Steve Smyers

GolfTexas.com:
Check Out the New Pecan Valley

If you haven’t visited the Pecan Valley Golf Club in a few years, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The San Antonio layout has made a great comeback, according to senior writer David R. Holland. In 1998 a heralded reconstruction returned the course to its former glory. Under the direction of American Golf and architect Bob Cupp, Pecan Valley Golf Club got a $5.5 million facelift. Officials at the USGA took notice selecting the course to host the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. “The new Pecan Valley has gotten rave reviews from the local media and golf pros, picking it as the top upscale golf course in San Antonio over No. 2 La Cantera,” Holland writes. “They also selected hole No. 2 as the best in town.” A picturesque par 71 at 7,010 yards with huge native pecan and live oak trees, Pecan Valley plays like an old championship course with a little history to boot.

Myrtlebeachgolf.com:
The Tribe Has Spoken in Carolina

	Osprey Point

One spring golf trip, four golf destinations, one survivor. The Carolinas golf version of everyone’s favorite reality based television series is here at travelgolf.com. Senior writer Shane Sharp, came up with the concept last week: Four golfing destinations are put under the microscope and scrutinized to determine where you can get the most for your golfing dollar. The contestants: Myrtle Beach, the self-proclaimed golf capital of the world; Hilton Head, the posh golf mecca of the southeast, Pinehurst, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected golfing destinations; Charleston, home to history and some of South Carolinas most highly rated tracks. We won’t give away the winner here, but suffice to say that Charleston doesn’t make it past the first tribal council. “There may be no better place in the Carolinas to take a weekend vacation, but Charleston just doesn’t have the quantity of golf to compete with our other three contestants,” Sharp writes. “Still, this historic town deserves serious consideration for a visit for a number of great reasons.”

GolfCalifornia.com:
Bargain Shopping near Sacramento

Once listed among America's top 75 courses by “Golf Digest,” the Ancil Hoffman Golf Course no longer holds such a lofty reputation. But according to staff writer Jeffrey Weidel, the Carmichael course remains a gem, a traditional golf course that still provides a heck of a test for golfers of all abilities. Although the typically lazy Sacramento River is close by, it cannot be seen or heard on the golf course. On many of the holes, the only sounds are golf balls being struck. Another strong selling point to Ancil Hoffman is the price. It remains a bargain any day of the week. For these and many other reasons, the course has a very loyal following. “Once an area starving for more courses, the new tracks have arrived over the past decade in Sacramento,” Weidel writes. “Not everyone likes the new prices, which is why Hoffman still remains a popular destination.” One final tip: Bring your best game, since the course is one where good shots are a necessity and bad shots get severely penalized.

TravelGolf.com: A Look Inside the SeeMore Putters

Related Links • This Week at TravelGolf.com (May 7-13) • Archives: This Week at TravelGolf.com

In this week’s featured product review, senior writer Kiel Christianson takes a look at the SeeMore Putters, which feature a brilliant bit of design. The concept behind all SeeMore putters is simple but ingenious: An alignment aid (which conforms to USGA regulations) is built right into the putter head. “The center-shafted putter tells you that the putter head is square to the target line when the shaft completely covers a red line on the heel of the putter head. If you’re not turning the toe inward or outward, you see the putter shaft with two white lines on either side, but no red line,” writes Christianson. The putters have grown in popularity ever since the late Payne Stewart used a SeeMore putter to win the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Now, golfers everywhere are using the product to help keep the putter head square.

OldDominionGolf.com:
Open Space in Northern Virginia

Opening in 1997, the South Riding Golf Club is a Dan Maples design (the only Maples track in Northern Virginia), featuring 18 thoughtfully placed holes weaving in and out of open space, stands of trees and wetlands, and yes, even the community. Senior writer Jeffrey A. Rendall says the service and conditioning has been upgraded in recent years, and the results are quite positive. Located lies at the southern end of the South Riding residential community (near Dulles airport, 35 minutes from Washington, D.C.), the course resides on the site of an old sod farm, and Rendall says you’d have a hard time finding finer strands of grass anywhere. “South Riding is very playable, making it easier for (general manager Marko) Ungashick and the staff to provide a memorable day. The fairways are wide, and the rough areas supply additional space,” writes Rendall, who says the 17th hole isn’t to be missed.

From the Rough

In case you missed last week's report, be sure to catch senior writer Derek Duncan's three-part series in GolfFlorida.com on the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club in southwest Florida, Duncan points out that no other hotel or resort in the region can state as unequivocally its importance to the community. The resort features a number of attractive travel packages, and many include golf clinics at the historic Naples Beach Golf Club, one of the oldest courses in the state. "If other courses are flashier, none are more historic or charming," writes Duncan, who does an excellent job illustrating that history in this week's featured course review.

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 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.