This Week at TravelGolf.com: Feb. 8, 2008

Find your mid-season swing just in time for your off-season golf vacation

February is the month a lot of you snowbirds on the east coast and in the Midwest begin booking spring golf trips such as Arizona and Las Vegas. I don't blame you. Today it is 70 degrees and sunny outside my Myrtle Beach office.

Put the snow shovel down!

But booking a spring golf trip also means you haven't touched a golf club since the New York Giants were 0-2. While Eli Manning was emerging from his cocoon, your swing grew cobwebs and your short game is F.U.B.A.R!

It doesn't matter if you plan on betting big bucks with your buddies – or just a few leisurely rounds with your mate. During your trip, you want to be in postseason - not preseason form.

Even if your local golf courses are snowed in, there are some ways you can cheat a little.

For starters, don't cram in a last-minute golf lesson where the teacher overhauls your grip or tries to rebuild your swing. If you must see a PGA pro before your trip, tell him or her it's just for a quick tune-up. Don't get much more complicated than ball position and set up.

If you want your mid-season power, make sure you get your muscles loosey-goosy in the weeks leading up to your trip by stretching and working out.

Once you've arrived to your destination, be sure to spend the first morning on the practice area, working on your wedges and short game especially before teeing off in the afternoon. It will gradually remind your muscles how to play this goofy game.

Also, if you're scheduling a famous course, like the TPC Sawgrass or Torrey Pines, don't save it until your final round. Instead, book it in the middle of your trip, before your feet are callused and you're mentally exhausted. You haven't golfed in months, so you won't be able to stay sharp for four, 36-hole days in a row.

Lastly, consider playing one or two courses twice, rather a different one each round. Even the pros need a few practice rounds to get comfortable enough to score well. Not only will your memories of the trip be more vivid, you'll have a better chance at birdies - and what golf trip is complete without a few of those?

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

The Founders Club on Pawleys Island: Myrtle Beach area welcomes another upscale course

The golf-rich town of Pawleys Island south of Myrtle Beach has a new feather in its cap: The Founders Club. Built upon the former Sea Gull golf course, the owners decided to start over from scratch and create a visually stunning and fun to play championship course, Brandon Tucker writes. The dramatic differences include wider fairways, creative bunkering and huge greens that will make the Founders Club one of the top rounds in the South Strand for 2008.

Also: Myrtle Beach golf vacation package picks

Beat the crowds with a shoulder-season golf package to St. Andrews in Scotland

For many, a golf trip to Scotland is the ultimate dream vacation. Most, however, wouldn't imagine that a great time to go is the late winter. Traveling golfers can still find late-winter golf vacation deals on gems such as the Old Course, Balcomie Links and the New Course. The prices are much lower, and the crowds of tourists are much smaller, so maybe the time for that Scotland golf trip is right now.

Also: Scotland golf vacation package picks

Schmidt and Curley make the grade at Siena Golf Club in Las Vegas

They say the devil's greatest trick was convincing the world he didn't exist. In golf, the equivalent might be a master-planned community where players don't recall there were homes around the course. Such is the case at Siena Golf Club, Mike Bailey writes.

Also: Las Vegas golf vacation package picks