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TravelGolf.com: Plunging into the Portugal Golf Scene
and Going Back in Time in Virginia
By Douglas
Carey, TravelGolf.com Editor
A recent check of the top golf destinations in the world mentioned surprising Portugal,
so we decided to have staff writer Carla Harvey take a summertime
golfing jaunt throughout the courses in central and northern Portugal. In this three-part
series, Harvey begins with visits to six golf clubs and overnight stays at
nearby manor houses. She continues her tour in
Amarante, and she also offers a few key driving
tips for the area. Finally, Harvey offers a brief look at
three more courses, and she also offers a few more tips for travelers.
"High season in central Portugal is from March through May, so a good time to visit with
weather to match is during the summer months," says Harvey, who returned from her
tour eager to return again next year.
MichiganGolf.com: Two Guys Who Golf
This week marks the first appearance on our sites from the
Two Guys Who Golf, also known as Mark "Sparky" Honey and David “Tigger” Shulist.
Look for their reviews every month at both OntarioGolf.com and MichiganGolf.com, where they tee off with a look
at The Glacier Club in north metro Detroit.
"(Glacier Club) is a first class golf experience and as close as you will get to playing a
PGA tour style property in this part of the state," writes Honey. Also this week, check out Shulist's
review of the Renfrew Golf Club (right),
located in the heart of the Ottawa Valley. Shulist says the club has rebuilt all 18 of its greens,
and the result is brilliant.
OldDominionGolf.com:
Something Important Happened Here
As senior writer (and history buff) Jeffrey A. Rendall notes, there’s a timeless
quality to historical sites. Such is the feeling you’ll get when reading his review of the
Lee’s Hill Golfers’ Club
in Fredericksburg, Virginia (about an hour south of Washington D.C.).
"The course is placed in and around 19th century Confederate army campsites,
occupied during the Fredericksburg Campaign of 1862-63," Rendall writes. "Several landmarks remain plainly visible
nearly 139 years later." They course isn't tremendously long at 6,834 yards from the
tips, but here, power bows to intelligent play. Rendall says
placement and club selection rules the day at this historic layout.
GolfTexas.com: Turning to the Present
For this week's featured GolfTexas.com review, senior writer Kyle Dalton went back in time
with a visit to the
Mustang Creek Golf Club, located just 30 minutes northeast
of Austin. The second oldest golf course in the Austin area and the fourteenth oldest
course in the entire state, Dalton says Mustang Ranch has made its nine-hole course a pleasant and historic
golfing experience. "The greens are in excellent condition and receptive to soft
shots that hit in the proper location," Dalton writes.
GolfFlorida.com: Sizing up Timacuan
As senior writer Derek Duncan notes, few courses in their entire existence will
undergo the changes and problems that
Timacuan Golf and Country Club has seen in the mere 14 years since it
opened for play in 1987. One of the more talked about
and respected courses in Orlando, there is something here for everyone: two distinct
nines, the influence of two architects, a dramatic variety
of green sizes and styles, a spacious clubhouse, and a mix of variant holes.
"That Timacuan is irregular and disjointed is something that doesn’t seem to affect its
continuing popularity, probably because its local membership is so active," Duncan writes.
From the 19th Hole: Quick Shots from Ohio and More
In TravelGolf.com, Jay Mankus heads to Pennsylvania for a look at the
Loch Naire Golf Club
of Avondale (right), which offers a refreshing change from modern upscale golf facilities...Also at
TravelGolf.com, David R. Holland offers a look at the
State of the Game in 2001,
complete with comments from Weiskopf, Palmer and Nicklaus...
In GolfOhio.com, John Eckberg reviews the historic
Brass Ring Golf Club, located deep in the
Southeast Ohio hills...in HiltonHeadGolf.com, Jeffrey A. Rendall
visits the Bloody Point Golf Club
(right) on Daufuskie Island, a beautiful, peaceful, parkland layout.
From the Rough: RockiesGolf.com Spotlight
It's not everyday one of our writers has his picture taken with one of the legends of the game,
but there was senior writer David R. Holland earlier this month, posing with none other than Jack Nicklaus.
Holland was in Colorado for the opening ceremony festivities of Nicklaus' newest Colorado design
at Cordillera's fourth and final golf jewel,
The Summit at Cordillera,
located in the Vail Valley. Also, be
sure to catch Holland's review of the
SolVista Golf & Ski Ranch, which opened in June in the uncrowded Grand County and
features a definite valley-floor feel with native wetlands, grasses
and water coming in to play.
BadGolfMonthly.com: Hall of Shame
The Hall of Shame honors bad golfers worldwide by presenting the worst
scores attained by hackers from all over the globe. View the entries to see if
there is actually a bigger hacker than you out there, or post your own worst
score! Tell everyone a little about your game too-- no excuses, just provide a
little context.
As always, if you disagree with our reviewers on a certain course or just want to sound off
about the latest from the PGA Tour, be sure to visit the
GolfBoards.com website,
a series of message boards where visitors can write about everything from the
Myrtle Beach golf scene to new equipment. There's also a free classifieds section
where golfers can advertise that old set of clubs they've been meaning to sell for
years. And if you haven't checked it out already, be sure
to visit the new TravelGolf.com Pro Shop,
a joint venture with The Golf Warehouse. With all of this at TravelGolf.com, there's no
need to go anywhere else on the Web.
Until next week….happy golfing!
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