Golf Resorts

Anybody headed to the Dominican Republic for a golf vacation ?

If you are, you need to check into a great golf package being offered by Ultimate Golf Vacations. These guys have a great trip waiting on you, if you’re interested in the sunny southeast coast of the Dominican.

Guavaberry Golf & Country Club, a Gary Player signature, 7156 yard golf course, is the place to be, especially this time of the year, in my cold neck of the woods.

From their website :

” Only one hour to the east of the capital of Santo Domingo, Guavaberry is located near the resort town of Juan Dolio. Here you are within reach of spectacular beaches, all-inclusive resort hotels, the highest mountains in the Caribbean, and the capital city’s Spanish colonial architecture and modern amenities. “

I don’t have the verbal skills to describe the golf course, so I’ll let their Course Overview do the talking for me.

The facilities look to be about an 11.5 on a scale of 1 - 10. Give ‘em a look HERE.

Read carefully and think about how much value you’re getting for your money.

Our Land Only Package includes:

6 days / 5 nights

Costa Caribe Coral by Hilton $865 / Hamaca Coral by Hilton $895

- Unlimited Rounds of golf per person per week

- Bucket of practice balls per day

- Shared golf cart / Golf club storage

- Shuttle service between hotel and golf course

The all inclusive rates include Hotels and taxes, Roundtrip airport transfers, all meals, snacks and beverages, gratuities and more.

Of course, there’s time limits, restictions and yada, yada.

Go by their site, call ‘em and then enjoy some great weather and golf.

Tell ‘em Mike sent you, maybe they’ll advertise on my site !

The Sand Trap has a post that gives all the details about The Golf World Scottsdale Invitational. It’s December 7-1o, 2005.

From The Sand Trap :

” Regardless whether your season has ended or is just about to peak, Golf World is offering an incredible and unique opportunity to shake the Holiday blues and get back into the sun through a special GolfWRX members only registration for the upcoming Golf World Scottsdale Invitational Tournament. This is the second year in Scottsdale and the event is hosted on four premier courses, including the TPC of Scottsdale, home of the FBR Open. “

Click on over to The Sand Trap’s post and read all about this fine golf event.

Here’s another avenue for you to travel down in your quest for golf and family fun in Myrtle Beach.

Coral Beach Resort has several golf packages and almost everyone of them is family friendly.

Their website has links to the Economy Golf Getaway, Signature Club Collection, The Royal Tour and many more.

You can go cheap, go big and go now !

AAA loves them and the Travel Channel voted them ” Best Family Accomodations In Myrtle Beach. ”

Go by and book a family golf vacation today.

Tell ‘em Mike sent you.

Today’s Travelling Golfer goes to all parts of the globe, even New Hampshire, to play great golf courses.

So we’re going to look at a Donald Ross designed golf course way up in the White Mountains.

If you knew where Dixville or Dixville Notch, I’ve seen it called both and it is unincorporated, is before you look at these directions and map, you are far better travelled than I am.

The golf course here has been called one of Donald Ross’ most spectacular layouts. Having been able to build on the side of Keyser Mountain, the Panorama is aptly named.

From their website:

” Since 1897, golf has been a favorite guest activity at The BALSAMS. Legendary golf architect, Donald Ross, built upon the resort’s early experiment with golf (a six-hole layout in 1897) by designing The PANORAMA 18-hole course in 1912. Ross personally supervised the construction of this 6,804 yard layout high on the western side of Keyser Mountain. The course is a scenic masterpiece. The holes flow naturally over the mountainside and feature Ross’ signature elements, such as: deceptively wide fairways with few level lies; small roundish greens, frequently domed, and devilishly difficult; and fescue-walled sand bunkers that serve more as visual obstacles than as actual hazards.
This golf course is unforgettable yet it presents a new experience for every golfer. Guests talk about it all year long. “

If you are going, be sure to take the whole family along, because there’s a heck of a lot more to do besides play golf.

There’s a 9 hole Executive golf course, the Coashaukee, for a quick round.

There’s a golf school for tidying up your weak points.

There’s way more than I can tell you about here, so go by their website and take your time looking at the new dream I have !

Tell ‘em Mike sent you !

Here’s another high desert golf course I played the last time I was in Arizona. Gold Canyon Golf Resort’s Dinosaur Mountain Course.

From their website :

” The #1 rated public golf course in Arizona is ready to offer you a truly unique golfing experience in the high Sonoran desert. Every tee box here presents a panoramic vista and an exhilarating challenge to your game. The course will take you up, over and around Dinosaur Mountain with dramatic tee-to-green elevation changes and long, loping fairways. The views of the nearby Superstition Mountains are spectacular. Signature holes #4 and #5 are among the most memorable in the game! “

If I remember right, this was the first course I ever played in Arizona. It was my first view of the Superstition Mountains and it was an experience I’ll always remember. I can’t wait to take my lovely bride out there for a visit some day.

The Sonoran Desert is a special place and the people at Gold Canyon treated us well. Good food in the snack shop and a fabulous golf course are two important ingredients in the recipe of life.

Their website is well done, too. Plenty of photos, printable scorecard, interactive tour with panoramic views…they’ve got it all.

They also have a page with online only specials and other packages.

Gold Canyon’s Dinosaur Course is a must play if you get anywhere near Phoenix.

Go by and visit them and tell ‘em Mike sent you.

If you’re in the mood for a golf vacation to the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina, you need to check out these 2 special golf packages.

Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort has a Romantic Escape golf package that includes 3 nights accommodations, daily breakfast for 2, dinner for 2, choice of massage or facial, and more.

The Three-Night Autumn Escape package starts at only $225 !

From their website:

” The Litchfield / Pawleys Island area has been a favorite family vacation destination for centuries, where visitors come to enjoy the warm waters and cool breezes of the Atlantic. The area has retained its historic Lowcountry charm, and today offers a superb selection of recreational amenities, including golf, tennis, shopping and dining, along with the most beautiful beaches on the East Coast. Experience your dream vacation at Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort. “

Their website is well done and very visually appealing, especially since fall has arrived in my area.

Go by and visit their site and then book a vacation and send me an email fron the Grand Strand.

Have you ever watched the Par 3 Shootout on ESPN ? Yeah, me too. And I always wondered what the venue called Treetops is like.

Well, I now know all I ever wanted to know, because I went to Treetops’ web site. It’s as well done as any golf website I’ve ever viewed.

They have 81 holes of golf designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Tom Fazio and Rick Smith.

They have the Rick Smith Golf Academy.

They have a pile of golf packages.

They have info on all the courses.

They have winter & skiing info.

They have………well, they have it all. Everything except you as a visitor. Now go visit their site and then book a week’s worth of rounds and take Mike along.

If you can’t take Mike, at least tell ‘em Mike sent you !

If you’ve never been to Colorado Springs, now’s a great time to visit. Any times great, but Fall is a special time for golfers.

The Broadmoor has views of the Rockies and the colors this time of year are breathtaking.

The courses there were designed by Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, Sr., so the golf is going to be worth the trip.

From their website:

” The world famous Broadmoor means many things to many different people, but to the golfer it signifies three superb and challenging championship golf courses. Donald Ross designed the original 18-hole course in 1918, which was 6,617 yards and a par 74. In 1958, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. completed the design for another nine holes, and he finished a second 18-hole course incorporating the Ross holes in 1965. The final layout has resulted in a combination of Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designs on each course. “~Mr. Russ Miller, Director of Golf, Broadmoor Golf Club

Their website, which is well done, has a page of Specials & Packages, which you find out about by clicking those words.

Go give their website a look and then take off for Colorado Springs and tell ‘em Mike sent you.

Since 1892, The Homestead’s Old Course has been one of the great places to play golf in the fall. It’s also the oldest first tee in continuous use in the United States.

Golfers flock to The Homestead for many different reasons. Some go to hone their game at the renowned Golf Advantage School. Others come to walk the fairways of the Cascades Course where golfing legend Sam Snead began his unmatched professional career. Others simply go to enjoy what most consider the finest mountain golf in all America.

From their website:

” The Homestead is your luxury golf destination if you are serious about playing on some of the best championship golf courses in Virginia. Ranked #4 by Golf Digest in its America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses, the Cascades Course offers challenging golf set against the backdrop of Virginia’s breathtaking Allegheny Mountains. In fact, the natural contours and rolling valleys of the Allegheny Mountains served as the perfect canvas for this luxury golf course. The Homestead built its first golf course more than 100 years ago and since then we have offered the very best in Virginia championship golf courses year in and year out. “

This time of year The Allegheny Mountains are ablaze with color that is unmatched in depth and beauty.

Don’t be afraid to call and ask for directions…then hurry over there before the leaves are gone !

Tell ‘em Mike sent you !

I just got the chance to play a round at Lafayette Golf Club today. I’d heard that it was the #2 golf course in the state of Kentucky.

From their website:

Designed by Jody Kinney of Dublin, Ohio, Lafayette covers 250 acres, and takes advantage of the varied terrain and the many lakes and rivers on the historic Green Farm property. Opened in May of 1997, the course offers superior golf for all levels of play. Four tees on each hole vary the course from 4200 yards to 6900 yards with the layout design incorporating both links and wooded styles. Lush bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens are surrounded by Kentucky bluegrass rough. Lafayette was recently awarded a 4 1/2 Star Rating from Golf Digest. Yet we suggest you come visit us and find out for yourself!

I had never heard of Jody Kinney, but I do know that they know their golf in Dublin, OH. Jody did a first-class job of building a golf course that will flat whip your butt the first time you play it. I shot an 88 and I usually play a few strokes over par, not 16 !

There are some places that you really don’t want to hit it. There are greens where you don’t want to get above or beside the hole. There is water, water and more water. There are bunkers with sand that is as fair as any I’ve ever played.

There are some long, long par 4’s. Some 3 shot par 5’s. Some short, but tricky, par 4’s, some scary par 3’s.

The rates were so low and reasonable that I don’t even want to publicize them here for fear of a gold rush !

The greens were in great shape. The fairways were mowed nicely and the rough was, well….rough !

My friends Blair and Pete were as whipped as I was at the end of 18 holes, mostly because we don’t have the kind of game we need to have to handle a track like this.

The surrounding terrain is spectacular. There are more trees, hills and wide-open spaces than you can dream about.

Here’s another reason to go and STAY. They have an old mansion, as a Bed-N-Breakfast there on the grounds. The rates for that are so fair that I can’t even believe it. Bring your wife, girlfriend, husband or whatever and spend a weekend walking around and you’ll forget your cellphones and all that crud at the office. Let them ride around with you and enjoy the scenery and then go into town for a nice meal and wait for the breakfast buffet at the old Green Mansion.

Go check out their website, come down for a weekend of GREAT golf and world-class scenery. The leaves will be changing colors really soon and fall is why I live in Kentucky.

The course was great, even if it whipped my butt, and I can’t wait for another crack at it, say…next week !

I called 2 friends from Louisville, while driving home. I told them about the whippin’ I got and now they want some, too !

Tell ‘em Mike sent you !