This Week at TravelGolf.com: April 16, 2009

After El Pato's Masters win, is it time to waddle down to Argentina for a golf trip?

Angel Cabrera is a majors fluke no more. "El Pato" now has a green jacket to go with his 2007 U.S. Open trophy. And with the victory, it's time to finally look past countryman Roberto De Vicenzo's "What a stupid I am!" Masters gaffe in 1968 and start to realize Argentina is one seriously good golf country.

Now that Cabrera has won perhaps the world's most coveted major, opportunities for the growth of golf within Argentina and travel to the country are bound to get serious.

Argentina isn't really close to most of the golfing world (a nine-hour flight from Miami to Buenos Aires, 16 from Madrid). Those who have told me about their trips to Buenos Aires have raved about it's exciting nightlife, cuisine and culture.

Yet no one I've met has ever ventured down there for the country's golf.

But of all South American countries, Argentina is hands down the most golf developed, and most golf courses stay open year round thanks to a temperate climate. That makes sense, given how European the country is as a result of its settlers. The British began whacking it around here about 1885.

Today there are more than 200 golf courses, new and old. Even Alister Mackenzie made his way down here in 1930 to design the prestigious Jockey Club outside of Buenos Aires, while Buenos Aires Golf Club, hosts the Argentine Open and is the only South American golf course on Golf Digest's Top 100 list.

English isn't as available here as in Spain - that's evident in Cabrera using a translator for interviews. (Ever wish we had a similar buffer between Sergio Garcia and his idiotic sound bites?)

But don't be surprised if golf tourism here starts making a push to North America and the United Kingdom and Europe. Eventually we can all waddle down the path of "The Duck."

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Tricky greens aside, Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz. is fun

Jack Nicklaus designed Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain specifically for the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. PGA Tour players hit the ball astronomically far, which most us can't relate to, but when you get to the greens, we're all playing the same game. So the only way to bring the best players and the average players together was on the greens complexes, said Nicklaus. Do these greens make it difficult on the average player? "Yes," said Nicklaus. "But it does make it a lot of fun."

The Playboy Golf Scramble, TaylorMade's new Burner 09 Irons, top-100 golf instructor Kellie Stenzel's practice tips

Host Dave Berner talks to John DeMarco, managing partner of LasVegasGolf.com, about the Playboy Golf Scramble. Mike Bailey praises the new TaylorMade-adidas Golf Burner 09 irons. And top-100 instructor Kellie Stenzel talks about making the most out of your golf practice.

Blog: Charlie King's Red Zone putting tip

Column: PGA Tour got you down? Liven up and watch the LPGA on TV

Listen up, guys: There's a lot to be learned from tuning in to the LPGA Tour. Ever wonder how Lorena Ochoa, a trim little 5-foot-6 snippet weighing about 120 pounds - about as much as your thigh - can hit it out there about 280 yards? Can you do that? Consistently? Think you might be able to learn something?

Also: Is a golf trip the place to fix your game?