June 2007

Golf Resorts

Golf is one of the most popular leisure sports on the planet. That’s why golfing and vacations go so well together. Many resorts feature their own golf courses as well as vacation packages that offer you accommodations, amenities and rounds of golf at discounted prices.

These deals certainly add to the allure of golf resorts, but a more impressive characteristic is the conditioning and quality necessitated in the maintenance and upkeep of the courses. At many resorts you have access to pro-grade courses right outside of your door.

Timeshares

Great golfing can be found all over the globe. Timeshares can also be found all over the globe.

The availability of great courses and timeshare rentals make a cost-efficient combination. Because timeshares are so accessible, they have become low cost compared to most conventional vacation lodging. The escalation in the popularity of vacationing worldwide has driven the price of accommodations down.

Over the past decade the travel industry has experienced increased success, presumably because of the enhancement of resort quality. As I mentioned earlier, essentially anyone can have access to pro-grade courses at certain establishments if they desire. Not too long ago these features were only available to upper class travelers.

In addition to the low cost of timeshares, timeshares resales offer an average of 60% savings over market prices. Vacation property resales are a relatively new concept, and there are countless properties available in an assortment of locations around the world.

Golfing Timeshare Locations

Every different location has something unique to offer. Now that you know all the options you have, all you have to do is decide what type of golfer you are.

Are you the type that wants Canadian mountains fashioning the backdrop behind the green ?

If you like a dry heat, Scottsdale, Arizona’s red rock desert features several world-renowned courses.

Bermuda, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach satisfy your craving to play in the shade of palm trees.

If you want lesser-known destinations for great golfing check out Argentina, South Africa or Australia, all of which provide astounding grounds.

If you are the type of golfer that likes to travel to a different place every year then you have the opportunity to fully take advantage of what timeshares have to offer.

A principle aspect of timeshares is that they can be exchanged for different property. You can exchange your timeshare for another at a different golf destination every year if you want.

For the travelling golfer timeshares is the ultimate accessory.

I just noticed a great place to buy, rent and sell timeshares, specifically the golf timeshares that interest all of us here at Travelling Golfer.

I’ll try to get more info and bring it to you soon.

I’ve often wondered where my British, English and European readers might do their online shopping for golf clubs.

I noticed in my server stats that I’ve had over 13,000 pages viewed so far this month by readers from those locales, so I investigated the choices.

The best place I found to buy Golf Clubs was Click Golf, located in London.

They seem to have everything a golfer would need and you don’t have to leave home to get it.

Click Golf stocks a wide selection of golf clubs from top names including Taylor Made, Mizuno, Callaway, RAM, Cobra and John Letters.

They have a great selection of drivers, fairway woods, irons, putters, starter sets, utility clubs and wedges and they’re all from some of the finest golf equipment manufacturers.

If you’re a reader of Travelling Golfer based in the UK, give Click Golf a try. If you’ve already done business with them, let me know what the experience was like.

Here’s another great shot from Golf Courses Of The US Open.

This one’s the 2nd hole at Torrey Pines, a golf course I’m sure el Tigre played a lot on growing up. Maybe ol’ Lefty did too.

Click thru to the website and check out the book and click thru to Torrey Pine’s website and see if you can get us on and I’ll fly out for a round … or two !

As always, you can get a better view by clicking on the photo.

The good folks over at WorldGolf.com are giving away Pings in exchange for answering questions in their survey, which is behind this case of link leak.

Click thru, answer the questions, win the Pings, say thanks to Mike !

In.That.Order.

PS - while you’re there, subscribe to everything they have …because it’s all that dang good !

Here’s one of the shots from Golf Courses Of The US Open, written by David Barrett and soon to be part of a review here at Travelling Golfer.

This happens to be the 2nd hole at The Riviera Country Club, sometimes called Hogan’s Alley, because of the success enjoyed there by Mr. Hogan.

You can click on the photo to enlarge it and you can follow the link to purchase the book.

David Barrett, a former senior editor at GOLF Magazine, recently authored a book covering the golf courses that are in the US Open rotation.

David is also the editor-in-chief at Divot Communication, publisher of some of the nation’s finest regional golf magazines. He also contributes to GolfObserver.com.

We just watched the drama unfold from Oakmont and every year we dream about playing in the U.S. Open. Or at least I do.

I’m not gonna ever get that chance, but being 6′2″ and 250 lbs., maybe I’ll still be bombing it long enough to qualify for a Senior US Open in 6 more years !

Now, at least I can dream in full-color, because David has authored Golf Courses of the U.S. Open, the next best thing to being there.

He profiles 50 amazing courses, such as Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No. 2, and Winged Foot Golf Club.

There’s also a detailed look at some lesser-known host sites, such as Myopia Hunt Club and Inwood Country Club, from the early years of the twentieth century, which just might be the chapters I read first. Even though he never had any real success in the US Open, Sam Snead is my favorite golfer of years gone by and seeing and reading about those courses will be a special treat for me.

Beautiful photographs are accompanied by detailed descriptions of the courses and lively accounts of how the leading players of all time, including Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, have won U.S. Opens there.

Completing this elegant volume is a foreword by Rees Jones, known as ” the Open doctor ” for his work in redesigning, restoring, and renovating courses in preparation for the U.S. Open.

Also included are detailed maps of the most prominent courses and a comprehensive section of U.S. Open records and statistics.

I’ve got a copy on the way to me and will give you a full review as soon as I can finish the book.

Luckily, I’ve got 12 days of vacation coming and golfing and reading about golf are going to be a big part of that.

Here’s a golf course test for you - Can anybody tell me what golf course and hole is pictured on the cover of the book ?

I get a newsletter from Forbes and the most recent one has a great guide to golf for all of us who like :

Expensive Private and Semi-Private Courses

Multi-million Dollar Golf Homes

The Hottest Golf Wear

High Dollar Golf Caddies

Raising A Golf Star

Click thru and see how the other half lives.

Here’s another book I was sent, but don’t have time to read and review.

We operate way too many blogs and get way too many books in the mail each week for me to be able to keep up.

So I’ll send this book to one lucky person drawn from everyone who leaves a comment in the next 7 days.

Leave a comment, win a book, where can you beat it ?

Here’s another new golf book that I recently was sent a copy of.

James Ragonnet has spent three decades studying golf and has applied the classic teachings of Buddha to the fine game we all love.

I’ll be the first to admit that a Hillbilly Golf Star like me has no business mixing Buddha and golf, so I was a little hesitant to review this book.

Not because I have anything against Buddha, but because I don’t feel qualified to critique his teachings.

I will point out that Mike Greenberg, of Mike and Mike in the Morning, from ESPN, said this about this book, ” If you play golf, you have to read this book. It will make you a better golfer, whether it improves your score or not. It will help you understand the game better than you ever have before. “

That’s about as well as I could say it, if I had said it. I don’t feel like a better golf, but I feel better about golfing, now that I’ve read the book. Maybe even like a better person.

Once again, I don’t see the need to hoard this book and let it collect dust on my shelf, so if you’ll leave a comment, I’ll choose a lucky winner from amongst the commenters and send this book to them.

Leave a comment, win a book, become a better person and maybe a better golfer too !