A for Andi

?I’d like to introduce you to the third member of our team – Andi the Landy

Andi is now a gender neutral landrover defender.  In a former life Andi worked for the MOD, his strength and resilience enabled him to carry more radio equipment than NASA.   Before selling Andi on, the MOD kindly replaced his engine and that’s when he entered our lives.

?As a dowdy all purpose army green, Andi had seen better days.  Sand filled and dirty we cleaned him up and stripping out the multitude of racks, radio equipment, batteries and a myriad of other equipment.  Like a huge sigh of relief Andi chassis literally lifted by about 15cm.  Giving Andi a new top was a turning point, no longer did the heavy duty canvas flap around in the wind.

?Good rubbings down, a new paint job, some TLC (there is even a passenger side vanity mirror now!) and raptor paint applied to the inside he was starting his new life transformation.  He is like a pupae reemerging as a gender neutral butterfly.  

But we haven’t finished with Andi yet – we still need to wrap up over the insulation we’ve already added to the inside with some 4-way carpet and there are still a few bits and pieces to install to make our lives better when on the road.

?Coupling Andi with the trailer we also bought at the same time, they make a fine pair of functional, comfortable work horses.

Andi comes with blacked windows to the sides for any would-be sponsors, partners or tourist boards we are working with and will be equipped to travel long journeys.

?Andi will be making appearances on our You Tube channel and we will even show you what we’ve done for the transformation – but for now, Andi is a pleasure to drive – people move out of the way when we come down the road – but maybe that the mad red hair flaying in the wind behind the drivers wheel that puts the frighteners on any other road users?

So like Andi, and share the adventures we are taking together.  Andi is the vehicle to get us to you.

A for Andi concludes our trip around for golf and lifestyle, we hope you have enjoyed it?  All articles are on our blog, and our website and of course some are even backed up with videos which sit on our you tube channel.

?So please do follow, like, share and subscribe and we promise to continue to show you some great adventures.

#AnditheLandy

➡️Full review on golfgurugroup.blogspot.com

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B for Blog

⛳In this demanding fast moving world of instagamatic, podmania and reaching a crescendo of YouTubeilation, I’d like to give a subtle nod to the humble blog.  

Q. What is a blog? 

⛳It is an information platform, usually based on peoples experiences they want to share but it can be used as a ranting outlet for some! 

Q. Is it still relevant in todays, moving at pace demanding society where everything is wanted at the touch of the button – yesterday?

⛳There is a huge untapped talent out there writing blogs, they don’t usually do it for a fee and are rarely sponsored.   Anyone searching for information is very likely to land on a blog and get the information they need.

Q Why do I blog

⛳My reasons for blogging was not to drive traffic to my fledgling business, but as my way of saying thank you.  I was often invited on trips to various places as a Golf Tour Operator.  Whilst my specialism was, and still is, female golf and travel, the business was small.  In business, as in life, I’ve always wanted to give back, so if I was invited on a trip, and I couldn’t sell the destination as a small niche (in growth) business, I started to write about my experiences.  This gave me some comfort that I was indeed giving something back for the kindness and support the hosts had extended to me.

⛳Switching from Golf Tour Operating, into journalism is as a direct result of blogging.  I just found I liked doing the writing more and I wasn’t forever trying to sell something.  In essence, I just like sharing experiences, so people can choose to read, act upon or share as they wish.

⛳My own story of getting into blogging may be slightly different to others but with the number of views I still get, I think it is still relevant as yet another source of information. 

⛳It is easier to watch a video, volume on or not, than to read a blog but having and developing my writing skills has helped me personally get published in various magazines. 

⛳So when you’re reading a blog, read it and appreciate that the author has spent time researching the information they are sharing with you.  Of course you don’t have to agree with everything that has been written, but it is your prerogative to carry on reading, stop reading or respond to the author.

⛳Thank you to all of you who have supported me over the years, I genuinely hope it has helped you with information and maybe my honesty and humour has played a part too?

➡️Full review on golfgurugroup.blogspot.com

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C for Colombia

⛳This might not be the first place you would think about for a golf trip but mix it up with some culture then it could well be.  As Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus I felt duty bound as a golf explorer to visit too! Colombia is the forth largest country in South America and is home to the second largest population.

⛳I had just landed into Bogota after a long haul flight and I was exhausted.  Instead of resting, I jumped on an internal flight to Bucaramanga.  Arriving, I needed some fresh air, so decided to visit the driving range.  Now bearing in mind I’d just picked up some new golf clubs the day before leaving, I was quite excited to be on the range – but I couldn’t hit a barn door – it was terrible.  I went to bed feeling slightly fed up but blamed jet lag.

⛳Next morning I was playing Ruitoque, and so the awful golf continued, all I could do was laugh about it.  The clubs didn’t work, I literally kept air swinging everything – and that’s not one of my usual baddies!  By the 9th, I’m totally fed up, gazillions over handicap so I decided to play with the one iron that worked well for me – my 5 iron.  Hole 10 started not so bad, a bogey.  Then holes 11 through to 18, I pared every one.  So 1 over on the back nine and an extraordinary number over on the front nine!  I later found out I had been given the wrong clubs by my then golf professional, who looked at me and gave me a ladies set as opposed to the set of mens irons I had been fitted for.  I knew they didn’t feel right but my new 5 iron was my friend for the rest of the trip! 

⛳Back in Bogotá, a high altitude city which seems to be divided into two parts by the Santa Marta Mountains  Bogota vibes are distinctly different to Cartagena.  As with any big city, it is busy.  The golf on offer was often by invitation from a member, but we did manage to squeeze in a couple of rounds on nicely established parkland courses.  Playing an older, bedded in golf course, San Andrés with its narrower tree lined fairways was very much like playing a good parkland course here in the UK.  The caddies were great and it was common place to break after nine holes and have some food.  Usual practice is to buy your caddy food as part of his fee too.  The caddy didn’t eat with you and you drove the schedule, but it seemed to work quite well.  A very friendly place to play golf with the locals being bemused by my presence.

⛳With the movie ‘Romancing the Stone’ ringing clearly in my ear every time I think about Cartagena, I was delighted to be able to visit and play some cracking golf too.  As you see on movies, the centre of Cartagena is just as you’d expect- sun bleached multi coloured buildings propping each other up with greenery cascading down.  Wandering around the main streets my inner magpie come out as I glanced longingly in every emerald jewellers shop with envy.  With Colombia being the country that mines and sells most of this precious commodity, you can pick up some stunning pieces of jewellery.

⛳Ruitoque is one of Jack Nicklaus first Colombian ventures.  Set high up it affords some of the most spectacular views with the city laid out beneath and the rolling countryside beyond.

⛳Out of town playing Jack’s (now we’re on first name terms as I’ve written about his course designs so much and – wow he got around!!)  was the beautiful Karibana Cartagena.  A lovely pool area awaits your arrival and beyond is the golf course.  The blueprint of a Nicklaus design; wide open fairways and big imposing bunkers.   I got to watch the professionals take on the course, and the next day, I got to have a go myself! A slight difference in play but with no less enthusiasm and loved it with its ocean side holes and naughty bunkers placed in the way!

➡️Full review on golfgurugroup.blogspot.com

➡️More stories on golfgurugroup.blogspot.com

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