Iceland, a land with glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, earthquakes, geysers, boiling mud and volcanos; possibly one of the most spectacular places on earth. Whenever, a car company wants to film the latest 4 x 4 vehicle advert, they invariably head out to Iceland. If a car can survive in that terrain then it must be really tough! However, it is unlikely that too many people will realise just what an excellent venue Iceland is for the golfer!

It is home to the Midnight Open each year, held at Akuyeri Golf Club in the north of the island, where in June darkness never falls. It is still light at Midnight when the competitors are teeing off! As well as being able to play golf 24 hours a day, there are also plenty of courses, with 20 golf clubs in the capital city of Reykjavik; even though the entire population of Iceland is little more than a quarter of a million! Some of these courses are uniquely different from anything else you will find in the world. Nick Faldo is currently planning another!

The rules are slightly different as well; the Royal & Ancient have had to implement a unique ruling at one of the courses in the capital, Nesvollur, in order to protect golfers from being attacked by the thousands of gulls nesting in the area!!

Recently, a new international event has emerged in the Westmann Islands, on the southern coast of Iceland, called the Volcano Open! 

The course is truly spectacular combining an extraordinary variety of features, such as the Atlantic Ocean , a volcano, volcanic pools and lush green vegetation. The great news is that visitors to www.golfbug.tv will be able to win a trip to play in the Volcano Open on the 5-8 July 2007courtesy of Icelandair, by registering on the channel from the 26th April for a month.

Don’t miss this; if you are the lucky winner, it will be the trip of a lifetime! To learn more about Icelandic Golf check out www.golf.is and to book a trip, www.icelandair.co.uk .

The Bug

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Next week, the Golf Bug cameras will be rolling at the London Golf Show!!

The Show is great fun, and seems to get bigger every year! We had a camera crew at the event last year, but this time we have a fully functioning studio as well.  The great and the good from the golf industry will be invited to tell the world about their latest products, destinations and services. Our cameras will also be roaming around the exhibition talking to golfers about their experience at the Show, and filming some of the great events going on throughout the week.

We also will be offering the chance to win a truly fantastic prize to anybody visiting our stand; more of this soon!

Its an exciting time for golfers to get together and prepare for the golf season, so get down to Excel and come see us! If you can’t make it, then don’t worry, we will have plenty of news and action from the event on Thursday evening. Enjoy!

The Bug

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This week the Bug had the opportunity to play 18 holes with Danielle Masters, a young ex Curtis Cup player who is about to begin her second season on the Ladies European Tour. We are delighted to announce that www.golfbug.tv has signed up to do a regular video diary of her activities (golf related activities!) on tour.

Dani has got a very engaging personality, great looks and playing with three lads was more than able to hold her own when the banter began. Having already finished in the Top Ten on a number of occasions during her Rookie year, we are hoping that she might break through with a victory this season. She has, like many of the girls, a very consistent game off the tee, but we sensed she had the guts required to make a difference around the greens.

We recommend you get to know her better by tuning into her Video diary and by checking out her website, www.daniellemasters.com . Watch out for her first appearance this season when she tees off at the Tenerife Open starting on the 3rd May.

The Bug

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Ernie needs to win the Masters this week! He has to assume the place in history that his wonderful talent deserves! How he must want the green jacket; he should have won it by now, and he undoubtedly has had the game to do it for some years! Whilst Greg Norman will probably be remembered as one of the greats, with only two majors to his name, this may not be the case for Ernie, who despite winning three majors thus far, has the game and the temperament to win so many more. If he ends up with only three majors, and fails to earn his locker at Augusta, there will definitely be a sense of under achievement surrounding the ‘Big Easy”. The Bug is going for Ernie, not for any reason than it will confirm him as one of the true greats, and that’s where we all want him!!

The Bug’s next favourite is Justin Rose, who got a late invitation to play. Justin already knows a thing or two about grand entrances, so whilst it might not have quite the same surprise element as John Daly’s victory at the 1991 US PGA Championship at Crooked Stick, it would nonetheless be a spectacular achievement, and one that would ignite the 2007 golf season. Again a sentimental choice, but he has had a few performances this year!

However, the odds are again on a Tiger victory! This quite extraordinary individual is like no other before him, and that includes Jack Nicklaus. Apart from the Ryder Cup, which after all is a team game, and not the one Tiger excels at, the man appears to be invincible when he has a chance of winning on the final day. Why Jack won a generation of adoring fans was because we witnessed him losing on many occasions against wonderfully charismatic and talented opposition. Just think of the men Jack had to do battle with and end up for significant periods in his career shaking hands as the gallant loser; Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, to name but a few that have grappled with the Bear and won when it mattered.

That’s another reason why it is so important that Ernie (or Justin) wins. Ultimately, it will make it a little easier to love Tiger!

The Bug

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