At last a 5 star golfing holiday that even Tiger would take up. The perfect golf break

February this year I received an invite to participate on a test run of the golfing holidays offered by GolfSouthWestFrance and in return I was to write an article for their website. Well you can imagine I could hardly drag myself away and almost forgot my box of pens.
If, like me, you take in a golfing break each year and again, like me, you normally have to make the arrangements for your group then you will be pleased to know that at last a complete golfing holiday is now available. Why do I say a complete? I hear you say. Well, a golfing holiday is normally a holiday with the golf bit thrown in by some hotel or some major travel company that is based in New York or London and are either selling hotels or travel. GolfSouthWestFrance are based in, yes you guessed SouthWest France and they are selling golf. By specializing in the region of SouthWest France they know the golf courses, the best excursions, restaurants and lodgings that are available after all that is their base.
To quote a page from their website “They do not claim to cover the whole of France which would be difficult, they do not claim to cover the whole of Europe, very difficult, and they certainly do not claim to cover the whole of the world which is simple impossible“.
Having played some of the best courses around the world I would remark, to my surprise, that I found the courses in southwest France to be of a very high standard. I also noted that they did not have the conveyor belt golf that I found in Spain and Portugal. Also with this tour you get your own personal tour assistant who is with you throughout your holiday and makes sure that everything goes to plan. Everything was included to the extent that I could have left my wallet and credit cards at home. A brief run down of what is included is,
Travel - Return trip. Currently through Rail Europe with a London Waterloo departure
Transfers - Point of arrival Angouleme or Bordeaux - accommodation - depart
Accommodation - Hotel, Holiday Villages or Gite Complexes - I am informed by the tour operator that the criteria for accommodation is based as follows “Accommodation varies depending on the time of year the numbers in the group. We use Hotels, Holiday Villages and Gite Complexes. We select accommodation to enhance and contribute towards a club-tour spirit. Pleasant surroundings, comfortable accommodation, good ambiance and a bar within 1km are the criteria.”
Meals - Breakfast and Dinner enjoyed at local restaurants offering local cuisine culminating with a
Presentation dinner at the Chateaux Restaurant de la Tallyrand in Chalais
Transportation - To and from the golf courses and restaurants
Green fees - For all the courses within the itinerary
Travel Pack - Information on the courses and tour.
Personal Attention - yes a personal assistant with the group throughout your tour.
Excursions - All your pre arranged excursions
Taxes - Local, travel or otherwise
To summarise, Having played in the finals of the 1995 Volvo World Amateur Golf Tournament in Dubai I know what it is like to receive the 5 star treatment that normally only high ranking golfing professional receive and I have to say Golf Southwest France have got very close to that quality.

“Well done Golf SouthWest France I think you have laid down the standards and set the par and you are going to be a hard act to follow” - T J WILLIAMS
You can read the complete Trevor J Williams article at the website