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
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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
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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.
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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

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"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.

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"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 
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"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
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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)
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"TPC Sawgrass: Where the Pros Play"
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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
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Georgia

"Atlanta's Field of Dreams"
Although a corporate capital and major gateway city, Atlanta has not been known as a major golf destination. But in a Field of Dreams in reverse, their new refrain is: 'They’re coming. Quick, let's build it!'

    Intro, Reynolds Plantation and The Georgian Resort
    TPC at Sugarloaf and White Columns
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"Greater Atlanta's 'Peachy' Golf Resorts"
Chateau Elan & Winery and Callaway Gardens are ideal business/pleasure golf resorts. Right outside the meeting rooms' doors there is plenty to do to relax at both resorts.

    Intro and Chateau Elan
    Callaway Gardens
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"Georgia On My Mind"
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A leading U.S. resort, the Cloister is a major golf and vacation destination for thousands of Americans and International vacationers. For many, it's synonymous with 'the best of the Old South'.

    Brunswick Isles:  The Cloister (first and second trips)
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"Golf is Better the Second Time Around - Cloister" 
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Does the "love is better the second time around" principle apply to golf destinations? Yes, if it's The Cloister. 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.

    Brunswick Isles: The Cloister (third trip)
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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
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"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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.

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Pennsylvania
"For a Golf Vacation and more, Here is Your Best Resort"
    Farmington: Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
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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
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"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
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"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)
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"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
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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)
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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.

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"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.
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"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.

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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
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"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
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"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
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"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
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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.
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INTERNATIONAL GOLF RESORTS & COURSES

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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.
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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
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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



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