RockiesGolf.com: Colorado's Best 9-Holer

Voted the best nine-hole course in the state of Colorado by writers and pros, the Trinidad Municipal Golf Course is fun and peerless. Senior Writer David R. Holland says it's one of the best buys in Colorado golf at just $20 a round. "It's not glamour golf, but that's what Trinidad locals like most about it. This is a Cadillac course at Chevrolet prices," writes Holland, who notes that talks have been going on for years of expanding Trinidad to 18 holes. Trinidad Municipal is a relatively short course (6,160 for the men) that low-handicappers could scorch, but that's not to say it isn't a challenge. Holland suggests you keep it on the fairways, because there's nothing but trouble if you don't hit 'em straight. Trinidad Municipal hosts a busy summer schedule of weekend and holiday tournaments, so call before you make the drive.

TravelGolf.com:
Destined for Distinction in the Midwest

Related Links • This Week at TravelGolf.com (May 14-20) • Archives: This Week at TravelGolf.com

Staff writer John Eckberg traveled to Tennessee last week for a review of the Landmark Golf Club and a visit to the Blackberry Farm, a 1,100-acre resort and spa about a 40-minute drive west of the course on the border of the Great Smokies Mountain National Park. He didn't leave disappointed. Considered one of the top four small resorts in America, Blackberry Farm is an oasis of fine dining and accommodations, and it even comes with its own private trout stream. No wonder Eckberg was so relaxed when he began his round at Landmark, one of 300 courses designed by architect Joseph L. Lee. From its opening in 1997, the course was envisioned as a Tennessee magnet for great golf, drawing from a seven-state region. Now additional improvements are being made to an already great facilty in hopes of establishing Landmark as one of the premier semi-private golf facilities in the Southeast. Sounds like they're on their way.

GolfCalifornia.com: A Unique Antioch Experience

One of our newest staff writers, Doug Saunders, traveled one hour east of San Francisco last week to see what all the commotion was about. Bay Area golfers have been raving about the Roddy Ranch Golf Club since it opened last November, and now we know why. The 6,943-yard course that has transformed 230 acres of Jack Roddy's working cattle ranch into a Scottish links style course sweeps across the rolling hills in a fashion similar to the old style courses found in Ireland. Sitting on a hillside, Roddy Ranch provides great views of the Sacramento River Delta, the rangelands, and the High Sierra off in the distance. The layout is noted by serenity as no homes surround the course, and never will. "The whole experience at Roddy Ranch is one of down home friendliness that is nurtured by Jack Roddy," writes Eckberg, who says the course is fast becoming a player favorite because of its playable layout and true greens.

GolfFlorida.com:
Natural Consistency North of Jacksonville

One of the first things senior writer Derek Duncan noticed upon arriving at Royal Amelia Golf Links was the motto on the yardage book, which proclaims "Royal Amelia is the most talked about golf course in northern Florida." Duncan says that might still be open to debate, but there is certainly plenty to speak of concerning this new course in the heart of Amelia Island, twenty minutes north of Jacksonville. Opened since September 2000, Amelia Golf Links is a scenic composition of golf holes molded into the thick indigenous vegetation of the island. The park-like course, highlighted by several small lakes and a creek that influences play on numbers one, two, nine, ten, and eighteen, is a unique illustration of balance and natural consistency. "With this golf course and others, Amelia Island can truly brag about being one of the premier golf destinations in the South," Duncan writes.

From the Rough

	Steve Smyers

In case you missed last week's report, be sure to catch senior writer Derek Duncan's conversation with Florida-based course architect Steve Smyers, widely viewed as one who is helping lead the way back to more thoughtful, strategic golf designs. In this wide-ranging interview, Smyers discusses everything from bunkers to Ivan Lendl. If you've ever wondered what goes into a course design, the interview is a must-read. Consider his views on future golf course designs: "I think the wave of the future might be going back and putting five par threes or six par threes on a course. If that's what the site gives you, that's fine. I think too much has been placed on the 7,200 yard, four par five, four par three [course]. I think too much emphasis has been placed on that."

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.