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…
Author: lenz
The First Tee: My grandson’s introduction to golf was much different than mine
DURHAM, North Carolina — Everything that I had heard suggested The First Tee program was a most worthwhile thing, but I’d never seen the program in action until my grandson, Sterling Stewart, joined The First Tee of the Triangle for youngsters between the ages of 7-10. Sterling, 7, had a better introduction to golf than…
Professionally speaking, Dustin Johnson is all that Myrtle Beach needs
MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina – I love Myrtle Beach. There, I’ve said it again. With 100 courses in a very condensed area, there’s no golf destination quite like it. After about a half dozen visits spread over several years there’s one thing I don’t quite understand about this golf mecca yet, however. None of the…
Hilton Head has the best clubhouse on the PGA Tour — and much more
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina – It’s inevitable, I suppose. Major improvement projects that impact a PGA Tour event will get more attention than ones that don’t. That’s why you can’t downplay all that’s been done at Harbour Town Golf Links. This home base for the RBC Heritage Classic, coming up on April 14-17 –…
Ocean influence makes golf on Amelia Island something special
AMELIA ISLAND, Florida – Located in the northeastern most corner of Florida, Amelia Island isn’t the easiest place to find and it isn’t all that big, either – just 18 square miles. When it comes to golf, however, Amelia Island is clearly in the big time. It has 117 holes, seven of which play along…
Housing boom could bolster World Golf Hall of Fame
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida – The World Golf Hall of Fame should be a regular stop for serious golfers. For me it’s been an annual one the last five years. This time there were some notable changes since the winter of 2015. The menu at the delightful Caddie Shack restaurant changed three times (and is about…
IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Kingsmill’s “packages” take politics into account
Our road trip ventures resume next week, with five weeks worth of stops at golf destinations in Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia. Before our on-site reports resume, however, here’s an array of things going on at golf facilities around the country. THE KINGSMILL Resort, in Williamsburg, Va., unveiled its own “Best Golf Package Ever,’’ and…
Golf Show triggers IPGA announcement on new Illinois Open sites
Weather notwithstanding, you know the local golf season can’t be far away when the Chicago Golf Show is on the horizon. The show started on a small scale 33 years ago, an experimental venture by the Illinois PGA at Harper College in Palatine. It has grown into the largest consumer golf show in the country….
This Florida course sure knows how to attract golfers
WINTER PARK, FLORIDA – A big reason for scheduling a round at Winter Pines Golf Club is that it is – at least arguably – the busiest course in Florida. Given the reported 1,500-plus courses in the Sunshine State – and particularly the array of good ones in the Orlando area – that’s saying something….
Lehman’s radical new Florida course is one of a kind
OCALA, Florida – The ingenuity of golf course architects never ceases to amaze me, but Tom Lehman – a player first and designer a distant second – has outdone all his architectural counterparts for the time being. Lehman — a two-time major championship winner, former Ryder Cup captain and a regular on the Champions Tour…