The trip starts off with guests teeing off on hole #1 of the Strand Course atPortstewart Golf Club, one of the best opening tee shots in Ireland.  The elevated tee box overlooks the beach and town to a fairway tucked behind a sand wall.  Only after turning the corner, about 240 yards out, is the green finally revealed to the right.  From here, the next seven holes (new holes added in 1992) are set along some of the Causeway Coast’s most stunning dunes land, with the 4th hole being one of the purest links Par 5s in existence.  As for the back nine, the stunning scenery and spectacular links  continue.  A drink in the magnificent clubhouse, overlooking the links and the sea, will be welcomed with pure delight.

Not to be undone, day 2 includes at round on the Mussenden Course at Castlerock Golf Club.  The course boasts greens that are among the best in Ireland.  While many links courses are short on par 5s, Castlerock has five.  Arguably the best is the 17th, which plays from an elevated tee and has four punishing bunkers along the way.

Finally, to get the trip off in pure trifecta fashion, day 3 has guests playing the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush Golf Club.  Typically rated among the top 10 courses in the world, this is the only course in Ireland that has hosted the Open Championship.

From here, guests transfer to Ireland’s northernmost golf club, Ballyliffin, home of the Old course and new Glashedy Links.  An epic 36-hole day of golf will be in the middle of two nights at the highly rated 4-star Ballyliffin Lodge.  Then it’s onto the beautiful Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort.  Playing Old Tom Morris Links and Sandy Hills Links culminate to the final round of the trip, 18 holes on the championship course of Royal County Down.  Similar to Royal Portrush, the course is typically rated among the top 10 in the world.  Following two nights in the Burrendale Hotel Country Club & Spa, it’s back to the Belfast International Airport for departure flights.

The excitement of  watching both tournament favourites and young amateurs duel it out for the prestigious US Open trophy will be remembered for years to come.

Two events vivid in my memory that had some relevance in the tournament occurred on Wednesday and Sunday. While standing on the fourth tee box during Wednesday’s practice round,  I watched 17 year old amateur Beau Hossler pull his tee shot into the trees with a 3-wood as his playing partners, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson, went about their own business.  Little did they know, nor did anybody else predict, that Beau would be in contention for the win up until the final round.  That was quite a show he put on, one that I’m sure many fans of golf will hope he repeats in years to come.

The second event vivid in my memory was Jim Furyk’s hooked tee shot into the trees off the 16th tee during Sundays’ final round, essentially evaporating any hope of him repeating as US Open Champion.  This reminds me just how tough the game of golf can be. It’s not just the technical aspect of hitting a ball into a round hole, but the mental part of staying in the present and hitting an ideal shot.  For a professionals golfers to make a mistake similar to Jim Furyk’s makes me realize they are human, just like us all.

As we wrap up what was a busy and fulfilling week, we want to thank our clients for letting us arrange the details of their US Open experience.  These type of events can be tricky to pull off.  It’s definitely helpful to have previous experience, local knowledge and relationships with the right people in order to guarantee a hassle free event.  Thankfully we are fortunate to have these credentials.

One of the first things that made me realize the true magnitude of this event was the extensive infrastructure constructed around the Olympic Club’s Lake Course.  I first got a sense of this while playing a round on the Olympic Lake Lake Course back in May.  Although lots of construction was still taking place, the general layout existed as did the massive VIP tents.  But walking onto the grounds during US Open week truly gave me an appreciation of all the hours of hard work that goes into creating  this annual golf spectacle.

The 2013 US Open, hosted by Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, will be upon us sooner than we know it.  If you’re looking to host  VIP clients, reward top performers, key employees or stakeholders or just want to enjoy the tournament with a group of friends then please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Best of Both Golf & Ski is honored to be one of only 35 premium merchants from around the world to be selected by MasterCard to be part of their 2013 Privilegios Program. “I’m very excited to be involved with this limited and invitation only program,” explained Dana Williams, Founder & President of Best of Both Golf & Ski. “It gives us the opportunity to reach more than 5 million affluent cardholders of MasterCard Platinum, Black and World Elite cards from 29 countries in Latin America and The Caribbean. This will not only benefit us, but also the exceptional companies we work with on an ongoing basis.”

Affluent MasterCard holders will be given exclusive experiences and offers on Best of Both’s 2013 trips to the Masters, Portillo, and Whistler Olympic Ski Experience.

High performance is part of your personality.  You get pleasure when all your hard work pay offs.  How would you like to have this feeling of accomplishment the next time you returned  from a trip?  This is exactly what Best of Both Golf & Ski’s trips and events try to accomplish.

We pick friendly and charismatic golfers and skiers who’ve reached the highest level in their sport to accompany you on your golf or ski getaway.  They share those small tips that make a big difference as well as inspiring stories that include secrets that helped them achieve success.  Their knowledge and experience give you a behind-the-scenes look at competitive sport unlike any other.

As a result, you will return home and be able to perform at a higher level on the ski slopes or golf course.  If you haven’t joined us yet but would like to improve your golf or ski skills while visiting a world-class destination or event accompanied by an elite athlete then now’s your time to contact us.

1. Friendly, Fun and Charismatic Trip Host

Edith Rozsa will guarantee one of the best Portillo experiences. We consider her a ‘Portillo Extraordinaire’. This designation doesn’t come easy though. You have to have spent at least a week in Portillo on seven separate occasions, been a TV Personality for a channel that has covered Portillo on numerous occasions and be passionate about skiing.

Check out this video of Edith talking about Portillo.

2. Top 10 Coolest All-Inclusive Vacations by Forbes Magazine

Can all-inclusive resorts really be as good as the world’s most luxurious 5-Star and 5-Diamond properties? Absolutely. Forbes Magazine recently voted Portillo in the Top 10 in the world under this category. Find out why Portillo is so good at what it does.

3. Enjoy Chile’s Best Wine

Portillo’s annual Wine Week just happens to be the same time as this trip; August 25 – September 2. Daily wine tastings and a varied selection at lunch and dinner will give you the opportunity to taste some of Chile’s finest wines.

4. $500 Credit

That’s right, we will give you $500 cash if you book your trip before April 24, 2012. Contact us at info@bestofboth.ca or call toll free 1-866-295-3274.

5. Low Airfare on LAN

Just last week LAN announced their sales on flights from the US to Chile. There are some great deals for this trip in August. Visit LAN for more details.

The Green Jacket:   The Augusta National member’s green coat began in 1937. Jackets were purchased from the Brooks Uniform Company, New York City. Members were urged to buy and wear a jacket during the Masters Tournament so that patrons would be able to identify a reliable source of information.  Traditionally, the champion takes his Jacket home with him for a year, returning it to the Club when he returns for the following year’s Tournament. The Jacket is then stored at the Club and is available whenever the champion visits.

Rae’s Creek: Named after John Rae, who died in 1789. It runs in front of No.12 green, has a tributary evident at No.13 tee and flows back at the green of No. 11. It was Rae’s house which was the farthest fortress up the Savannah River from Fort Augusta. The house kept residents safe during Indian attacks when the fort was out of reach.

Trees:  The most abundant tree at Augusta National is the pine. The predominant species is the Loblolly Pine. Many of the pines found in the original forested part of the course are over 150 years old (e.g. No. 10), while many were planted when the course was built (e.g. No. 3). Azaleas and dogwoods are also in abundance. There are over 30 varieties of Azaleas, several strains of dogwood and dozens of varieties of ornamental shrubs on the grounds. Surprisingly, there a few palm trees on the course. At one point during the course’s early years, No. 4 was called the Palm Hole. Today it is known as the Flowering Crab Apple.

The Tournament Practice Facility: Used first in 2010 Masters, the 18 acre facility measures approximately 400 yards in length. It includes a short-game area, four target greens (at 75, 150, 180 and 210 yards) and two distinct fairways that allow players to visualize on-course fairway corridors and shape shots using the strategically placed trees as targets.

Masters Club Dinner:  Better known as the “Champions Dinner,” the Masters Club began during the 1952 Tournament when defending champion Ben Hogan gave a dinner for all previous winners. At that time he proposed the formation of the Masters Club with its membership limited to Masters Champions. Honorary memberships were also extended to Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. Bill Lane, Hord Hardin, Jack Stephens, Hootie Johnson and Billy Payne (all Masters Chairmen past and present) have subsequently been added as honorary members.    Each year, the defending champion selects the menu and acts as host for the Tuesday night dinner. As his certificate of membership in the Masters Club, he receives an inscribed gold locket in the form of the Club emblem.

Amen Corner:   The name Amen Corner refers to holes 11, 12 and 13. It was first coined in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article by Herbert Warren Wind, who wrote that it was composed of the second half of No. 11, No 12 and the first half of No 13.

Magnolia Lane:  It is approximately 330 yards from the entrance of the gate to the Clubhouse and is lined by large magnolia trees on both sides of it that date back to approximately the late 1850s.  In 1947 it was paved for the first time.

Lowest Scores:

72 holes–270 Tiger Woods (1997)

54 holes–201 Raymond Floyd (1976), Tiger Woods (1997)

36 holes–131 Raymond Floyd (1976)

18 holes–63 Nick Price (1986-3rd round), Greg Norman (1996-1st round)

Crystal:  Each day’s low score receives a crystal vase and a hole-in-one receives a large crystal bowl.  Anyone making an eagle receives a pair of crystal highball glasses.  Anyone making a double eagle receives a large crystal bowl

Exclusively for guests of Sonnenalp Resort, a private meet & greet Saturday evening will be followed by a fun day (Sunday) exploring Vail.  See you there.

It was another amazing weekend at Whistler Blackcomb and the snow conditions are expected to get even better.  Over 85 cm has fallen since Friday and it is still snowing all the way down to the village.  Currently Whistler Blackcomb has a 312 cm (10.2 feet) base and overall snowfall accumilations of 972cm (31.9 feet)

Alpine Forecast

Heavy snowfalls and high winds are expected throughout today and this evening.  Lighter winds and snowfalls are expected Tuesday with temperatures remaining cold and the freezing level in the village. On Wednesday we can expect more light snowfalls with the freezing level rising to around 1000m.

Come join one of our ‘local’ Whistler ski pros for an unforgettable day of skiing the best spots on the mountain while receiving lift line priority.  It’s an experience reserved for somebody looking for that special touch not offered anywhere else.  http://bestofboth.ca/trips/ski/whistler-bc/.

On the second day, meet in Mill Valley and take luxury transportation to the Olympic Club, site of the 2012 US Open.  VIP access at the US Open allows for either green side views of the action or watching the drama unfold from in the air conditioned VIP area.  Spend the day following your favorite golfers and watching history unfold first hand.  Meals will be included in your VIP ticket.  Following the day’s action, transfer back to Mill Valley.

US Open Golf Trip Includes:

• 1 ½ hour golf clinic with Best of Both pro, Josh Zander
• Dinner with Josh to gain insight into the 2012 US Open
• 1985 Club Ticket to US Open on Saturday with access to the air conditioned VIP area with HD TVs
• Buffet breakfast, lunch, drinks, and snacks on US Open day
• Luxury bus transfer from Mill Valley to Olympic Club in San Francisco.  Return transfer also included.**