This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 15, 2009

Revisit the golf road trip in 2009

"Road trip" was a dirty word last year thanks to gas prices skyrocketing to over $4 a gallon in most of the U.S. and to more than double that in Europe and the U.K.

But one little ray of light in this junk global economy is that gas prices are at levels we haven't seen in years, and don't seem to be going anywhere. I filled up for $1.39 per gallon here in Texas a week ago.

Considering airlines don't seem to be taking back the checked baggage fees they debuted last year, it makes all the sense in the world to take the SUV out of the garage and load it up with three buddies for a golf trip.

There are a few vacation destinations in particular I've done in recent years that make for outstanding golf road trips.

What makes Oregon great is that there's a bunch of little micro-climates all just around the corner from each other. Head over the mountain pass south from lush Portland and you enter the high desert, where rain is an afterthought and courses around the holiday town of Bend like Tetherow Golf Club, Pronghorn Golf Club and the nearby Sunriver Resort. Bandon Dunes is just a couple more hours through the mountains out to the coast, where America's best pure links golf awaits. And in Oregon, you're also always just around the corner from a great local brewery, just be sure to appoint a "D.D."

Northern Ireland is another one of my favorite drives (and the dollar is much stronger versus the British Pound now than last year,too). Head along the A2 Coastal Route and encounter not only gems like Royal County Down, Royal Portrush and Ardglass Golf Club, but natural wonders like Giant's Causeway, the dramatic cliffside Dunluce castle ruins and the Bushmills whiskey distillery.

Or, you can put an end to the age-old "Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach?" question by spending a few days in both - plus a day in historic and charming Charleston in between (here's a bonus: South Carolina's gas prices are always among the nation's lowest).

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

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