A Guided Tour Of Two Hundred Bunkers

Golf has been referred to in the past as a good walk, spoiled by the interruptions. Golf has been described in various other ways too, some of the colourful being by the golf widows who only occasionally see their partners return victorious from the course. If this sounds like you, then you may have heard of Jack Nicklaus. He is a world champion at golf, having been voted as Golfer of the Century. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear as though I was nominated for the honour, but then Jack does tend to sink more balls than I do. In fact, mine seem to have an aversion to the little holes scattered across the course, unless of course they have sand in them.

One of the things that Jack is well known for, besides his expertise at playing the game, is his expertise at designing courses as well. All across the world there are golf courses that have his name on them as the designer, and they’re popular not just because of his name, but because they are so well planned to provide a broad, challenging and exciting game of golf for both the professional and the amateur alike. I just discovered recently that there is one place in Spain where an amazing nine courses have been designed by him, and all located together. It’s one of those overseas property resorts, aimed primarily at golfers. With 162 tees to start from, that sounds like a few lost balls for me, and a wonderful experience for anyone who knows their four iron from their putter.

I wasn’t really thinking about overseas property myself, although I can’t say why. Like most people I think it’s just one of those things that other people do isn’t it? Those neighbours of yours that live two doors down and always seem to be off somewhere and even in the middle of winter they have deep rich tans that you pretend not to notice and secretly resent. They always seem happy too. Damn those neighbours. But what got me interested was the whole of idea of having nine new golf courses all nestled near each other. That sounds like any golfer’s heaven, whether your professional or an amateur. I class myself as an amateur personally. Some people don’t even think I have made it that far, but then everyone’s a critic.

The golf course near me recently got flooded. We have a torrent of rain for a couple of days and the whole place became a pond. It’s dried out now, but for weeks the whole place was damp and boggy, and a fairly unpleasant place to play. Golf isn’t traditionally a messy sport. If you want to come home caked with mud you either play rugby or take up mud wrestling. Golf is a nice clean sport. Not at my local course it hasn’t been - just walking around you get filthy, and if you end up digging up the rough or wandering from sandy bunker to grassy embankments you end up needing to throw your entire outfit in the wash after a round.

So I have started thinking about the idea of moving to Spain and becoming a part of the lifestyle and culture we see advertised on television. I can’t just be me that thinks that the idea of walking down the steps from my stylish apartment, casually looking out to see to watch the cruise ships roll by whilst trying to decide which of the nine golf courses to play today, sounds like a good way to live life. What is also tempting me at the moment is that many of these overseas companies are offering free trips, so that you can see for yourself what it’s like. Apparently they’ll even let you play a round of golf. I feel less white just thinking about it.

Do you know what your house is worth? I had mine valued recently, and paid little attention to it. Then I saw one of those television adverts for overseas property with golf courses and sun, and couldn’t believe that the cheapest houses there were half the cost of my home, and for the price my house is worth I could get a grand villa! Imagine that - a grand villa in Spain with all that sun, a private balcony overlooking the mountains on one side and the blue ocean on the other, and 162 holes just crying out for me to try to sink a small white ball into them. And even more bunkers starting to get excited at the prospect of more company.

It’s surprising how quickly images start to build in your mind of lazy summer days even in the winter, or rolling golf courses crying out for you to have another go today, blue rolling oceans and vast mountain ranges. It starts to make my suburban semi look a bit cold, bleak and small. Not to mention crowded. I almost feel as though the tan is starting to appear just by thinking about it. The houses themselves look very stylish, with a contemporary design coupled with traditional colours, materials and features. It’s a bit like living the fantasy without the inevitable bad bits you assume will haunt you. I wonder if I would miss the rain and grey skies?

And then I have to think again about the fact that these companies are actually offering free trips to try it out! I never considered myself a potential overseas property buyer, but really, I can’t think of any really good reasons why not. I work from home myself, like many people do these days. With the increased use of technology so many people become flexible about where they work, that moving to another country is not as hard as it once used to be. The fact that all these television adverts and brochures are targeting us in this country means that they have excellent links and support, and have provided the service to so many people before that the whole process is well orchestrated. I’m very tempted - but then, you would be, wouldn’t you? Especially if you play golf better than I do.

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