended up at least 50 metres further down the fairway than where the ball had trickled to.  The next big step in my golf development came when I worked my first season in the USA, working on the Beverage Cart on the golf course, I was given, after persistent nagging, the privilege to play the courses on my days off.  The nagging had taken four months, so in the last two, I had to make up for the lost time and played as often as I could, using the old rental clubs which were in the back of the cart barn and the golf balls I had found while doing my rounds on the beverage cart.  These two months didn’t do much for my game in terms of my skill level, but they went a long way as far as my love for the game and the addiction that will more than likely plague me for the rest of my life.

Back in South Africa, I purchased my first set of clubs, a used set of ‘No Name Brand’ irons, two fairway woods, a bag and a Dunlop putter.  The whole deal coming to about R500, and I was on my way.  An even more important purchase that year was an International Student Card, allowing me to get discounted rates on the local courses and cheaper balls at the driving range.

Over the next couple of seasons back in the USA and the time back at home, my game had improved to a certain level and then come to a sort of plateau where I could consistently shoot in the low 90’s and I rated myself as an average 18 handicapper golfer.  It was only when I; returned to Florida again at the end of 2005; bought a set of Titleist Irons; a Taylormade Driver; and started working more on the range, that my game started to improve again.  In the next six months I would bring my handicap down by at least 4 or 5 shots, would shoot my first sub 40 9-holes, get my first eagle and learn a lot about course management and the game.

What this also meant though, was that golf had gone from being a mostly enjoyable game, on a beautiful course with friends, to a game of missed opportunities and frustration, to counting strokes and reliving duffed shots and missed putts.  BUT, all it takes is one great shot, a pure long iron from the fairway or the sound of a middled drive off the tee......and it’s all okay again, you’ll be back again tomorrow!

Since that time, I hit a plateau again, travelling the World and Tour Guiding, not really allowing me the time to go to the range and to only play once or twice a month, whenever I am at home or somewhere with my golf clubs and the time to play.  Fortunately I have been able to maintain a similar level of play and still manage to score between 84 and 88 on most occasions, with my best score of 82 not allowing me to pass.  The problem being, that every sub 40 9-holes is coupled with an unimpressive 44 or 45 on the other nine, bringing me back to my average score in the mid 80’s.

One of my favourite courses in Cape Town is Milnerton Golf Club, (pictured in this blog) which is a links style course right on the beach overlooking Robben Island and across Table Bay to the City and Table Mountain.  Visually it is one of the most impressive settings you could ever hope for from a golf course, the downside being the wind that whips across the Cape Flats and out to sea, comes directly through Milnerton and makes many a golfer weep.  The course plays directly out for the Front 9, normally with the predominant south-easter wind blowing at your back, but then you come straight back into it on the Back 9, a fact normally well reflected on your scorecard. The best remedy, I have found, for trying to beat this wind, is to play early, getting off the course before the wind picks up and makes your life hell.  On two occasions this year already I started well with the wind, shooting 38’s on the way out, but then fighting back in with 45’s to maintain my average.  I didn’t know how I was going to break that barrier, but this was all to change on one fateful day in March, March 16^th to be exact, the day after starting this very blog.

As always I had an early tee time, but for a change was starting on the 10^th tee, which meant driving the length of the course to the halfway house to meet my playing partner, Dennis, and begin the round.

Starting with two pars, on the Par 5, 10^th and Par 3, 11^th holes, I was off to a good start.  Managing to par another 4 holes and pickup only 3 bogeys on the way in, I turned with a 39.  Now it must be said, although the wind was blowing, it wasn’t as strong as it had been on many other rounds played here.  That aside, I knew that I had played the more difficult nine holes into the wind and still managed to come out sub 40, giving myself a very real possibility of breaking that 80 mark.  The second nine didn’t start as well however, dropping 4 shots on the first four holes, holes 5,6 & 7 would bring me 3 threes though, (par, birdie, par) and I was back on track.

Walking across to the 8^th tee box I knew that if I bogeyed the next two holes, I would still be able to make it in with 39 or at worst 40 and by so doing, break that 80.  The 8^th is a relatively short Par 5, the Stroke 9 hole, and reachable in two good shots.  Standing over the ball on the tee, my heart was pounding so hard, all I wanted to do was hit it straight.  I pushed the driver a little to the right, but it was safe and in the fairway, leaving me just over 200 metres to the green, with a carry of about 160 metres over water.  I decided to go for the green, attempting to fly the water, rather than laying up next to it in the fairway.  My lie was pretty decent and I knew if I struck my 3-iron well I could get it up near the green.  What followed were three of my worst shots in the round, a duck hook across into the rough on the left, narrowly missing the ‘Out of Bounds’ area, a fat wedge shot making it only half way to the green and a chip shot leaving me more than half the green to cover with the putter.  Fortunately my putter had being working pretty well in the round and I was able to get in with 2 putts and scrape through with my bogey, I was still on track.

The 9^th Hole, Stroke 1, 367 metres.  Water all down the right side of the fairway and again in front of the green if approaching from the centre and left of the fairway.  The heart rate hadn’t slowed down at all and the adrenalin was pumping.  My drive was smoked down the middle and I only had about 110m left for my second shot, I took an extra club to avoid the water in front and to compensate for the slightly elevated green.  Striking it cleanly, I hit a good shot onto the back of the green, leaving a lengthy downhill breaking putt, but I was on the green.  After giving myself a pep talk and a whole bunch of “You can do this!” chants in my head, I stood over the putt, all I needed was to three putt and I would do it.  I didn’t strike it cleanly and was disappointed as the ball left the face of my putter, but as it rolled and turned down the hill it gained momentum, until..........it dropped! A Birdie!!  What a way to end it, Dennis was just as excited for me, not knowing at the time the internal battle I had just won and the personal goal I had just achieved, the birdie was enough for him, ending another great morning of golf.  I felt like one of the Pro’s coming off the 18^th green on a Sunday in the PGA tour, checking and signing the scorecard, 39/38, I had done it, a 77.  I had crushed 80 and at the same time my personal best by 5 shots.  Time for a Coke and for reflection.

“What did I do differently?”  The eternal question all us amateur golfers ask ourselves when one shot hooks left into the water and the next flies straight down the fairway...”What did I do differently?”.

The only thing, in this case, I can think of that I did differently, was being the proud new owner of my very own Golf Blog!  And so the next time I stand on the tee and my group is haphazardly handing out their latest quick fix or swing tips, I’ll be sure to tell them, “Golf, it’s all in the Blog!”.

New York to New Zealand & the places in between!

Its midnight on a Sunday in New York, I just found out I wouldn’t be getting a new work visa and I need to leave the country by Thursday.  I’ve got US$10 000, a backpack, a golf bag and a mind full of ideas, now all I need … is a plan!

Kangaroos on the 4th green at Eustondale Golf Club

A number of factors would go into planning the route; places I wanted to see; people I wanted to visit and most importantly, cities where I knew people and could bum a free bed!

Leaving New York in a hurry, my first destination was Cancun, Mexico.  With visa issues again being my Achilles Heel, my stay had been reduced from one month to 15 hours, and with 15 hours to kill, I was perfectly aligned for my first round of golf on the road!  Tourism Information pointed me in the direction of the Cancun Golf Club at Pok te Pok, getting there however would mean a series of bus journeys, storing my luggage somewhere and starting my crash course in Latin American Spanish, Ole’!

The course was laid out on the edge of the lagoon and had a few very scenic holes, but apart from the Mayan Ruins interspersed around the course, it was very ordinary, especially for the tourist inflated green fees of US$100.

My forced change in travel plans meant I now had a full three months to explore South America and with friends, Pablo and Sole, in Buenos Aires, it was the perfect starting block for my adventure, it also gave Pablo the chance to avenge his loss when playing golf in Florida a year earlier.

   

With most of the courses lying just outside of the city, we decided to play at Pilar Golf, a 27-hole residential estate and one of the few open to the public.  I was instructed to get the bags ready, while Pablo went into the pro shop to pay, signing me up as his affiliated friend, Arturo, we avoided paying international visitor prices.

   

This must have been quite confusing to the starter, who after watching my tee shot sail out of bounds with a hooked drive, recommended I hit a provisional, but with my Spanish vocabulary of  ‘Hola’ and ‘Gracias’, he could have been telling me that “my shoe was untied” or that “I have the nicest swing he has ever seen!”  Pablo intervened and I think made some reference to suggest that I was either hard of hearing or just a little ‘slow’.  I managed to find my ball and proceeded to take a 2-0 lead over Pablo with a 3 & 2 victory.

   

I left my clubs with Pablo in Buenos Aires and headed south through Argentina, my next opportunity to play was only in Ushuaia, at the Southern most golf course in the World, but being the month of May, it was covered in snow and with only 3 hours of daylight, I probably wouldn’t have gotten around anyway.

   



Pucon’s 9th green



Traveling through Chile, Peru and Bolivia didn’t prove to fruitful either, the courses either being closed for the winter or just too expensive.  The nicest course I came across was in Pucon, Chile.  Sitting in the shadows of the active Villarica Volcano, with black volcanic sand bunkers and amazing views over the lakes, the best I could do was walk the 9-hole layout.

   

I had to wait until arriving in Buenos Aires again where I would go 3-0 up on Pablo at his home course, Las Lajas, a short Par 3 course where his parents have a holiday home.  Before I knew it, my bags where packed again and I was leaving South America behind me….next stop: Auckland, New Zealand.

   

New Zealand easily fills its quota of necessary Backpacker essentials; beautiful landscapes; unlimited adrenalin activities and free beds at friends, family friends, friend’s families and the occasional random stranger.  Add to that a sport mad population and cheap golf courses around every second corner and you’ve got yourself a winner!

   

I had become familiar with a particular Google search, “cheap golf courses” or “public golf courses in…..”.  In this case it was Auckland, and in just 0.15 seconds I had 17 900 results of how to find what I was looking for.  I didn’t have to go any further than the first result, Chamberlain Park, leading to my first round on New Zealand soil, make that soggy and wet New Zealand soil!

  

My friend, Neal, and I had started our golfing careers together more than 10 years before with a mish-mash of used clubs on the soccer fields next to his house in Cape Town, so it was good to put our much improved skills to the test.  Apart from being very wet, the course was in great condition and a very nice public layout, but at NZ$25, one of our more expensive rounds.

   

After some time in ‘The City of Sails’, I flew South to Queenstown, to start my overland journey north again and back up to Auckland.  I had to wait until Christchurch however before playing golf again, this time with Neal’s clubs at Rawhiti Municipal Golf Links.  The most impressive thing about this round was that the rain held off for long enough for me to complete it, the birdie 3 on the 10^th was also pretty good though!

   

The last stop on the South Island was Picton and probably one of the most scenic spots on the trip, from here I caught the ferry to Wellington, or ‘Windy Wellies’ where I met up with Neal again.  The planning was perfect, he had driven down from Auckland, bringing my golf clubs with him, and I had brought his up from Christchurch.  The real golf holiday was about to begin!



Berhampore GC, Wellington



In the next week we would cover the North Island, play 6 rounds of golf, sleep in some dodgy backpacker hostels and eats lots of peanut butter.

   

We started with Wellington’s mid-city public course at Berhampore, which is possibly one of the most challenging courses I have ever played. With every hole having at least 20m of elevation change and ‘Windy Wellies’ living up to her name, we both scraped out of there with our dignity and sanity barely intact.

   

Departing Wellington slightly battered, we headed up in both geographical terms and altitude to Waiouru Golf Club, at 818m above sea level, it is the highest 18 Hole golf course in NZ.  For the second time in two days we were two of only four people on the course and with no one in the pro shop, we were trusted to leave our green fees in an envelope under the door.

   

The affordability of golf forced us to adjust our plans to visit Roturua’s price inflated tourist attractions and seek out a lake front gem of a course at Hamurana, the 9 Hole course with alternate tees was perfect and almost far enough from downtown Roturua to evade the putrid sulphur emissions from the thermal springs.  It is also important to mention that as the week was continuing, the golf was getting considerably better.

   

Our method of driving from town to town, keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of shortly mown grass or a fluttering pin flag had been working like a charm, until reaching Tauranga, the largest town on our trip so far.  Fortunately on our third attempt, we found an affordable option at Otumoetai Golf Club, a very tight layout in the city and also the busiest course we would play.

In celebration of a good round of golf, we hit the town running that night, which in turn left us in no state for an early morning tee time the following day, only just making it up to Tairua on the Coromandel Peninsula in the afternoon.  Our hostel turned out to be a small house which we had to ourselves and worked out to be perfect for watching South Africa beat Samoa in their Rugby World Cup 2007 match.

   

The following morning we packed a few more travelers and their bags into an over flowing car and scraped our way very slowly to Cathedral Cove, the beautiful beach making the painful drive worth it and after a swim we headed off again.  Just around the corner, hidden between rolling hills and farmland, the Purangi Golf & Country Club was another great find.



Purangi Country Club



A great benefit of playing mid-week on a quiet, country course was being able to change from your swimming shorts into your golf gear in the parking lot and then after 9-holes, instead of stopping in the half way house, making peanut butter sandwiches with a Swiss Army Knife on the back of the car!

   

My best golf was saved for the last 9 holes on the road, at Thames Golf Club, missing a sub 40 with a bogey on the last!  And with that, the road trip was over, and so was my time in New Zealand…next stop: Sydney, Australia.

   

Before settling into Sydney however, I had the mammoth task of attempting the public transport system fully loaded with my bags.  The joy though of even the public transport in Sydney is that the ferries come and go from the foot of two of their major attractions, The Opera House and Harbour Bridge.  So, I was sitting out in the sun, my feet up on my golf bag and happily snapping away from the back of the ferry to Cremorne Point.

   

With the social network of South Africans spreading over both New Zealand and Australia, I continued to keep my accommodation expenses down by staying at various friends and acquaintances, but with little planned again for Oz, I decided to clear my head with my first game of golf, the Cammeray Golf Club playing host.

   

As is normally the case, the city layouts charged more than their country cousins, but I could still afford 18 holes at Sydney’s most reasonable public course.  The 9-Hole Cammeray course had some really good holes and under the guidance of a local member for the first 9 holes, I managed to get around in far warmer conditions than New Zealand had made me accustomed to.

  

I obviously hadn’t learnt too much the first time around, only improving by one stroke on the 2nd 9 holes.  The highlight of the round, possibly, was not having to use public transport to get home again, but rather in the air-conditioned luxury of my hosts Mercedes AMG I was using.

   

Leaving the golf clubs behind again, I left Sydney on the Greyhound to explore Australia’s East Coast.  A brief visit down to Melbourne had the added bonus of a truly Australian tradition, a weekend long ‘Ute Muster’ in Deniliquin, with more Bundy Rum consumed than necessary!

Heading north again I made a stop in Byron Bay, where three things happened; One - I needed a swimming costume and towel for the first time in almost six month of traveling; two - I planned and booked buses, flights and tours for the rest of my Australia trip, and three - I ran out of money!

   

With two weeks to go, my bank accounts were empty and a desperate call was made (reverse charge) home.  Being bailed out by my folks was one thing, making it through the weekend while the bank transfers the money, was another!!

  

In land from Brisbane, perched on the edge of the Great Dividing Range, is the city of Toowoomba, way off the usual tourist trail, but home to a primary school friend, Paul, whom I hadn’t seen in 20 years.  Home also to Eustondale Golf Course, described as ‘a natural Australian golf course’ it is a relatively short Par 33 9-Hole course.  Bearing in mind the severe drought being experienced at the time, it explained the rock hard fairways and greens, making it impossible to stop a ball without 20m of roll.  This was fortunate in a way as I only had two clubs, a 5-iron and wedge, in my rental bag with anything resembling a grip, and at over 30 degrees, I needed all the grip I could get.

   

The routine on each hole had been the same, tee off with the 5-iron, watch it run down the fairway, deviating off cracks in a way Shane Warne himself would have been proud of before coming to a rest, then using the wedge for an approach.  But the 4^th hole was different for some reason, I was distracted by something up near the green, actually on the green …. a family of 3 Kangaroos grazing casually on the little bit of green grass left on the course.  All adding to this ‘natural Australian course’ and an interesting golf experience, for the real golf connoisseur.

Further north was dominated by all touristy activities, including a 2-Day safari to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the World and a day of snorkeling off Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef.

   

Back in Sydney, with only two days before flying home there was still time for one more round of golf.  A few weeks earlier, while being shown around, I had spotted out of the corner of my eye, the Bondi Golf Club.  While most tourists spend their time on the famous beach, I set the GPS and headed off for the golf club.  Sitting on top of the cliff and overlooking the beach and oceans on two sides, this short links style course is a test beyond its Par 28 scorecard shows.  The only par 4 is the 5th hole, running along a steep cliff with ‘Out of Bounds’ markers reminding players where neither they nor their balls should go.  Coming in with a 4 over par, 32, my ‘Round the World’ golf tour had ended well and I realized I had one more pack to do and one last flight to make. 



Bondi Golf Club, Sydney



After 6 months around the World, the holiday was over, 216 holes of golf,  6½ hours on boats, 25 hours on trains, 77 hours on planes, 334½ hours on buses and 1 hell of an experience later, I was on my way home.

   

You may not have heard of any of the courses I played at and you surely won’t find them on any list of the ‘World’s Best Courses’, but for a social golfer like me, they were the best 14 rounds I could have asked for and finally after two years away from home, arriving in Cape Town with less money than what I left with, I wouldn’t change a thing, every crazy situation and decision justified and not a single regret …. except for my tee shot on the 7th at Berhampore, maybe I should have used the 7-iron!

 

Overlooking Tauranga’s mid-city course at Otumoetai Golf Club



NIGHT GOLF & Other Hazards of Las Vegas




Callaway Golf Center and famous Las Vegas lights

 Golf has gained a reputation of being an exclusive sport, a sport for the privileged few, and a Golf Vacation goes hand in hand with a Luxury Resort, Five-Star Accommodation, Spa and Gourmet Restaurants.  But what about the rest of us?



Glen Oaks Club, New York



I am a Golfer, I love golf, I love to travel and I love to play golf when I travel, but there is unfortunately no way I can afford an all inclusive Golf Package at Sun City or even a tee-time at Fancourt, two of South Africa's premier golfing destinations.  This hasn’t stopped me though from traveling, or from playing golf, but I have had to find a way to do them both on a limited budget. This being said, in the last five years, I have played golf at more than 35 different golf courses, in 25 cities, covering 8 countries and on 4 continents.

My goal was never to golf around the world, but when you love the game, you make a plan.

I started out like many young South Africans, working in the Pro Shop at a Country Club in Florida for six months, playing golf as often as I could, which worked out to 4 or 5 times a week on one of the two championship 18-Hole courses.  Six months turned into twelve months, with a summer job at a Private Country Club on New York’s Long Island.  Time for golf was harder to come by as the frantic pace of ‘The Big Apple’ pulsed all the way out to the North Shore and kept us working long hours and long weeks.

Soon enough, the summer was over and the changing season brought about yet another change of scenery, more drastically this time moving away from the East Coast to the towering Colorado Rockies.  The move meant two things; One – I was going to be living in snow for the first time; and Two – I was going to have to wait six months before I could play golf again, a thought more daunting than that of having to shovel snow every morning at twenty degrees below zero!

After three months of swinging an inverted ski pole at chunks of ice and talking golf with whomever would listen, I couldn’t take it any more….I had to play!!!

Looking at a map of the South Western States, I had to find somewhere close enough to take a short (cheap) holiday, but far away enough not to be blanketed in snow.  Texas, “No”; California, “Too far”; Arizona, “Maybe”; Vegas, “Hmmm, Vegas” and so the seed was planted, Vegas it would have to be!

Working and studying in the Tourism Industry in South Africa, tour planning was always one of my favourite tasks, even more so if it was my own holiday I was planning.   A few weeks of planning later, I was ready to go.  It was St. Paddy’s Day, so after a quick stop at the pub, I headed over to the Bus Stop, standing there in the snow, backpack on my back and golf clubs at my side, my next stop would be the famous ‘Sin City’.

After 12 hours on the Greyhound, we arrived in Vegas. It was 8:00 in the morning, the weather was hot, the sky was blue and I was on holiday.  They say New York is ”The City That Never Sleeps”, but I think Las Vegas is “The City That Never Stops Playing”!  This proved fortunate for me as I only had two days to get in four rounds of golf.

The Backpacker Hostel I was staying at was right on the main strip, so after dropping my bags I set out exploring.  By noon I was enjoying my first Frozen Margarita while cruising the side walks, passing New York New York, Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and the Luxor, sipping my cocktail and people-watching.

   

My first tee-time was that evening and would be my first time playing golf under lights.  The Callaway Golf Centre was the perfect way for me to start my trip, I hadn’t played in a while and the 9-hole Par 27 course would be a great way to find my game again.  Which I might have done, had I not been so busy taking photos of the famous Las Vegas lights, I did manage to sink a couple of pars and came out smiling with a  36 .



Craig Ranch Golf Course



The rest of the evening I explored Downtown Vegas and Fremont Street, my tee-time for Friday was at 8:45, so I needed to be home before then.

By 8:30 I found my way in a rental car to North Las Vegas and to the Craig Ranch Golf Course.  At $19 for 18 Holes it was the best deal I could find, I didn’t think it was going to get much better, or should I say cheaper, than that.  Craig Ranch was a basic Par 71 parklands style course, I joined up with a threesome who were also in town for a golf holiday from New Jersey.  I was still struggling to come to terms with the borrowed clubs, but was managing to get around the course quite reasonably and without embarrassing myself too much.

   

Midday in Las Vegas (read: the desert) is scorching hot, it was late winter but the temperature was still above 30 degrees (90F). Fortunately we finished our round before the worst of it and I came off with an 82 and was pleased with my morning.

North Las Vegas Golf Club was on the agenda for the afternoon, but I had some time to kill.  Making use of the rental car I managed to get stuck in a Vegas style traffic jam on my way back from an Outlet Mall on the other side of town.

I decided to play the 9-Hole North Las Vegas GC twice, once in the twilight of the evening and then again once the floodlights had come on.  Waiting for it to get dark I had a good chat with the guy in the Pro Shop, correcting the usual African misconceptions of lions roaming the streets and riding elephants to school.  The second nine holes under lights were made a little tougher by missing light bulbs and a few errant shots, but I still managed to improve my score by 4 shots.

Back at the Sin City Hostel, a quick shower and change was all I had time for, before heading off to the strip again, this time in the lounge of the newest hotel in Vegas, The Wynn.  I was meeting a friend of mine, Jess, and her mom who were in town for a few days.  Walking in through the grand entrance, the waterfalls, valet and marble columns reminded me I was no longer in Hostel territory, luckily they paid for the drinks!



Par 3 3rd at Las Vegas Golf Club



   

Day Three, Round Four, Las Vegas Golf Club, the oldest club in the valley and the crown jewels of my whirlwind golf tour of Vegas.  I had returned the rental car early and asked them to give me a ride to the Club in time to meet up with the rest of my four ball.  My $69 included a golf cart, so I fastened my bag and off we went.

Playing as a single golfer, you never know who you are going to get paired with and I am sure they weren’t expecting to play with a roaming South African on holiday from Colorado.  All three of my playing partners had retired to Las Vegas to live the dream of year round golf.  This wasn’t new to me, as most of the members in Florida were doing the exact same thing.  Another thing they shared with the Florida members was their playing style.  Their bag was made up of; a Driver; seven Fairway Woods; a Wedge; a Putter; and a Ball Retriever and playing from the front tees, they avoided having to carry any water hazards.  Each shot straight down the middle of the fairway, running the ball up onto the green and putting in like Pros.  I was thinking of changing my game plan, but still managed to come out with an 88, and on the tougher course, I was still happy.

   

My cart partner gave me a ride back to the Hostel in his huge Cadillac, saving me at least an hour trying to connect on public transport with my golf bag, a task I had become all too familiar with.

   

Having saved some time in getting there, I found a dodgy Mexican Restaurant on the edge of town for a Burrito and bought a novelty pair of Elvis sunglasses, including fake sideburns, before heading back to the bus station for my 7pm Greyhound back to Vail.

   

Before leaving though, I was frisked and questioned by the Las Vegas Police Department.  I hope I didn’t look as suspicious as the other passengers on the bus, but I guess I must have.

   

I made it back to Vail in time to get home, drop my bags off, have a shower and get in to work by 11:00.

   

And so the holiday was over, after four days; 24 hours on the bus; 63 Holes of Golf; a dozen Margaritas and a dodgy Burrito later, the itch was scratched and the need satisfied.  In total, it had cost me less than $400, a very different golf vacation from those staying at the Wynn for $300 per night, but no less enjoyable for me.

  

 I would get to play golf one more time before leaving Colorado in the spring. The Ultimate Day we called it, 18 Holes at Eagle Ranch Golf Club in the morning, followed by snowboarding and skiing in the afternoon.  It doesn’t get much better!

   

Another summer in New York was on the cards, but visa problems meant I was going to have to head home.  I had two options, JFK to Jo’burg and I would be home by the end of the week, or the long way around, what I was saving for…..My Trip Around the World.

There was really only one option, it had chosen itself.



A birdie putt on the 122 yard 7th/16th at the North Las Vegas Golf Club



Welcome to The Shoestring Golfer

Welcome all to my new blog, long overdue, but better late than never!

Being my first attempt at 'blogging' and my introduction into the Web Community, I thought I should start by explaining a little bit about myself.....so here goes!

I am Chris, a thirty-one year old South African tour guide and traveller with a love for travel, golf and Southern Africa.  In the last ten years I have been fortunate enough to travel to most parts of Southern Africa, while escorting visitors from all over the world. Enabling them, and myself, to see and experience some of the many wonders we have on offer.

I have also had the chance to work in a handful of the top Country Clubs and Resorts in the United States, giving me the chance to play on the type of courses I would normally only see on the TV and at the same time, saving enough money to travel the World and explore the places of my dreams.

As a golfer, I have been able to play golf as I travelled, finding, in most cases, the cheapest golf course in the area and teeing it up with a variety of partners. So while travelling with my backpack, golf bag and a very tight budget, I have been lucky enough to play in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, England and Canada.

Like most travellers, I have fantasies of sharing my travel stories and tips with an audience greater than that of our family dinner table, so I started out by writing a couple of articles from my Golf and World travels over the last few years, I decided they would be the ideal way to kick off my blog escapades.  So in the next two blogs I post, you will be able to read about my Las Vegas golf experience and my epic Round-The-World golf holiday.

At the end of the month I will be heading off on my next big adventure, backpacking in Turkey & Greece for 5 weeks. So will hopefully have some more fun stories to tell and new 'shoestring' golf courses to report on.

So for now, that's me.  I hope you enjoy reading my blogs and that they inspire you to pack your Backpack & Golf Bag and head off on your own shoestring golfing holiday!

The Shoestring Golfer