This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 9, 2007

Let's put FedEx Cup debate on ice, and just enjoy end of the PGA silly season

The silly season is finally over and now the PGA Tour is finally getting started with more silliness, in the form of the FedEx Cup.

It isn't that the FedEx Cup in and of itself is so silly – it may actually turn out to be a good thing. But everyone associated with it – mainly the marketers, publicists, PGA Tour hacks, FedEx suits and yes, even the media – is blowing it so out of proportion so early in the year.

This is a playoff, isn't it? When was the last time you heard of the NFL getting so excited about the playoffs in August?

"Well, there's so much going on about the FedEx Cup, I'm tired of listening to it, you know," Vijay Singh said after the first round of the Mercedes Championship.

The first round of the first tournament and we're supposed to be all agog over the season-ending playoffs?

They're trumpeting the "new era" for the Tour. Seems a lot like the old era to me. Tiger Woods skips the opener because he wants more vacation time. Clearly, Tiger isn't with the marketing program. Phil Mickelson also had better things to do.

Let the darn thing evolve naturally. The Tour had to do something about the way its season ended with a whimper and it came up with this. And it has shown an uncharacteristically admirable trait of actually listening to the players about the format. The Tour changed the playoffs into something meaningful, eliminating some players as they progress. Imagine that: playoffs in which somebody is eliminated.

In the meantime, let's get down to the business of pondering the great questions this year: Can Woods continue to dominate so totally or will this be the year someone steps up to challenge him? Will changing diapers take away from his range time?

Will Mickelson recover from his bonehead decisions at his U.S. Open meltdown, or will he collapse in a pile of man-breasts and broken ego? Can Ernie Els re-gain his form?

One thing is for certain: Golf tournaments will be easier to find on the tube this year, with The Golf Channel taking over the first three tournaments and early-round coverage the rest of the way. My guess is the station, which broadcast exactly one tournament last year, will be taking a lot of mulligans.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Ranking the best-conditioned
courses in Palm Springs, Calif.

Nowhere in the world are the golf courses as consistently well-conditioned as the greater Palm Springs area. These babies look clean enough to eat off, though we don't recommend it. Simply put, Palm Springs courses know that being green matters – and they call themselves on it. So who's the best of the best? TravelGolf.com has the answer.

Also: The latest from TravelGolf.com's blog squad

The Pearl Golf Links is a
gem on the Grand Strand

The Pearl Golf Links is a Myrtle Beach gem. And like its namesake stone as it nests in an oyster, this upper Grand Strand golf course is getting bigger. Construction is set to begin later this year on a planned 3,000 housing units, a teaching center and shopping district, so if you want to play a pristine course with few homes to mar the experience, now's the time for the Pearl.

News: Direct flights to Myrtle Beach help golfers

Praia D'El Rey in Portugal a
victim of overdevelopment

Browsing glossy brochures of Praia D'El Rey Golf & Beach Resort in Portugal, the seemingly undisturbed coastal holes seem too good to be true. They are. This Marriott resort about an hour north of Lisbon is developing rapidly. Along the coastline, construction looms at every turn and each "clank" of a crane is the sound of the golf course losing a bit more of its natural beauty. You'll have to be patient to get to the visual money shots that remain.

Also: Your guide to golf course real estate