Quest Golfing Holidays

03/02/2019

Unlimited golf – is it a dream?

NO!!!

Golf at Pestana Gramacho on Portugal’s Algarve
• Five courses
• Unlimited golf
• Hotel, apartments & villas with private pool
• Restaurants and bars on site

March & April 2019
• 3 nights hotel b&b + golf from £205pp
• 5 nights hotel b&b + golf from £355pp

03/02/2019

Seven nights all inclusive with airport transfers and three rounds of golf from £500 per person

03/02/2019

And of course, some pretty fantastic hotels ....

03/02/2019

We've been away for a short time but now we're back and happy to announce that in addition to Spain and Portugal we now include Turkey in our golf portfolio. Here's a taster of what we have ....

15/07/2018

Or maybe you might like this hotel? Contact us for more detail.

09/07/2018

If golf isn’t your thing but sun, relaxation, good food and drink and a fabulous holiday IS, then give us a call. We can help with your holiday plans all along Portugal’s fabulous Algarve and Spain’s Costa del Sol. Here are a few of the places we offer.

06/07/2018

New offers coming from us for the Costa del Sol, Spain, our new destination.

October 2018, La Cala golf resort. 45 minutes from Malaga airport. 3 nights B&B, two rounds of golf including buggy based on 2 sharing £315pp.
Contact us for this and other deals.

12/06/2018

Well it seems like we've been gone for ever. We have just returned from our trips to Portugal and those golf courses just seem to get better and better although sadly our golf does not!
Stand by for some exciting news and offers within the next few days ......

17/04/2018

Sometimes golf has to take a back seat while we put our feet up and relax. Check us out for all that's best in Algarve golf and great accommodation.

11/04/2018

How about the Eastern Algarve? Castro Marim. Special price for August. Two bedroom town homes with on site pool and services. From £50pp per night.

09/04/2018

Well, like him or loathe him, you can't deny the man has talent and is mentally tough! Congrats Patrick!

04/04/2018

Just in time for the Masters .....

02/04/2018

Steve was 26 over par by the eighth hole; he had smacked three golf balls in the water hazard and dug himself into a trench fighting his way out of the rough. When his caddie coughed during a 12-inch putt, Steve exploded.

"You've got to be the worst caddie in the world!" he yelled.
"I doubt it," replied the caddie. "That would be too much of a coincidence."

02/04/2018

Penina Hotel and Golf. Three nights B&B; 3 rounds of golf at Henry Cotton Championship course; Palmares Golf Course & Boavista Golf. From £325pp.

30/03/2018

Palmares golf course. Western Algarve. Three nines of golfing bliss.

29/03/2018

If golf isn't your thing, maybe a stay here is! Right in the heart of Vilamoura. The beach on one side; the marina on the other. Please see our web site for more like this.

25/03/2018

Try this instead. Check out our web site for this and more!

25/03/2018

Avoid this ......

23/03/2018

Do this instead. Tivoli Hotel, Carvoeiro. Visit us for this hotel and more.

23/03/2018

Don't do this ......

23/03/2018

Hi and thanks for visiting us here at Quest Golfing Holidays.

As all golfers will agree, our game can be a frustrating sport with occasional highs but all-too-frequent, frustrating lows. It sometimes seems the enjoyment part is all too short lived. Then, of course, one needs to have a level of athletic ability plus the right level of mental focus. And just to make things even more challenging, there’s hardly any room for error! But we keep coming back!

And us weekend warriors are all too familiar with this. We climb onto the first tee hoping not to make a complete mess of things in front of the starter, friends and Mr. Captain. We clear our mind (as if!), say a little prayer and let rip.

Unfortunately, on the occasions when the miracle happens and we do belt one right down the middle, we all know what’s coming next. The next one is hit fat, the third one thinned and we three putt the green. The perfect start to the round! This is the average golfing hacker in a nutshell.

OK, so with that in mind, other than giving up the game or selling our soul for a better swing, is there anything we can do to fix this? Of course there is. We take a lesson; we spend hours on the driving range; buy the new equipment and in desperation even lash out a few quid on the latest swing gadget or gizmo. All great (or not so great) ideas that could help trim a few points from the (seemingly ever increasing) handicap (or millstone if you prefer).

But here’s the rub. All of those things take time, effort and money. Most of us have other demands on our time and (most certainly) any spare cash. For most of us, golf is what we do when we are able to escape our normal lives to spend a few precious hours on the course.

So, with that in mind and having managed to get the time, the cash and golfing mates together, the issues are just about to start. As we agree, it’s so difficult to even get onto the first tee, just to have some fun, that to expect to play – not like a pro, but maybe at a level to beat our own handicap, seems a bit over ambitious , don’t you think?

And now despite us knowing it, it seem even more ridiculous that we’re actually out there getting more and more frustrated, doesn’t it? What sort of masochists are we weekend golfers anyway?

Shouldn’t we be enjoying golf to its fullest, regardless of how we play? Not getting frustrated that we didn’t hit a green in regulation or pull off that near impossible recovery shot/bunker shot/chip etc. And therein lies our tip for today. It’s perhaps the most cost-effective and time-conscious thing you can do to enjoy yourself more out on the course and it’s something we were advised to do some years ago.

It is to simply forget about your scorecard.

Now although it was claimed to be cost-effective and time-conscious, it wasn’t claimed to be easy. But if you try, it can really change your attitude out there.

Play a few rounds without keeping score (no keeping score in your head either). Go out to play and simply have fun. Don’t bet on your round. Just go and enjoy being outdoors on a beautiful day with good friends playing the game you love. Appreciate the exercise; take-in the scenery; embrace the friendship. Bad shots will still happen, but that’s normal – after all, you’re a recreational golfer, not a scratch golfer. And isn’t it why you took up golf in the first place?

Simply relax and enjoy.

Now while it’s quite possible this attitude will actually help you cut a few strokes off your game, that’s not the point. The point is just getting out and playing golf should always be the focus. Your score is a by-product. Until you stop working and dedicate 6 hours a day on the driving range, just being out on the course will be all that really matters.

Golf is not our job. It’s our hobby; our passion; our release. It’s why we set-aside those few precious hours to play once a week (if we’re lucky).

We’ve all said it over and over: Golf is a game; you should have fun playing it. We need to remember it. Write it on your glove; your ball; your club-head cover; where ever it takes to remember why you play.

And finally, once we’ve learned that enjoying ourselves is all that really matters for weekend warriors like us, our scorecards can become relevant again. And hopefully by then, writing down that double-bogey – while still disappointing – won’t be nearly as devastating as it used to be.

Come back soon for more golf related chatter.

22/03/2018

Who wouldn't want to be here right now! Quinta do Lago North course.

17/03/2018

Hi and thanks for checking out our blog here at Quest Golfing Holidays. Over the coming weeks and months we will endeavour to keep you entertained and enlightened with all things golf. From occasional golf course reviews to game improving tips. There will be anecdotal musings and the occasional golf joke. We may even recommend the bars we like. Please visit us and while away a few moments lost in the masochistic pastime we’re all addicted to!

Well finally (with fingers firmly crossed) we are emerging from the ravages of The Beast from the East and are beginning to think about dusting off the old sticks that are probably lurking somewhere in the depths of the garage.

If you’re anything like me, it’s been a while since you last really hit the course and your golf clubs are covered in dust (hopefully no rust). The only balls you have left in your bag are the manky old ones you managed not to lose in the last hurrah of the 2017 season. Next month, the temperatures in this part of the world are set to soar into the low teens and you get the "itch."

You and your usual golf mates decide it’s time to crack on and before you know it, you're on for Saturday. You book a tee time and immediately forget the work piled up on your desk and begin fantasizing about your impending day on the course.

Does this sound familiar? It’s my bet that it happens to every one of us when that first round of the season is upon us. What we tend to forget, however, are the consequences and unpleasant reminders of just how bad we are that go along with round number one.

The few days prior to getting out there usually include air golf. This is the practicing of the swing without a club in hand. This activity can assist in getting the swing motion familiar once again but can cause slight embarrassment when friends or work colleagues catch you. You can always pretend you were scratching your back but they know what it is you were doing. The only thing that can actually make this moment worse is if you were doing the commentary at the same time, finishing with a flourish “It’s in the hole!”

The night before, you get your stuff ready. The golf clubs are resurrected and after you make a count to see if they're all there, it's time to get them nice and shiny. You scrub and try your damnedest to get the dirt out of the grooves but even a sand blaster would give up the ghost.

Three hours later, you unbox the brand new balls you just bought and stock your bag wishing each of them a fond farewell as this may well be one of the last times you see them. Your golf wardrobe is nicely laid out so you don't have to think about it in the morning. Who needs another thing to cloud their concentration? You're now as ready as you'll ever be for the disaster you will encounter tomorrow.

Opening day: The first golf of the season
The day has arrived! You get to the golf course, haul out the old sticks and approach the first tee with an equal mixture of excitement and apprehension. But you know what? “I was hitting ‘em long and straight in October so why shouldn’t I do it now in April?” Your mates and you gather around the tee box, each praying not to have to tee off first. Once the line-up has been determined, you grab The Chief. Off comes the head cover and you begin your actual practice swings. Every swing is followed by an "ugh" because it has been a long time since you attempted this manoeuvre.

Your turn arrives. You step up to the teeing area and with your tee in hand, put your ball in place. A couple more practice swings to really warm up and you’re ready. The only problem is that the ground is either so frozen you need a sledge hammer to bash in the blasted peg; or the tee has endured so much winter and spring rain it feels like a sponge. Nonetheless, you’re ready. You step back to survey the fairway, address the ball, and take your first shot of the year. You hit a beautiful slice into the trees 125 yards away.

You’re still rubbish!

When you stop doing something for an extended period of time that requires some form of athletic ability you tend to forget how to do it. Golf is no different. Especially if you had no ability to begin with. Getting the feel of the swing back again seems to be an impossibility your first time out. Nothing feels quite right. But you know what? There's something to blame your awful play on. What you find out is that your timing and feel do not return until the 18th hole. By then it's way too late to salvage a respectable round.

Another aspect of the initial round of the season that can hamper your play is the condition of the course on which you're playing. If it’s been a cold spring, the chances are that the ground has yet to thaw. Taking divots become hazardous to your clubs and your hands. If you don't break your club taking a shot, you get that pain in your hands that shoots right to your sphincter. Similarly a wet course will allow you to take divots the size of Rory’s bank balance. Bunker conditions are no better. They tend to look like the coastal beach erosion you see on TV.

Later that night, or even in the bar after the round, trying to ease the muscles you totally forgot you had, thoughts of your game today race through your head. "If I had only not four-putted six holes. . ."
"If it didn't take me three to get out of those bunkers. . ."
"If I didn't hit my buddy on my approach shot. . ."
It's at that point it becomes as clear to you as a cube of solid sunshine, every aspect of your game still needs plenty of work.

And it's only a month and a half until golf season really begins!

17/03/2018

17/03/2018