Paradise Found – Chateau de Chailly France

Paradise Found – Chateau de Chailly France

Part 2 of Edward Kiersh’ s travels to France during the Ryder Cup week

Not touching a golf club for days, and about to go mad, I finally arrived at Golf de Chailly sur Armancon, a 16th Century castle turned inviting resort. Along with offering a seductive hammam spa, tennis, swimming, gorgeous suites, and two restaurants, the course is both bedeviling and a delight.

Golf de Chailly sur Armancon

While most of the fairways are wide open, and perfect for relaxed rounds, there are several holes that present taxing challenges, mainly due to cavernous bunkers, dramatically contoured, elevated greens and numerous water hazards. It’s also visually exciting, set amid rich farmlands, and popular with beautifully attired, highly serious French female players. Stay at Chailly for two days. It’s a paradise for finding vineyards, la cuisine Francaise, and several fun holes that will long be remembered.

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How to Survive Without Golf in France

How to Survive Without Golf in France

By Edward Kiersh

Though the hillsides are covered with vineyards, and not golf courses, the scenery in this rich part of France is captivating especially if the traveler makes it a point to visit small, 16th and 17th century hill towns. One must-see gem is Flavian-Sur-Ozerain, not far from Dijon. Here the aging buildings and cobble-stoned streets seem to be relics of a long-vanished past. All is tranquil, a perfect escape from time.

Flavian-Sur-Ozerain

Once I left here it’s on to Dijon and the road of Burgundy’s Grand Crus. There are so many caves or wine producers along the road side it’s impossible to determine where to stop.

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‘Golf Fore Kids’ – 17th Annual Chelsea Hotel Charity Golf Classic

‘Golf Fore Kids’ – 17^th Annual Chelsea Hotel Charity Golf Classic

By Dave Finn

Earlier this week I had the tremendous privilege of participating in the 17^th Annual Chelsea Hotel Charity Golf Classic at Wooden Sticks in Uxbridge, Ontario.  Not only did I get the opportunity to play at one of Canada’s premier golf courses, the tournament raised over $100,000 for a very worthy cause.

Wooden Sticks – Hole #17 inspired by TPC Sawgrass 17th hole

Fearsome Threesome

Tournament Organizer and Director of Public Relations for the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, Tracy Ford told me that:

“We have raised $1.5 million net for the following charities – Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity (when we were part of the Delta Hotels chain and it was their charity of choice) and then from 2013 to present, it’s SickKids Foundation.  I chose them when we made the transition and had the opportunity to choose our own charity.”

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Southern Arizona Golf – Tin Star to Tin Cup

Tin Star to Tin Cup

Desert Sands to Lush Fairways – Historic Southern Arizona Golf – Tucson to Tubac

by Michael Cunningham

Riding by horseback in the 1880’s from Tucson to the Mexican border site of Tubac, Arizona was a two-day journey. Ancient mountain ranges, multi-limbed 40-foot Saguaro cacti miraculously staking their rightful place on the dry desert floor, endless reminders of the severity of the journey.

Gunfight Reenactment in Tombstone

Chiricahua Apache Indians, under the leadership of Cochise and Geronimo, were orchestrating relentless raids on early colonizers. In the 1880’s, southern Arizona was truly the ‘wild west’ a land of adversity and conflict a time of desperados and law enforcers.

‘Tin Stars’ the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Pat Garrett were “faithfully” serving out justice while improving the employment opportunities for morticians throughout the state.

How is it that within the generation of these mainstays of notoriety that a golf course would be developed. But in 1899, the prestigious Phoenix Golf and Country Club was constructed [the course’s permanent site was established in 1920]?  With desert sand as fairways and oil to “level” the putting surface the dawn of golf in Arizona had commenced.

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Escape to Nature – where to golf, explore and unwind in Costa Rica

Escape to Nature

Where to golf, explore and unwind in Costa Rica

By Jane Finn as published in the Summer 2018 Issue of Travel Life Magazine

¡Pura Vida! ¡Pura Vida! In Costa Rica, whether you’re traversing a mountain range, hiking in the jungle, relaxing by the water or ordering shi-frijo for lunch, you’re bound to be the recipient of this distinctive Tico greeting. Two simple words that translate as “Good Life” but how do you define it?

Is it dangling on the precipice of a volcano, zipping above the treetops, hearing the roar of a waterfall or playing a round and spotting an animal in their native habitat? Is it meeting new people, savouring the flavours of a region, volunteering or a combination of all or some of these pursuits?

Whether you’re traveling solo, as a twosome, ‘fore-some’ or family, in Costa Rica you can immerse yourself in nature, get grounded and rediscover the essence of who you are.

For me, ¡Pura Vida! means doing more of what you love to do. Walking your happy path, wherever it may lead. For now; we’ll focus on the magical, mystical Pacific Coast.

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L’Albenza Golf Club in Bergamo Italy

Saying a Few Prayers Might Just Slay This Devil

by Edward Kiersh

Bergamo Italy – 3378 yards, extremely-tight fairways, and countless blind shots to microscopic greens all add up to pure deviltry, a par-seeker’s Hell.

So how does one prepare for the undulating fairways, sharp doglegs, and Alpine streams that complicate and doom even the best of shots?

Before heading to Bergamo’s L’Albenza Golf Club, once home to famous European Tour player Constantine Rocca, extreme measures might be necessary.

Walls Psgiacomo – Courtesy of Visit Bergamo

In intriguing Bergamo, an often-ignored, medieval-walled, “upper city” between Milan and Venice in northern Italy, that may well mean invoking golf’s gods—praying to them and asking for a blessed touch on L’Albenza’s dauntingly-slick, treacherously-sloped greens.

It’s unknown if Rocca, a runner-up at the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews believed in such saintly intervention, but before tackling L’Albenza’s 27 holes it’s best to get a good night’s sleep in the “upper city’s” boutique Gombit Hotel—and to find some heavenly inspiration in the towering Santa Maria Maggiore church.

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Grape Discoveries – Touring Tuscany Vineyards

Grape Discoveries

While touring the Tuscany vineyards Jane Finn may have discovered the meaning of life!

As published in the July issue of Planet Golf Review Magazine

by Jane Finn

I love my wine … sometimes a little too much … especially on a Friday evening after a long week of too much work and too little fun but a ten day Tuscan golf and wine vacation has taught me not only how to swirl, sniff and sip a fine glass of Chianti but even more importantly, how to be in the moment and savour the entire experience.

Every month in Tuscany offers endless possibilities to indulge your passion for golf and wine but if you are as fortunate as we were to visit in September, every corner of the region is a whirlwind of festivals dedicated to the celebration of the grapes.  The medieval village of Greve sits at the epicentre of the verdant Chianti valley that lies between Florence and Siena and I can’t think of a better place to start your own personal nine and wine odyssey.

The Greve Wine Festival

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Jetsetting with Jack and the Kennedy’s at Frankfurter Golf Club

Hurry out of the Airport and Meet Jack, John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe

by Edward Kiersh

Jet lagged?

Forget all the hocus pocus remedies about overcoming this malady. There is a cure—and it’s not found in pills, sleeping strategies, or the “Jet Lag Rooster” app.

What’s the secret fix, rejuvenation after a TransAtlantic flight?

Villa Kennedy – you can envision John F. playing here.

If flying to dynamic Frankfurt, Germany, the gateway to Reislingland, charming Heidelberg and the Black Forest, wonder-working renewal comes in a curious mixture. Part John F. Kennedy at his boyish, flamboyant best; a sun-soaked, hotel atrium where relaxation means watching blond-haired frauleins; and a golf course where it’s easy to unwind.

Only 15 minutes from the clamorous airport, the Frankfurter Golf Club offers the perfect parkland course to get back into the swing of your natural rhythms.

Founded in 1913, and a genteel bastion in a city known for its energetic financial scene, the course has challenged the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer.

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Risks and Rewards on an Italian Hillside – Villa Castagnola

Risks and Rewards on an Italian Hillside

by Edward Kiersh

Villa Castagnola Italy – The adventure begins by first snaking past long-abandoned border outposts, into and out of Switzerland and Italy every few miles. Houses and small hillside farms also seem to be forsaken, and that’s understandable. The one lane roads here, twisting and turning, are mean and harrowing, edging precariously close to cliffs dropping off into oblivion.

Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola Terrace and Garden

It wasn’t easy leaving the comfortable confines of the five-star, Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola, an 1880-built getaway once home to a noble Russian family that sits wondrously right on Lake Lugano. Instead of braving “mad” Italian drivers hurtling through hairpin turns, it would have been far less blood-curdling to sit at one of the Villa’s bars smoking a Cuban cigar, dining in the Michelin-starred Gallery Arté al Lago restaurant, or simply watching the world go by in the Castagnola’s sculpture garden.

So why risk life and limb (and a rental car) for golf’s caprices?

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Let’s Go Golfing – Cottage Country Magazine May 2018

Let’s Go Golfing – as printed in Cottage Country Magazine May 2018

Summer is the ideal time to start a new tradition. I know many cottagers who eagerly await their annual family golf tournament. It’s a game for all ages and a passion everyone can share.

Family That Golfs Together

Within our region, there are over 85 golf courses to suit every level of skill, and the majority are much more affordable than the GTA or Muskoka. Depending on your budget and location, there are 9-hole courses with green fees starting at $15, and championship courses like Blairhampton, that will test your skills. No matter your choice, our courses offer a relaxed environment with a lot less intimidation factor.

I was ten when I first swung a club, and I was hooked. I’d collect balls at the driving range and caddy, but I was in my twenties before I took my first lesson, one of my few regrets. If you have children who show an interest, I highly recommend that you take advantage of the many opportunities we have to teach them when they’re young.

Most of our courses offer group and individual lessons for adults, but I would suggest you enroll your kids in a summer golf camp.  It will teach them patience, manners, respect, honesty and most importantly, perseverance.

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