MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This South Carolina golf hotbed has been at least an annual stop for the last 13 years, but our latest visit was different than all the others. Our travel writing itinerary called for stops at three courses – one on the south side of town (Caledonia), one centrally located (World Tour…
Travel Destinations
Beware of those innovative new bunkers at North Carolina’s Talamore
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – The most famous of the 51 courses in the golf mecca called Pinehurst area is Pinehurst No. 2, recently named an anchor site for the U.S. Open by the U.S. Golf Association. This week the area will also host the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, and many more big events…
TRAVEL NOTEBOOK: TPC Myrtle Beach is new site of World Amateur climax
America’s golf hotbeds are shifting, now that snowbird golfers are departing the warmer weather states for cooler climates where the golf seasons are just beginning. Golf, however, is always in season in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where the lead-in to the 39th annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship is already underway — even though the…
GOLF TRAVEL NOTES: Florida’s World Woods is in for some big changes
BROOKSVILLE, FL. – Go back three decades and World Woods was one of the biggest things in Florida golf. It had two Tom Fazio-designed courses – Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks – that opened together on April 1, 1993 and its Japanese owner, Yukihisa Inoue, had plans for much more. “The previous owner (Inoue is…
Chubb tourney’s 35th anniversary is at a special place
NAPLES, FL. – The traditional warmup in Hawaii is over. Now PGA Tour Champions is ready to get down to business. With the tournament rounds scheduled for Feb. 18-20, the Chubb Classic Presented by SERVOPRO is the first full-field event of the season for the 50-and-over circuit. “A great place for it,’’ said Peter Jacobsen,…
Palm Aire’s Champions Course re-opens on Dec. 1
SARASOTA, FL. – The Champions Course at Palm Aire Country Club was one of the more difficult courses in Florida, and it may still be. It will, however, have a much different look when it re-opens following an extensive $2 million renovation on December 1. The original…
Ray Hearn takes on some big golf projects at Boyne resorts
HARBOR SPRINGS, Michigan – Michigan-based architect Ray Hearn has worked on courses across the country for 25 years, but the projects he has recently taken on close to home may have a more far-reaching impact. Stephen Kircher, Boyne’s president and chief executive officer, and Bernie Friedrich, senior vice president of golf, brought in Hearn,…
This resort has one of Michigan’s best courses — and one of the most different
BARK RIVER/HARRIS, Michigan – Island Resort and Casino has two golf courses. They’re eight miles apart and have a much bigger difference in course architecture, even though Paul Albanese designed them both. Sweetgrass, which opened in 2008, is one of the best courses in Michigan – perhaps in the whole Midwest. Sage Run, which opened 10 years…
The Baths is making a big splash with golfers at Blackwolf Run
Can you imagine golfers interrupting their round for a dip in this “bath?” KOHLER, Wis. – Whoever heard of allowing golfers to go swimming in the middle of their round? Well, probably nobody – until now. The Baths of Blackwolf Run is allowing players to enjoy a swim on its new 10-hole par-3 course that…
Don’t sell golf short in the Wisconsin Dells
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – The Wisconsin Dells area never grew much in population. Its namesake city has never had more than 3,000 residents. Still, the Dells has been one of the Midwest’s most popular travel destinations since its founding in 1856. Boats trips brought tourists in first because they liked the scenery. A wide variety…