The newly opened Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain outside Tucson, Ariz., is offering an unlimited golf vacation package.
Given that it’s the time of year when many of you are thinking about, or actively planning, golf vacations (and you likely have a long weekend coming up to devote to it), today I thought I’d simply let you know about some of the better golf vacation packages and special offers that I’ve come across.
As you’ll see, there’s something unique or compelling about each of these golf vacation packages and offers, whether it’s reduced prices, unlimited golf, ultra-convenience, private course access…or a combination of all of the above.
You might not see all of these golf packages listed on their respective websites, but trust me, they’re available. Read more →
There are plenty of public PGA Championship venues you can play on golf vacations, including Whistling Straits' Straits Course, host site in 2010 and 2015.
Did Sunday’s dramatic finish get you interested in the PGA Championship again? It did for me.
Suddenly, I found myself wondering where all the publicly accessible PGA Championship courses are so I could try to incorporate them into my golf vacations, just like the editors of Golf Odyssey regularly explain how to do with respect to U.S. Open and British Open courses.
I thought you might be interested in this, too, so I have compiled a list below. As you can see, the PGA Championship has been (and will be) played on plenty of public courses in some of the best golf vacation destinations in America, making it easy to add a major championship to your own personal record book. Read more →
Riverbend offers one more level of luxury on an American Club Kohler golf vacation.
After taking American Club Kohler golf vacations nearly every other year since 1995, we’ve had the opportunity to inspect virtually every inch of this popular Wisconsin golf resort. And while we’ve known about the existence of Riverbend, the resort’s marvelous, private club, since it opened in 2001, even we were surprised to learn that anyone can experience it…at least once.
Located about one mile from the American Club Kohler, Riverbend is a historic mansion house that serves as the centerpiece of a private, outdoor and sports retreat. Each of the 31 guest chambers is unique and beautifully appointed with comfortable beds, fireplaces, stocked refrigerators, LCD televisions, and of course, gorgeous bathrooms with oversized whirlpool tubs and showers.
The mansion itself has several inviting common areas, particularly the Rathskeller. The mansion’s “pub,” it includes a well-stocked bar, card tables, a 1917 Brunswick billiards table, large flat-panel televisions, and oversized stuffed chairs. A cigar or two have most certainly been sampled here. A putting green and croquet court are also on the property. The intimate setting along the Sheboygan River, exquisite accommodations, private dining, and above all, personalized service, create a memorable guest experience. Read more →
Several Wisconsin golf courses, such as The American Club Kohler
I hope you weren’t taking a golf vacation in the Midwest over the last two weeks. I recently spent four days in and around Milwaukee, Wisc., and I witnessed first hand the damage left by the record storms that ripped through the area.
While all golf courses were affected to some degree, those located in low lying areas or routed along the state’s many rivers were hardest hit. For example, during my midweek visit, The American Club Kohler’s two golf courses at Blackwolf Run (the River Course and the Meadows Valley course) were outright closed (nine holes on each have since reopened as of early this week), as was Milwaukee Country Club. Kohler’s golf courses at Whistling Straits (the Straits Course and The Irish Course) were open. Read more →
No. 17, "Pinched Nerve," sets up the "Diabolical" closer on the the American Club Kohler's Straits Course.
Their swings may not be as graceful or powerful as their younger counterparts, but the professionals on the Champions Tour can flat-out play. And this week, they’re playing their biggest tournament on a course that you can tackle during an American Club Kohler golf vacation.
The U.S. Senior Open continues today on Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, the jewel in the crown of the four-course American Club Kohler resort in Wisconsin. The Straits Course is generous off the tee, but that’s tempered by substantial forced carries, penalizing rough, and higher-stakes risks for better players who aim at its pins. Read more →
The American Club/Kohler has the total package.
If you’re thinking about taking an American Club Kohler golf vacation, do yourself a favor and check out one of its many package deals.
Two things are particularly impressive about them. While you wouldn’t mistake them for discount golf vacations, they’ll truly save you a significant amount of money rather than purchasing everything separately. Someone needs to remind other resorts that this is the main idea behind a “package.” Read more →
The Irish Course's seventh hole is beset by bunkers.
In America, you don’t often find an individual golf hole with more than a handful of bunkers; having a dozen or more is downright rare. But golfers lucky enough to experience an American Club Kohler golf vacation have the unique opportunity to play a hole with twice that amount.
Architect Pete Dye’s ode to bunkers can be found on Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits Irish course, particularly hole number seven, named Troll for the creature that supposedly presides over its greenside creek. Read more →
The fighting Irish: beating par here can be a true struggle.
According to their course and slope ratings from the “mere mortal” tees, Whistling Straits’ two courses, Straits and Irish, bear the same level of difficulty.
In our experience, however, those numbers don’t add up. The Irish course is easily the more challenging one to play on an American Club Kohler golf vacation.
It’s not that the holes are overly long or tricky. Rather, Pete Dye’s fourth creation at this world-class resort simply eats errant golf balls and it’s the forced carries, gnarly rough, ponds, streams and ravines that set the table. The Straits course, while challenging in its own right, provides a wider margin for error. Read more →
