Kissimmee Birdies fly high

It’s the end of November, Christmas is coming but so is the cold and very damp weather.

What could be better than to get away for a few days to play some golf, seek some birdies and generally relax in the agreeable climate of central Florida?

Well eight deserving golfers and I did just that last year.

They had all qualified for the Kissimmee Birdie Challenge final via qualifying events such as the Advantage golf competition, the Travel2 contest and the daddy of them all, the Just a Drop day.

I just turned up for the craic.

Representatives from Coop travel group, advantage travel centres, Baldwins Travel, John Henry Travel, Cosmos and Complete North America were all present and supposedly swinging well.

Flown in some comfort courtesy of Virgin Atlantic and housed in sumptuous accommodation by Omni Champions, the group was invited to play some of the region’s finest and most challenging golf courses.

They were also, due to the timing of the trip, hosted for a Thanksgiving dinner and ice show by the hospitable folks at the Gaylord Palms.

Golf however was the main reason for the trip and the first day saw the field take to the Omni’s National course and, whilst birdies of the one-under-par variety were hard to find, the feathered kind were on magnificent display.

One thing is for certain – playing golf in Kissimmee is an ornithologist’s delight. Bald eagles, kites, herons, cranes, ibis, flycatchers and many other domestic and migratory species (sometimes known as snow birds) were all easy to spot and observe.

For one or two of the golfers the local habitat was obviously too much of a distraction as the scores fell well below what would have been expected.

The next golf course was the long and challenging international course at the Omni.

This is a ‘proper’ golf course that has hosted many a professional and celebrity in its time.

Scoring again proved difficult, with some of the field struggling to get into the low twenties on the stableford scoring system.

The next two courses, Falcons Fire and Harmony, showed better scoring as the players got used to the playing conditions, time zones and entertainment which in this part of the world is both enjoyable and varied.

On the Saturday night the golfers were treated to magnificent steak meal followed by a tour around Old Town and its now famous 50’s American car procession. Think the Fonz.

The winner in the end won, much to Richard Law’s (John Henry Travel) dismay, by a country mile which in golf terms meant by at least 15 points over the four rounds.

The Kissimmee Birdie Challenge Champion for 2013 was Neil Smith, Coop Travel, a man who told me had been playing since he was nine years old.

Six of the lucky golfers with Neil out in front as usual ……………………….

Sixty years golf experience coming to bear on the fairways of Florida paid dividends.

To make it to the 2014 Kissimmee Birdie Challenge Final you need to play and play well in one of the qualifying events. Competition is stiff but so are the rewards.

You will be able to play some golf, bask in a bit of sun, have a dip in the pool and eat some local food just before the onset of winter weather back in the UK. Who could wish for more?

As the man himself would say: "Happy Days!"