This Week at TravelGolf.com: March 2, 2004

Looking for financial advice? We're the last place you want to look (just take a look at my portfolio). But with writers spread across the globe, we do know about the world's best golf destinations. In this week's Travel Golf Guy column, Shane Sharp tells us which destinations are rising like a hot stock or falling like Enron.

His stock report offers a few surprises, starting with Hawaii's "sell" rating, thanks to the high expense ratio. Conversely, Sharp is high on Michigan, home of this year's Ryder Cup. It makes for an interesting read. It also started me thinking on other "stock" possibilities. For instance, who would've thought that John Daly would've deserved a "buy" rating just two months ago?

While thinking about who might next be the next hot "stock" (Padraig Harrington, anyone?), be sure to check out our usual full roster of reviews and travel features, plus our new and improved BadGolfer.com site, one of our most popular over the past five years. As always, your comments are welcome on any topic, including your favorite "stock" tips. Have a great week.

Mixing golf and spring training

Major Leaguers from 12 baseball clubs will work out in the 80-degree dry heat of Arizona. They'll be more accessible to fans than at any regular season venue. Future Hall of Famers like Barry Bonds and Greg Maddux will be on display, fine tuning their skills. Tickets to games cost as little as $2 at some places. Basically, it's a baseball fan's dream world that also happens to take place in a golfer's paradise.

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Nickent Genex 3DX Irons

If you're a mid- to high-handicapper looking for greater forgiveness, playability, or length, then these clubs might be for you. The steel sets are ideal for better players who want forgiveness but are not so concerned with distance. The graphite sets are ideal for players looking for distance along with playability. In a nutshell, Nickent has succeeded in making clubs that are not only longer, but easier to control.

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Michigan's best loaded with quality

So many courses, yet so few awards. Staff writer Michael Patrick Shiels tries to pare it down to a manageable handful, or 20. Michigan standouts such as Bay Harbor, Shepherd's Hollow, Bay Mills and Red Hawk make this year's list, as does the old standard, Treetops. But what about some of your favorites?

Full story | Michigan course reviews