Dear Industry Colleague,

So Europe won the Ryder Cup – hooray. When it seemed as if the European team might demolish the USA team in their own backyard, the Americans dug deep and almost created a remarkable upset. Riveting golf throughout.

Obviously, much has been made of the crowd behaviour, particularly the taunts and abuse that Rory McIlroy and his wife suffered. This is clearly a disgrace and it was good to see several knowledgeable American golfing figures apologising for the shameful behaviour of the rowdy crowd. It’s a great pity that the head of the PGA and Paul Azinger couldn’t bring a bit more grace to their comments. Bethpage was never going to be a gentle and elegant environment for the European team, but a bit more thought might be useful for both sides when crowds of less knowledgeable golfers are able to access such historic events. Nevertheless, a fabulous spectacle.

As regular readers of this column may have noticed, Marion and I decamp to Spain for most of the Autumn and so take the opportunity to cover some of the magnificent golf facilities which we come across throughout Iberia. We recently visited Aguilon, a course hewn from an arid and rocky mountainside, but infinitely playable and great fun to visit – you can read the full article below.

Best wishes,

Colin Jenkins
(07768) 887033