TravelGolf.com: Driving Toward Great Golf in Florida
By Douglas Carey,
Contributor
My in-box is occasionally peppered with mail from readers asking for more coverage of a
specific region. Many writers are salesmen who drive long stretches at a time, always with
the golf bag sequestered away in the trunk. With that reader in mind, we asked senior
writer Derek Duncan for an overview of the
Highway 27 corridor in Florida, a 35-mile stretch between Clermont in the north
and Haines City in the south. Duncan says the corridor
is home to a series of courses that offer some of the most adventurous and
uncharacteristic golf in all the South, and it's hard to disagree after reading about
standouts such as Southern Dunes and Highlands Reserve.
TravelGolf.com: Dave Pelz Never Short on Good Advice
If you're still looking for the perfect gift for your favorite golfer, you could do
worse than picking up one of Dave Pelz's best-selling books on the short game.
In this week's featured
TravelGolf.com interview, contributing writer Shane Sharp sits
down with the short game guru to discuss everything from the best value golf area (Myrtle Beach)
to the best golf course designer you've heard of (Bobby Weed).
It's a fascinating visit with one of golf's top instructors.
GolfTexas.com: Where Tradition and Variety Rule
If it's December, it must be time for "top 10" lists, and we're happy to oblige at GolfTexas.com,
where senior writer David R. Holland has compiled an impressive collection. His list of the
top 10 courses in Texas this year is highlighted by the Fazio Canyons layout
at the Barton Creek Resort in Austin, which nudges out Fazio's first Barton Creek
layout, Fazio Foothills, because of its secluded feel and because it was built on
twice the acreage. Other top selections: La Cantera Resort Course in San Antonio,
Painted Dunes in El Paso, and theTexas Star Golf Course in Euless.
OldDominionGolf.com: Planning Ahead in Maryland
Like many golfers, senior writer Jeffrey A. Rendall is already looking toward 2002.
Fortunately, he's discovered one of the most anticipated openings for next year
in Maryland. Slated to open in April,
Renditions Golf Club will offer public golfers
a chance to play legendary golf holes without sacrificing a lung to receive the privilege.
The brand new course will offer "Golf's Grand Slam Experience"
by replicating 18 famous golf holes from legendary courses in the U.S. and British
Isles-all of which have played host to at least one of golf's four majors.
GolfArizona.com: Heading Back in Time
Our newest staff writer, Rebecca Larsen, begins her GolfArizona.com career with a visit to
McCormick Ranch Golf Club's Pine Course, which represents a trip
back in history to what golfing was like in Scottsdale in the more relaxed,
less glittering era of the 1970s. One of the most well-manicured courses in the
Valley of the Sun, the Pine Course features hundreds of mature pine trees along
its fairways. No wonder Larsen says control is the key to success at this
Desmond Muirhead-designed layout.
From the 19th Hole: Quick Shots from California and More
At Golfcalifornia.com, Tom LaMarre visits Camarillo for a review of the
Sterling Hills Golf Club, which ranks high in both playability and affordability....
At GolfCarolina.com, Shane Sharp says the country’s best
golf course communities run the gamut from desert hideouts to mountain getaways...
At GolfTexas.com, Kyle Dalton checks in with a review of the
Jimmy Clay Golf Course, a challenging and enjoyable layout in Austin...
Finally, be sure to check out Ray Bangs' review of the
ASU Karsten Golf Course (pictured) in Tempe, where Pete Dye’s railroad ties and fairway mounds
add character to this traditional Scottish links style layout.
From the Rough: Spotlight on Pinehurst
In case you missed last week's report, be sure to check out senior writer Shane Sharp's
overview of Pinehurst, a true American institution in the heart of North Carolina.
Sharp's overview includes a rundown of all the top courses in the area, starting
with Pinehurst No. 2 at the beautiful Pinehurst Resort. "Just driving into and around
Pinehurst is a surreal undertaking in itself -- one
that every serious golfer must experience at least once in their life," Sharp writes.
As always, if you disagree with our reviewers on a certain course, 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 TravelGolf.com
Pro Shop, a joint venture with The Golf Warehouse.
With all of this at the award-winning
TravelGolf.com, there's no need to go anywhere else on
the Web.
Until next week...God bless America.
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