Top Four Beachside Courses for Golf Vacations

Beachside golf courses are actually quite common -- aside from the bothersome wind factor for your swing, beachside locations lend themselves well to golf course building. The sea breeze helps cool down bodies that are out in the sun all day, there is usually quite a bit of rain to keep the grounds nice without irrigation, and views are superb. Best of all, there are several great beachside courses for golf vacationslocated right in the US. Today we are checking out 4 of our favourites from across the country.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

This course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was built upon a working rice plantation site. In its inaugural year, it was ranked 5th Best New Public Course in America by Golf Digest, and has been ranked 30th in Golf Magazine's Top 100, and 31st among the best 'Upscale Courses in America'. It is pricier than some other beachside courses, but well worth it. There are centuries old live oak trees and a slope of 132v on this 4 ½ star rated course.

Legends - Heritage Club

Still in Myrtle Beach, the Legends (Heritage Club) is at the other end of the price scale from Caledonia, but not so distant in playability, scenery or service. This was also built on an historic plantation, and has 600 acres of beautifully scented giant magnolias ... divine! Just don’t hit your ball into them too many times. It has a slope rating of 137, and an overall 4 and a half stars.

LPGA International - Legends

Make your way over to Daytona Beach, Florida, and you can enjoy sun, surf and plenty of golf at the LPGA International Legends course. It was designed by Arthur Mills, and just like in South Carolina, giant magnolias and pine trees abound. The clubhouse is Mediterranean style, and there is a gorgeous banquet room after you've worked up an appetite on your golf vacation with all that sea air!

Poppy Hills

This is one of the nicest Pebble Beach, CA courses on which you can play if you aren’t staying at one of the affiliated Pebble Beach resorts. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones, and was the first US course to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association. It isn’t easy on the wallet, nor is it easy on the legs ... but the challenge is extremely rewarding! Make your way from the tree lined greens to the white-sand lined shores in your spare golf vacation time.

Five Hot Tips for Left-Handed Golfers

If you are planning a golf vacation, and also belong to the 11 percent of people that are left-handed, you may be feeling a little apprehensive! Perhaps your spouse is keen, even though your game isn’t quite what it could be. Perhaps you're hoping that this golf trip will be the jump start that your game needs. Today we give you five hot tips for left handed golfers to pay attention to before you go on your next golf vacation.

1. Get the right clubs.

This is imperative! It sounds odd, but like left-handed guitarists, left-handed golfers often learn to play on right-handed equipment. Guitars and golf clubs are both quite expensive, and the right handed version is more readily accessible and cheaper. However, if you're going on a golf vacation, it is the perfect time to make the switch to proper, left-handed clubs.

2. The Simple Golf Swing by David Nevogt

Grab a copy of this book -- it is a great start and much less expensive than professional instruction (though don’t doubt that all that money is worth it!). He gives his readers a guarantee that they will reduce their score by at least seven strokes, or he'll refund the purchase price of the book. There is a special version of the manual for left handed golfers … despite what many righties think, there is more to learning left-handed than just reversing techniques.

3. Watch some DVDs

Check out some of the following famous golfers for tips on swing and follow through specifically for left handers before your next golf trip:

• Nick O'Hern, Australian
• Mike Weir, Canadian
• Bob Charles, New Zealand
• Phil Mickelson, US
• Kevin Wentworth, US
• Russ Cochran, US

4. Get left-handed golf instruction

Don’t bother with right-handed instructors, unless they have some sort of guarantee or extensive experience teaching left-handers. You could look into doing this in conjunction with taking your golf vacation -- no better excuse to fully focus on your game than having a holiday!

5. Pay most attention to your alignment

The place where most left-handed golfers go wrong is the body alignment. This is very difficult for right handed people to teach to lefties -- it just doesn’t come naturally! Learn the correct body alignment technique, and make perfecting it the focus of your next golf trip.

Golf Vacation Destinations with Awesome Non-Golf Activities

If you’re planning a golf vacation, you obviously love golf. However, if you’re like most healthy, well-balanced individuals, you don’t eat, sleep and breathe the sport! So today we are looking at some awesome worldwide destinations with well-known activities other than golf for your vacation! We'll check out some top courses in each city to create a perfect golf vacation, but also the other local attractions.

Maui Golf Vacations

Head to Maui for your golf vacation, and you'll not only get access to some very picturesque courses and beautiful weather, you can learn to surf when you aren't teeing off. There are plenty of beginner surfing schools in Maui, and the break is quite gentle. Most surfing schools guarantee you'll stand up the first lesson you take!

Golf wise, you must check out Kapalua Plantation and Wailea - Old Blue Course on your golf trip to Maui.

Las Vegas Golf Vacations

The golf courses aren’t the main reason that most tourists come to Vegas ... so the alternative activities are pretty obvious! Aside from laying down all your money at the craps table, the roulette wheel or on a poker hand, Vegas also has hiking and climbing, skydiving, ballooning, zoos and auto racing to enjoy, among other things.

Check out courses like Desert Pines and Rever at Anthem/Concord to keep it a golf vacation.

Costa del Sol Golf Vacations

For some, there is no better golf vacation destination than Costa Del Sol in Spain. Beautiful weather and stunning clear oceans make scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing and water skiing popular. You can also go on Jeep safari tours when you aren't debating the pros and cons of iron over wood.

Hot courses in Costa del Sol include Los Naranjos, Rio Real, and Valderrama.

Ediburgh Golf Vacations

If music as well as golf is a passion of yours, then take your golf vacation at the time of the Ediburgh Festival, a week-long music event. There are also plenty of theaters, great shopping and heritage buildings and areas to take in.

Edinburgh's finest in terms of golf includes Blairgowrie, Dunbar and Gleneagles, all must-plays on a golf vacation.

High-Ranking Golf Vacations

If you're travelling hundreds or thousands of miles for a golf vacation, why not make sure you're traveling to the best? Here we look at five of the courses across the globe that have high rankings. It's a great way to ensure a memorable golf trip.

1. Pebble Beach Resorts

Plan your next golf trip to Pebble Beach resorts, which was ranked the No. 1 golf resort in America by Golf Digest magazine in 2008. Jack Nicklaus has said that if he had only one round of golf left to play in his life it would be at Pebble Beach Resorts. The course has hosted the 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2000 U.S. Open Championship tournaments. It was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant,and has been open since 1919. You must be a guest at one of the four Pebble Beach resorts to play on the golf course, so book your golf trip accommodation and pay your green fees at the same time.

2. Gullane No. 1 Course

Quite possibly this is the best golf course in Gullane, and arguably the best in Scotland. There are plenty of undulating holes to create a challenge on this par 71, 6,466 yard course, which has a panoramic view of Edinburgh, Fife and the Forth Bridge.

3. World Woods -- Pine Barrens

Okay, we realize that this course is ranked No. 64 in the world, not No. 1. We wouldn’t have much of a top 5 article if we only looked at the No. 1 club in the world for golf vacations, though! The style of this course is often compared to Pine Valley in New Jersey -- a course which is often considered as the No. 1 course in the entire world. The holes at this course are enjoyable, but certainly a challenge! There are huge elevation changes, stunning pine forest surrounds, and beautifully manicured fairways.

4. Port Royal Golf Club

This club in Bermuda has a host of No. 1's to its name, from golfing publications and websites the world over. It has gorgeous ocean views throughout most of the course, with one of the highlights being a par 3 shot to the green on cliffs overlooking the ocean. Work on your accuracy, then plan your golf vacation!

5. Club Campestre San Jose

This course was designed by one of the world's No. 1 golfers of all time -- Jack Nicklaus's signature enterprises. It uses saltwater-resistant paspalum variety grass, making it easier to maintain in the desert conditions in which it resides. There are a further six championship courses to experience in the Cabo San Lucas area on your golf vacation.

Oahu and Maui -- Hawaii's Best Courses for Golf Vacations

It sounds like paradise … it's enough to send you into a dreamy doze just thinking about wandering around in the gorgeous Hawaiian climate, lazily hitting a few balls while soaking up the naturally lush grass and palm tree dominated scenery. Aahh! Golf in Hawaii is almost as big as surfing, and the tiny state actually has some gorgeous, world-class golf courses. We look at some of the best courses for golf vacations in Hawaii's two biggest cities, Oahu and Maui.

Oahu Country Club

Alex Bell designed the Oahu country club -- but that probably means little to most of you, considering Alex Bell was of golf-course-designing age in 1906 … when this course opened. It is one of the mainstays of Hawaiian golf, but is also one of the most expensive courses in the country. Grab a golf package here for best value on both accommodation and play. It is quite a short course, only 6,000-odd yards, for a par 71.

Turtle Bay - Fazio

George Fazio's only Hawaiian course is in Oahu, at Turtle Bay. This course hosted the LPGA Tour's Hawaiian open, and the inaugural Senior Skins game was also held here. The bunkers are deep, but the fairways are generous … so if you run into trouble there is nobody to blame but yourself! The slope rating is 122, and users consistently give the course four out of five stars.

The Dunes at Maui Lani

When compared to Oahu's historic offerings, the Dunes at Maui Lani is both much more modern, and much more cost effective than the Oahu Country Club. It was named among Hawaii's best public access course for both 2005 and 2006, and made it into Golf Magazine's Top 100 courses for 2000, publicizing it to millions of golf trip takers. The golf carts have been the only complaint that we could track down about this course, which was designed by Robin Nelson and has a par 72 over 6,800 yards.

Kapalua - Plantation

A little longer than most golf courses, this par 73, 7,200 yard offering designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore is an awesome course … but you probably won’t have a chance to notice that at first. The scenery will take up all of your attention for at least the first ten minutes you are on this course while on golf vacation - it looks exactly like the photos! Views over the bay and pineapple plantations make it stunning, and keep pros like Tiger Woods, David Duval, Ernie Els and Justin Leonard coming back year after year.

Gulfport -- Mississippi's Best Courses for Golf Holidays

Known for catfish, the magnolia tree, and the Mississippi River, Mississippi has quite a concentration of great, challenging courses for golf travel and golf vacations. Short and very challenging courses are the state specialty when it comes to golf, with courses that have a par 72 at lengths of over 7000 yards in other areas of the U.S., often averaging out at 6,500 or so in Mississippi. We have a detailed look at some of the most highly regarded courses in the state by golf vacationers.

Windance Country Club

This golf course is an 18-holer designed by Mark McCumber, with a rating of 73.1. The par is 72 over quite a short 6,660 yards. There are no major areas of complaint from players, with the price being reasonable, staff being friendly, and the course usually in great shape. There are a huge range of hotels nearby that sometimes offer golf packages, and Windance is one of the closest courses to the center of Gulfport.

The Oaks

Stephen Caplinger and Chris Cole designed the Oaks golf course, and they made it a toughie! It has a par 72 over only 6,880 yards. It is one of the newest golf courses in Gulfport, opening in just 2005. The very same year it won a spot in Golfweek Magazine's list of best public access courses, and the staff have been among the characteristics that have helped keep it among the top courses for golf holidays and golf travel in the country. The practice area is a big benefit for beginners.

Dogwood Hills

One of the mainstays of Gulfport courses for golf holidays since 1991, Dogwood Hills has a par 72 over a tiny 6,000 yards. It was designed by Brent Williams, and has an overall rating of 69.0. It's a little further out from the center of town, but with lovely scenery. As one of the less expensive courses, it is well regarded in its category.

The Grand Bear

Designed by the man himself, Jack Nicklaus, the Grand Bear course in Gulfport is one of the main attractions for couples and singles on golf travel around the country. Players make comments like "the best course I have played in my life!" "I'd highly recommend this course if you are in the area." It has plenty of five star ratings. The quiet is something that a lot of players notice, especially those on golf holidays from the city -- the soundtrack to your tee consists of wind, birds, and nothing else!

Top-of-the-line golf travel

Booking a vacation can be challenging with all the options available and all the web sites who claim to offer only the best. What about the all important golf holiday for important clients or for a group of friends to resorts you never experienced before? Are you tired of booking golf courses and resorts that promise to be full of adventure, elegant resorts and challenging golf courses only to find out upon arrival that they are nothing like you were led to believe?

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