This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 17, 2008

Golfers hoping to escape winter don't have to go all the way to Florida

Being from Florida, every time I head for a winter golf trip up to the Great White North – which includes everything north of the Georgia border – I tend to pack heavy.

This was true to a recent trip to play golf in Hilton Head, S.C. Long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, jackets, even an overcoat.

By the third day, I had run out of short-sleeve shirts and had yet to pull on a sweater. The weather in Hilton Head was warm, yes, even hot. What was this wet, sticky stuff? Sweat? Could it be? In January? Why, yes, it was. Yet, most of the golf courses I played were barren as the Mohave Desert, or should I say the Arctic tundra. When winter hits, golfers with time and money on their hands either flock to Florida or stay huddled around their fireplaces, waiting for "golf weather."

I've never understood this, and I think Florida tourism officials don't want me, or anybody, to understand it. I think I hear some Florida marketing people outside my door, listening to my keystrokes. I believe they're armed.

Right now, it's 55 degrees in Tallahassee, near where I live. It's 56 degrees in Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island.

The average high in Myrtle Beach for January is 57. That's why Canadians flock there: To them, that's sunburn weather. It's 58 for Hilton Head Island. This is certainly golf-able weather, even for non-Canadians. Yet many golf courses in these places are barren this time of year. The average high in Tallahassee is 64. That's not a lot of difference.

Yet everyone flocks to Florida to play golf in the winter. If you do, make sure you drive past where I live, in the north, and keep going til you at least hit Orlando. Florida, you see, has three different climate zones, the warmest being in south Florida, which for those of you keeping score, scores a nine, the warmest of the U.S. climate zones. The average January temperature in Miami, for example, is 76. In Orlando, it's 72.

Personally, after sweating through yet another brutal Florida summer, I enjoy playing golf when the temperature plunges to a livable level.

Of course, you take your chances north of the Sunshine State in the winter, or I should say north of Orlando. I say, check the weather patterns and take a spur-of-the-moment golf trip to the non-Florida South. You'll save a bundle on green fees, even if you're freezing to death.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Gondolas in the Arizona desert: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale resort at Gainey Ranch full of surprises

No one really expects to be taking a gondola ride in the hippest Arizona resort town. Scottsdale isn't exactly a water wonderland after all. Yet, there you are on one of those pointy boats with a beaming gondolier doing his thing. This is the scene out back at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, one of the more secret scenes in the whole greater Phoenix valley, Chris Baldwin writes.

Also: Keep your easy tracks - real men dig AZ desert golf!

Enjoy an easy-going, laid back golf vibe at Black Mountain Golf & Country Club in Henderson, Nev.

As anyone who plays knows, a golf facility is much more than a collection of doglegs, hazards and well-conditioned fairways and greens. Most golf courses tell a story, which is often evident the first few minutes after arrival. Black Mountain Golf & Country Club near Las Vegas is one of those clubs. They've got a half-century to draw from, and it's evident from the time you drive up that you're in a place that melds the past with the present.

Also: Black Mountain Golf & Country Club by the numbers

Myrtle Beach golf goes glitz, Tiger vs. Jack, golf ball artist Patric Herber

Brandon Tucker tells podcast host Dave Berner about the glitzy transformation of Myrtle Beach. "I think they're getting more and more recognition every year for the higher end courses that they have." Also: With Tiger Woods closing in on Jack Nicklaus' majors record, golf pundits are leaping to compare the two golf greats. And, Patric Herber, an artist who creates sculptures out of golf balls.

Also: Readers rant at TravelGolf.com