TORONTO -- "What's the one thing all these unsolved
murders have in common?" asks the police inspector played by Alan
Arkin in the film adaptation of Jules Pfeiffer's brilliant satire
Little Murders. "The one thing they have in common," he stammers, "is
that they have nothing in common."

Fairmont's golf schools are like that, too - well, up to a point, at
any rate. In fact, every one of them is a full-service
game-improvement facility, offering everything from club fitting and
equipment, to short- and long-game instruction, to fitness enhancement
and insights into golf's endlessly subtle mental aspects. Students
range in experience and ability from players who have never picked up
a club to scratch golfers, sometimes in corporate groups covering the
entire spectrum of talent. The point is, just as our guests choose
Fairmont hotels for their distinctive individual ambience, our golf
schools inevitably exude their own special, location-specific appeal.

Which Fairmont best matches your own game-improvement goals? Consider
the following half-dozen examples.

· Many golf teachers prefer working with accomplished amateurs
or even professionals, but that's not the case with Hugues Fournier,
the gracious director of golf at Fairmont Le Château Montebello. He
has made something of a science of teaching beginners; and while most
of his lessons consist of one-on-one instruction, he even offers free,
thrice-weekly clinics for resort guests during summer months.

"It's possible to instill a certain sense of how to hit a golf ball by
explaining what the clubs are used for, how many are in the standard
set, and so forth," says Fournier, "and it's a factor that's often
overlooked in getting new players started. So we begin by going to
the range to explore these concepts. And the goal of the session,
even if it's only an hour or an hour-and-a-half, is simple but
immensely satisfying: for the student to experience the sensation of
crisply hitting a golf ball. Most avid golfers can remember the
thrill of doing this the first time, and it's almost as much fun for
the instructor as for the student."

· Gary Slatter, the director of golf at Fairmont St Andrews, has
certainly taught his share of beginners, but he is more likely to
encounter fanatical amateur golfers intent on playing the region's
famous seaside links courses, not to mention the resort's two links
layouts, the Devlin and Torrance courses. To successfully navigate
the Scottish terrain requires a bit of re-education, even for the
accomplished player.

"The characteristic stiff breezes and fast, firm turf dictate that the
game be played closer to the ground than is the case elsewhere,"
explains Slatter, "and this affects everything from course management
to swing mechanics."

Thus, Slatter first helps students to visualize a lower, wind-boring
ball flight designed to land in front of the target and bounce on to
the green, as opposed to hitting it on the fly. The swing needed to
generate such a trajectory is generally more compact.

"At first, it's an adjustment for players not used to the conditions
here," he says, "but after a bit of practice, golfers from North
America and elsewhere often prefer it, as requires a little more
imagination."

· Every successful golf teacher, notes Ernesto Perez, golf
operations manager at the Fairmont Mayakoba, is part psychoanalyst.
"Our focus is on catering to individual guests' needs," he says, "so
the first step is to get a personalized profile of their expectations
and pre-existing understanding of the game. The majority of our
students will want to start with the ABCs of the golf swing: grip,
posture, and basic set-up, all the while emphasizing the importance of
patience."

Having established rapport with students, Perez often can induce them
to consider aspects of game-improvement they may not have
contemplated. Many mid-level amateurs, men in particular, simply want
to focus on hitting the ball farther, whereas short-game proficiency
would be more beneficial in terms of lowering their scores. Without
realizing it, women frequently have inappropriate equipment in their
golf bags, typically clubs with shafts that are too long, too stiff,
or both.

Located in the Riviera Maya, Perez also regularly gives couple's
lessons, which - unlike, say, a husband trying to teach his wife to
play - has a way of encouraging bonding in a shared activity. Asked
whether he has ever disagreed with a couples-lesson student about the
pace of progress, he chuckles. "Almost never."

· Ask experts to identify the most in-demand personnel in the
golf industry and the answer is invariably the female teaching
professional. No wonder we have been gratified to have Marie-Eve Dion
as head golf pro at Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu for the past five
years. After all, many of those same industry experts tout
participation by women as the future of the game, and, says Dion
succinctly, "It's easier to teach women if you're a woman."

Indeed, she estimates that some 60 percent of her students are female.
In addition to conveying an infectious enthusiasm for the game, Dion
encourages pupils to adopt a methodical approach to playing the game,
especially in developing a pre-shot routine. She also works to
capitalize on her women charges' greater flexibility to compensate for
a lack of strength relative to their male counterparts.

"Men can generate power simply by swinging their arms," Dion says.
"Women need to work the whole body to get distance. When they do,
though, they're usually surprised by how far they're able to hit the
ball."

Dion also has a not-so-secret weapon for furthering novices' enjoyment
of the game: the resort's woman-friendly, spectacularly scenic 27
holes overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The holes are not overly
long, require few daunting forced carries, and feature touches like
bronze tee markers instead of the potentially stigmatizing red ones
often referred to as "the women's tees."

· Methodology is what The Fairmont Chateau Whistler's Practice &
Learning Centre is all about, as it is home to Canada's first and only
David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Known for its sophisticated,
computer-aided approach to swing analysis, the Leadbetter program for
game improvement has created a cultish following among touring
professionals and serious amateurs alike, some of whom spend up to
four days at a time at the school.

"It's a real competitive advantage for us to have a facility of this
caliber on site, as it enables us to attract devoted golfers, of
varying ability, from all corners of the world - Asia, Europe,
Australia, not just North America," says Gregg Lown, the resort's
director of golf, who also notes that many beginners, including those
on corporate retreats, benefit from the academy.

And the setting, Lown emphasizes, is gloriously conducive to the task
at hand: Located adjacent to the 6th fairway of the renowned Fairmont
Chateau Whistler Golf Club, the Academy Building is part of seven
acres of practice facilities designed by Canadian golf architect Gary
Browning, and includes a 10,000-square-foot putting green,
chipping/putting surfaces, and practice bunkers.

· As taught by 2005 Alberta Golf Professional of Year Scott
Holland, the short game's the thing at The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf
Club. Holland, who was also nominated as a GOLF Magazine Top 100
Teacher the following year, is notable among teaching pros for his
ardor for short-game instruction - not out of character, perhaps, for
a guy who set the Guinness World Record for "most holes of golf played
in a 12-hour period (221)" while walking without a caddie.

"The fastest way to lower scores is practicing short game," says
Holland, "and this is personally my favorite aspect of the game to
teach. To promote understanding and retention of sound fundamentals,
I use a three-tiered model - putt it, run it, fly it -- to help
students make informed decisions. Always use the technique with the
least margin for error. So if you can putt it, do so. Whatever ball
flight you decide upon, remember to keep your weight slightly forward
and your lower body relatively quiet. And so on. After a while,
these shots become almost second nature, and good short-game players
get as big a kick out of a great pitch shot as a 300-yard drive."

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the golf club's spacious short-game
practice area has stunning 360-degree views of the Canadian Rockies
and the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. Who wouldn't like
to work on his or her short game here?

A leader in the global hospitality industry, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
is an extraordinary collection of luxury hotels, which includes iconic
landmarks like the Fairmont Singapore, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in
Switzerland and New York's The Plaza. Fairmont hotels are
one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover
culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination.
Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the
world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry
leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green
Partnership program. Fairmont's portfolio includes 56 distinctive
hotels, with plans to develop over 20 new properties in the coming
years in destinations as diverse as Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Anguilla.

Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading
global hotel company with 90 hotels worldwide under the Raffles,
Fairmont and Swissôtel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and
Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club
properties. For more information or reservations, please call
1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com.

CONTACT:
Lori Holland
Mike Taylor
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
212/715-7098
416/874-2457
lori.holland@fairmont.com
mike.taylor@fairmont.com