This Week at TravelGolf.com: March 21, 2008

From Florida to Las Vegas to Palm Springs and the Gulf Coast, spring is a great time of year for a golf road trip

For some reason, don't ask me why, only the fall and winter months seem to be the really busy seasons for golf down here in the southern latitudes.

Fall and winter are fine, unless you live in the northern parts of the South, and then it can get very cold, even here in North Florida where I've set up my forward golfing command post.

Why not spring? Why not, indeed. Spring is a lovely time of the year in Florida and the rest of the South, at a time when many places in the North are still frozen. The wildflowers are in bloom and the women are wearing less.

And of course, it isn't just the South that spring enlivens. The golf courses in Las Vegas are in the best shape they will be all year.

For those with children in school it may be difficult to get away for a spring golf trip, but for others, it is a very attractive option. The weather's great, the crowds are down and a lot of golf courses offer spring specials.

Northern California, particularly the Monterrey Peninsula, has some of the best golf courses in the country offering discounts, and Palm Springs, of course, has a number of fine courses and a distinctly small number of spring breakers.

Hilton Head Island, S.C. is also bereft of college hard-partiers, and late spring brings with it warmth and the same lack of golfing crowds.

Gulf Shores, Ala., hard by the Gulf of Mexico, is warm enough for swimming and has Kiva Dunes, Cotton Creek at the Craft Farms Resort and other quality golf courses.

And don't forget Augusta, Ga. in the spring. There's the Masters, of course, but there are also enough golf courses in Augusta to keep you busy when you feel like playing and not watching.

Also, with daylight savings time, you can play an extra hour and sleep in late.

For an in-depth look at these golf hotspots and others, take a look at the front page of TravelGolf.com.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Looking for pretty? Try these picturesque Georgia golf courses

From Georgia's coast to the mountains, you have a variety of scenic golf courses to choose from, including Sea Island and the Hampton Club on St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island Golf Club, Arrowhead Pointe in Elberton, Reynolds Plantation, TPC at Sugarloaf, Callaway Gardens and Brasstown Valley. TravelGolf.com has toured the state for years, and here are some of our favorites.

Also: Ranking Georgia's top golf resorts

Column: With golf rounds slumping, women golfers can save the day

An iffy economy is also putting a pinch on the golf picture. The bottom line: our great game of golf is not growing. Half of all golfers played fewer than 10 rounds last year. How can our game be jump-started? Women. Women can save the day, Katharine Dyson writes in her debut "Ladies Locker Room" column at TravelGolf.com.

Podcast: Hear the latest 'TravelGolf.com This Week' show

Looking to get a taste of Pinehurst in Las Vegas? Try Desert Pines Golf Club

Many golf courses claim to be unique, and on some level, they all are, but there really is nothing like Desert Pines Golf Club in Las Vegas. On what other golf course in Southern Nevada will you find thousands of Carolina pine trees? Where else can you find a two-tiered, climate-controlled practice center? And how many golf courses are just 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip and 15 minutes from the airport?

Podcast: Desert Pines G.C., Tuscany and Silverstone