Best Golf Resorts of the World

Patriot Golf Day Supports Military Families August 31—September 3, 2012

The leading golf management company in the world, Troon Golf is supporting the 6th annual Patriot Golf Day, a joint initiative of The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association.

Golfers playing at many Troon-managed facilities around the country will have the chance to donate $1 and more to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation. Donations provide educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled in the line of duty.

"As we all know, freedom is not free, and we are proud to partner with Troon to help the families of our wounded and fallen heroes," said Major Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor.  “Through Patriot Golf Day events held at thousands of facilities across the country, including Troon-managed facilities, we have given golfers a way to provide their support.”

Since 2007, more than $12.8 million has been raised through Patriot Golf Day events, allowing Folds of Honor to award more than 3,500 educational scholarships.

“Patriot Golf Day is a great opportunity for the golf industry to give back to the families of those who have courageously served to protect our country,” stated John Easterbrook of Troon Golf.

Major Dan Rooney, a former F-16 fighter pilot, PGA Professional and USGA member, came up with the concept of Patriot Golf Day and founded the Folds of Honor Foundation in 2007, following his second of three tours of duty in Iraq. After returning from his second tour, Major Rooney witnessed a profound display of a family’s grief as they welcomed home the remains of Corporal Brock Bucklin. Inspired by this tragic homecoming of a fallen American solider, Rooney started the Folds of Honor Foundation to provide support to military families in the aftermath of their tragedies.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com,  Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at   DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

 

 

The Boulders Golf Resort Racks Up the Awards

Piling award upon award,  The Boulders Resort in Carefree/Scottsdale, Arizona, is on the new “Best Golf Resorts in the U.S.” list on the golf travel website, the A Position. The resort is also a winner of Golf Magazine’s “Platinum Medal” award as one of the “Top 10 US Courses” and on Golfweek’s “Best Courses, State-by-State”.

One of two stunning Jay Morrish-designed courses, the North Course rambles into vibrantly colored rock formations, rugged canyons and arroyos. Cooing doves and quail, roadrunners, fat Gila monsters, deer and the occasional bobcat and coyote roam the groves of cacti and the rocky streambeds (the "coyote rule" allows you to replay a shot without penalty when a coyote grabs your ball). A dozen doglegs and generous fairways careen across a rolling desert to super-fast greens. Towering cacti and giant boulders are so distinctive and sizable that they are marked in the yardage booklet. On 17, a monster rock stands in the middle of a greenside bunker. 

7,007 yards from the tips, the South Course has a bracing 73.3/146 rating/slope. Forced carries and elevated tees show off the desert splendor along narrow fairways lined with 6-story-tall boulders and ancient saguaros, dry washes and sandy waste areas. On the signature "Boulder Pile" 5th hole, the green lies below a tremendous bastion of boulders. While fairways and shoulders are mowed short, off the turf in the low brush and cacti, you're dead. The starter hints at some interesting indigenous fauna: "You are welcome to hit out of the rough, but, bring a stick."

Two solutions are available to combat the challenges of “desert target golf”.  #1: schedule a lesson at The Boulders Golf Academy with Donald Crawley, named among Golf Magazine's “Top 100 Teachers in America.”

#2: The Boulders has recently created two new faster-play layouts that are perfect for busy visitors who have only an hour to spare and for less experienced golfers. The new courses feature yardages of 100--200 yards and were created by installing new “pebble tees.”  The short courses are available for play (afternoons only) with rates from $65 during peak season (January-May).

A Waldorf Astoria Resort, The Boulders is Southwestern luxury defined, with 160 guest casitas and 61 one-, two- and three-bedroom villas, 7 restaurants, 8 tennis courts and the full-service, world-famous Golden Door Spa.

Presidio Golf Club offers Private Club Deal, San Francisco

For the first time in over a century, the Presidio Golf Club in San Francisco is offering an amazing deal for new club memberships:  a waived initial registration fee of $12,000.  

Private club members receive:

• Unlimited Golf with preferred tee times
• Monthly tournament play
• Unlimited use of swing simulator & gym equipment
• Access to clubhouse locker room
• Complimentary club storage & club cleaning 
• Discounts on merchandise, resort golf & lodging
• Invitations to attend social events

Club members also enjoy private clubhouse dining and event space.

Established in 1896, the Presidio Golf Course was the much-coveted private sanctuary of the U.S. Army until 1995, when the Army base became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the golf course became semi-private. A multi-million dollar upgrade by Arnold Palmer Golf Management Company added bentgrass greens, a glitzy new clubhouse and the Presidio Cafe on the 18th green, where golfers enjoy live jazz and California cuisine on the heated terrace.

On a peninsula of woodlands and buffs above the Golden Gate, the 6,500-yard track winds among stands of towering cypress, eucalyptus and pines. Peregrine falcons and eagles circle above, and wild rhododendrons explode into clouds of red and white blooms from January through April. Sidehill, uphill and downhill lies are the order of the day, plus erratic winds off San Francisco Bay.  

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com,  Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

September Deals at Saddle Creek Resort in California Gold Country

Look for views of Yosemite National Park and the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas from the 18 holes of championship golf at Saddle Creek Resort in California’s Gold Country. The Carter Morrish-designed, meandering layout is scattered with lakes and 100+ bunkers, and menaced by the arms of huge valley oaks, a criss-crossing creek and multi-level greens.

The resort continues to gain awards, including 16th best public access course in the state of by Golfweek Magazine in 2012; Golf Digest voted it 7th best new upscale golf course in the U.S., rating 4.5 stars.

Saddle Creek Resort is offering a special “9-Holes Plus” deal on Friday and Saturday afternoons through September, 2012.

Play after 4 p.m. for just $45 including all the holes you can play, cart, range balls, and your first post-round drink is just $1.

(Stay-and-Play packages are available, with lodging in 2-bedroom, upscale lodge bungalows.)

Click here for more about Saddle Creek

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com,  Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at    DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.