PerryGolf's 2009 British Open by Sea Golf Cruise Starts at St. Andrews and Concludes at Turnberry

Tour offers opportunity to play four distinctive courses along the coast of Scotland before ending at the site of the 138th Open Championship

Wilmington, NC (PRWEB) July 24, 2008 -- Will there be another sentimental journey like the one Greg Norman took at Royal Birkdale when the 2009 Open Championship moves to Turnberry? Or maybe a three-peat from Ireland's major star Padraig Harrington? And what might Tiger Woods, who presumably will be walking on two good knees by then, have to say about all that?

It's not too early to begin making plans to be at the 2009 British Open to find out.

With the sea by your side, that famous lighthouse in the distance and all that Open history, there are few places in the world that can match Turnberry for beauty or excitement

PerryGolf will introduce a new vessel to its small ship luxury golf cruise options for the 2009 British Open by Sea, which starts at the home of golf and concludes at Turnberry, site of the 138th Open Championship.

PerryGolf's exclusive charter of the MS Andrea, a 105-passenger expedition-style ship, begins in St. Andrews with golf at Kingsbarns and sightseeing in the historic town and continues with golf at Royal Aberdeen, Royal Dornoch, Machrihanish and David McLay Kidd's new design, Machrihanish Dunes, before moving on to Turnberry for the final round of the Open Championship at the Ailsa course.

Golf historians and fans of mano a mano golf remember the 36-hole battle staged between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson on the Ailsa course in the summer of 1977 (won by Watson on the 72nd hole) as one of the game's most dramatic duels.

"With the sea by your side, that famous lighthouse in the distance and all that Open history, there are few places in the world that can match Turnberry for beauty or excitement," said PerryGolf president Gordon Dalgleish.

Among the tour's highlights for golfers will be the opportunity to play Machrihanish and Machrihanish Dunes on the opposite side of the River Clyde from Turnberry. Machrihanish Dunes is the first true links course built on Scotland's west coast in more than 100 years. Previously a challenging location to reach, Machrihanish is now accessible via a 60-minute trip on a Kintyre Express ocean taxi. PerryGolf is also offering access to the Ailsa Course on the day it officially reopens following the final round of the Open Championship.

PerryGolf's 2009 British Open by Sea golf cruise, July 11-20, 2009, is priced from $7,995 to $9,395 and features an extensive touring schedule, including St. Andrews, Aberdeen, Crathes Castle, Glenmorangie Distillery, Inverewe Gardens and the fishing village of Tarbert on the shores of Loch Fyne.

The tour is part of the expanded Golf Cruising by PerryGolf program recently announced. The schedule includes 17 cruises in 2008 - 2009 to golf destinations as diverse as Scotland, South Africa, France and the Mediterranean.

Established in 1984, Wilmington, N.C.-based PerryGolf offers the travel industry's most prestigious and diverse selection of luxury golf tours and lifestyle experiences to the British Isles, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. In addition small-ship and river barge golf cruises visit the Mediterranean, France, Scotland, South Africa, the Great Lakes and Canada. PerryGolf offers customized golf tour itineraries as well as escorted programs featuring land tours, small-ship charters and luxury train travel. The company's exclusive online trip calculator -- Plan Your Own Tour™ -- allows travelers to generate immediate quotations for trips they create entirely online. For more information on PerryGolf, please visit www.perrygolf.com or call a PerryGolf travel specialist at 800-344-5257.

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