Crystal Debuts VIP Access to British Open and Golf Excursions at Exclusive British Isles Clubs

Guests Can Tee-off Five of 11 Days in Birthplace of the Game

In keeping with increasing demand for extraordinary experiences, Crystal Cruises is introducing VIP access to the British Open and excursions to four of the world's finest and most prestigious British Isles courses. Available during Crystal Symphony's 12-day sailing roundtrip from London on July 13, the golf excursions offer play at Gleneagles King's Course, The Royal Belfast Golf Club, and other coveted courses.

Complementing these tours are two opportunities for golf enthusiasts to attend the British Open at the Royal Birkhead Golf Club in Liverpool, which will feature top players Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and defending champion Padraig Harrington. One option provides admittance, while the other extends VIP access to the final round and a hosted event.

"The ports of Scotland and Ireland are a natural for a luxury golf experience, and we've made these exclusive courses very accessible for avid golfers," said John Stoll, Crystal Cruises' director, land programs. "Even if couples or families have only one golfing member, Crystal is providing a perfect European vacation. One can golf for five of the 11 days, while the others can enjoy Crystal's luxury resort and a wealth of sightseeing opportunities in the British Isles."

Guests can take advantage of standard Crystal amenities that are par for the course, including the instruction of an onboard PGA golf pro, Taylormade equipment for onboard clinics, a putting green and a driving range. Courses include:

-- Gleneagles King's Course
Since its opening in 1919, the challenging Edinburgh course tests the
skills of golf's aristocracy -- both veteran and professional;

-- K-Club
Designed with major tournament play in mind, the Arnold Palmer Course
at the Kildare Hotel & Country Club in Dublin hosted the 2006 Ryder
Cup;

-- O'Meara Course at Carton House
The parkland course in Dublin, designed by U.S. Open and Masters
Champion Mark O'Meara, presents a challenge to even the most focused
golfers; and

-- The Royal Belfast Golf Club
Founded in 1918, the golf club is the oldest in Ireland, providing
golfers with a true test of their skills.

The flexible program allows travelers to spend two full days at the Gleneagles club. In Dublin, guests can split their time between K-Club and O'Meara, and devote another full day at the Royal Belfast Golf Club.

The British Isles itinerary also offer a host of experiential tours for non-golfers, with more than a dozen excursion opportunities in virtually every port visited. Options range from Guinness and Scotch tastings to a Falconry lesson at a private estate to a hot air balloon ride over Belfast.

The itinerary calls in Edinburgh, Dublin, Liverpool and Belfast, with fares starting at $4,980 per person. Golf tours range from $446 to $995 per person. The general admittance and VIP British Open tours are $292 and $991, per person, respectively.

For booking or additional information, please call 800-964-6887 or go to www.luxuryatlarge.com.
More...

Greg Norman's Blue Shark Golf Club Nearing Completion

The Bahamas' New World-Class Course Poised to Become a Caribbean Leader

Blue Shark Golf Club, designed by legendary Greg Norman, has announced an expected opening by the second quarter of 2008. Poised to be a leader in the region, the par-72 course is the foundation for a billion dollar resort development led by New York-based entrepreneur and master developer Roger Stein. The project will encompass luxury hotels, casino, marina, tennis center, spa, and real estate components.

This course blends Nassau's history with modern designs -- all spiced by the challenging "Sharks' Teeth" series of holes. Tee off amid the genteel ruins of a British colonial plantation. Greg Norman, renowned course designer and architect, centered the new Blue Shark Golf Club on the great house and outer buildings located between the 11th and 12th tees. Players can further experience the Caribbean's past near the 15th and 17th greens with the "blue holes," subterranean links sacred to the aboriginal Lucayans. The entire area sprawls over 160 acres -- the plantation once known as "The Promised Land".

Norman redesigned the former grounds of the South Ocean Golf Club, lengthening the course to nearly 7,200 yards. The par-72 course is the area's first to offer a forecaddie program, ensuring dedicated individual service and a smooth, seamless game. The work is Norman's most elegant and intricate yet.

"Blue Shark offered a rare opportunity as a course designer," Norman explains. "It was a challenge and an inspiration to transform a popular and well-designed existing layout into a new and entirely distinctive golfing experience."

One of his highlights, the "Sharks' Teeth" (holes 10, 11 and 12) will challenge players with strategically placed bunkers, distinctive terrains, wetlands and fresh-water lakes. The course rewards any players who master these holes without a bogey.

Norman's latest project will impress players of all experience levels with unparalleled design in blending the natural topography, amazing Caribbean views and striking vegetation. Inspiration comes easy in this abundant landscape, shaded by the remains of Bahamian broadleaf coppice, described by Columbus as the "marvelous groves". The peacock-colored ocean unfurls behind the course. But water isn't merely a backdrop here; the mysterious Blue Holes connect underground to the Caribbean Sea.

"Norman was brilliant in preserving the best elements of the pre-existing course and dramatically enhancing and modernizing them," said Stein. "Greg is a one-of-a-kind visionary. He saw things others didn't. The finished product speaks for itself."

For reservations in the Bahamas, call 800-964-6887 or visit http://www.luxuryatlarge.com/

More...