Mystery of Menaggio and Cadenabbia Italy

Where is George Clooney?

Written by Edward Kiersh (Photos supplied by properties)

It was a mystery that went unsolved, at least for this one day in Paradise.

Palazzo Del Vice Re

No one in the inviting Menaggio and Cadenabbia clubhouse knew where their most famous member was, so the speculation grew. Was he off shooting a movie in Sardinia? Or just lying low in his villa on the shores of Lake Como, away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi?

Amid these swirling questions about the fame and fortune of George Clooney—the club’s 12-handicap golfer who everyone described as “just a down to earth regular guy”.  Playing this heavily-forested, stunningly-beautiful hillside test of precise drives, painfully-narrow fairways and dramatically-contoured greens often becomes an afterthought. The shaded outdoor terrace, along with the cozy library, stocked with the second largest collection of golf publications in Europe (1200 volumes) is that relaxing.

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4 Golf Courses to play on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

Fuerteventura is the perfect winter golf escapade

Situated on the Moroccan offshore, Fuerteventura is well-known as a plebiscite for wind and kite-surfers but rarely golfers. With four golf courses spread over the second biggest island of the Canary Islands, it would be a sliced shot landing out of bounds to avoid it during your next exotic golf getaway. Moreover, the climate is close to perfection, granting the golfers 365 days of golf.  All of the golf courses are situated on the south part of the island. Fuerteventura Golf Clubs, Las Salinas de Antigùa, Las Playitas or La Jandìa, which one you will go for?

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The Belle of the Bay – Belleair Country Club Florida

Belleair Country Club, Florida’s First Golf Club

By Mike Dojc

“That’s Donald ‘F’ Ross for you,” playfully grouses my playing partner while shrugging his shoulders.  He tacked on the fictional middle initial, voiced with emphasis as a pejorative, after one too many times of his approach shots failed to hold one of the golf architecture great’s vaunted plateau greens.  When it comes to slipping off the dance floor at Belleair Country Club, my new buddy is in excellent company. 

Arnold Palmer, a frequent sight on this Tampa area course back in the day, had also been known to fall prey to the left side, right side, green side fandango.   The good-natured way he took his comeuppance on hole No. 11 on the West Course, (since revamped), a par 4 toward an elevated green on a plateau with nothing around it has since become the stuff of club legend. The King got off to a great start, hitting his tee shot just shy of the green complex.  But then his fortunes changed. 

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Visit Vibrant Vermont in November

The Values of Visiting Vermont 

By Edward Kiersh

Here in November golf is a distant memory but there is Julia Ceasar, bars teeming with young people, edgy art galleries, and if all else fails, a windswept stroll along Lake Champlain. Julia and her two cohorts were found in an art gallery blasting Southern rock, and enchanting radio listeners all the way to Canada and southern Vermont. Their soulful music was enough to make one forget what was happening in the halls of Washington D.C. power, and their innocent smiles were radiant enough to search for their podcasts.

Local Artisan Cheese

Vermont Cheese Shop

Burlington is a hub of artistic activity, a place to visit even if the golf is miles distant. There are dozens of inviting restaurants here, and the University of Vermont is a picturesque expanse that is certainly worth a visit.

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Hacking around at the U.S. Hickory Open Golf Championship

Hacking around at the U.S. Hickory Open

Written by Bo Turocy. Photographs by Hannah Fontenot Mentz.

The 11^th annual U.S. Hickory Open hosted by the Society of Hickory Golfers just wrapped up on Halloween.  The 36-hole stroke play event was contested across the 1926 Donald Ross layout at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC.  This club may sound familiar to you.  The PGA Tour plays the Wyndham Championship there each year.  Brandt Snedeker made fame by shooting a record setting 59 in the opening round of the 2018 Wyndham a few months ago.  The U.S. Hickory Open was originally scheduled to be played closely following the tour event, but Hurricane Florence forced a month-long postponement.

I had already played in the two previous championships with mediocre to average results, finishing something like in 15^th and 12^th places (or so) respectively.  Obviously I am the only one proud of those results.  It was Walter Hagen who would always boldly announce he was playing solely for first place and it mattered not if he finished as runner up or in last place since nobody ever remembered.  Also, the legendary Ricky Bobby of infamous Talladega Nights fame learned from his father that if you “ain’t first, you’re last.”  I was ready to make my move into the arena of national spot light success.  Besides, I’ve already enjoyed a brief, but splendid international stardom with a massive defeat earlier this year at the hands of the Europeans in the Freedman Cup matches, a Ryder Cup style tournament for hickory golf.

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Cooking Lessons at Los Tamarindos Mexico

Los Tamarindos and Tequila Restaurants

as published in the November 2018 issue of Planet Golf Review.

San Josè del Cabo Mexico – It’s just after eight on Saturday morning. The hotel is quiet at this time of day with only a few people on the beach catching some early rays. With cafe in hand, I thought this would be a great spot to sit and quietly make notes, but I no sooner got settled into my lounger when I spotted a whale spout and then another and another. It was game on as they arched and breached and cavorted along the ocean’s surface before making a deep dive that signalled they were moving on to entertain another group of onlookers.   What an awesome way to start my morning! I figure it was nature’s way of reminding me that you’ve got to do more than just sip the coffee, you’ve also got to savour the moment, wherever you are.

Los Tamarindos Owner and Chef Enrique Silva

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with one of the most gracious chefs I have ever met and a man with a vision. Twenty two years ago Enrique Silva decided to move from “the front of the house” to the kitchen when he opened the Tequila Restaurant in the historical district of San José del Cabo, and despite the challenges, he’s never looked back.

Before becoming a restaurateur, Chef Enrique was an agricultural engineer which perhaps is the reason he gives “farm-to-table” a whole new meaning. In 2003, he bought a 17-acre farm on the edge of town where he grows organic produce to supply not only his restaurant and others in town but also his outdoor café and cooking school Los Tamarindos.

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