This Week at TravelGolf.com: July 23, 2009

Follow in the footsteps of the PGA Tour's best to great golf up in Canada

With the PGA Tour at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Toronto this week for the Canadian Open, it seems there's no better time to talk about how wonderful the golf is here in the Great White North - especially in the summer.

While I won't be seeing the tournament in person this week, I am in Canada taking my second tour this summer of some of this country's finest. A few weeks ago, it was Vancouver Island, starting with the British Columbia capital, Victoria, and playing half dozen tracks on the Vancouver Island Golf Trail.

This time, it's the Canadian Rockies, and if you're an avid golfer, this is a pilgrimage you need to make at least once.

The current golf tour starts in Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, at Northern Bear Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus course about 30 minutes from downtown. Like Glen Abbey, it's a Nicklaus "signature" course, as is Whistler's Nicklaus North Course on Vancouver Island, which means the Golden Bear spent a lot of time with this one.

Then it's off to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course, considered by some to be legendary Canadian architect Stanley Thompson's best work. With the peaks of the Rockies in the background, this is one spectacular course that you never forget.

Of course, there's also the famous Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, which isn't on the agenda for this trip, but should be part of yours if you make it to the Canadian Rockies. More than 80 years old, this Thompson classic features the famous Devil's Cauldron, a 200-yard par 3 with an elevated tee perched above a glacial lake. You'll also get to see plenty of moose and elk.

There are a number of other top golf courses on the agenda: Tobiano, Sun Rivers, Talking Rock, Northview Golf and Country Club, and Furry Creek.

But aside from the golf, Canada is a sportsman's paradise in the summer, and the Canadian Rockies are hard to beat in that department. From hiking among the glaciers to fly fishing, there are plenty of diversions to complement the great golf.

And if you like it a little more urban, cities like Edmonton down to Vancouver are abuzz this time of year with all kinds of festivals, most of which include beer and wine - and plenty of interesting people.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

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The 12 wonders of Mission Hills Golf Club in China

The world's "largest golf facility" according to Guinness World Records, Mission Hills Golf Club is a golfers' paradise just 30 minutes from Hong Kong. The club boasts 12 golf courses designed by some of the biggest names in the business, including Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye and Greg Norman. There's also a five-star hotel, posh restaurants, a spa and more.

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Ten North Georgia golf courses that design traditionalists will love

The traditional approach to golf course design is on display at many courses in North Georgia, some of them that have been built over the last decade. Here are 10 courses - none more than two hours from Atlanta - that can take pride in their traditional designs.

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Review: A good golf swing is music to the ears with the Sonic Golf System-1

Sonic Golf System-1 - which essentially measures speed and rotation of the golf club and translates it into sound - can help you instill good rhythm in your golf swing, which is an important element, whether your tempo is fast, slow or in between.

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