OF all the places in the world to go on holiday, from tropical beaches to fascinating capital cities, a group of 30 Worcestershire Golf Club members and their families have just returned from a visit to Malvern.

However, they hadn't decided to stay at home, their trip was to Malvern, Pennsylvania, where Faith Tubb took a picture of a town sign placing the English Malvern in Wales.

While local residents may not realise, an exchange between the two towns has operated for 18 years.

Worcestershire Golf Club member Dr Neil Phillips came up with the idea when he was club captain in 1988 and his son suggested a telephone match was played with a club from Malvern, Pennsylvania.

The original idea was for each club to play their own course, and report the results over the telephone, so Dr Phillips contacted the Chester Valley Club after choosing between the town's two golf clubs by tossing a coin.

"They wrote a letter back and said they'd be delighted to play a match, but wouldn't it be much more fun to actually come over and play?" he said.

Since the Americans' first visit, teams have been visiting each Malvern in turn every two years to play their version of the Ryder Cup, a hotly contested international contest.

The winning men's team receives the Malvern Bowl, donated by former club chairman Ken Whimster, while the triumphant ladies scoop the Malvern Figurine presented by Dr Phillips and his wife, who have been on the exchange three times.

He described Malvern, Pennsylvania as "brilliant".

"The people over there are extremely nice. Whenever we go over there we stay with their members and when they come here they stay with us.

"Over the years, many people have developed personal friendships and go on holiday together to places like Florida in the years the competition doesn't take place," he said.

"I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has. Originally it was just an idea to play over the telephone and never the twain shall meet but it's been going on 18 years."

The six-day visit last month was Mrs Tubb's second trip to Malvern, Pennsylvania, which saw the British men's team defeated by the Americans and not enough entrants for the women's competition to go ahead.

Asked how the American Malvern is different to the Worcestershire town, she said: "It's a quite nice, countrified area, very pleasant and not as built up as it is here."

However, her inquiries about the signs incorrect geography did not get too far although it is is thought Welsh settlers may have made the error.

The Gazette contacted the mayor of Malvern to investigate why the sign was inaccurate, but did not receive a response.