This Week at TravelGolf.com: Nov. 20, 2008

Cheap tee times abound, so more golf, less Guitar Hero this holiday season

Thanksgiving "Star Wars" marathons on cable, second-rate bowl games on Christmas, and the mandatory Will Smith blockbuster movie in the theaters.

How come so many of our holiday mainstays involve sitting around watching a screen? Around holiday time, families should be outside, doing stuff, burning off that turkey and ham.

Families should invest their holiday memories into more active trips, like skiing and golf.

In fact, many golf destinations see a drop in bookings between Thanksgiving and the first week of January. This is especially true in the southeast U.S., from the resorts along the Carolina coast down to Florida, where it may not be warm enough for a bikini on the beach, but you're practically guaranteed golf weather.

When I stopped by Hilton Head Island last year in early December, the golf courses were in prime shape, the sun was shining enough for shorts and my hotel had practically no cars in the lot any time of day.

Incentives abound around holiday time. Resorts are either dead around Thanksgiving or Christmas depending on the destination.

At Disney World in Orlando, between Thanksgiving through the second week of December is the "value season," the park's cheapest time to stay-and-play, whether you're on one of Disney's four golf courses or taking the kids around the theme parks. Book it then, because space here at Christmas is at an ultra-premium.

The holiday bargains are no more evident than in the golf capital of Myrtle Beach, S.C. Despite weather as good as it gets and golf courses in near-prime time shape, Myrtle Beach golf courses sell tee times at near-summertime discounts. And it's certainly family friendly. Litchfield Golf & Beach Resort for one offers free golf for kids with a paying adult not only during the holidays, but all year long. Even if the kids don't golf, they certainly play mini-golf, or one of a plethora of other activities to do in Myrtle Beach, from amusement parks to the beach itself.

So take the kids out golfing this holiday season. It couldn't quite be as painful as spending an entire afternoon in the living room watching them wail on Guitar Hero.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

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