This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 6, 2004

They are the unsung heroes of golf, and every community has at least one of them. In my hometown of Fresno (Calif.), his name is Len Ross, and he's trying to get a nonprofit golf center built in one of the poorer areas in town. For the past 57 years, he's been the most important figure on the local golf scene, helping with everything from youth tournaments to free clinics. He's now 83, and he's never been busier.

The start of a new year seems like a good time to highlight someone like Ross, who volunteers countless hours to help improve the community through golf. When (not if) the golf center is built, it will give children, the disabled and seniors the opportunity for free instruction. If you'd like to help, contact the Fresno-Greater San Joaquin Valley Junior Golf Foundation at (559) 255-7126.

Before diving headfirst into the new year, be sure to check out our series of stories on the best of 2003, including recaps from Arizona, Michigan, and Myrtle Beach. As always, feel free to send us your comments on any topic, including your favorite unsung hero in golf. Have a great week.

Best of Vegas comes up aces

Las Vegas seems to have it all, so picking the best courses, the best new courses, the best resorts and best values is no easy chore. Nevertheless, Associate editor Rebecca Larsen is up to the task. Her best of 2003 list includes some of the finest, and some of the most exclusive, courses Las Vegas has to offer, including such standouts as Bear's Best, Revere Golf Club, and the Wolf Creek Golf Club in Mesquite.

Full story | Las Vegas golf course guide

Smyers works
wonders at Grande Pines

While his peers are repeatedly given mouthwatering locales, the typical Steve Smyers site is flat and constricted. But as Derek Duncan found out during a recent tour of the redesigned International Golf Club, a Marriott property now called Grande Pines, Smyers is up to his old tricks of making something out of virtually nothing. The once low-profile course now can be described as extraordinary and bold.

Full story | Architect profiles

How to cure winter golf withdrawal

Beer expert Tom Bedell takes inventory of the winter brews on the market and gives his picks for nine to look for this winter season. He says that these beers probably won't be at your local supermarket, but any halfway decent distributor will stock some of them. The list, which includes Anchor Christmas Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration and Brooklyn Monster Ale, is a diverse geographic sampling that should help anyone all the way through any golf withdrawal.

Full story | Visit BadGolfer.com