This Week at TravelGolf.com: August 13, 2009

Minnesota golf is the real winner of the 91st PGA Championship

Tawny, private Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. might be the epicenter of the golf world this weekend, with all eyes on the PGA Championship. But the Land of 10,000 Lakes offers an abundance of accessible, world-class golf.

Golf is beloved in Minnesota, where harsh winters concentrate rampant enthusiasm for the sport into just six or seven short months each year. Minnesota has more golfers per capita than any other state in the nation, and as many as 35,000 of them showed up at Hazeltine National on Monday just to watch Tiger practice. Chances are, a lot of these fanatics headed out to the links themselves after watching the best in the world sharpen his claws.

The state can be dissected into six golf regions. The Metro Region, centering around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, offers more than 200 courses alone, including dozens of excellent municipal tracks, many upscale daily-fee courses, and, of course, exclusive country clubs such as Hazeltine National.

Check out Stonebrooke Golf Club in the Minneapolis suburb of Shakopee for a truly Minnesota-style course: 13 water holes, including a ferry ride between tee box and fairway on the signature 380-yard eighth hole.

The Southern Region features numerous pockets of great golf, including Rochester, with its outstanding municipal system. The Northeast Region boasts the critically acclaimed Giants Ridge Resort in Biwabik and Minnesota National Golf Course at Settler's Ridge.

The true heart of the state's golf is just a couple hours north of the Twin Cities, though, in the Brainerd Golf Trail, which has been rated as the No. 1 Golf Destination in the Midwest.

Here you'll find nearly as many golf courses as you will lakes, including 54 stunning holes at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake and an equally tremendous 72 holes at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa. The Arnold Palmer-designed Deacons Lodge at Grand View Lodge has been ranked as the top public golf course in Minnesota, and among the top 100 in the nation.

And if you somehow tire of golf in a state with more than 12,000 water hazards (yes, 10,000 is an under-estimate), remember those lakes aren't full of just golf balls, so bring along your fishing rod.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Non-traditional Las Vegas golf courses? Try 'em, you'll like 'em

Face it, you're a traditionalist. Change makes you shudder. You feel the same way about your golf courses. But we're here to shake things up. We're going to give you 10 Vegas-area golf courses that don't fit the norm. Step outside the box, and give these courses a whirl. Chances are you'll like what you see.

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Column: Heavy Putter comes through in heavy match (but doesn't do dishes)

Putters, no matter what they look like, whether they resemble Star Wars, a spider or a large frog, generally have always weighed the same - until now. The Heavy Putter has come onto the scene big time and many wonder what took so long. The concept is new and it works, Katharine Dyson writes.

Also: Think short to improve your game

The National course at Reynolds Plantation: Tom Fazio golf all the way

No matter how many golf courses you've played or where, you can't help but be impressed by at least a few holes on the National at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro. Over the Tom Fazio design's 27 holes, there are at least a half dozen stunners.

Also: Georgia's best golf resorts

GolfCanada.com: Explore Rocky Mountain golf, wilderness in Kananaskis

While the masses come to Banff Springs from all over the world, Kananaskis is lesser known. But it's closer to Calgary, and peak-season green fees for Kananaskis Country Golf Course are a bit cheaper than Banff Springs, Stewart Creek and Silvertip as well (and there's no charge for grizzly bear sightings).

Also: Plan your golf trip to Canada