This Week at TravelGolf.com: May 7, 2009

What to pack for a golf vacation when the forecast is gloomy

When you set up a golf vacation months or weeks in advance, you can never predict whether or not it's going to storm or be miserably cold and wet - unless, of course, you're going to Ireland or Scotland, where you just expect it.

In the U.S., though, our tolerance for foul conditions is far less, especially if we don't plan for it. There's nothing more depressing than checking weather.com the day before you leave only to see thunderstorms and rain predicted for every single day you're supposed to play golf. So you pack an umbrella, jackets, rain pants, rain shirt and extra socks for the golf course.

But here are three additional items you should pack and why:

Bring a magazine or good book, especially if you're going to be dropped off at a golf course. When the siren goes off two holes into your planned round - like it did for me a couple of days ago at Virginia Beach National - you'll need something to hold your interest while you're waiting for your ride (or to go back onto the course). I'm currently reading "The End to Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite," by David Kessler. It makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Put together a play list of great rain songs, and bring your iPod. "Riders on the Storm" by the Doors, has to head the list, followed by "The Rain Song" from Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain" and "Stormy Monday" (pick your artist). Listening to this in the locker room will prove cathartic in a rain delay.

Purchase a dice game called GOLO Golf, which is sort of like Yahtzee for golfers. Great during rain delays or washouts. I guarantee you will shoot a lower score in GOLO than you will on the course. My only title in the annual Texas Golf Writer's Championship came a few years ago during a monsoon in San Antonio when we wound up playing a GOLO tournament to determine a champion. The winner's plaque is still displayed proudly in my office. In a few years, I'll just tell people I won the tournament by shooting 63 and skip the rest of the details.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Island West G.C. near Hilton Head: Service, conditioning and a thinker's challenge

Island West Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C. pays attention to all its holes. Even the par 3s, often a course's afterthoughts, are carefully crafted to engage your intellect. This is a sound, well maintained golf course that offers all of the mental challenges of more prestigious Hilton Head-area courses, with a similar level of service at a fraction of the cost.

Also: Save on Hilton Head tee times

St. Mellion resort in England shakes off economic woes, completes $150 million redevelopment

Given the parlous state of the world economy and the fact that nearly every other business in Britain is talking gloomily, it's wonderfully refreshing to encounter an upbeat operation that is optimistically expanding and eagerly anticipating a bright new future. And that's precisely what the St. Mellion resort is confidently predicting.

Also: Top-rated England golf vacation package deals

Erin Hills' secrets revealed: Quirky classic lets you sleep above the clubhouse

Staying at Erin Hills is like staying at a golf-obsessed bed-and-breakfast, only you're not stuck in the house of an old couple attempting awkward conversation. Instead, you're with a hip staff that includes a chef who churns out tender ribs in a whiskey sauce, and a blonde bartender sworn to keeping drinks and laughs flowing. You can see why no one would be in a rush to leave Erin Hills.

Also: Top-rated Wisconsin tee time deals

An excellent Scotland golf adventure, Ritz-Carlton/Dove Mountain, and SMT Golf

TravelGolf.com Senior Writer Brandon Tucker phones in from an epic Scotland golf trip. "I'm in East Lothian. This is actually kind of the cradle of golf, as old as St. Andrews," he says. Mike Bailey reports from the new Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain. And Mike Tait, owner of SMT Golf, on his company's gear.

Also: Packing for a Scotland golf trip