The Masters is the traditional clarion call that wakens golfers from their winter slumber. Everyone in the golf trade is hoping for a rousing response, particularly with such an uncertain economy, with redundancies looming in the public sector and the full impact of the VAT hike still to hit home.
No matter how much spin we put on it, though, the fact is that golf is far from cheap.
I have recently returned from a four-day golfing holiday to the West Country – the fabulous dune-clad links at Burnham & Berrow was the highlight – and factoring in hotel, meals and petrol, the damage wasn’t far short of £500 per head.
Overseas golf holidays tend to be much pricier – due to unfavourable exchange rates, rising fares and airport taxes, and the airlines’ infuriating habit of charging you an arm and a leg to travel with your golf clubs. One thing is certain: fewer folk will fly to play golf in 2011.
Such a development is a shame for all those British and Irish professionals who are pioneering the game in both continental Europe and further afield.
Not long ago, I went on a press trip to Cyprus, the highlight of which was our game on the magnificent new course designed by Sir Nick Faldo at the Elea estate near Paphos. No expense has been spared to ensure an exhilarating experience at Elea, although in the long term the venture will only be judged a financial success once the plots around the course earmarked for private properties have been sold.
To get such a project off the ground requires considerable expertise and to this end Elea abounds with familiar accents – not just in the pro shop and sales office, but also in the restaurant where the chef turned out to be an erstwhile near neighbour of mine in north London.
Rainy day fund
Funnily enough, it rained a lot while we were in Cyprus and my decade-old waterproof top simply wasn’t up to the dual tasks of keeping me dry or enabling me to swing. This got me thinking about how much the design and technology that goes into creating waterproof garments has advanced, a fact confirmed by Mike Johnson-Hill, managing director of Galvin Green UK.
The Astor full-zip jacket from Galvin Green’s stretch Gore-Tex Performance Shell range would seem to be the ideal replacement for my battered, porous, non-breathable windjammer, but with an RRP of £289 it’s hardly a snip. Mind you, that overused phrase ‘state-of-the-art’ really does apply in this instance.
“The Astor is the latest in a series of jackets that we’ve been upgrading over the past five or six years,” says Mike. The teamwork behind this ergonomic creation is international to say the least – design in Sweden, fabric and technology from Gore, cut and finish at factories in China and Eastern Europe.
“The fabric incorporates 25% more stretchability across the back, down the sides and inside the arms,” Mike adds. “This means it works with your body rather than fight against it like previous garments. Also, the front part of the jacket is shorter than the back so when you’re swinging it gives you complete freedom yet when you’re bending down, say over a putt, the fabric doesn’t billow out in front of you.”
The Astor is available in five colour choices and sizes S-4XL.
