A dream holiday or a sacred pilgrimage?

Golf vacations are a massive industry unto themselves, with countless operators around the world who specify in the most lucrative recreational form of travel tourism.

Fanatics of golf plan entire vacations around the sport.

They often fall into one of two subdivisions.

The first are those who seek out courses in exquisite parts of the world that make up the new breed of ultra-luxurious destinations.

Courses in parts of the Caribbean, Dubai and, of course, our very own Bermuda.

Then you have the connoisseurs.

Those with intimate knowledge of golf lore, who want to walk in the footsteps of history. There is no more powerful a statement than “I was there”.

These holy sites of golf attest to that.

This is why having events at Mid Ocean and Port Royal will give Bermuda many rounds of golf for many years to come.

The most sacrosanct golf pilgrimages tees off with more mythical courses familiar by name to competitive and neophyte duffers.

These golf courses are more than just fairways, bunkers and greens. They represent history.

Perhaps no other sport reveres and respects the past as golf.

Consider that in no other sport can virtual novices walk the ground and participate in the game where the very best have made their mark.

They experience the most significant cathedrals in golf.

I have been lucky enough to play many great golf courses over the years.

One of my favourites is TPC Sawgrass, the course, which is the site of the Tournament Players Championship every year, is designed by Pete Dye.

For non-golfers it is the course where they have the original island green, where any shot that doesn't hit the green is going in the water.

There are many legendary stories about the course.

My own experience was a lot of fun, although you didn’t get the special experience that I was kind of expecting.

I felt that I was just in a conveyor belt — at no point did I feel that I was special.

It was sort of like having a MacDonald’s burger, very tasty but a little homogenized.

The staff are a little cookie cutter type, with no real personalities

They welcome from a script rather than being genuinely delighted I was visiting. Whereas, whenever I visit a course in Bermuda, I get that relaxed welcoming greeting that is essentially Bermudian.

The TPC Stadium Sawgrass course is one of those that I had been watching for many years and have even been playing on my Playstation, so I was excited to be finally be on the course.

We finally arrived at the much-anticipated 17th island green.

Difficult

We arrived at the tee and the group in front had failed to leave the tee.

I watched the foursome in front hit between 30 and 40 balls in the water

Sadly only one shot made it onto dry land and they finally gave up.

Now you ask what did I do?  Well I hit a solid 7 iron to 20 feet and two putted for an easy par. The rest of the group hit a few balls into the water and finally got it on the green.

The cost of green fees is around $450 per player, depending on when you play and if you are staying at the attached hotel.

As for value for money it was not really there

The lack of feeling special, the lack of personality from the staff, made it feel unsatisfying, but the course and the history made up for this and I am hoping to go back.

Bermuda has both the amazing resorts, scenery and the ‘I played there’ feel.  Coupled with the wonderful unique Bermudian welcome, it amazes me that more people do not come, maybe it is just a well kept secret.