This Week at TravelGolf.com: March 29, 2005

Id be willing to bet a month-long session at some high-dollar golf academy that those of you who were wielding pitchforks and torches last week, calling for the head of our West Coast bureau chief, Chris Baldwin, are glad to see my shining face in this spot, not his.

In the wake of his This Week at WorldGolf.com newsletter column on former Budweiser delivery guy Mark Johnson winning on the Champions Tour, we received an avalanche of reader comments saying Baldwin should be fired, that he should have his pen revoked, that he should be skulled with a sand wedge, etc. Things got so heated that there was even talk that TravelGolf.com management should lock the "petulant, clueless SOB" in a room with the Rebel Blogger (that was deemed a fate worse than Abu Ghraib, however, and nixed on humanitarian principles).

I dont pretend to know what motivated Chris to write that column and I cant say I agree with everything in it. But I do stand by his right to write it. Those of you who wrote that youd never read us again, give Chris another shot. Youll see hes an outstanding writer with a truckload of integrity.

When I began discussions with TravelGolf.com Publisher Robert Lewis about coming on as managing editor, I told him the thing that intrigued me most about this publication is its fresh voice. The golf industry is full of advocates. There are advocates for course owners, for resort owners, for equipment manufacturers, for managers, for PGA Professionals and so forth. But whos supposed to look out for the golfer? For the guy and his wife who save and save to be able to afford a round or two each month? For the folks who head off on a golf vacation and have the audacity to want a quality round of golf worth what they paid for the privilege? Guess what? Those folks are the ones we aim to please. Our stable of writers knows this is the bottom line.

Take, for instance the Rebel Blogger taking to task Tee Ball Golf Publisher Tom Martin for trying to put one over on our readers. For that matter, take a look at Baldwins latest column, where he shines a light on one of the unmentionables on the Las Vegas golf scene, the way posh hotels all seem to direct visitors to the Walters Golf-owned Stallion Mountain Country Club, where he says you pay $155 just to come away feeling cheated. If youll read the column youll believe me  no matter how you felt about the beer truck guy article, Baldwin (and the rest of the TravelGolf.com writers) are looking out for you, for the little guy.

As always, we look forward to your comments!

Las Vegas Million Dollar
Shootout puts the money and
the pressure on your swing

Everyone above the age of 10 who's played golf has stood over a "money" putt. This is usually along the lines of a $2 Nassau. Ever wonder how you'd react facing a putt with, say, about half a million on the line? Players in the Las Vegas Million Dollar Shootout aim to find out.

Full story | Lake Las Vegas

Pawleys Plantation:
A gorgeous (and playable!)
Jack Nicklaus design

The Jack Nicklaus-designed Pawleys Plantation is not only one of the prettier courses in the Myrtle Beach area, it's also one of the Golden Bear's fairer designs. Set on a resort that encompasses wetlands, mammoth oak trees, salt marshes and small lakes, the natural landscape is stunning. You may be more enamored, however, by the playability of the course. It's a Nicklaus design the average Joe can play.

Full story | River's Edge in Shallotte

Take The Bridges
Over troubled water at
Bay St. Louis' Casino Magic

The Bridges is an accurate name for the Arnold Palmer design of the same name that sits adjacent to the Casino Magic, in Bay St. Louis, Miss. There are 21 bridges and, all told, they span nearly a mile, taking you from high point to high point - golf holes, technically - that slither through the marshes and wetlands flowing from and into the Jourdan River.

Full story | Gulf coast courses