La Quinta Dunes

Holland's recent California travels also took him to the La Quinta Dunes course, which usually toils in the shadow of its younger Lamborghini sibling, the La Quinta Mountain course. Both layouts are bumped against the Santa Rosa Mountains, only a minute from the seven decades old La Quinta Resort, a former getaway for Hollywood's "Golden Era" movie stars. While Holland visited with one golfer who said the "Dunes Course can't really give the Mountain Course much competition," even its critics admit the golf at the Dunes Course is well worth the trip.

GolfCarolina.com:
A Surreal Undertaking for Golfers

	Pinehurst

In GolfCarolina.com, join Senior Writer Shane Sharp over the next two weeks as he explores some of the more affordable, off the beaten path places to play in Pinehurst. In part one, Sharp offers an overview of the area, which oozes with layouts from top designers such as Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones. As Sharp notes, Myrtle beach and Hilton Head may be spectacular golf destinations, "but neither golfing mecca is dedicated to the game with such singular purpose as the Sand Hills region of N.C." In the second part of Sharp's series, he visits The Carolina, a course that is as well maintained and manicured as any you'll find in a similar price range. The Arnold Palmer designed layout on the periphery of the epicenter of American golf attracts golfers from as far away as Charlotte and Raleigh with its pristine conditions and text book sand hills layout. Come prepared for challenging greens and memorable holes.

TravelGolf.com:
Maui Golf Perfection

	Wailea

The newest addition to our writing staff begins this week with a review from Maui, where the weather is perfect, the courses are perfect, the scenery is positively perfect and the people are perfectly nice. Of course, the prices aren't always ideal, but you can't have everything. In staff writer Art Stricklin's review of the Wailea Golf Resort, he calls the public 54-hole golf resort "a stunning testimony to Maui golf perfection." Located on the Southern end of the Hawaiian island, 25 minutes from the airport, the resort recently played host to the nationally televised Senior Skins Games. With holes that overlook the deep blue Pacific Ocean with the islands of Molokai and Lanai in the background, you can't go wrong at Wailea. And if you're looking for a place to stay, be sure to catch Stricklin's sidebar on the Four Season Resort, located within walking distance of the Blue course at Wailea.

GolfFlorida.com:
Elevate Your Game in Orlando

Related Links • This Week at TravelGolf.com (Feb. 19-25) • Archives: This Week at TravelGolf.com

Before starting her round at the Hawk's Landing Golf Club, staff writer Elaine Gallant took an elevator ride up 27 floors at Orlando's World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center. From that vantage point, she was able to fully appreciate how eye-poppingly beautiful the golf course looks with its contrasting colors of deep, lush-green grass against blooming trees and flowers. Only 6,810 yards from the back tees, this is target golf for many visitors. But Gallant says there's many challenges along the way. Water comes into play on the entire back nine and six holes of the front nine, while a variety of long and shapely bunkers are also a key factor. Gallant calls the course "18 holes of meticulous, but tricky championship golf." If you enjoy the finer points of course management, Hawk's Landing may be just the course for you.

From the Rough

	Grand Cypress Resort

In case you missed last week's report, be sure to catch GolfFlorida.com staff writer Jason Deegan's three-part series on the Grand Cypress Resort, located on the outer fringes of Disney World in a southern section of Orlando. Staff writer Jason Deegan begins with a review of the resort, which offers everything from golf and horseback riding, to tennis and swimming and a world-class spa. After spending a few days at the resort, Deegan says there's a lot more than great golf to this vacation spot: "Grand Cypress is hardly one-dimensional. In fact, non-golfers might have more fun than the golfers with all the entertainment options, beautiful facilities and dining experiences."

Even with the numerous entertainment options, most of our readers will be heading to the course before anything else. Fortunately, they won't be disappointed. "An award-winning golf academy, lavish accommodations and 45 holes of golf designed by Jack Nicklaus are just a few reasons why Grand Cypress is so well respected," Deegan writes. "The North-South tournament course, along with the East nine, and the New Course give Grand Cypress a leg up on competition because of the quality and variety of the courses, not to mention their impeccable condition." If you'd like the Cliffs Notes version of Deegan's reviews, be sure to check out his fact sheet on the resort, which includes all of the key fees and phone numbers.

As always, if you disagree with our reviewers on a certain course or just want to sound off about Tiger's views on the PGA Tour, be sure to visit the TravelGolf.com forum, 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!