Testimonials

I did an interview with Destination Golf Feature Editor Sam Sakocius that captured my thoughts about, and love for golf in Asia. He really “got” the fact that Asia is not just a design opportunity, but that Asia is a place that I have enjoyed ever since I was first playing in professional events there, and now as a holiday destination and for my various business interests.  Destination Golf does a great job around the world introducing travelling golfers to new and exciting venues and it is gratifying that Asia has now become a focus that will benefit not only our clients, but the regional interests as well.
Sir Nick Faldo, President Faldo Design, Re Celebrity Designer Profile.

 

I believe that it is fantastic news for golf in the Southern Africa region that Destination Golf Travel, the number 1 golf guide on Google, is launching in Southern Africa. As a South African golfer I always marvel at how lucky we are with the quality of golf we have here (and its relatively low cost compared to what I see on my travels with the professional Tours) and of course the fact that we can play year round in almost continual sunshine! The fact that Mauritius is part of the inaugural publication is also terrific news, as not only is it one of world’s most fabulous islands (whether you are golfer or not!) but in that its golf courses are superb. This takes on a personal note for me with the fact that this is what has prompted me to become a co-designer, with fellow South African Peter Matkovich, of the new 18 holes’ layout at Heritage in the south of Mauritius. We are confident that the new layout at Heritage will become a must play course and help further grow the reputation, of both Mauritius and South Africa, as a must visit destination for golfers“.
Louis Oosthuizen, professional golfer & course designer, Re SAIO golf guide.

 

What Destination Golf does is very important for the golf tourism industry because 70 percent of golf travellers are looking for new destinations to visit. In their search they need a source that they trust.  So, by giving golfers who are curious about new golf destinations recommendations by good and seasoned golf travel writers, destination golf is providing an essential service to the travel industry. There are so many wonderful, but maybe little known destinations, so it’s a very important ambassadorial job that Destination Golf is providing to traveling golfers and the industry.
Peter Walton, Managing Director, IAGTO.

 

I have been most fortunate during my career to have been able to visit and work in many of the countries that make up our international family of golf playing nations. Not matter how far I have travelled and even after returning from trips to iconic venues such as my recent visit to attend the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews – I am always amazed by what golf riches we have in the Southern Africa region. There is of course the interminable sunshine, but that apart, the quality and variety of the golfing challenges on offer is fantastic and we are undoubtedly spoiled as golfers in South Africa.
The fact that South Africa’s great golf story has a new champion in Destination Golf Travel is terrific news and we welcome this publication to Southern Africa and wish the magazine every success in helping to spread the word about our golf to new regions and even more golfers
.”
Grant Hepburn, Chief Executive Officer – GolfRSA

 

Golfasian has received excellent coverage in Destination Golf. The publication quality and distribution are first-class. Moreover, the editor’s knowledge and regional travel experience give Destination Golf unique capabilities to cover all aspects of destination branding.’ Siegel added, ‘I wish DG complete success with the launch of their new Asian edition, and I recommend Destination Golf as a publication for any operator, tourist board, or marketing organization who wants to get the message out on what’s available.”
Mark Siegel, Managing Director of Golfasian, Re Company and Personality Feature.

 

As native of Myanmar and former Touring Professional, It was my pleasure to host Sam Sakocius, Destination Golf’s Asia Feature Editor, on a tour of golf and culture throughout the country, including a stop at the course where I was the signature designer, Myotha National.  Sam’s feature captured the essence of a Golf Vacation in Myanmar with honesty and a perfect understanding of the nuances that make Myanmar so special. With Several new world class courses in the works, we are poised to become one of the great golf destinations.  For sure, Developing Markets need this kind of coverage and exposure as a tool for our tourism boards and operators to use to promote golf in the region.”
Kyi Hla Han, Golf Course Designer, Former Chairman of the Asian Tour and Tour Professional, Re Myanmar Regional Feature.

 

Not only were Sam and Zenta an absolute pleasure working with, they were an incredible addition to our Abu Dhabi Golf Tourism Week group of key global trade and media. The energy and knowledge the pair share is infectious and superb industry conversationalists. The exposure that Destination Golf provided our destination, Abu Dhabi, was exactly what we needed and most importantly to the right demographic. We thank Sam and Zenta for visiting and working with us and have already recommended our sister Troon clubs to work with Destination Golf.
Clinton Norris, Group Senior Sales Manager, Troon International (Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, and Yas Links), Re Cover Story – Regional Feature. Tourism Event. 

 

Re Most Memorable Edition, “Destination Golf gave us a great chance to show the natural beauty of Vinpearl Golf Phu Quoc to global golf-lovers. It was our honor to be crowded as one of the most memorable golf courses in Asia 2019 on its first Asian edition. This recognition marked a milestone for us to promote tourism in Phu Quoc and the 5-star Vinpearl’s resort complex. We hope the award will be served as a credential for customers to choose us in the future, especially Destination Golf’s readers in Europe and America who are searching for a remarkable golf trip in Vietnam.”.
Nguyen Danh Ngọc, VP Vin Pearl Marketing.

 

Dragon Rock/ Destinaton Golf did an amazing job profiling our Centara World Masters Golf Championship, Asia’s biggest and richest tournament for club golfers.  As representatives of Destination Golf Zenta the Brand Ambassador and Sam Sakocius, the Asian Feature Editor,  sought to understand the event profile and our clientele and produced wonderful features pre and post event in Destination Golf that captured the essence of the event and what golfers really love.
Peter McCarthy, President, Go Golfing, Re Coverage of an Event.

 

The golf courses in Mauritius were beautifully portrayed and very professional assistance received.
Belinda Udin, Tourism Promotion Officer, Maritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Re Feature on the Region.

 

We have been enormously pleased with the coverage we have received from destination golf over the past years.  We are fortunate to have DG feature editor Sam Sakocius guiding our project and not only developing a strategy, through his articles and advisory services, for the marketing of our Victoria Golf and Country Resort but for introducing our entire country’s growing golf offerings to the world.”
Asela Wavita, GM Victoria Golf and Country Resort, Sri Lanka, Re Regional feature.

 

Rainbow Hills Golf Club thanks Destination Golf for its thorough coverage of our golf course and facilities. The article is well written and it certainly opens up a window to global golf tourism in the region. Destination Golf is an undeniably top platform to expose all the achievements that Rainbow Hills have achieved in the last several years. We will certainly use the article to enhance our future promotions. I wish all the success to Destination Golf in future to come. Adrian Wahyudi, Executive Consultant to Rainbow Hills Golf Club.
Adrian Wahyudi, Executive Consultant to Rainbow Hills Golf Club.  Re Feature on Resort.

 

“World Golf Awards serves to reward excellence in golf tourism. While celebrating quality across resorts, courses and golfing destinations around the world, World Golf Awards strives to ultimately raise standards in the golf tourism community and stimulate international golf markets. Our strategic partnership with Destination Golf has been instrumental in our success in realising these ambitions. Its international readership, global reach and discerning clientele offer World Golf Awards the perfect avenue to share our message with the golf community. As such, we are proud to recognise Destination Golf Magazine as our Official Media Partner. We look forward to welcoming the publication once again to our upcoming World Golf Awards Gala Ceremony 2015, to be staged at the Conrad Algarve, Portugal, in November this year.”
Christopher Frost, Managing Director, World Golf Awards

 

“What Destination Golf does is very important for the golf tourism industry because 70 percent of golf travellers are looking for new destinations to visit. In their search they need a source that they trust. So, by giving golfers who are curious about new golf destinations recommendations by good and seasoned golf travel writers, Destination Golf is providing an essential service to the travel industry. There are so many wonderful, but maybe little known destinations, so it’s a very important ambassadorial job that Destination Golf is providing to traveling golfers and the industry. There are so many golf locations that need the sort of promotion that Destination Golf provides for the industry. So thank you, Destination Golf, for the service you do for the industry.”
Mr. Peter Walton, Managing Director, The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO).

 

“The World Luxury Hotel Awards, World Luxury Spa Awards and World Luxury Restaurant Awards are established global organizations providing luxury hotels, spas and restaurants with recognition for world-class service excellence provided to guests. Setting the basis for service industry standards around the world, the companies pride themselves on providing true recognition to luxury properties in their relevant categories during the annual voting phase. Our commitment to our clients is to provide significant marketing exposure throughout the year and particularly at our annual gala ceremonies where each winner is provided an opportunity for one on one personalised video interviews to further promote their award and property, as well as gain the opportunity to feature with our valued media partner publications. It is thus of the utmost importance to us that we partner with established media companies which cover a large audience base, globally. We are therefore pleased to be associated with such a recognised publication as Destination Golf, who proudly showcase our ethos of luxury excellence to the world.”
Joanna Evans, Media & Marketing Communications Manager, World Luxury Hotel, Spa & Restaurant Awards

 

“Winning ‘Best Golf Course in Egypt & Best Golf Hotel’ at the World Golf Awards 2014 was a fantastic achievement for our new resort. After this win, we rolled out a targeted marketing campaign to the global golf industry, which Destination Golf Magazine played a major role in. This proved extremely successful and we will continue to work with the fantastic team at Destination Golf for many years to come.”
Mr. Stephen Banks – General Manager Madinat Makadi Golf Resort, Egypt.

 

“The teams at Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs were thrilled to be featured in the November and December editions of Destination Golf. Our courses have received praise from golfing media around the World, and to be featured in such a prestigious global golf guide only strengthens our place at the top. The team at Destination Golf certainly provide a highly professional service.”
Ryan Brandeburg, Director of Golf Cape Kidnappers GC & Kauri Cliffs GC, New Zealand.

 

“We at the Anvaya Cove Golf & Sports Club are very privileged to be featured in the January 2014 edition of Destination Golf. Since our opening a few months ago, our course has received a great deal of attention from the world golfing press. To be featured in another prestigious global golf guide only strengthen our place in the minds of players worldwide, and we were very much impressed with the professional interaction we experienced with Destination Golf.”
George Cadhit, General Manager Anvaya Cove Golf & Sports Club, Philippines.

 

“We really appreciated the featured write up on Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club by Destination Golf Travel in its May edition. It is indeed great to get such fantastic support from a fellow IAGTO member in helping to promote the game of golf in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. On behalf of Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club and the Shangri-la’s Rasa Ria Resort I would like to thank you for this superb editorial feature.”
Aaron Johnston, Director of Golf Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort, Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club, Sabah Malaysia.

 

“The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay and Half Moon Bay Golf Links are delighted with our recent feature in the December edition of Destination Golf. Not only were we honoured with our recent award as Best North American Golf Resort for 2014 from IAGTO coupled with such a large feature in Destinations Golf. We couldn’t think of a better publication to make the announcement to the Golf community.”
Stephanie Leavitt, Director of Sales The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, USA

 

“We are always looking for new ways to further elevate our Spanish Golf Hotels to keep us current and visible in the golf market. Destination Golf produced a terrific 6-page resort feature for us in the May edition, helping to keep us at the forefront of golf travellers minds”
Antonio Abellán Riba, Golf Director of Sales Elba Hoteles, Spain.

 

“I jumped at an offer to join the Team at Destination Golf. To be part of a Global team such as Destination Golf is personally and professionally beneficial. Since joining, I’ve provided guidance and advice on golf in Tunisia & Morocco – two fantastic golf destinations that are hugely popular with travelling golfers. I’d like to thank Dermot and his team for his constant support and in particular his recent support of the Tunisia Golf Festival which I run each year”
Benjamin Oosterveer, Global Representative (Tunisia & Morocco), Destination Golf.

 

“Ireland is considered to be one of the world’s greatest golfing destinations and I have been lucky enough to play golf here all my life. Given the quality of our courses and our famous Irish welcome, we attract hundreds of thousands of golfers every year. But the golf market is growing increasingly competitive and being ‘heard’ is ever more challenging. Destination Golf is cutting through the noise, not just in Ireland but globally, so I was delighted to be invited to join Dermot’s team. I am already benefitting from his and the team’s experience and expertise. Destination Golf is about showing off the beauty and allure of golf around the globe and I look forward to working with my new colleagues to do just that on behalf of Ireland. It’s going to be an very interesting journey indeed.”
Kevin Markham, Global Representative (Ireland), Destination Golf.

 

“Our Ballesteros Course regularly receives great reviews from the domestic & international golf markets. But we knew that an article with Destination Golf would provide that extra cutting edge to increase brand awareness while strengthen online promotion efforts. We’re thrilled with the end result“
Niall Carroll, Director of Golf The Heritage Resort & Spa, Ireland.

 

“Our 6-Page feature in the August 2014 Edition was beautifully presented, sending the reader on a photographic journey around our stunning resort. It is sure to help showcase our golf resort on a global stage“
Ryan Bezuidenhout, Group Sales & Marketing Manager The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel & Spa, England.