Our latest, extended travels to golf destinations are over now, and they were unprecedented. We were basically on the road for six months – from Oct. 1 to April 10 – and made visits to destinations in Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California. Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Indiana.

We covered about 14,000 miles on this all-driving odyssey and hit 18 destinations with a lengthy stay in Winter Haven, FL., in between – a period during which we tested a number of golf facilities in the Orlando area. All were chronicled in my reports and Joy’s photos.

All in all it was a worthwhile, educational and productive journey in which we had lots of fun, saw old friends, made many new ones and hopefully provided helpful information for your golf travels.

Here’s a sampling of what’s new for golf travel aficionados, starting with a report from the last of our recent stops — long-time favorite French Lick Resort in southern Indiana.

The big news at French Lick has centered on its spectacular Pete Dye Course in recent years, but not this time. Director of golf Dave Harner and his staff turned more attention to the Donald Ross Course this time.

“We recognized that it’s not an easy course for women or players with 25 handicaps or higher,’’ said Harner, “so we added 11 new forward tees and they’ll shorten the course for those players by about 900 yards. It’ll enhance the playing experience for those players, speed up play and open us more to family golf.’’

The Ross will also be the exclusive site for July’s Indiana Open, the first time that has happened at one of the Hoosier state’s most historic courses since 1962. Both the Dye and Ross layouts were used to host that tournament in 2012.

All three French Lick courses will be used to host the Indiana Junior Age Group Championship in July and the LPGA Legends Championship will be the big event of the season at the Dye, from Aug. 19-21. Harner said the fourth playing of that event “will be bigger and better than ever.’’ The pavilion at the Dye Course clubhouse has also been doubled in size to allow for more social events there and the club has a new head professional in Andy Fortner. He moved over from the Ross Course, with Rob Koontz taking over the head job there.

A DEAL AT PINEHURST: Want to play Pinehurst’s historic No. 2 course (as well as No. 8) for only $19.75? And, you could play the resort’s other layouts for free – if you opt to join the Private Residence Club at the newest of the Pinehurst courses, called either No. 9 or simply The National. It’s a Jack Nicklaus design.

Obviously there’s a catch. You have to buy in to The Cottages at National but this unusual offering is an enticing deal for those able to spend at least three weeks a year at Pinehurst. There are seven cottages, each with either two or four bedrooms, and the Private Residence Club falls somewhere between a time share and home ownership. It’s a substitute for buying a second home, according to creator Dave Hanna. He’s been at Pinehurst since 1992 and can tell you how it all works.

MEXICO-BOUND? KemperSports has kicked off a hole-in-one promotion called UNO! Golfers who make an ace at one of Kemper’s participating facilities have a chance to win a seven-night trip for two to Vidanta Resort in Mexico. Vidanta has courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. KemperSports also announced that it has added Mahopac Golf & Beach Club in New York to its management portfolio.

IT’S A GO IN KOHLER: Two of the courses are now open in Kohler, Wis. – the Irish Course at Whistling Straits and the Original Championship Course at Blackwolf Run. The Straits Course at Whistling Straits will open later this month. The Original Championship Course – used for the 1998 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open – will be available through April 22. The Original is comprised of select holes on both the River and Meadow Valley courses.

AND ITS FREE: Six courses in Gaylord, Mich., will offer free golf with a paid night’s lodging at one of the participating hotels from April 22-24. The nearby Boyne resorts also are planning some major promotional events to spotlight the 50th anniversary of the Heather course at Boyne Highlands and the 20th anniversary of Bay Harbor.

CHECK YOUR WATCHES: The Omni Homestead Resort in Virginia turns 250 years old (yes, even older than the U.S.) this year. To celebrate the resort will celebrate at 2:50 p.m. every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day with the serving a different flavor of cake.

COME ONE, COME ALL: Registration has opened for he 33rd World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The event, to be held Aug. 27-Sept. 2, generally draws about 3,500 entrants from all 50 states and some foreign countries.

NEW DIRECTION: Reynolds Plantation Oconee, in Greensboro, Ga., has transformed its instruction program. It’s now the Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, presented by TaylorMade and will be a full game improvement facility operated by Reynolds Lake Oconee. Reynolds also announced that it will host one of the premier national junior tournaments, the Rolex Tournament of Champions, from June 28 to July 1. It’s an invitational event for boys and girls in the 12-18 age group.

SITE CHANGE: The Web.com Tour Championship has been moved within the Jacksonville, FL. Area. It had been held at Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass from 2013-15 but construction on the entire TPC property led to officials looking for a different site. This Oct. 3-9 the event will be held at Atlantic Beach Country Club, a former site of the PGA Tour’s Greater Jacksonville Open.

WINTERGREEN, Virginia – Let there be no mistake about it. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Wintergreen Resort is a destination for skiers – but it’s also quite a bit more than that.

Wintergreen also has 45 holes of golf available and, while it’s not unusual for resorts to have both ski slopes and golf courses, this one is notably different. It’s possible to enjoy both sports on the same day during the winter months at Wintergreen.

And another thing sets this place apart. Frequently at places where both golf and skiing are offered one gets the edge over the other in terms of facilities. That’s not the case here. Wintergreen has 24 ski trails and is probably better known for that sport, but the golf is just fine, too.

This is how things fit together. The crew at the older of Wintergreen’s two courses, Devils Knob, begins the transition from golfers to skiers in early fall. Golf play ends in late October so that the ski slopes can be ready in time for a hoped for opening on Thanksgiving weekend.

After the ski season ends, usually in mid-March but sometimes later, Devils Knob is given a later spring opening date than most courses. It’ll open for play on April 16 this year, though it was probably playable a few weeks before that. Skiers never touch the course but the climate is different than it is down below, where Wintergreen’s other golf facility – 27-hole Stoney Creek – is located.

They’re about nine miles apart, but Stoney Creek remains open all year long – though occasional snowfalls admittedly preclude play at various times in the winter months. Fred Biggers is superintendent for both golf facilities but isn’t involved with the ski slopes. His winter duties, though, include helping out with snow removal.

I’m no fan of driving on the steep, winding roads in the Wintergreen area, but getting from Devils Knob to Stoney Creek isn’t much of a problem and the courses are comparable in terms of terrain and the challenges offered. Though Stoney Creek is on much lower land, its elevation changes aren’t much different than the stunning ones that would be expected on the higher, more mountainous terrain of Devils Knob.

Biggers, a 6-handicapper, believes that Devils Knob is a bit more challenging but that doesn’t appear to be a universally held opinion. At an elevation of 3,851 feet at its No. 15 tee, Devils Knob is the highest course in Virginia. Temperatures there are generally 12-18 degrees cooler than they are at Stoney Creek.

A milestone 40th anniversary for Devil’s Knob is closing in; it opened in June of 1977 so it’s 11 years older than Stoney Creek. Devil’s Knob also has a big edge on Stoney Creek as far as historical interest goes. It’s the first of 17 course co-designed by the father-son team of Ellis and Dan Maples.

The Maples clan is legendary in golf circles, especially in their native North Carolina. Five generations of Maples have been involved in golf, with two others being head professionals and two more working as superintendents. Ellis, who died at age 73 in 1984, and Dan are both in the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame. Dan started his own design firm after his father’s death and his portfolio of courses is now approaching 50.

As for Devils Knob, Ellis — who was also an outstanding player — and Dan set foot on 1,000 acres of thickly wooded hillsides after landing what was then a prize assignment. In the mid-seventies a golf course designer generally received about $3,000 per course. Devils Knob was a $50,000 project for the Maples.

“It was unusual because the land was so high and rocky,’’ said Biggers, who doubts that the course could be built today because of probable environmentalists’ concerns.

But it was built in the mid-seventies at roughly the same time the ski slopes were created and the first resort and lodging facilities went up. Ellis routed the first nine holes and Dan did the second. Now Devils Knob limits play to members and resort guests.

As Wintergreen grew in popularity the second course, Stoney Creek, was deemed a necessity. It consisted of what is now the Monocan and Shamokin nines. A third nine, Tuckahoe, was added in 1990 just before Biggers arrived as superintendent. In addition to the stunning elevation changes offered at Devils Knob, these courses have a babbling brook running through the property.

All three nines were designed by Rees Jones, best known for all the work he has done getting courses tweaked to host U.S. Opens. Players don’t need to be staying at the resort to play it.

Both golf facilities are fun, and so is the journey between them. Wintergreen has its own added attractions, most notably the Copper Mine Bistro at the Mountain Inn, the resort headquarters. Take the drive down from there to Stoney Creek and you come across some other adventures.

Devils Backbone Brewery is an interesting place, a restaurant in a spacious setting that allows for outdoor socializing as well.

And a little further down the road is the Bold Rock Cidery. Its appearance is similar to Devils Backbone but the beverages of choice are built around apples. This place has both an interesting history and a promising future.

John Washburn, a Virginia resident, purchased the eight acres on which Bold Rock sits 30 years ago. He didn’t do much with it until 2012, however. Then, rather than go the traditional routs of building a brewery or winery, he joined forces with Brian Shanks, a New Zealander, to create a company that produces hard cider. Bold Rock now has four sites, and this one is the flagship.

Lindsay Dorrier, a University of Illinois grad who is Bold Rock’s director of retail operations, says the alcohol content in the ciders ranges from 4.7 percent (similar to a lite beer) to 6 percent (similar to a craft beer) to 6.9 percent (which approaches the wine level).

A broad range of Virginia apples are used in the manufacturing process and the cider is offered in 12-once bottles that resemble beer bottles as well as various sizes of growlers. This isn’t just a place to buy cider, though.

Bold Rock is housed in a big wood-frame barn and caters to a lunch crowd with its gourmet sandwiches and appetizers. It also has a big backyard that encompasses the Bold Rockfish River. Kids can play there while adults can sit around a fire pit or try their hand at corn-hole boards. All in all, it’s a very pleasant atmosphere, whether golf is part of the day or not.

As for the golf, Wintergreen just announced new spring Stay & Play packages that start at $79 (double occupancy) or $109 (single occupancy). Check the resort website for more information.

OUTER BANKS, North Carolina – The Outer Banks of North Carolina had been a mystery to us, and apparently we weren’t alone.

A golf buddy of mine who lives in North Carolina, who had been there and liked it, told me that “most people in North Carolina don’t know about it.’’ A much bigger portion of the visitors to the Outer Banks come from Virginia, which is only an hour away, and all points north.

Fortunately the Outer Banks is no longer a mystery to us after we spent a week checking out many of the things the area has to offer. Since our travel destination invitations over the years have been almost entirely golf oriented, the Outer Banks represented a big change. And it turned out to be a refreshing one.

The Outer Banks is a beach area that is big on family activities. Golf is – in varying degrees — a lifestyle thing at some of our nearby stops in Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Pinehurst, N.C. It’s not a lifestyle thing in the Outer Banks. Golf is simply an amenity here – but it is a very good amenity.

We visited the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, the town adjacent to Kitty Hawk where Wilbur and Orville became the first to put an airplane in flight in 1903.

We tested the shopping in the quaint little town of Manteo. We climbed the 220 steps to the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and enjoyed the scenic views from there. We went on the Wild Horse Adventure Tour — a two-hour Hummer ride in search of the wild horses roaming about the more remote parts of the northern barrier island (we couldn’t find any of them, but the bumpy ride was fun anyway).

There wasn’t time to try some of the other popular attractions here – kite-flying, cycling, birding, surfing, paddleboarding. We didn’t use the beautiful beaches much, either, but we quickly realized there are plenty of entertainment options. The Sanderling Resort, in particular, has an array of activities that will enhance family vacations and you can’t beat the views and close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound from there.

And then there were the restaurants. The oldest one in North Carolina is here – 70-year old Owens Restaurant in Nags Head. Then there’s the Lightsaving Station No. 5 at the Sanderling Resort; the Sugar Shack and Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café in Nags Head; Aqua Restaurant and Spa in Duck; the Black Pelican Oceanfront and Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar in Kitty Hawk; the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills; and Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop and Full Moon Café and Brewery in Manteo.

That list goes on and on and — if you didn’t want to go out for a formal breakfast — there was Duck Donuts. There’s three locations providing the best donuts anywhere (their claim, as well as mine).

And, of course, there was the golf. That, as always, was our main focus for coming and the Outer Banks didn’t disappoint.

Golf in the Outer Banks is good, but different. For one thing, wind comes significantly into play on a daily basis on all the courses, whether the course is on the water or not.

Only two of the courses have nationally known designers, but don’t look on that as a negative. The layouts of Tom Steele, Bob Moore, Dan Maples and Russell Breeden are just fine. They’re pretty much regional guys who brought golf to life on the Outer Banks in the last 20 years or so.

Arguably the best course we played was designed by a big-namer, Rees Jones’ Currituck Club in Corolla. Opened in 1996 there’s lots of great holes here, the course is in good condition throughout and has a most comfortable clubhouse with good dining. It’s also a popular wedding destination.

Kilmarlic, on the Currituck mainland in Powells Point, was a close second. One of the few courses in the area that has been frequently tournament tested, it hosted the North Carolina Open in 2004 – two years after its opening – and again in 2009. The Old Dominion/Outer Banks college tournament has also been played there the last four years.

Only the second course designed by Steele, it has all the other area courses beat with its four-bedroom cottage for on-site lodging and 18 more of them are to be built in front of the course this fall. That may well make Kilmarlic one of the best golf getaway options in North Carolina when you combine the course with the other amenities.

Best views on the Outer Banks courses came at Currituck’s sister course, Nags Head Golf Links. Nos. 5, 9, 15 and 18 are all on the water and the sunsets there are outstanding. This is a cozy, fun course that is ideal for walking.

As far as conditioning goes, The Pointe – less than a mile from Kilmarlic – is as good as any in the area and it has a unique bridge on the 16th hole. The Pointe is user-friendly and its sister course, Carolina Club, sports the always challenging island green on its No. 7 hole. Breeden is the designer of record on The Pointe and worked with Moore on Carolina Club. The Pointe opened in 1995 and Carolina Club, in Grandy, three years later.

There’s some other good golf options out here, too. Scotch Hall Preserve joins Rees Jones’ Currituck Club as having a big-name designer. It’s an Arnold Palmer Signature Course that can stretch to 7,254 yards with a hefty 76.0 rating and 145 slope. Opened in 2008 in Merry Hill, it is one of the Outer Banks’ newest facilities.

The Pines, in Elizabeth City, was updated with a massive renovation in 2004. The Sound, in Hertford, is a Maples design dating to 1990 that has a beautiful finishing stretch. The last three holes overlook the Albemarle Sound.

While the Outer Banks offers a variety of entertainment options, it has enough good courses to make it a good destination for golf getaways as well. Trips there will be both affordable and memorable, no matter which courses or accommodations you choose, especially in the spring and fall.

PINEHURST, North Carolina – Make no mistake. Pinehurst is at the very top of the world’s golf resorts. That hasn’t changed. The nine courses there — coupled with the other amenities provided at its Carolina Hotel, Holly Inn, Manor Inn and related condos — make Pinehurst a very special destination.

The term Pinehurst, though, doesn’t refer to just one golf resort in the eyes of most golfers. Pinehurst is an area as well that encompasses the neighboring towns of Southern Pines and Aberdeen. With their restaurants and other golf communities, they also enhance the overall Pinehurst experience.

Regular visitors may already be aware of this, but it’s possible to get as good (or maybe even better) a golf experience by visiting the other facilities nearby as it is to stay just at the big resort.

Some of the others have joined forces to offer golf packages as well. For instance, how about a three-round trip in which you play Dormie Club, Mid South and Talamore? They’re all within a few miles of the big resort and – though none have a famous course like Pinehurst No. 2 – their layouts are plenty good.

That’s just one option. Here’s a synopsis of what you’ll get if you try out nearby facilities that don’t include Pinehurst Resort’s nine layouts.

DORMIE CLUB – This layout, four miles north of the village of Pinehurst, has been rated the second-best public course in North Carolina by Golf Digest magazine, behind only Pinehurst’s legendary No. 2. As most of you know, I don’t take all the formal polls as gospel, but Dormie Club does stand out from the other area courses.

The design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed this one, which opened in 2010. Its most defining feature is the 80 feet of elevation changes. You don’t get that in many places in the Carolinas.

Couple the elevation with the natural lakes, pine forests and sandy waste areas that were incorporated into the design and you have a most memorable golf experience on a course that doesn’t quite reach 7,000 yards from the tips. The course has a rustic, natural look with beds of pinecones defining many of the areas between greens and tees.

The clubhouse is a very modest one, and that’s as much a part of the charm as the understated logo and limited signage around the place. The fairways are generous and the greens huge, but there’s no letup. This is a challenging layout all the way around.

Challenging is also a term for describing of the course’s history. The original plan was for a walking-only private club that had a $140,000 initiation fee. That changed in tougher economic times, and the course has been opened to the public and carts are available. Reverting back to a private club isn’t out of the realm of possibility, however.

MID SOUTH CLUB

This may be the best course in Arnold Palmer’s design portfolio. (It’s definitely the best of the many that I’ve played).

Located in Southern Pines, it’s a beautiful course with a clubhouse to match in a very pleasant gated residential community. Nos. 9 and 18 share the same green, and that makes for a great view from the clubhouse above. The course, which opened in 1993, has hosted qualifiers for the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Amateur.

Both the course and practice areas at Mid South were in excellent condition during our early spring visit and the layout, which could play anywhere from 4,773 yards to 7,003, offered something for all level of golfer. Without doubt Mid South is one of my very favorite courses in all of the Pinehurst area.

TALAMORE

This is the sister course for Mid South, a user-friendly Rees Jones design that opened in 1991.

Jones later fine-tuned Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Opens of 1999 and 2005 but Talamore is much different that the area’s premier championship venue. Its most unusual feature are the three llamas fenced in between the No. 13 green and No. 14 tee. About 10 years ago llamas were used as caddies at Talamore and they remain part of the club’s logo. More recently the club added the Llama Pen Bar & Grill as part of a major series of upgrades.

In fact, few courses in all of Pinehurst have made as many upgrades as Talamore, which is one of the host courses for golf and lodging in the U.S. Kids World Championship that is played at a variety of area courses.

One of the most significant upgrades at Talamore is yet to come. Following the lead of nearby courses Mid-Pines, Tobacco Road and The Legacy, Talamore will convert its bentgrass greens to Bermuda in May.

PINE NEEDLES/MID PINES

I mention these together because the two Donald Ross-designed layouts were both ranked in the Top 25 of GolfWeek magazine’s ranking of the Top Resort Course in the USA. The only other places to have two courses in that Top 25 are Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits and Streamsong.

Pine Needles is a popular tournament venue, probably No. 2 behind Pinehurst No. 2 in that regard in the area. Pine Needles hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1996, 2001 and 2007 and will be the site of the second U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2019. It is also the only course in all of Pinehurst to offer the new GolfBoards to its players.

LONGLEAF

Big plans are being made for this club since the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation purchased it last year and renamed it the Longleaf Golf & Family Club. For starters it has been named the home of the new U.S. Kids Golf Academy and the Foundation made immediate capital improvements to underscore the change in focus at the facility.

A state of the art practice area was among the upgrades and it included a 10,000 square foot putting green with a nine-hole putting course. This may be the area’s best spot for a family golf getaway.

SUNSET BEACH, North Carolina – I’m frequently being tipped off about “hidden gem’’ golf courses. They’re in all parts of the country and are said to be great courses that are off the beaten path enough so that many golfers don’t know about them.

The last such course brought to my attention was Thistle Golf Club, a 27-hole facility that opened in 1999. Whether it fits the “hidden gem’’ category is a matter of opinion.

Without doubt it is a gem. We will get to that later.

Hidden? I’m not so sure. Granted it is a bit separated from the heart of Myrtle Beach, the American golf mecca. Thistle isn’t even in the same state. You have to cross state lines to get to Thistle, though it’s barely into North Carolina.

From that point it might be considered “hidden,’’ but a lot of golfers seemed to know all about it on our early-March visit. We had an 8:30 a.m. tee time and the parking lot was already buzzing when we arrived a half-hour ahead of that.

Thistle is an interesting place. All 27 holes were designed by Tim Cate, a staunch Myrtle Beach guy. He’s not widely known beyond that area, and Thistle is not his best known creation within it. An architect’s profile, however, isn’t what determines course quality in the end. It’s what the players of all abilities think, and they clearly liked Thistle during our visit.

Cate’s first design was Panther’s Run, at nearby Ocean Ridge Plantation. Since then Cate designed three other courses at that location.

His best known courses are, like Thistle, just across the North Carolina line. Leopard’s Chase was Golf Digest’s Best New Course in America in 2007 and Tiger’s Eye has been included in Golf Digest’s Top 100 twice.

Thistle, though, is something else. It has three nines – the Stewart, the MacKay and the Cameron. They are used interchangeably to set up 18-hole rounds. We played the Stewart and MacKay. The two longest nines – MacKay and Cameron – would not quite create a 7,000-yard course. They’d be three yards short.

Still, we found a well-conditioned, well-run facility that offered an unusual mix of holes. The Stewart nine had three par-3s and two par-5s and there was a stretch of four holes (Nos. 3-6) without a par-4. All the nines have five sets of tees and are basically equal in difficulty. MacKay/Cameron has the highest rating (74.3) but Cameron/Stewart has the top slope (138).

There are other noteworthy items at Thistle, starting with the scorecard. It claims the facility has roots in Leith, Scotland in 1815. That’s a stretch, but the very pleasant clubhouse has some interesting historical relics and it’s obvious that Cate wanted the holes to have a Scottish feel just like the clubhouse.

The atmosphere inside is very friendly, especially in the dining area. A real touch of class, though, came in the men’s lockerroom, where a flat-screen TV carried The Golf Channel above every urinal. I had never seen that before.

If Thistle is really a “hidden gem’’ it shouldn’t be. Thistle has a special feel and is well worth driving a few extra miles if you make a Myrtle Beach visit.