Cabanas (Faro), Portugal: The Golf Course Is The Last Priority At Benamor Golf

Benamor Golf 

Qta. de Benamor 8800-067 

Tavira, Portugal

Phone: 281 320 880

www.Benamor.com

Prices: €€€€

In my second year as a member, I liked the course and friendly staff at first, but course conditions have plummeted over the past year and management could care less.

The staff are still wonderful and many of the members friendly, but the sand traps have become unplayable with little or no sand under the ball, making bunker shots a nightmare. Bunkers are called hazards for a reason because even under the best of circumstances they are a challenge. The sand, if there is any, is routinely hard as a rock due to inaccurate sprinkler placement with water accumulating in many of them. When the grounds crew drag the bunkers, the 'sand' hardens and it is easy to blade a shot over the green. The sand is low quality and more like dirt in the first place with various size rocks embedded throughout. What a nightmare!

The course layout itself is OK, a decent layout, but the fairways receive zero maintenance (rototilling, verticutting, sanding, etc.) so what grass there is has become dense and plays like hardpan. The greens are the best part of the course with regular maintenance and are challenging, but fair.

The clubhouse and patio are old, but nice and the food is pretty good.

There is a golf club just five minutes away, Quinta da Ria, which has two fantastic courses, with wonderful sand, lush fairways, and excellent greens as well as a practice facility that is the best I have found in the Algarve. The annual membership is comparable in price to Benamor, but you can play three quality courses - Quinta da Ria, Quinta da Cima, and Quinta do Vale, another great Seve Ballesteros course - making it no comparison when I move my membership there next January.

Benamor management just does not seem to care about members or the course. They have been given ample feedback about course conditions, but ignore input from members and focus more on wasting time and money on menial and irrelevant tasks like building a croquet court, while closing the member's putting and chipping green for months, and raking dirt areas and removing grass unnecessarily. That is what happens when golf-ignorant people run a golf course!

CombatCritic Gives Benamor Golf 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20/'21/'22 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Benamor - Actividades Turísticas on Yelp

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Cabanas (Faro), Portugal: The Golf Course Is The Last Priority At Benamor Golf

Key Words: CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, hotel, accommodation, destination, product, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2022 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

My Titleist Golf Carry Bag Has Lasted 30 Years, This TaylorMade Carry Bag Lasted Less Than 30 Days!

I purchased a TaylorMade 2019 LiteTech 3.0 Stand Golf Bag on Amazon, having received it on July 30, 2020 and did not start using it for 2-3 days due to time constraints, likely on August 1st, 35 days ago. I paid $220 + tax ($238.47).

A week ago I noticed some fraying of the flimsy material covering the inside edge of the short club compartment where my wedges and putters rub against it while carrying, standing or laying them. 

I have been playing for 55 years, play 100+ rounds/year, am a 13 handicap, and have spent tens of thousands of dollars on golf products over the years. This is the first TaylorMade product I have ever purchased and I have to say that I am extremely disappointed. For the price I paid, the material should not be fraying after less than a month. After 6 months, the material will be gone and the sub-surface will be exposed. What a poor product design!

Additionally, the 'self-adjusting straps' constantly become entangled, requiring me to untangle them several times a round. I have had numerous carry bags over the years and rarely had this problem, so it must be another TaylorMade design flaw.

For example, I bought a Titleist carry bag while serving at Anderson AFB, Guam in 1992, 28 years ago, and my son is still using the bag! I NEVER had a problem with the shoulder straps and the design had held up for nearly 3 decades - 30 years versus 30 days, I will never buy TaylorMade products again and Titleist will most likely get my business from this point forward.

I told TaylorMade that I have photos and if they do not have a replacement product with a better design and equally light-weight design, I want a refund. We will see what happens.

CombatCritic Gives TaylorMade LiteTech 3.0 Stand Golf Bag 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF SHAME' ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

FUBAR

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20  

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: My Titleist Golf Carry Bag Has Lasted 30 Years, This TaylorMade Carry Bag Lasted Less Than 30 Days!

Key Words: Titleist, golf, carry bag, TaylorMade, Amazon, amazon.com, 2019, LiteTech, 3.0 stand, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, product, business, review, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Bandon Dunes, Oregon: Helen's Place (Airbnb) - A Bit Pricey, But A Good Place To Stay Very Close To Bandon Dunes

Airbnb Helen's Place

Entire Cottage - 1BR / 1 BA, Pull-Out Sofa, Kitchen

5 Minute Drive from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Price: $$$$

Airbnb Listing - Click Here

The cottage was rustic, but very nice and the proximity to Bandon Dunes was a big plus, just a five minute drive from the main clubhouse. The king size bed was very comfy and the kitchen/bathroom were well equipped for a short stay. The highlight of our stay was Peanut, the host’s sweet kitty who greeted us on arrival and stopped by to say hi throughout our stay.

It's the little things that make a host a Super Host, so here are some of the constructive suggestions I offered our hosts ...

Travelers assign 5-star ratings far too easily and do a disservice to subsequent travelers by not being honest. I have a popular travel website and owe it to my 80,000 readers each and every year to be completely honest, otherwise they would not return. Honesty and integrity are my top two core values, so I have to be truthful no matter what.

I travel all over the world and have stayed in many Airbnb's. Helen’s partner, Eddy, gave us a nice welcome, but Helen never introduced herself, even when I went to the door to find out where the sheets for the fold-out couch were. 

Many hosts leave a personal welcome note and something that shows that they are glad we are staying with them such as a bottle of inexpensive wine, homemade cookies, chocolates, coffee/creamers/Keurig/sweeteners and the like. Our welcome was just a single coffee filter and a bag of coffee beans (no grinder), so we had to go out and buy 200 filters and a bag of ground coffee. 

Finally, one or both of them could have come out on the morning we were leaving to say goodbye and thank us for staying with them, and paying $315 for 2 nights, but that did not happen.

As I said, I don't bring these things up to be mean or to insult the hosts, I'm hoping to help them become better hosts by offering some small suggestions to make future guests feel more welcome and appreciated, therefore enhancing the value of their accommodation.

We rarely pay more than $75 per night on Airbnb's and I'm talking about nice, private apartments in central London, Paris, Lyon, Lisbon, and Tel Aviv, just to name a few. At over $150 per night, I was not overly impressed by the cottage, but I think Bandon locals are taking advantage of tourists/golfers in general because this was actually one of the cheaper places in the area. 

CombatCritic Gives Helen's Place A Very Respectable 6 Out Of 10 Bombs, Leaving Room For Improvement ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20  

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Bandon Dunes, Oregon: Helen's Place (Airbnb) - A Bit Pricey, But A Good Place To Stay Very Close To Bandon Dunes

Key Words: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Helen, Airbnb, golf, course, Bandon, Pacific, dunes, OldMacDonald, sheep, ranch, resort, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, hotel, accommodation, review, Yelp, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Amazon: Lightweight Travel/Carry Golf Bag Is Junk Made in China - Do Not Purchase

Rock Bottom Golf
6701 College Drive
Suffolk, VA 23435-3336
(877) 540-4653
rockbottomgolf.com

I bought a US Air Force lightweight golf bag on Amazon less than two month ago. The stitching on the back (connecting the straps) with the Air Force logo started coming apart almost immediately and I had to stitch it so that the padding would not fall out.

I bought a nearly identical LA Dodgers golf bag less than two years ago that had similar issues (the zipper on the main side compartment broke and the bag became useless). Both have something inside the bag that continuously unravels, leaving long thin black threads on the clubs as you pull them out and I am continuously pulling the threads off as I take my grip. This is a distraction I would rather do without. 

This is how I pulled it out of the bag - normally I find long, thin threads on my hands

These bags are very poor quality and the 14 club inserts have become difficult to insert clubs into, probably because those unraveling threads are blocking the way. It seems as though the 14 insert 'tubes' are separated by thin, cheap nylon material that are sewn into place with that very black thread and they are also falling apart just weeks after purchase. 

Finally, the metal loop that connects the back straps to the bag is attached by a cheap, thin mesh and the loop constantly moves out of position (90 degrees). I gave up moving it back to the way it is supposed to be because, at least, it seems to stay in the new position.

This bag is the Hot-Z Golf US Military (Air Force) Stand Bag purchased on Amazon from Rock Bottom Golf and 'rock bottom' is a very appropriate name, not in terms of prices, but due to quality issues, poor customer service, and lack of integrity, definitely putting them at the bottom of the pond with the rocks and other pond scum. 

I ordered two used Wilson D7 hybrids from Rock Bottom Golf a few weeks back, spending quite a bit money on them and a few other things, but when they arrived, the 4-hybrid had the wrong shaft. I called them immediately and told them I received the wrong club, but they could have cared less, offering me $5 off of my next order. Next order? As George Bush always said, 'not gonna happen, wouldn't be prudent'!

CombatCritic Gives Hot-Z Golf US Military Stand Bag and Rock Bottom Golf 2 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Two Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Tits Up" 

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20  

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Amazon: Lightweight Travel/Carry Golf Bag Is Junk Made in China - Do Not Purchase

Key Words: Amazon, golf, bag, junk, Made in China, Rock Bottom Golf, rock, bottom, golf, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, product, business, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, Amazon.com

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved