Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

With two events already played, The “Florida Swing” is well upon us. Two events have been and gone, ( The Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens and WGC Cadillac Classic in Miami) and it’s traditionally the time when the PGA Tour season takes things up a notch. Fields become stronger and the chance to warm up for the first major championship of the year, the Masters at Augusta puts all that much more pressure on the game’s best to get their swing sharp.

Coming up this weekend is the Transitions Championship at Palm Harbor before the event everyone looks forward to in Orlando hits town next week… the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Sandwiched in between is the Tavistock Cup which is being held at Lake Nona this year on 19th and 20th March. (Here’s our report from last years event – Day 1 /   Day 2 )

It’s a great chance for all golfing fans to get up close and personal with some of the best players in the world. The Tavistock Cup is a chance to see some team golf as it features the top-ranked golf professional members of four international golf clubs; Albany, Isleworth, Queenwood and this years host Lake Nona. The two-day tournament is an officially sanctioned PGA Tour event and up until 2010, the Tavistock Cup was contested by Isleworth and Lake Nona golf clubs only.

In 2011, the Tavistock Cup was expanded with the addition of the two new teams representing Albany, a resort and golf community in the Bahamas, and Queenwood, a private golf club outside of London. Each team consists of six golf professional members who play for prize money, team hole-in-one prizes and the title of World Golf and Country Club Champion. Members of the four clubs have collectively won more than 860 tournaments worldwide, including 62 major championships through 2011!

Tickets are not sold to the public and only club members, residents, sponsors, designated charities and invited guests are able to attend the event. Once in, there are no ropes separating spectators from the players and spectators generally wear the official team colors of Albany Pink, Isleworth Red, Lake Nona Blue (last years winners pictured above) or Queenwood Green to show their support for Team Albany, Team Isleworth, Team Lake Nona or Team Queenwood.

From there, most of the players will then head over to the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and will compete from 22nd to 25th March.

Martin Laird enjoyed two firsts on a late Sunday afternoon last March when he walked off the final green at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge. He got to shake the hand of Arnold Palmer, and he successfully converted a 54-hole lead into a victory, which allowed him to enjoy the aforementioned handshake.

“You know, I had never met Arnold until I walked off that last green and shook his hand. That’s an awesome way to meet someone, especially someone who is such a legend in the game,” says Laird, recalling those moments immediately after his hard-fought win in the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard. “It was exciting to walk up that hill and tell him what a thrill it was to win his tournament.

“Before I was ever on the PGA TOUR I remember watching on TV and seeing guys walk off the green and shake hands with Arnold, and I thought that was so incredibly cool. Besides winning majors, I feel like an event where Arnold Palmer is the host is about as big a tournament as you can win.”

Not only is this the time of year when the eyes of the sports world really begin to follow pro golf, but these four weeks are also the most publicly accessible stretch of courses the PGA Tour plays all year long. Nowhere else on tour will you find four public golf courses right in a row, all in the same state and once the pros have pulled out of town, your golf group can pull right in and enjoy near tour-quality conditions.

Your golf group could feasibly play all four on the same trip if you don’t mind a little drive time between the courses. Simply start in south Florida at Miami’s Doral Resort, then head north to PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. Then, zip across the state to Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club near Tampa, and finish up at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando. It’s a cool way to play but that of course, assumes you’re happy to miss some of the play when you’re playing!

If you can’t make it here in the next few weeks then we look forward to seeing you in Florida for some great golf at some other time… as really, you can play golf in Florida pretty much anytime of year!

One event I always look forward to is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf and Country Club and every year on the Friday of the event is a wonderful opportunity to indulge the taste buds and check out some of the best restaurants in the Orlando area at the Wine & Dine on 9 event.

17 of the finest restaurants in the area came together to put on a food fest on the fairway of the 9th hole. The event ran from 2:00 to 5:30pm and it is sold as a special ticket to existing Friday daily tickets or those with weekly badges. 

New for 2011 was the VIP ticket that offered a separate upscale seating area exclusively for VIP Wine & Dine on 9 ticket holders only and it looked to be very popular for those that wanted the experience of being waited on.

It’s definitely the place to meet your friends to socialize and enjoy some exquisite wine and appetizer pairings during the Arnold Palmer Invitational and it’s an even greater event as the proceeds benefit the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Dr. Phillips Rotary International.

Make sure you get your ticket for next years event nice and early…because it always sells out!

Here’s some video from yesterday…

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson head the field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational that starts tomorrow at Bay Hill Golf and Country Club in Orlando. Justin Rose, who captured two PGA Tour victories last year, and Northern Trust champion Aaron Baddeley were also among a handful of late entries who joined the field and the final roster features nine of the top 20 players in this week’s world rankings.

After skipping last years event six-time Bay Hill champion Tiger Woods is making a welcome return after a year’s hiatus. Wherever he goes Woods is always in the news and hopefully this tournament will be a chance for him to set the headlines for all the right reasons. It’s been a painful 18 months for the 14 time major winner and he’ll no doubt see this as the perfect opportunity to tune up ready for the 2011 Masters in a couple of weeks time. U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Masters titleholder Phil Mickelson also are among the headliners in a field that also includes six of this year’s 11 PGA Tour winners.

Late additions to the roster for this years event are Stewart Cink and David Toms who join the 120-man field, along with Bill Haas and Fredrik Jacobsen. The field also will include Champions Tour pro Andy Bean, entering on the 30th anniversary of his 1981 victory.  Last years winner was Ernie Els in a rain delayed tournament that actually finished a day late and he’ll be hopeful of defending his title this year. It’s going to be a great four days of golf in Orlando!

Here’s some video from last year’s event:

This time of year is known as “Golf Season” in Orlando and it’s not just because it’s a great time to play the noble game but also a fabulous time to get out to see some of the best tournaments in the United States… the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is on it’s Florida Swing right now and next week it stops at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.

2011 is truly a golden year for Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge as it’s actually celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary. The Bay Hill Club was built in 1961 and it was just four short years after that in 1965 when the “King of Golf”, Arnold Palmer, played in and won a charity golf event on what was then an unknown golf course. The rest is history as “Arnie” fell in love with Orlando and Bay Hill that day and he started to hatch a plan to make the club his own. Naturally, he succeeded by initially taking out a 5 year lease with an option to buy  on the property in 1970 and since taking ownership in 1975 he and his team have worked extremely hard to ensure that the PGA Tour makes an annual stop in Orlando.

Today, the Arnold Palmer Invitational attracts some of the strongest fields of the season and it’s world class amenities including a 70 room lodge make it a comfortable and value added experience for those guests fortunate to stay there during the event. So, if you’re in Orlando this year and unable to secure accommodation for the event at Bay Hill, why not enjoy your own vacation home just 10 to 15 minutes away from some of the best golf you’ll ever see? Florida Leisure Vacation Homes has homes close to the famous Orlando course and who knows, you may just see us skipping work and enjoying some quality golf time. Here’s some video I shot showing some of the things going on behind the scenes and how the venue is preparing for the tournament.

I managed to play hooky again today. After learning that a restart was scheduled for noon at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill I quickly finished a couple of jobs and got myself there just as the action was starting.

The winner turned out to be Ernie Els, who I met during the Pro-Am, and who had previously gone two years without a victory up until two weeks ago when he won the World Golf Championship at Doral. So now he’s won two in a row. Pretty neat eh?

Nigel Worrall & Ernie Els

This was Ernie’s second victory at Bay Hill, the other coming 11 years ago in a 36 hole Sunday because of rain and it was the rain that played a part in this victory as well.

At one point Els had a five shot lead on Sunday and looked to be cruising to victory when he took a double bogey on 13 and then a bogey on the next hole. Fortunately for Ernie, the siren to stop play came as thunderstorms approached and play was postponed as over two inches of rain drenched the Bay Hill course.

Restarting at noon today was no easy thing and Ernie was soon under pressure as he needed a 6 foot par putt on the 15th to keep his lead. Kevin Na then made a birdie on 16th to get to one shot and Els looked to be in big trouble as he faced a plugged lie in the face of the bunker on the 17th. On the verge of losing his lead, Els promptly blasted out to just over 6 feet and knocked in his par putt to keep the lead.

On 18th Na then drove into the rough and had to lay up. He then missed an 8 foot par putt and that effectively made life much easier for the following Els who made no mistakes in paring the 18th for a convincing and deserved win.

It was a great tournament to follow and this is what makes golf in Orlando so very special. Naturally there’s a lot of golf courses you can play but why not play at Bay Hill, where the pro’s play on your next trip?

Who knows, you may bump into “The King” Arnold Palmer yourself?

Here’s a short video of Ernie making the winning putt and the presentation ceremony”

I managed to nip out of the office for a couple of hours this afternoon and went back to the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf event at Bay Hill, Florida. Bay Hill is about a 15 to 20 minute drive from our office and most of the vacation homes we look after and this makes it nice and convenient to nip in and out of the tournament.

It’s also great for our guests who are visiting Orlando and want to watch some top golf or even play some as all our homes are within a few minutes drive of over 50 great golf courses. The Arnold Palmer Invitational is the first of two PGA events held in the Central Florida area each year with the other being held at Disney towards the end of the PGA season.

I was looking forward to today immensely because for the first time the organizers had arranged for a new opportunity at this year’s event.  Wine & Dine on 9, presented by Robert Mondavi wines, was to be a special hospitality event hosted alongside the 9th fairway.

All the top area restaurants  provided exquisite appetizers, each of which was paired with a wine sample and I’m sure this is now to become a regular part of the tournament such was the success of it. Flemings, Mortons, Timpano, Ruth’s Chris, Capital Grille, Melting Pot, Cariera’s, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Ocean Prime, Vines Grille & Wine Bar, Palm Restaurant & WA all took part and everyone I spoke to seemed to be having a great time. Further, the  proceeds raised will go to benefit the Arnold Palmer Medical Center and the Dr. Phillips Rotary Club so it really is a win-win situation for everyone.

After that, it was time for a quick photo with the Fedex Cup and then back to work before anyone noticed I’d disappeared… shhh… let this be our secret!

Here’s a short video covering the tournament and Wine & Dine on 9:

Yesterday was Pro-Am day at the final leg of the Florida swing for the PGA and the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational. Today the real action begins and this year we are going to get a new champion as the winner of the last two years, Tiger Woods, is missing.

This isn’t the only change to be seen at this famous Orlando course this year as every single one of the 18 holes at Bay Hill has been altered in some way or another over the past year.

It’s going to be hard to pick a winner from such an exceptional field and players like Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Ernie Els, Robert Allenby, Retief Goosen and Steve Stricker are bound to both entertain and be up there close to challenging for the title. That said, we shouldn’t rule out a challenge from some of the younger guys who have put on impressive performances already this year. Though only seven players in their 20s won PGA Tour events in all of 2009, already five twenty-somethings have won this season: Bill Haas, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Camilo Villegas and Derek Lamely (Puerto Rico) through 12 events and you should also keep an eye on last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational runner-up  Sean O’Hair.

Arnold Palmer Pro-Am 2010

Keeping 80 year old  Arnold Palmer happy will be his grandson, Sam Saunders, will make his second appearance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Saunders, 22, was a fresh-faced amateur the first time around but now he’s a young professional having turned pro last fall and has played in four PGA Tour events to date, earning money in two of them. His best showing was a tie for 17th at the Honda Classic.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational’s trophy is one of the most coveted on the PGA Tour. Not only is there a $6,000,000 purse with $1,080,000 going to the winner but there’s another important prize at stake at Bay Hill – a spot in the Masters.

Any player who is not already exempt for the Masters can earn an invitation with a victory either at the Arnold Palmer Invitational or the following week’s Shell Houston Open. The top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking after the Arnold Palmer Invitational also earn Masters invitations so there’s much to play for and you can expect the competition to be intense.

I spent some time at the pro-am yesterday afternoon and enjoyed seeing some great golf and meeting with a few of today’s top golf pro’s … if you are in the Orlando area over the next four days you really should make the effort to go… after all, it’s not every weekend that a PGA golf tournament visits town.

I also bumped into the gorgeous Kelly Tilghman, host of Golf Channel’s PGA TOUR coverage, fresh from her recent interview with Tiger Woods as she spent a few moments with Arnold Palmer…

Arnold Palmer & Kelly Tilghman