The Golf Slice

When you’re on vacation, or maybe just moved into a new neighborhood you aren’t familiar with, one of the first things an avid golfer inevitably ends up doing is wondering about the local golf courses. Luckily, for those golfers who are Internet savvy, there are sites like PublicGolfCourses.net that is one of the leading golf course finder destinations on the web. With the site, you can quickly find any public golf course in the United States.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re traveling to South Carolina on business and you’ve decided to take your golf clubs with you on the trip to hopefully get in a round or two during your free time. At PublicGolfCourses.net, you simply click on the link for South Carolina and you’re immediately presented with a list of cities in the state that have public golf courses. There’s listing for the most popular destinations in the state, like Myrtle Beach public golf courses to smaller, more obscure golf courses.

When you’ve chosen your city it’s time to browse the list of public golf courses. Each course has its own page of details including things like green fees, the current weather, satellite imagery of the course’s layout and more. The best part, hands down, are the user reviews. Golfers who have played at any course can post a review for future visitors to the site to read. This is a great way to avoid the bad courses and find the excellent ones.

A vacation in Spain would be incomplete without visiting one of the luxurious golf resorts. Stay a night or a week, you will not be disappointed. The beautiful weather ensures you can enjoy golfing year round in one of these luxury resorts.

La Manga
La Manga, in southeastern Spain, was a nominee for one of the world’s best luxury hotels in 2009. This resort is about 30 minutes away from Murcia. The resort includes 3 golf courses, 19 restaurants, a five star hotel, a luxury spa and a variety of athletic fields for your enjoyment.

The Principle Felipe La Manga hotel features luxurious rooms that include satellite TV, minibars, marble bathrooms, safe deposit boxes, air conditioning, wireless internet and beautiful views of the 1400 acre spread. 24 hour room service is available as well. The 2000 square foot luxury spa is one of the top spas in Spain.

The resort is an athlete’s paradise with all the amenities possible. There are 28 tennis courts and several other athletic activities offered: football, cricket, and rugby. There are junior activities for children to participate in as well. The resort also includes an indoor swimming pool.

The La Manga Club has three championship 18 hole golf courses for you to play. Golfers at any skill level will enjoy playing these courses. The courses are surrounded by majestic scenery and have been host to numerous golf competitions in the past several years.

La Cala Golf Resort
La Cala Golf Resort, located 20 minutes from Mirabella, is one of the most exclusive resorts in Spain. The 1,000 acre estate is located between Sierra de Mijas Natural Park and the Mediterranean Sea, on the Costa del Sol. The Malaga airport is just 30 minutes away, making it easily accessible.

The resort is small enough to maintain privacy but offers the ultimate in luxury resorts. There are villas and apartments for sale, as well as a luxury hotel and spa. The hotel has 107 rooms and suites that are exquisitely decorated and boast many modern conveniences. The rooms have magnificent views of the golf courses and surrounding beauty.

The golf courses were designed by Cabell Robinson and provide a challenging game. The La Cala Resort has a clubhouse and spa for unwinding after a long day of golf. The CaraCala spa offers several soothing treatments for your relaxation. The resort also has an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and a gymnasium along with many other activities to keep you entertained.

For some people, Las Vegas might mean craps, blackjack, and entertaining shows. For others, Las Vegas is a paradise of bunkers, greens, and fairways. Golf is a big deal in Las Vegas, and that figures since there are a lot of corporate outings held in the city. There are tons of golf courses around the city, and only a couple right in the middle of the Las Vegas strip area. If you are coming to Las Vegas when it’s a little bit cooler, then golf most certainly must be on the docket. So what are the best courses to play when you come to Las Vegas? It depends upon your means, but here are some choices.

Wynn Golf Club
The Wynn Resort is the best property in Las Vegas, and that’s because they offer much more than just great rooms. Steve Wynn took great pains to put together a comprehensive resort, and his golf course is an extension of that. Since the Wynn was built on the site of the old Desert Inn, the golf course, too, is a remake of the Desert Inn’s old course. It’s much nicer, of course, and provides players with an excellent view of the strip while playing the course.

The Wynn Course was designed by Tom Fazio, and its layout is typical of its designer. No two holes look alike and there are plenty of undulations on the fairways and greens. Fazio designs are typically meant to cause players to think on every single shot. That is true of the Wynn Course, as there are challenges from the tee to the green. Considering how hot Las Vegas gets during the summer, the course upkeep is actually quite remarkable. They do a good job of keeping the area lush, so it not only looks good, but plays true, as well.

This course is expensive, but it’s well worth the money if you have the means to make it happen. It’s difficult to get a tee time at the Wynn, but they provide some of the best amenities in all of Las Vegas. The caddies are great, the sight lines are impressive, and the course will undoubtedly be one of the best that you’ve played.

Shadow Creek Golf Course
Shadow Creek is another one of the high end Vegas courses, but this one is a little bit out of the way. You’ll have to travel to North Las Vegas, but when you get there, the course is worth your time. It, too, is a Tom Fazio design and this one clocks in at just over 7,500 yards from the very back.

It is a par 72 and plays quite long. One of the things that people remark about this course is that it’s quite challenging. The greens are fast, the rough is relatively long, and the layout makes players use all of their clubs and all of their skills. This is a true Fazio course, meaning that it will reward players who understand how to shape their shots both ways.

Shadow Creek is a public course, which makes it quite popular during pretty much every season. Players wanting to get on will need to make tee times far in advance, as this course stays pretty full throughout the year.

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California offers a host of great destinations for avid golfers. The state is littered with high quality golf courses and resorts that are perfect for the weekend golfer and the more hardcore player alike. The beauty of many of the golf resorts and vacation stops in California is that they offer plenty of activities for people who aren’t all that interested in golf as well. This makes these spots perfect for family vacations as well.

This guide will focus on three California resorts in particular that offer a nice blend of golf activities and non-sports related amenities to keep your golfer and the rest of the family happy and entertained while on vacation.

Pelican Hill Resort
Located in Newport Beach, Pelican Hill Resort is the home to a Californian golf wonderland. The Resort offers two courses: Ocean North and Ocean South. They were designed by Tom Fazio with the intention of giving players some of the nicest views and scenery possible along the Newport Coast. The North course is a Par 71 and 7,000 yards long. The South is a Par 70 with 6,580 yards of play with several holes resting on the edge of the ocean.

Pelican Hill offers a variety of individual golf packages that get you access to the two courses as well as deluxe accommodations in private bungalows. There are plenty of choices to make when selecting your package and there are options for the non-golfers in your group as well. Many of the packages come with either golf or other recreation activities built into the cost of the rooms.

Half Moon Bay Resort
The Half Moon Bay Resort offer two golf course: the original that was designed by Francis Duane and a course designed by Arthur Hills called the Ocean Course with views of the ocean from all eighteen holes. The resort offers a world class spa perfect for relaxing and taking it easy. There are few resorts that offer amenities that compare to the beautifully designed and perfectly staffed spa at the Half Moon Bay Resort.

There is so much to do it will be difficult to chooses what to do first. Co-ed Roman Mineral Baths and an ocean front jacuzzi provide a needed escape from the real world. There are scenic waking paths and a nearby beach which offers a beautiful spot to rest and play. Deep sea fishing, kayaking, whale watching and many other activities are located near by and the resrt can help anyone to plan the vacation of their dreams. There are also other exciting adventures that can be found near by giving everyone the chance to find the excitement that they have been looking for. The Half Moon Bay Resort is a beautiful destination that will create a relaxing escape or the adventure of a lifetime.

Furnace Creek Inn
Furnace Creek Inn is a very popular golf resort in California. This is an innovative vacation getaway that features many green benefits. It is powered by one of the largest solar photovoltaic energy systems ever built. More than one third of the power needed to run the Furnace Creek Inn comes from this source. Desert golf is the major attraction to this resort and is a fun alternative to a typical golf curse.

Other attractions to this resort are jeep tours and hiking. There are many exciting reasons to visit this resort with fun amenities and a beautiful desert location. There is no shortage of things to do if you are able to pull yourself away from the relaxing scenery and the warm sun. This is a great option for anyone who is looking for a way to take a green vacation and not sacrifice the resort experience. Furnace Creek Inn is a sprawling desert golf resort that will create the perfect get away.

Unlimited Options
These are just three of the dozens and dozens of golf resort options available in the state of California. With year-round golf, these or any of the other resorts you can find make perfect travel locations for people living in colder climates. The idea of golfing any time of the day, during the Fall and Winter months, is sure to bring a smile to any golfer’s face.

The temperatures are about to get cooler here in Ohio and for some of us the golf season might be winding down for the year. Luckily the weather isn’t as bad in other parts of the country so it’s time to start considering a Fall or Winter Florida golf vacation. I’ve gone ahead and selected some courses you might find worth a visit in the Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa areas of Florida.

Doral Resort
I would guess that the most popular golf course and resort in the Miami area would be Doral. The resort is supposed to be fantastic and they offer five separate courses for you to play during your stay. In addition, Doral is home to the Jim McLean Golf School so if you’re looking to make improvements to your game and enjoy a relaxing vacation in Miami this might be the place for you.

TPC Sawgrass
Another popular golf destination, this time located in Jacksonville, is the TPC Sawgrass Marriott. As with most of these resorts, the accommodations are great and they offer things like spas, beach clubs and more but what you really care about is the golf and Sawgrass has tons of it for you. The Player Stadium Course, designed by Pete Dye, is one of the top 100 golf courses in the world and ranked as one of, if not the very, best in Florida.

Emerald Greens
Emerald Greens Golf Resort, in Tampa, offers resort condos and real estate for those of you looking for more than just a temporary vacation. The golfing here isn’t quite as intense as the other two resorts but for the casual golfer this resort might be your best bet. They offer 27 holes of golf for their members with a respectable staff and pro shop. Again, this probably isn’t the best fit for anyone looking to make a quick getaway to Florida but if you’re interested in a longer term travel solution check out Emerald Greens.

Golf Doesn’t Have to Be Exclusive to the Wealthy
The pastime of golf has sometimes been criticized as an elitist sport. With the wide expanses of land, country-club atmosphere, and leisurely pace, golf has even been written off by some critics as more of a status symbol than a proper sports game. For recreation, golf is even seen as part of a luxurious vacation, such as when players stay in elegant Panama hotels. However, in the game of golf, there are a number of skills and lessons that could be universally beneficial to everybody. For instance, for those living in developing countries, a makeshift game of golf could give enthusiastic dreamers the proper motivation to escape from poverty.

Golfing for Cheap
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for bringing golf to a developing country would be the expected costs allocated to playing a proper game. In professional golf, high quality clubs made of expensive materials are the norm. Also, the game is played on endless landscapes of greenery, sand, and water, made specifically for the sport. World-class architects are brought in to design courses and millions of dollars are invested. With these necessities, bringing golf to a developing country could at first seem impossible. However, it is not the details of golf that must be perfectly captured, but the spirit. In developing countries, those interested in playing golf need only to use their imagination. For instance, there are a number of available materials that could be used to make a set of usable golf clubs. Depending on the area, various pipes or sticks could be easily modified to resemble the shape and function of a golf club. Similarly, small rocks or pieces of brick could be sanded into the proper size and shape to resemble golf balls.

Creating a Golf Course
Once a serviceable set of golf equipment has been created, what about those big golf courses with the intricately placed holes? Since this kind of set up will not be available, would-be golfers will once again need to be creative with this sport. Instead of numerous scattered holes, budding golfers could use a single cup, and simply move it around to different lengths and angles. Or, if the land allows it, they could also dig a number of holes to mimic those of a professional golf course. If the space is really cramped, imaginative golfers could also create their own miniature golf-type courses, with a number of obstacles to get around in order to reach the hole.

Playing the Game of Golf in Spirit
While this may not seem to be the optimal way to play golf, the same principles, skills, and lessons apply. Golf is all about patience and concentration. Even without the professional equipment, clothes, and courses, players in developing countries can still experience the true spirit of golf. In fact, deficiencies in a created set of clubs or in a made up golf course could necessitate even more patience and concentration from a player. It is the constant practicing of these very qualities that could help to inspire people out of poverty. In fact, through the experience of golf, players could even become inspired to make other things better, in order to improve their overall way of life.

The final Major event of the year, the PGA Championship, starts on August 13th. Tiger, Phil and the rest of the Tour’s top players will use this upcoming week to prep and get ready for the Championship by playing in the Bridgestone Invitational in my home state of Ohio. After that it’s onward to the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota for the start of the PGA Championship.

This will be the 91st PGA Championship but only the second time at Hazeltine. The course was built by the famous Robert Trent Jones in 1962. Hazeltine will play just over 7,600 yards long for the Championship. The layout of the course has narrow fairways over rolling hills. It’s also known for having small greens and, to make matters worse, half of the holes have a water hazard of some sort.

The last time the PGA Championship was played at Hazeltine was back in 2002. That was the year, you may recall, that Rich Beem narrowly edged out Tiger Woods as the latter tried to make a late comeback with a series of birdies to close out his round. Since that event several changes have been made to the course. It is now 300 yards longer and several bunkers have been added and tee boxes have been moved.

This year’s field is packed full of golf superstars with 100 out of the 101 topped ranked players in the world planning to attend. As always, I’m pulling for Tiger because I’m a total front-runner when it comes to picking the winner. I’ve basically been a terrible prognosticator this season so take my pick with a grain of salt.

From 95th place to first, Tiger Woods climbed from the bottom of the scoreboard to the top to win the Buick Open Sunday. It was Woods’ 69th PGA Tour win and helped improve his record to 36-1 when leading a tournament after the third day. In 11 events this season, Tiger has won four times. For comparison’s sake, that’s twice as many wins as anyone else on the PGA Tour this year.

For the third consecutive time this season, Tiger Woods has won a Tour event two weeks before the start of a Major tournament and will come in as the leading favorite to win. But, as most of you probably know, Woods came up short in both of the previous majors: letting his putting beat him at the U.S. Open and not even making the cut at the British. The PGA Championship will be Tiger’s last chance to win a Major this year so be on the lookout for him making a showing just as strong as the one he made in the final three days of the Buick Open this past week.