GULF SHORES, Alabama – First off, let’s make this perfectly clear. Gulf Shores-Orange Beach – a community sandwiched between Pensacola, FL., and Mobile, AL., and not far from the Mississippi state line – offers a lot more than golf. But we will get to those other nice things later. Gulf Shores is a unique…
Travel Destinations
Is Sand Valley going in a new direction?
NEKOOSA, Wisconsin – Mike Keiser’s Sand Valley Resort has already brought a new look for golfers looking to travel. Its two 18-holers, Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes, are walking courses with lots of sand – of course – and lots of great views. On our recent visit we asked some of the veteran staffers to…
It’s Christmas time for golfers in the Wisconsin Dells
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wisconsin – Golf is different in the Wisconsin Dells. Given all the entertainment options for tourists, golf seems more an amenity than an attraction. But, make no mistake, it’s a good one. The Dells offers 142 holes and 12 different golf experiences, ranging from short courses to championship versions. The courses were…
Sentry will be a more prominent name in golf for years to come
Patience and loyalty are enviable qualities, and they figure to pay off big time for Sentry Insurance once the 2023 golf season gets into gear. Sentry was patient, closing the course at its headquarters in Stevens Points, Wis., for two major renovations in the last 10 years. Now it’s on the clock to host one…
Eagle Ridge’s General is getting a “Celebration Restoration”
GALENA, IL. – The General at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa isn’t your ordinary golf course – not by a long shot. So, it’s fitting that this Andy North-Roger Packard design isn’t getting the standard treatment for a course hitting its 25th anniversary. It’s getting a “Celebration Restoration’’ instead. We’ll explain, but first know…
This jam-packed golf journey evolved — despite these changing times
Golf travel writing is a lot of fun, but it isn’t easy. I guess you could say “It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.’’ At least that’s how we felt after the first month of our later-than-usual start for our spring trip. From May 26 to June 24 we played 342 holes…
Michigan resort A-Ga-Ming is unusual for more than just its name
There are golf resorts – and then there’s A-Ga-Ming. It has four courses in Northern Michigan, but their 72 holes are spread out. Each has its own history, but over the last 22 years they’ve grown together. Mike Brown and Larry Lavely were 27-year old Central Michigan University alums when this project started. They moved…
Boyne will give its Donald Ross Memorial course a fine tuning
HARBOR SPRINGS, Mich. – I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for golf tribute courses because they provide a look back in history. There are only a handful of such courses nation-wide, and the best may be at The Highlands of Harbor Springs (formerly Boyne Highlands Resort) in Michigan. It has the ideal honoree in Donald…
Stoatin Brae has taken Michigan’s Gull Lake View to a higher level
AUGUSTA, Mich. – Gull Lake View is not only a pioneer destination among American golf resorts, it is also one of the biggest. The resort near Kalamazoo, Mich., can boast of being “the sixth largest golf resort in the world’’ with its 108 holes spread across more than 2,000 acres. Within the U.S. only…
Tornado fails to stop the fun at Michigan’s Gaylord Golf Mecca
GAYLORD, Michigan – This might well turn out to be the best feel good story in golf in 2022. Gaylord, a town of 4,200 residents, and the small towns surrounding it have long been on the cutting edge of golf marketing. Led by executive director Paul Beachnau, the Gaylord Golf Mecca was created in 1987…