Today's Travel Tip |
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May 15, 2008 |
Asked by: Jerry B., St. Paul, Minnesota
Answered by Craig Better |
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| Chris John Photography | |
Heron Glen is one of the rare New Jersey golf courses that can compose
quality, discount golf vacations.
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Any thoughts on above average, budget, northern New Jersey golf courses for a June trip? We'll be based in Secaucus, and we'd love to avoid big crowds so it's no problem if we have to drive a bit.
Wow, you're looking for the trifecta? A quality, crowdless, and discount golf vacation among jam-packed northern New Jersey golf courses? Brother, that's not going to be easy, especially in June. More... |
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More Golf Vacation Insider Travel TipsYou can read a tip, browse an entire topic, or go directly to reader comments on a tip.
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A Bayside Beauty to Play on a Northern Michigan Golf Vacation |
| May 13 | Topic:
Northern Michigan Golf Vacation |
| | Bay Harbor stands out among
Northern Michigan golf courses. |
In addition to wooded beauty, certain Northern Michigan golf courses offer panoramic, "seaside" experiences, and one of our favorites is Bay Harbor Golf Links.
It's located near the very top of the Michigan "oven mitt," overlooking Little Traverse Bay, an inlet into which Lake Michigan spills a bounty of fresh water for sailors, fisherman, windsurfers, and kayakers.
An Arthur Hills design, Bay Harbor lies along the lakeshore in the charming town of Petoskey, characterized by little shops, inns, waterfront parks and restaurants. Across the bay is Harbor Springs, Michigan's answer to tony Kennebunkport, with its all-American streets lined with fashionable art galleries, nautical stores, fudge and ice cream shops, and boat slips. To be sure, Bay Harbor seems to have it all among Northern Michigan golf courses; plenty to see, plenty to do, and plenty of places to eat.
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One of the Best Santa Barbara Golf Courses to Play on a California Golf Vacation |
| May 12 | Topic:
More Golf Vacation Tips |
| Photo by Aidan Bradley | | La Purisima is one of the tougher Santa Barbara,
California golf courses you can play. |
If your next California golf vacation takes you to or through Santa Barbara County, be sure to stop and play La Purisima Golf Course. You simply will not find a better Santa Barbara golf course to play for less than $100 (green fees range from $50-$91).
With a 75.6 stroke average and 143 slope rating from the tips, you probably won't find a more challenging one, either, a fact the course isn't shy about promoting on its website, where the question is posed: "Can you handle playing...La Piranha?" (its nickname given by the locals).
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Where to Find Discount Golf Vacations in Wales |
| May 8 | Topic:
More Golf Vacation Tips |
| | Borth & Ynyslas is one of the fine
courses you can play on a discount
golf vacation in Wales. |
The weak US Dollar has sent the price of U.K and Ireland golf vacations soaring to as much as $400-$500 per round at top courses. But value or even "discount" golf vacations in the U.K. are still possible, and my colleagues at Golf Odyssey recently uncovered a great option: Mid-Wales, where green fees at some of the best golf courses cost less than $70.
Golf vacations in Wales aren't nearly as popular as neighboring U.K. and Ireland destinations, but you can bet interest is going to greatly intensify during the lead-up to, and following, its hosting of the Ryder Cup in 2010. To be sure, if golf vacation destinations were stocks, the smart money would be buying Wales. Consider this your chance to get in on the ground floor.
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Myrtle Beach Restaurants: The Best 1-2 Combo on a Myrtle Beach Golf Vacation |
| May 6 | Topic:
Myrtle Beach Golf Vacation |
| Photo by S.C. PRT | | Chef Louis Osteen's Myrtle Beach
restaurants will leave you smiling on
your Myrtle Beach golf vacation. |
Whenever I take a Myrtle Beach golf vacation, I make sure to get down to Pawleys Island, which not only has some of my favorite courses along the Grand Strand (Caledonia, True Blue, the Heritage Club) but also some of my favorite Myrtle Beach restaurants.
The best one-two dining combination I've found is at Louis's at Pawleys (louisatpawleys.com) and the adjoining Fish Camp Bar, located on Highway 17 in the Hammock Shops specialty shopping/dining village.
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The Best Golf Courses in England's New Atlantic Links Lineup |
| May 1 | Topic:
More Golf Vacation Tips |
| | | Trevose: A good example of why these golf courses in England are called the "Atlantic Links." |
While Scotland and Ireland often command the spotlight among those considering European golf vacations, England has some excellent layouts of its own, not the least of which is Royal Birkdale, site of this year's Open Championship.
To capitalize on the attention the Open will bring (and a long-overdue effort to put the country on golfers' radar screens) several worthy golf courses in England's Southwest region are being bundled together to form the "Atlantic Links."
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The Best Courses to Play on a Pinehurst Golf Resort Vacation |
| Apr 29 | Topic:
More Golf Vacation Tips |
| Photo by WRI | | No. 6 at the Pinehurst Golf Resort
is sneaky good. |
With eight courses to choose from, deciding where to tee it up at Pinehurst Golf Resort can seem like a daunting task, but it's really quite simple. While all of the Pinehurst golf courses are worthwhile (they don't call it "the American St. Andrews" for nothing), the even-numbered courses, as a group, are the best bets.
After No. 2, the Donald Ross masterpiece that hosted the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2005, our first choice would be No. 4, a Tom Fazio design whose every hole offers unique variety, beauty...and challenge. It's dotted with 180 sand traps, most of which are small pot bunkers clustered near fairway landing areas, at the bends of doglegs, and around the greens.
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How to Get Vermont Golf Resort's Rooms at Half Price |
| Apr 24 | Topic:
More Golf Vacation Tips |
| | | The Stowe Mountain Club is an attractive anchor to one of the newest Vermont golf resorts. |
Considering a Vermont golf vacation this summer? Given the unadvertised special we just came across, perhaps you should.
The Stowe Mountain Lodge (stowemountainlodge.com) in Stowe, Vt. — a Vermont golf resort opening in July, complete with a promising new, 18-hole, Bob Cupp-designed golf course — is offering a near 50 percent discount off of its "studio" level room rates this summer.
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Birmingham-to-the-Bay Stops on a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Vacation |
| Apr 22 | Topic:
Ask Golf Vacation Insider |
| | Ross Bridge is the best of Birmingham
on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. |
I'm starting my Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail vacation in Birmingham at Ross Bridge Resort, then heading south to Lakewood Golf Club on Mobile Bay. Is it worth the price to play both courses at Lakewood or should I go to nearby Magnolia Grove to play its Crossings and Falls courses?
Yes, we would recommend playing one of the courses at Magnolia Grove in lieu of playing both at Lakewood. Here's why:
First, you'll get a nice change of scenery and topography. Second, you're going to Alabama to play the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, right? Well, neither Robert Trent Jones nor any of his design associates did any of the work at Lakewood, as it wasn't originally part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
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