This Week at TravelGolf.com: October 5, 2004

Almost as soon as we posted associate editor Kiel Christianson's commentary from the PGA Fall Expo, the letters arrived. Given an inside look at the world of golf retailing, Christianson revealed a few helpful tips within the popular "Sticks & Stones" column.

Not everyone was appreciative of the gesture, including reader David Hardison. "I am sure you think you are doing a service to consumers when you trash an industry such as golf retailers in an article like this," he wrote. "On the contrary, you are driving consumers away from a place where they can generally receive a good deal on merchandise." In response, Christianson said Hardison missed the point: "Buyers and sellers have an inherently adversarial relationship - sellers want to make as much profit as possible, buyers want to spend as little as possible. The speakers [at the Expo] were educating the sellers how to better achieve their goals; I was educating the buyers on how to achieve theirs."

If you're more interested in golf travel than retail, check out our usual roster of features and reviews before visiting the National Trust for Historic Preservation site (nationaltrust.org/ddd) to cast your vote in the search for America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations. All nominations must be received by Oct. 29. Among last year's winners: Napa (Calif.), Galena (Ill.), and Macon (Ga.). As always, your comments are welcome on any topic, including your thoughts on golf retailing. Have a great week.

Midwest states like Illinois
offer some great fall golf, too

While New England undoubtedly has some of the most breathtaking fall landscapes in America, the Midwest does pretty well, too. In fact, Illinois, despite being known as a prairie state, has some of the best parkland-style golf courses in the country. And what do you think happens to those courses come fall? You got it - an explosion of color. Associate editor Dave Berner reports on the best places to experience fall golf in Illinois.

Full story | St. Louis golf best in the fall

Twin Bridges has grassroots
values in RJR Train area

Twin Bridges in Gadsden, Ala., would be excused if it had something of an inferiority complex, being that it's near a course on the Robert Trent Jones Trail. But as Senior Writer Derek Duncan found, Twin Bridges is a modest community-based course that exemplifies everything still pure in golf, such as affordable fees, an interesting and walkable routing, and an honest sense of leisure and relaxation.

Full story | Gulf Coast Golf Course Guide

Paiute's Wolf will set you howling

Take famed golf course designer Pete Dye, give him a blank canvas in the desert near Las Vegas and what do you get? The Wolf course at the Las Vegas Paiute Resort. The newest of three courses at Paiute, the Wolf, brings out the darkest side of Dye, probably the most controversial golf course architect of his time. National Golf Editor Tim McDonald says the course is so treacherous it's almost mystical.

Full story | Visit TravelGolf Vegas