With a beach like this, who wouldn't want to exercise outdoors while at the Fairmont Southampton Princess?
When selecting a golf destination resort or hotel, many people simply look at price. An important factor certainly, but you get what you pay for and in few cases, more. Fairmont resort properties offer tremendous value not only for quality of golf courses, hotel accommodations, ultimate food choices, and amenities; but sometimes, it can be the smallest details which make the difference. How can I put this, other than to say that in this case, it’s the shoes.
For those who thumb their noses at airline baggage fees and refuse to check a bag, packing can be a chore. As an international travel and golf writer who flies more than the average bear, trying to fit 5 or 6 days worth of golf and dress-up clothes into a miniscule carry-on can be problematic, especially for women who are still expected to be fashionable in sporting a variety of outfits with matching shoes and bags. Men can often get by with much less, stretching a few golf shirts, one or two pairs of pants, shorts, and a pair of Dockers-style shoes throughout the whole excursion.
Those of us who are diligent about exercising cannot really substitute anything for work-out apparel considering the sweaty beating it takes each day. Sure, you can send out the offending articles for laundering, but come on, who does that? The act of packing activewear is irritating enough as it takes up valuable suitcase space which could be used more judiciously for killer outfits, favorite accessories or shoes that clients and friends will actually see. Adding workout wear is painful, with walking shoes taking up as much space as necessary golf shoes.
A welcome solution: the Fairmont President’s Club has spoiled me forever by fashioning Fairmont Fit, a program which provides in-room delivery of a complete set of Adidas workout gear…..including the afore-mentioned shoes (and socks)….as well as yoga mats, stretch bands, and even an MP3-player – if you’re into such things. They will also provide fresh changes of apparel, if requested.
The President’s Club has also addressed the multi-faceted issue and hassle of bringing golf clubs. Successful people hate to throw away money and paying $50-$100 or more each way is ludicrous for the privilege of airlines’ bruising and battering precious clubs, which no doubt came at an equally good price. TaylorMade has partnered with Fairmont and offers complimentary use of top quality rental clubs at resorts worldwide for President’s Club members. When visiting a Fairmont property now, minimalist packing is a joy to behold……and basic President’s Club membership is complimentary.
As for the constant question ‘how on earth can you play good golf with rental clubs?‘ I’ll answer that by saying this: I was invited to play in the Bacardi Championship at the Fairmont Southampton Bermuda Princess’ spectacular Par-3 course, held March 26 and 27th. Using a combination of TaylorMade rental woods and some well-seasoned irons loaned to me by Southampton Princess Player Assistant William Tucker, I tied for First Place in the Ladies Division and might have actually won the tournament had I been able to play in the afternoon with the other leaders. Instead, I was catching a plane for a trip to gulf coast Mississippi.
There’s one more item: I also holed out my tee shot on #11, the second hole of my round, for the event’s sole ace. Alas, it was not on the car hole, unfortunately. So, there is your ultimate answer: yes, golf fans, you can play good golf with rental – and borrowed clubs. But if you don’t, you always have a built-in excuse.
