Type of course? As hilly as Madeira. There are three 9 hole courses. Two tough hilly ones and one easier, flat one. We climbed a mountain the day before and were both hobbling on very sore legs, so we picked the two tough, hilly ones.
Pleasant staff? Very welcoming and all spoke English.
Best hole? The 4th par 3 on the Machico course. The fairway hugs a curved chasm on the left and the green is right at the end, on the edge of the cliff. The views over Porto Santo and Cais do Sardinha are stunning.
Après golf? A delicious black scabbard sandwich, ordered because I wanted to know what black scabbard was. It’s a fish.
Nice round? Excellent, as I played well and won the first leg of our four leg competition on Madeira. We had the course pretty much to ourselves, the weather was lovely and warm and the course was good fun.
Special memory? Almost birdying the 18th after hitting a lovely 3 wood two feet from the pin with my second shot.
Must play again? There isn’t that much choice on Madeira, but the €110 green fee is a bit hard to swallow, especially as female players seem to be an afterthought on this Championship course. All the signs, bins and ball cleaners are by the men’s tees. Not unusual in the world of golf, but still.
Solid outfit
Everyone loves driving over a pond
The green at the edge of a cliff
Always good to see during a match
Hello!
Still smiling despite the result
