This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 8, 2009

Watching the Super Bowl in Vegas lets you play golf AND get in on the action

Super Bowls and golf go together like, well, Super Bowls and beer, or Super Bowls and betting. Which means the best place to hang out at during the Super Bowl XLIII isn't at the Super Bowl (you can't legally wager on the game in Florida), but in Las Vegas.

Plus, being at the game is overrated anyway. So if you've got a couple of tickets, sell them for a few grand and start planning a trip to Sin City, where you'll find as wild a Super Bowl party as you can survive, if you're into that sort of thing.

You could also put some of that cash down on something even more meaningful, like testing your game on the British Open-inspired holes of Royal Links Golf Club, skipping around the water at Reflection Bay on Lake Las Vegas or checking out the views at the Lexington and Concord golf courses at the Revere at Anthem.

Of course, there's nothing like being at one of the big Vegas sports books during the big game. There are more screens than you count and so many games within the game (points, quarters, score, etc.), that no matter how much of a blowout it is, you'll never loose interest if you spread it around a bit.

There aren't too many better ways to spend time before the Super Bowl than on the golf course. It sure beats watching six hours of NBC's pregame coverage, even if you do like Bob Costas and your team did somehow make it all the way.

So here's the plan: Fly in a few days early, think about your picks, and get on the links.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Now's the time for a Las Vegas golf trip

To loosely quote Charles Dickens, this may be the worst of times. It may be the best of times to book a Vegas golf vacation, though. Even high end properties such as the Bellagio, Venetian and Mandalay Bay are offering amazing deals. It's a great time to save on Las Vegas green fees too, Mike Bailey writes.

Also: Vegas shines in readers' choice awards

Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head? Who's got the prettiest golf on the Carolina coast?

Which has the more scenic golf, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Island? It's close. The Grand Strand has more options to choose from, while Hilton Head is like the exclusive downtown club that only admits the really good-looking women. If it's scenery you're after, both venues have it. Here then, for comparison's sake, are what we consider the most scenic golf courses in Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.

Also: Spotlight on the Waccamaw Golf Trail

Pinehurst pubs and inns provide historic link to golf vacation destination

Every worthwhile golf vacation destination has its signature bars or pub row, those places that fit golfers like a cushy robe and fluffy slippers. In Pinehurst, it's as easy as hitting these four watering holes located about 100 yards of each other.

Also: Planning a Pinehurst-area golf trip?