Ball Showcase: The Grove

Posted on by Alexander Rose

The Grove is one of the finest golfing venues I visited so far. The attached hotel is awarded as one of the finest in the world and  and is beautifully situated in the countryside in Hertfordshire, north-west of London. The hotel is equipped with luxurious spa facilities and the golf complex is fitted with cosy restaurants, bars and everything a golfer could ask for.

I highly recommend a round or two when you are around. The venue hosted the 2006 WGC American Express Championship that Tiger Woods could win these days. He currently holds the course record as well, if I’m not mistaken.

Lucky as I am, my employer organised a golf day here with customers and we enjoyed a perfect (Mon)day, out in the countryside, on a spectacular course and as we sit together in a private dining room, we were told that Rory McIlroy just left the driving range… We had no idea he was there and were disappointed we missed him. Maybe next time…

Find out more: http://www.thegrove.co.uk

How I missed Rory McIlroy

Posted on by Alexander Rose

It was one of these days; almost everything perfect, a nice round on a fabulous course, great service and amenities… so everything great till someone enters the room and ruins your day.

My employer invited me and some good customers to a small little golf tournament at The Grove, a prestigious resort north-west of London. We had a great time, the service was superb, the course really beautiful and we all had a lot of fun. After the round we had an opulent lunch, some drinks and were basically chit-chatting about our achievements during the day. So far so good…

At some point one of the staff members entered the private room, asked if we were all good or whether he could do something for us. We neglected and said we’re having a good time. The next sentence he said, was something like: “Ah, and just to let you know, Rory McIlroy already left…”

He looked into 30 astonished faces, we had no idea Rory was even there. As it turned out Rory McIlroy was, 50 meters away, practising on the range for 2 hours and had, as the official part, the EA Sports Crossbar Challenge to play. It made me want to tear my hair off. Rory just around the corner, ready for some autographs or even some down-to-earth talking… that would have been the ultimate icing on the cake!

And I remember me saying to myself during warm-up: why the heck is there a football goal on the range…

End of the story: I went home, glumy and all what was left was this youtube video I found in the evening:

The Grove: an elite golfing venue!

Posted on by Alexander Rose

Last week it was the London Golf Club, south-east of London, this week it was The Grove, north-west of London. Both fabulous golf courses and venues but The Grove really blew me away today. It’s a fairly new course and really everything is in perfect shape.

What’s as well in perfect shape is the service. You have no idea how incredibly thoughtful the staff of The Grove is. Really amazing how they organise stuff, care for you and make your stay as comfortable as possible; beginning with valet parking, golf bag handling, carts preparation, club and shoe care and not ending with delicious food in one of the restaurants, tournament management etc.

If you’re in the Watford area in Hertfordshire or just fancying a perfect round of golf, please consider to play a round at The Grove, you’ll never regret it. It’s not cheap but definitely worth it. Best would be to stay for the whole day… or even overnight in the stunning hotel (member of The Leading Hotels of the World).

Tiger Woods won the American Express Championship here in 2006. It’s just an amazing place: