Lost Farm, the new course at Tasmania's Barbougle Dunes, opens in December. (Photo courtesty of Barnbougle Dunes
It may be the beginning of the end of the year, but 2010 has one more major gift to give us golf travelers.
The most recent one, of course, was Old Macdonald, the fourth layout at Oregon’s fantastic Bandon Dunes Resort.
Well, the new course I’m talking about is of similar magnitude.
In fact, some people say its name and “Bandon Dunes” in the same breath.
When you see where it is, what it looks like, and who’s involved, you probably will, too. Read more →
If you enjoy playing Nicklaus courses on your golf vacations, today’s tip will be of particular interest to you.
That’s because the Golden Bear just launched NicklausTravel.com, a website claiming to make it fast and easy to make reservations at 130+ Nicklaus Design courses and their associated lodging options.
Plus, according to the company, the site, “offers exclusive low rates and promotions that you won’t find anywhere else.”
Always looking for an insider edge for you, I took NicklausTravel.com for a test drive and here’s what I found: Read more →
Will the greens at Chambers Bay Golf Course be up to speed for the US Amateur and 2015 US Open?
There are two people I wouldn’t want to be right now: Tiger Woods, and the superintendent at Chambers Bay Golf Course.
Chambers Bay, the municipal, waterside wonder that opened in 2007 near Tacoma, Wash., is hosting the 2010 US Amateur Championship this week, clearly a “dry run” before the 2015 U.S. Open.
Mmm, maybe a bad choice of words.
The USGA is regularly criticized about the setup of its U.S Open courses, and based on what I’ve heard from golf travelers who have played Chambers Bay, the competitors this week might have a major beef with it, although for an entirely different reason. Read more →
Want to play the Old Course on a 2011 Scotland golf vacation? Get your application in by September 1, but not a minute before 10 am BST.
One thing we like to do here at Golf Vacation Insider is remind you of important dates and deadlines so you don’t get closed out from – or overpay for — the high-demand courses you want to play.
Today’s reminder is for anyone considering a Scotland golf vacation in 2011 to play the Old Course at St. Andrews (and Muirfield, too, which is hosting the British Open for the 16th time in 2013.)
If you want a guaranteed tee time on these courses, and you don’t want to pay more than the posted rates, circle Wednesday, September 1, 2010 on your calendar and read the rest of this tip. Read more →
Those considering golf vacations to play Whistling Straits should also consider staying at the little-known (and private) Riverbend mansion.
If you plan on watching this season’s final major, the PGA Championship, you’re going to see and hear the following:
You’re going to hear endless discussion about whether Tiger or Phil deserves to be No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking.
You’re going to see and hear a lot about bunkers because the Straits Course at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits Golf Club has more of them than any other course in the world…967 according to Golf Digest.
But what you won’t see or hear talked about is one of the most important secrets to know if you’re planning a golf vacation to play Whistling Straits and the other three courses at Kohler’s American Club. Read more →
If you’re one of my readers interested in playing golf courses ranked in the world top-100, you’re going to want to pay special attention to today’s tip.
That’s because it explains how, in a single trip — and within a two-hour radius of a single city — you can play four of the world’s top-100 golf courses, plus a fifth that arguably should be on the list.
Four of these five courses are completely private, but you’ll be able to play them anyway.
These courses are located someplace you may never have considered visiting, but it makes for a golf vacation you probably won’t be able to stop talking about for the rest of your life. Read more →
How would you like to write today’s golf travel tip?
I received an email asking about “where to play” from two guys embarking on a weekend road trip from New York to Chicago (disguised from their wives as one guy helping the other relocate for a job).
Some ideas immediately came to mind, but I thought it would be more fun to open this up to you.
Now, we golfers are an opinionated bunch, so I know I don’t have to dangle a prize to elicit course recommendations, but I’m going to anyway.
If Jerry and Mark choose to follow your itinerary, you’ll win the golf book of your choice from a list of 50 popular titles covering travel, architecture, history, quotes, trivia, instruction, fiction, non-fiction, etc.
I’ll provide the full list of titles to the winner and ship the book free of charge anywhere in the US and Canada.
So, where do you recommend these guys play?
Here are more details to help narrow things down.
(All names have been changed to protect the guilty.) Read more →
Have you ever used websites like Expedia and Travelocity to find a great price on an airplane ticket….only to see it vanish a minute later when you try to book it?
It happens to me all the time.
I used to think I merely lost out to other customers who clicked “buy” before I did.
Boy, was I gullible. There’s actually something much more sinister going on.
Here’s the online travel industry’s dirty little secret: Read more →
