| |

Links
to golf-travel features by Alan B. Nichols. Click on titles.
| Alabama |
|
"Golf
Shoring Up Gulf Shores"
This former hamlet on the Gulf of Mexico has
grown into a family-style vacation resort area with many fine golf
courses including Kiva Dunes, one of the "Top 75 Upscale
Courses in the U.S."
|
|
Gulf Shores area: Kiva Dunes and other courses |
 |
| Arizona |
|
"Golf in
Tucson: A Wild West Experience"
Tucked against the mountains, the
picturesque and highly-rated Lodge at Ventana Canyon resort offers
two world-class Tom Fazio desert layouts. The Mountain Course's
famed third hole, the signature par 3 of only 107 yards, requires
uncanny accuracy over a beautiful but treacherous Saguaro-framed
arroyo.
|
|
Tucson: The Lodge at Ventana Canyon |
 |
| Delaware |
"Come To
Baywood Greens And Be Sure To Bring Your Pruning Shears"
LONG NECK, DEL (Aug. 12, 2002) -- It is not surprising that
a golf course as good as Baywood Greens would draw golfers from far
and wide. Remarkable is that people visit the course who have no
interest in playing it. |
| |
"Birdies by the Bay: The Peninsula Makes Grande Entrance"
Featuring seven holes that stretch along the bay’s shoreline and four exceptionally challenging and scenic finishing holes, the course is the centerpiece of The Peninsula, the first private, gated golf club and resort community in southern Delaware. |
| |
"Bayside Brings World Class Golf To Southern Delaware"
The course is the feature amenity of Bayside Resort, a mixed-use resort situated on a stunning 867-acre site studded with woodlands and salt marshes located five miles west of Fenwick Island and along the north shore of Assawoman Bay. |
 |
| Florida |
| |
Golf in Southwest Florida - Par Excellence by the Gulf
A great blue heron was standing five yards in front of me as I prepared to tee off on #3 of the Osprey 9 on Raptor Bay in Bonita Springs. I took a practice swing, but it barely moved. I aimed a bit right to avoid hitting it and pulled the trigger. |
| |
|
"2006 Florida, Georgia and Caribean updates"
Updates on Florida, Georgia and the Caribean |
 |
|
"Amelia: The
Gateway to Fine Golf in Northeast Florida"
Amelia Island is a small (10 mile by 4 mile) barrier island just
40 minutes from downtown Jacksonville. It was settled in 1000 B.C.
by the Timucuan Indians.
|
 |
|
"Sarasota:
Golf on the Gulf"
If you prefer a quieter, less crowded
Florida golf-travel destination, consider Sarasota, a medium size
city with a leisurely feel 50 miles south of Tampa.
|
|
Six courses in the Sarasota area |
 |
|
"Golf
is Up to Speed in Daytona"
Drive your car on the exceptionally wide
beach, visit the Daytona International Speedway, and savor several
of the area's excellent daily-fee courses.
|
Introduction and LPGA International
Grand Haven and Sugar
Mill |
 |
|
SERIES:
"Feel the Magic of Golf in Orlando"
Golf has taken a permanent and strong root in Orlando, the world's
amusement capital, with some of the best golf clubs, resorts, daily
fee courses and schools that you'll find in the Sunshine State.
|
Orlando
Introduction
Arnold
Palmer's Bay Hill Club
Tranquil
Mission Inn Offers the Devil's Delight
Tee
It Up on Some of Orlando's Best Tracks (six daily-fee courses)
A
Squeaky Swing Gets An Overhaul (The Faldo Golf Institute by
Marriott) |
 |
|
"TPC
Sawgrass: Where the Pros Play"

Host of the annual Tournament Players Championship ('The Fifth
Major'), the Stadium Course is 'a famished bear on amphetamines'.
Bring your 'A' game, plenty of patience and a dozen sleeves of
balls."
|
|
Ponte Vedra (Jacksonville): TPC Sawgrass at Marriott |
 |
| Maryland |
|
"SERIES:
"Ocean City: All-Seasons Family Beach Resort"
Golf came late to Ocean City's table. But in the 1990s, city
leaders and businesses realized how valuable golf was to resort
tourism. Now, the greater OC area boasts no less than 17
courses that appeal to every level of player and pocketbook size.
|
Ocean
City Introduction
Bear
Trap Dunes
Eagles
Landing
Ocean
City Golf & Yacht Club
Lighthouse
Sound
River
Run
Rum
Pointe |
 |
"A Dave Pelz Clinic: Prescription for an Ailing Short
Game"
Former NASA physicist Dave Pelz, that jolly old giant
regularly seen on The Golf Channel and in the pages of Golf Magazine, has one-day
clinics nationwide and three day schools (at some of the country's
top luxury resorts) to teach golfers everything they need to know to improve their short
games. |
 |
| Mississippi |
|
"I
Wish I Was in Dixie: Dancing Rabbit"
A Tom Fazio-Jerry Pate design located on the Choctaw Indian
Reservation next to the Silverstar Resort and Casino, it's arguably
the best course in Mississippi. The next Augusta National?
|
|
Philadelphia: Dancing Rabbit Golf Club |
 |
| New
Jersey |
"Galloway
National Golf Club: New Jersey’s Finest"
The site for the course fronts the bay and
winds through a dense forest of mature pines mixed with
hardwoods on a site where the only sounds you might hear
come from the nature. It is not uncommon to see deer
crossing one’s path during a round at Galloway. |
 |
Atlantic City Area Courses:
Blue Heron Pines Golf Club
Brigantine Golf Links
Harbor Pines Golf Club
Mays Landing Golf & Country Club
Sand Barrens Golf Club
Seaview Marriott Resort and Spa
Shore Gate Golf
|
 |
Stone Harbor, Wildwood Golf Clubs: A Pair of Aces to Lay your Money on
Stone Harbor Golf Club and Wildwood Golf and Country Club are sure bets for golfers seeking exceptional private clubs on the south Jersey shore. Located within a short drive of one another, each club has its own distinctive atmosphere, with courses that are superb in their own way but contrast sharply in their designs. |
Stone Harbors Excellence is a Sure Bet
Wildwood Golf & Country Club Is a Classic Old Course |
| |
| North
Carolina |
|
SERIES:
"The Pinehurst Area: Cradle of American Golf"
It’s been called "the Cradle of American Golf" because
of its place in the annals of U.S. golf history. Golf in America
didn’t start here but it got a good shot in the arm here. Is it
any mystery, then, why there are so many golfing 'babes in these
woods'?
|
Pinehurst-Sandhills
Area Introduction
Forest
Creek is the Pinehurst Area's Private Gem
Foxfire's
Light is Rekindling Brighter Than Ever
Hyland
Hills Knows Its Market
Legacy:
A Quality Course for Golfers of All Levels
National
Golf Club Offers Convenience and Pinehurst's Only Nicklaus Layout
Pinehurst
#2 and Pinehurst #4: A Classical Gem Next to a Modern Classic
Pine
Needles and Mid Pines: All In The Family
A
Renascent Woodlake is Worth a Look
Home
Sweet Home at The Pine Crest Inn |
Brunswick, Sea Trail plantation resorts:
Golf and Resort Living at its Rustic Best
Brunswick and Sea Trail golf and resort plantations offer golf travelers a rustic and quiet alternative to the bustling commercial and tourist center of Myrtle beach proper while providing outstanding golf and assorted other amenities including health and fitness centers, biking/hiking trails, and cozy restaurants featuring top fare.
|
 |
| Pennsylvania |
| "For
a Golf Vacation and more, Here is Your Best Resort" |
|
Farmington: Nemacolin Woodlands
Resort & Spa |
 |
| South
Carolina |
Pinehurst, Myrtle Beach Hilton Head
a triumvirate of world class travel destinations that command the attention of any discriminating traveler. Each is known for its distinctive atmosphere and style, but there is one thing that they all have in common: world class golf, dining to match, and a host of other amenities and attractions to suit the taste of every vacationing visitor. |
Tradition Stands the Test of Time
On your next trip to Myrtle Beach, put it on your schedule: Tradition.
Located in the village of Litchfield Beach in the south end of the
Grand Strand, this Ron Garl masterpiece offers one magnificent hole
after another. Aptly named, the course is a throwback to the great
courses of old.
|
Sheraton Broadway
Plantation - For Convenience,
Fun and Comfort
On your next trip to Myrtle Beach, there is a resort worth looking
into. Sheraton Broadway Plantation Resort is much more than a place
to stay; it is an experience, an atmosphere, a small, secluded
and well-planned gated community of exceptionally comfortable,
spacious two-bedroom villas and enough services and amenities to
keep parents and their children amused for days.
|
|
"Charleston:
Fairways Take on History"
Walking down the 12th fairway of the fabled Ocean Course at Kiawah,
having just scorched one into the canal, I'm thinking... 'Monty shot
22 under here?'
|
Kiawah
Island Resort
Seabrook
Island Resort and Wild Dunes Resort |
 |
|
"Golf
is Better the Second Time Around - Hilton Head"
Does the "love is better the second time around" principle
apply to golf destinations? Yes, if it's Hilton Head. Visit the
first time and you are pleasantly surprised to find the promotional
material wasn’t hype. Go back again, and you remember why you
wanted to go there in the first place.
|
Hilton Head Island and area (second trip):
Sea Pines Plantation/Harbour Town, Colleton River
and Belfair Plantations |
 |
|
"Hilton
Head Island: A Golfer's Paradise"
Ah. Hilton Head in early December. The crowds were down, the temps
were up in the 80's, and I was...where else?... playing golf. Heaven
on Earth? You bet!
|
|
Sea Pines Plantation and Hilton Head courses, and Colleton River
(first trip) |
 |
|
"The
Beaufort Archipelago: South Carolina's Seaside Jewel"
Fast losing its status as South Carolina's best kept secret, the
Beaufort area is home to family-oriented Fripp Island Resort and a
number of private & semi-private courses.
|
|
Beaufort area, Fripp Island Resort and Secession Club |
 |
|
SERIES:
"Myrtle Beach's Best of the Beach"
Watching golf course openings on the Grand Strand is a little like
monitoring the GDP. The pace of growth may vary, but the trend is
always up. 124 in 2000, with several more scheduled for 2001. What
to play? You can be confident that if you play these gems you are on
the right track.
|
Myrtle
Beach Introduction
Arcadian
Shores and Wyndham Resort: A Pair of Aces
Barefoot
Resort Seeks Status As Major Southeast Golf Destination
The
Dunes Club: Epitome of Traditional Architecture
(Also: Marsh
Harbour, Ocean Harbour, Heather Glen)
International
World Tour Course Invites You to See the World
TPC
Brings Cash, and Cachet, to The Strand
Pawleys
Plantation is a South End Gem
Pine
Lakes: A Bit of Old Country in the Low Country
The
Reserve: What Magnificence!
Tidewater
is Grand on the Strand
True
Blue, True Strantz: Bring Your 'A' Game
Wild
Wing's Signature Layout Avocet
(Also:
Staybridge Suites) |
 |
Grande Dunes,
Farmstead, Meadowlands, Myrtlewood
With over 120
courses to choose from, finding fun and interesting places
to play golf in Myrtle Beach that are just right for the uninitiated
visitor can be quite daunting. Not to worry. Grande Dunes, Farmstead,
Meadowlands and Myrtlewood (two courses) are at the top of this reviewer’s
recommended list. Owned and/or managed by Burroughs & Chapin
Golf Management, they are among the most interesting and best conditioned
courses on the Grand Strand.
|
 |
"DuPont
World Amateur is one Heck of a Golf Tournament"
Take 5,000 golfers from all over the world, invite
them to the Grand Strand, organize them in flights
according to their handicaps, put them on 75 different
golf courses, let them compete for $400,000 in prizes
over four days (plus the championship round on the fifth
day), throw in a gala 19th hole with great
food and exhibits, and you have the largest and arguably
the most enjoyable amateur golf tournament in the world. |
 |
"2004 DuPont World Amateur - Everybody Wins"
Paula Morton, a 49-year-old business manager with a 16-hdcp from
Greenbrier, Tenn., sank a 25-ft putt and
won a Centex luxury villa at Barefoot Resort valued at $130,000.
Jeannette Fenner of Sturgis, Mich., carrying a 13 handicap, won the
championship and took home the crystal blue trophy and a free pass
to next year’s World Am.
|
| |
"Tidewater: Coming Back to Excellence"
Tidewater is widely recognized as one of the three best golf courses
on The Grand Strand, and with good reason. I first played and reviewed
it in 1998, and in October 2004, I played it again. My return engagement
confirmed to me that this is a must-play for all Myrtle Beach visitors. |
 |
| Virginia |
|
"Puts
Richmond Golf on the Map"
Standing on the tee box of the 9th hole at Kinloch Golf Club
12 miles northwest of Richmond, Va., golfers can be easily
distracted by the vista. The 9th is a majestic, panoramic 556-yard
dogleg right. A stream, whose banks are populated with sedges and
other marsh grasses, splits the rolling fairway and meanders the
entire length of the hole. The right fairway is bordered right by a
hardwood forest and a bluff.
|
| Richmond:
Kinloch Golf Club |
 |
|
"Kingsmill:
Superior Golf in an Historical Setting"
Golfers will love Pete Dye’s River Course, site of the
PGA Tour’s Michelob Championship. Golfers who also love American
history will have their imaginations fired as they walk over ground
trod by Colonial settlers and soldiers of the American Revolution
and Civil War.
|
|
Williamsburg: Kingsmill Resort |
 |
|
"Virginia
Home Away from Home"
Reminiscent of the finest country estates in Europe, Keswick Hall is
one of the world's top small golf resorts. All skill levels can
enjoy the challenging superbly conditioned Arnold Palmer redesigned
course.
|
|
Charlottesville: Keswick Hall and Golf Club |
 |
| "For
a Golf Vacation and more, Here is Your Best Resort" |
Charlottesville: Keswick
Hall at Monticello
Williamsburg: Kingsmill
Hot Springs: The Homestead
White Sulphur Springs: The Greenbrier |
 |
| Washington,
DC |
| "Some Capital
Venues in Washington, DC" |
| There
are a lot of courses in the Washington, DC, metro area,
but only a few top the leaderboard. They include a
fabulous new course (opened July 1, 2003) designed by a
former lead architect for Gary Player who is now on his
own and two courses by Arthur Hills and Tom Fazio whose
wonderfully challenging and aesthetic work graces a
northern Virginia private club that is open to
membership inquiries. Read on, and make your next stay
in Washington a capital one. |
 |
|
INTERNATIONAL
GOLF RESORTS & COURSES
|
 |
| Caribbean |
|
"Casa's
Teeth Penetrate Golfers' Souls"
Ranked #23 in the world by Golf Magazine, Pete Dye's Teeth of the
Dog course at the upscale-yet-affordable Caribbean resort Casa de
Campo features seven scenic ocean holes.
|
| |
Cap Cana
One of the largest and most luxurious golf and tourism destinations in the entire Caribbean Basin, is making headlines with the opening in November of a strikingly scenic Jack Nicklaus signature course. |
| |
| Dominican Republic |
Casa De Campo
For all of its activities, including golf, deep sea fishing, water sports, skeet shooting, and horseback riding, Casa de Campo offers an appealingly unhurried atmosphere. Considered one of the top golf and vacation resorts in the Caribbean. |
 |
| Ireland |
|
SERIES:
Ireland Golf: Why Irish Eyes are Smiling
A breathtakingly scenic country, Ireland's best golf course designer
is nature herself. Having played a few spectacular Irish courses, I
see 'Why Irish Eyes are Smiling'. So will you.
|
Ireland
Introduction
Republic of
Ireland
Adare
Manor and Golf Club
Ballybunion
and Glin Castle
Fota
Island Golf Club
Connemara
Golf Club
Dooks
and Dingle (Ceann Sibeal)
Druids
Glen
Galway
Bay Golf and Country Club
The
K (Kildare) Club
Killarney
Golf and Fishing Club
Lahinch
Golf Club
Mt.
Juliet
Northwest
Coast: Rosses Point, Enniscrone, Carne
Old
Head
Portmarnock
Old and New
Ring
of Kerry
Royal
Dublin
Tralee
Waterville
Northern Ireland
Royal
County Down and Royal Portsmouth |
 |
| Scotland |
|
"Scotland:
Links to the Past"
Serious golfers should not pass up a chance to play St. Andrews Old
Course, golf's 'veritable holy temple'. Host to the 1999 British
Open, Carnoustie has one of the world's five toughest finishing
holes. Turnberry's Ailsa Course may be the most beautiful links
course in all of Scotland.
|
|
St. Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie, Turnberry |
For
golf-travel assignments or to order articles, please contact:
ALAN B.
NICHOLS
4317 Sangamore Road
Bethesda, MD 20816-2507
Telephone: 301-229-1977
Fax: 301-229-1977
E-mail: sftspike@aol.com
Web Site: http://www.golftravelreviews.com
|