Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Top Arizona Golf Trips Live Up to the Reputation

Even veterans with dozens of golf trips under the belt would be hard-pressed to come up with a better handful of courses to play than the six top Arizona golf courses that made Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” list. Each of the Scottsdale area greens and golf clubs has its own charms, and each would be worth a visit on its own. The thing that elevates the list to must-visit golf trips status is that these six Top 100 placeholders are within easy driving distance of each other. You can easily get in a game on each of these six courses in just one or two golf trips.

Two Troon North courses are regulars on Golf Magazine’s list, having made it up there for the last ten years. Troon’s Pinnacle course takes top billing for Arizona golf courses, with a number 21 showing in the top 100 list. Its sister course, Monument, also placed in the top 50, coming as #45.

Scottsdale’s We-Ko_Pa Golf Club is the other Arizona golf facility with two courses in the top 100. The Cholla course, designed by Scott Miller ranked #35, while the newer Saguaro course, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, came in at #44. Both courses are on Native American land and have generated some serious buzz.

The final two Arizona golf courses in the Top 100 list are the Talon Course at the Grayhawk Golf club and The Boulder Club’s South Course. Coming in at numbers 87 and 90 respectively, both courses were built in the 1990s.

Scottsdale may be home to the best courses to visit on Arizona golf trips, but Tucson is fast catching up. If you’re a fan of more natural golf courses and a laid-back social scene, you might enjoy Tucson, Arizona golf vacations more. Among the top courses to play in the Tucson area are the two courses at Loew’s Ventana Canyon, designed by course architect Tom Fazio and favorites of such celebrity golfers as Chevy Chase, Clint Eastwood and former President George Bush.

Arizona is fast becoming one of the top golf vacations destinations in the country, with the Scottsdale area racking up more top golf courses than any other region in the nation. The Tucson area has a number of up and coming new courses that are, for the moment, best kept secrets. If you’re planning golf tips this summer, Arizona is an absolute must for your list.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Celebrity Match In June Is Best of Myrtle Beach Golf Trips

If you’re planning on taking a few golf trips this summer, start your June off right with a trip to Myrtle Beach for the first annual Myrtle Beach Celebrity Golf Classic to be held June 10-11 at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club. The golf classic is being hosted by Gus Williams, former NBA champion, for the benefit of the American Cancer Society. Williams’ sister died of cancer at age 40.

Williams has drawn some big celebrity names to participate in the match, including Julius Erving, Sam Jones of the Boston Celtics, pro football’s Lynn Swan and Richard Dent, and baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. Other celebrities who’ll be teeing off for the golf classic include Darryl Strawberry, Junior Bridgeman, Andre Reed and sportscaster Kathleen Sullivan.

If you’re looking for a unique slant to your golf vacation, this is your chance. For $500, you can enter the scramble tournament as a single player. If you want to enter an entire team, it will cost you $2,000. Each team will be joined by one of the celebrity golfers, but the day starts well before the tee-off time. For the participants, the event will start with a celebrity and sponsor party at Greg Norman’s Australian Grille, with lots of fun and festivities, including a silent auction. The tournament tees off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and it will be followed by an awards banquet and silent auction. After the banquet, all participants will attend a Saturday night concert at House of Blues.  The artists are unannounced as yet, but the organizers are going after a big act for the evening.

All proceeds from the weekend will benefit the American Cancer Society, so you can get in your golfing and a big dose of feeling good about yourself. And if the lure of golfing with the celebs while doing good isn’t quite enough for you, keep in mind that you’ll be teeing off at the Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club, one of the most challenging and renowned golf courses on the Grand Strand. Designed by architect Peter Dye, it features five different kinds of grass and some of the best golfing to be found in all of Myrtle Beach. Whether you’ve headed off on dozens of golf trips or this is your first golf vacation, the price tag on this one delivers full value. For more information, contact a travel agency that specializes in booking golf travel.