Actors James and Ollie Phelps, 33, who played Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter films, developed a passion for golf in between casting spells
My favourite golf course is…
James: Muirfield Village in Ohio. I was lucky enough to play it last summer, and it was out of this world. Everything about it was just right – the attention to detail made it very special. We’ve been lucky to play at some amazing courses all over the world – I’ve so many tags on my golf bag that they jingle like Father Christmas’s sleigh!
Ollie: Pebble Beach. After my honeymoon in California, I managed to sneak away to play both Spyglass Hill and Pebble – which was an amazing experience. I also love Bay Hill. Whenever we do work for the theme park at Universal in Florida, we stay in Orlando and a guy we know is a member there, so we get to play the course. One time we were sitting at breakfast, someone patted me on the shoulder and said ‘I hope you’re having a great day?’ It was Arnold Palmer.
My best round was at….
James: Royal Melbourne in Australia. I play off 14 and managed to get round in four over – the round of my life. The greens were rolling at 12 or 13 on the stimp!
Ollie: My best round was at Spyglass. I was put out with three of the slowest golfers ever – it took over an hour to play four holes – so I decided to go ahead and play on my own. Playing off the backs, I shot in the 70s which, off 11, I was really chuffed about and still don’t know how it happened.
The course I would most like to play is…
James: Carnoustie. I’d like to recreate the Jean Van de Velde moment on the 18th! Even if I’m nowhere near the brook, I will chip the ball into the water, just so I can go for it.
Ollie: The Old Course at St Andrews, which is on everyone’s bucket list, or Augusta.
My ideal holiday fourball would include…
James: Let’s assume Ollie and I are two of the players, so we can have a pairs match. So I would want a pro because he could tell me what I was doing wrong, so it would be Sergio Garcia.
Ollie: I would have Tiger in my team. He’s not a bad golfer, and I’m sure he’s got some great stories to tell, too!
I always travel with…
James: A really loud pair of swimming shorts.
Ollie: A toothbrush.
My worst holiday experience was…
James: I went to Egypt a few years ago, and everyone in the hotel got sick except me. And we worked it out that I was the only person who had not gone in the pool. So it actually worked out really well, because I got my scuba diving license and spent two weeks going under water.
Ollie: I went to Gran Canaria when I was 19. I went with a girl, who I knew I didn’t want to be with. I’m sure people have had similar experiences and it was not nice for everyone.
My favourite city in the world is…
James: Nashville, Tennessee.
Ollie: Sydney, Australia.
My top travel tip is…
James: Check the weather forecast at your destination before you travel. I’m always unpreprared for bad weather.
Ollie: Look smart at the check-in desk and try for a last-minute upgrade.