SAFETY FIRST

Salvador Gallardo is the golf director of the Santana Golf Club and he recently contributed an article to the Andalucia Golf magazine under the heading "Russian Roulette". In the article, he brought to public attention the spineless habit of many golf clubs of treating any Tom, Dick or Harry who promised to introduce a few green fees as official agents, enjoying the same terms as established legally registered and bonded travel agencies. "So what?" you may well ask, assuming that this kind of competition makes golf cheaper for everyone.

Not so. Many of the so called agencies currently offering their services in local magazines or through the Internet are not legally entitled to do so and to deal with them means clients run the risk of losing their money and their golf reservations. Companies like Golf Leisure Breaks S.L. have to pay taxes, social security payments for all their staff and provide bonding guarantees to protect their clients.

Furthermore, they have long-standing relationships with all the golf courses and locally based staff to protect their clients' interests, a service which cannot be offered by companies which make all their arrangements by internet. So before arranging your next game or golf holiday through an agent, ask for evidence of licencing and bonding. Not to do so could cost you a lot of money.