Travel

Golf Fans Get Palm Beach Marriott Deal

There are few things more enjoyable than a day at the big game (well, maybe a day at the beach). This month, die-hard baseball fans and golf fanatics can enjoy the best of both worlds with Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa’s action packed Spring Training and The Honda Classic experiences.

Vacationing baseball fans can catch a glimpse of MLB greats during Spring Training at two stadiums located minutes from the resort: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Roger Dean Stadium is the host of the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins as well as four minor league teams. And the brand new FITTEAM Ballpark, home to the Washington Nationals and 2017 World Series Champions – the Houston Astros, is a 160-acre complex with six practice fields and a fan-friendly stadium with a host of amenities

Available for stays Feb. 23 through March 23, 2019, the resort’s Baseball Fever Spring Training Package starts at $549 per night and includes:

Overnight accommodations for two in a one-bedroom suite
Baseball, marker for autographs and Cracker Jack snacks
Breakfast at the resort’s signature restaurant 3800 Ocean
Complimentary hot dog and cold beer at the resort’s oceanside Reef Tiki Bar when guests show their game day tickets at check-in

Golf travelers can catch a glimpse of PGA Tour long bombers as they showcase their skills on PGA National’s Championship Course during The Honda Classic with Marriott Singer Island’s VIP Tournament Package. The picturesque course, designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, is minutes away from the resort and historically brings the best players in the world to the Palm Beaches.

The hole-in-one VIP Tournament Package, valid for stays Feb. 27 through March 3, 2019, with rates starting at $799 per night, includes:

Two-night stay for two in a one-bedroom suite (two-night minimum required)
Two signature Honda Classic cocktails on arrival
Two tickets to the Honda Classics in the Club for Clubs Chalet at Nicklaus Village with unlimited food and beverage service and a preferred daily parking pass. Tickets are for the second day of stay.

When the games are over, guests will welcome the chance to discover Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa’s endless opportunities for adventures on land and sea. Luxurious suites come fully-equipped with kitchens, living rooms and private balconies for views of sunsets on the beach. Guests can enjoy exceptional dining at 3800 Ocean, poolside snacks from the comfort of their cabana, or a Kitchen Table experience with wine pairings; sea-inspired pampering at its award-winning SiSpa; and comfortably furnished outdoor spaces for relaxing poolside or by a fire pit. World-class diving excursions to visit Florida’s colorful underwater friends at the nearby Blue Heron Bridge as well as shark diving also await. Non-motorized water sports are available from the resort’s private white sand beach, as well as two resort pools that are ideal for family fun.

Call 561-340-1700 for reservations.

A Super Golf Course Showdown

As a certain Big Game dominates the American sporting world when the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams take the field at glitzy Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, it seems the perfect time to shift their epic gridiron battle onto another green expanse — the golf course. Not team against team, but region vs. region. Which wins the golf course showdown?

For fun, let’s line up two equally strong “front fours” of courses from both New England and Southern California, and let you decide.

WHERE PATRIOTS FANS PLAY

Not (too) long after the game’s final whistle echoes into history, spring and summer come into view on the Patriots’ home turf, and that means golf — lots and lots of pent-up golf. Tom Brady himself is an avid player; he’s been known to head for Pebble Beach to tee it up with Tour pros and fellow celebs in the AT&T National Pro-Am, but come summer you just might find him where so many Northeasterners tread: Cape Cod. Here’s a “front four” of favorites on the cape itself, and in the historic gateway city of Plymouth.

Ocean Edge

Cape Cod is such a hotbed of great summer golf that it’s tough to pick a true must-play out of the bunch, but Ocean Edge gets the nod. Located almost halfway out on the cape, not far from the north shore, it’s a semi-private delight from the well-traveled mind of Jack Nicklaus, with conditioning that mirrors one of his favorite haunts, namely Augusta National. Its final stretch is unforgettable. Stay right there and savor it all.

Cranberry Valley

Few public courses out on Cape Cod can match Cranberry Valley. It features a superb practice facility, a stimulating design, pristine conditions and a layout that winds through scenic cranberry bogs. The three finishing holes stand up with any on the Cape. Here’s the finish you’ll face when you step to the 16th tee: A monster par 4 of 445 yards that plays uphill, usually into the wind; a 205-yard par 3 that is all carry to an elevated green; and a horseshoe-shaped, double dogleg par 5 that requires enough power to clear the corner and enough finesse to place your second shot onto a narrow landing area. No two holes are alike at Cranberry. There are stimulating short 4-pars (the 10th is a bear) and demanding 3-pars. You’ll find plenty of sand and parking-lot size greens. Accuracy off the tee is critical.

Highland Links

You could be in Scotland in the 18th century, facing howling winds, playing on un-groomed, rock-hard fairways and hitting to postage-stamp greens. Built in 1892, Highland Links is Cape Cod’s oldest course. Not much has changed in 120 years. Don’t come to this nine-hole course seeking luxury. You won’t find a fancy clubhouse or oak-lined grille room. No driving range, either. Just a modest snack bar-pro shop to send you to the first tee. From there you’ll embark on a journey once made by Francis Ouimet. It includes heather, fescue, wildflowers, scrubby pine, deep bunkers and stunning views from windswept bluffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Alistair Cooke once called Highland Links the closest you will come in America to a genuine Scottish links. The ninth hole, at 136 yards to a severely sloped two-tier green, has been named in national magazines as one of the world’s greatest 3-pars.

Pinehills

The stated goal at Pinehills, located just south of Plymouth, is to provide a private club feel at a public course. From the drive down the winding entrance road that stops in front of an elegant clubhouse — where employees retrieve your clubs and place them onto a cart that will be waiting for you at the practice range — you’re greeted like a well-heeled member. The Jones Course, designed by Rees Jones, opened in 2000, followed by a Jack Nicklaus Design layout one year later. Set among woodlands, kettle ponds and cranberry bogs, both courses feature steep elevation changes and dramatic scenery. Most holes are framed by tall pines and are isolated, creating a serene atmosphere that makes it seem like no one else is on the grounds. The Jones course has a classic design, rolling gently through the woods in a series of doglegs, valleys and swales. Most greens are clearly visible from the tee. The Nicklaus course demands approach shots over ravines to elevated greens. Many of the putting surfaces are bordered by low-cut collection areas that provide the option of pitching or putting to save par.

WHERE RAMS FANS PLAY

Southern California encompasses such a vast area of geographical variety — coastline, mountains, valleys, desert — that it’s virtually impossible to put its golf personality into one descriptive box. While many casual golf fans know SoCal mostly for its famed private layouts such as Riviera, Los Angeles Country Club and Bel-Air, the region excels in incredible resort golf, with some standout public and munis also in the sunny mix. Just make sure you’ve got a full tank of gas because you’ll do some serious driving (this is La-La Land, after all). While it’s all but futile to narrow the area’s bounty to a formidable foursome of must-plays, we’ll give it a shot.

Griffith Park

This city-owned complex just off Interstate 5, a few miles from the downtown L.A. core, is the ultimate SoCal muni experience, going back 100 years. Both the Harding and Wilson courses have their adherents, with sometimes tight eucalyptus-lined fairways, smallish greens and enough tee-to-green challenge to merit many a city championship — and, in the Wilson course’s case, the PGA Tour’s Los Angeles Open back in the day. As with Bethpage Black on Long Island you’ve got to plan ahead to secure a tee time, but locals know it’s worth the effort.

PGA West

A pilgrimage to the Palm Springs-Palm Desert-La Quinta area, some 100 miles east of downtown L.A., is a must for golfers, and PGA West is the top of most gotta-do-it-lists. There are six courses at PGA West — four public, two private — but everyone wants to play Pete Dye’s Stadium Resort Course above them all, for good reason. Like its Florida counterpart at TPC Sawgrass, it’s got all the sneaky Pete quirks and character traits, right down to the island green at, you guessed it, No. 17. The deep greenside bunker on No. 16 is another conversation piece. Put your peg down here on a sweet February afternoon and savor desert golf at its best.

Pelican Hill

Among the many SoCal courses boasting Pacific Ocean views, the two Tom Fazio beauties at Pelican Hill, a high-end resort in Newport Beach might offer the most inspiring of all. The South Course is a big tighter off the tee than the North, and comes right up to the Orange County beach (crossing bustling Pacific Coast Highway as it does so), but the North, being situated higher on the bluff, affords sweeping vistas of the sea, and Catalina Island some 30 miles distant, from almost every hole. There are ravines to cross, sidehill lies to negotiate and big, rangy greens to conquer — resort-style fun spiked with ample challenge. And a round at either course ain’t cheap, but if you’re gonna splurge, this is the place to do it.

Oak Quarry

Let’s blow an hour or so northeast, into the heart of Riverside County, for a round at one of the Southland’s most unique layouts. Literally built through and around the former Jensen Quarry and voted 2013 National Golf Couse of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association, Oak Quarry swoops, soars, dives, and rumbles over sometimes sere, rocky terrain, with few trees and only one main water feature — a deep lake at the center of the quarry that captures many a hooked tee shot on the stunning par-3 14^th hole. San Gabriel Mountain views abound, and even though the place is tucked between two mega-busy freeways, it’s like another world. Bring your A game, and if you score well you’ll feel like you’ve won your own personal Super Bowl.

Myrtle Beach Golf Package Includes 22 Courses

MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com has unveiled its newest package — the Founders Group All-Inclusive — and players are flocking to the offer, which allows them to choose among 22 of the area’s best courses and includes free range balls, lunch and two draft beers each day. It’s a great way to pack in as much Myrtle Beach golf as possible.

The Founders Group All-Inclusive golf course lineup features many of the Myrtle Beach area’s most prominent layouts, including top 100 caliber designs in the Grande Dunes Resort Course, TPC Myrtle Beach and King’s North at Myrtle Beach National.

Pawleys Plantation and Long Bay Club, both highly regarded Jack Nicklaus designs, World Tour Golf Links and Pine Lakes Country Club, Myrtle Beach’s first course, are also among the headlining layouts in the package.

The Founders Group All-Inclusive can be booked as golf-only or stay-and-play package, and it begins at just $55 per day for tee times.

[COMPLETE PACKAGE DETAILS]

“Myrtle Beach has golf’s most attractive combination of quality and value, and the Founders Group All-Inclusive package has an abundance of both,” said Justin Binke, director of marketing for MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com. “A quality round golf, lunch and a couple drinks of your choice is a recipe for a great day, and we provide all of it with the Founders Group All-Inclusive offer.”

The package’s complete lineup of courses also includes: Aberdeen Country Club, Burning Ridge, Colonial Charters, Founders Club, Indian Wells, Litchfield Country Club, SouthCreek at Myrtle Beach National, West Course at Myrtle Beach National, PineHills and Palmetto courses at Myrtlewood, River Club, River Hills, Tradition, Wild Wing Avocet and Willbrook Plantation.

MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com is the Grand Strand’s ultimate resource, providing players access to the area’s best package offers, videos, latest news, and more than 100,000 player reviews to help plan and book a golf vacation.

www.MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com

Golf, Food And Fun In Punta Mita Paradise

Not five minutes had passed since the shuttle dropped us off at the Puerto Vallarta airport after three and half days in Punta Mita paradise when my wife uttered the words I knew I’d hear eventually.

“When are we coming back?”

And she’s not even a golfer. I am, of course, and I second her emotion. Third it, even. We gotta get back here, and soon.

After years of somehow avoiding the Mexico mainland (or any other part of America’s southern neighbor) for a tropical visit, we hit the getaway jackpot by taking part in the eighth edition of the Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic, a late fall foray into the best cuisine, hospitality and seaside swinging that Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit has to offer.

Golfplan’s Chee Chan Is Thailand’s Newest Course

With a December christening at Chee Chan Golf Resort in Thailand’s Pattaya province, the course architects at Golfplan have again showcased their skill at integrating world-class golf holes with signature elements in the local landscape and culture.

On the eastern edge of the Gulf of Siam in a tourist destination about two hours’ drive from Bangkok airport, the dominant element is the Chee Chan Buddha, whose serene likeness has been carved into a limestone escarpment some 110 meters high. “Buddha Mountain” is one of the region’s best known tourist and devotional attractions. Today, his gilt-edged visage is visible from nearly every spot on the 220-acre property, including the entire opening hole.

“We couldn’t afford to miss that opportunity — to start golfers on their spiritual journey under the watchful eye of Siddhartha Gautama,” said Golfplan Partner David Dale. “The Buddha invites a decision on the very first tee: play conservative to the right/lower landing area and approach the green uphill, over deep bunkers — or drive more aggressively (left of the center bunker) to create a downhill approach to unguarded putting surface.

“We have much to learn from the Buddha, who taught us a ‘Middle Way’ between sensual indulgence and uncurbed asceticism. For golfers the larger message is unambiguous: Relax and keep it in the fairway.”

The Dec. 12 grand opening at Chee Chan Golf Resort brought to a close a busy year during which Dale and his partner in Golfplan, Kevin Ramsey, unveiled and otherwise celebrated a series of projects that cannily place golf in disparate cultural contexts:

In October, the firm opened the full 18 at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa in Uganda, where Ramsey designed an enormous man-made lagoon, accommodates the property’s sparkling new marina, and integrates the entire property directly with its primary attraction, mighty Lake Victoria itself.
Ramsey also applied the finishing touches this fall to Tabori Hills, a resort track to open next year in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Thanks to Ramsey’s routing, this cliff-top design will afford golfers stunning, long views of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi (where downtown patrons can access the resort by gondola).
Dale couldn’t make Chee Chan’s grand opening; he was in Korea, debriefing with PGA Tour officials following The CJ Cup, which is contested over his feted design at The Club at Nine Bridges . Dale watched most of October CJ Cup from the sleek, modernist teahouse behind the 14th green.

“South Korean designs must, according to local custom, feature teahouses in the middle of each 9,” Dale explained. “We spent months routing and rerouting that stretch of the back nine at Nine Bridges — to create the perfect perch for that teahouse. We did the same on the homeward stretch to create dramatic views of Mt. Halla, which is sacred to the Korean people.

“At Chee Chan, the cultural aspect was ready-made and close by, but we accentuated the experience over and over again. By my count, holes 5, 6, 11, 14 and 17 all play toward Buddha Mountain — 11 and 17 afford golfers excellent views of a Buddhist temple nestled into a different hillside. The experience is unique precisely because it’s so unique to Thai culture.”

Formed in 1972, Golfplan has been introducing golf to new markets and maximizing cultural experiences for nearly 50 years. Based in Santa Rosa, California, USA, it is the most international firm in all of course architecture, having creating more than 218 original designs in 32 different countries (if master planning and renovation are considered, make that 85 countries). This sort of sustained, diverse productivity is one reason GolfInc magazine named Dale and Ramsey among the “Top 10 Most Powerful People in Asian Golf” for 2016.

Golfplan has worked extensively in Thailand. Their designs at Panya Park, Panya Indra and Mountain Shadow (down the road from Chee Chan, in Pattaya) all remain popular — and profitable, Dale is quick to add. But those courses were built in the 1990s.

: The 14th hole at Chee Chan Golf Resort

“It’s a privilege to work again in Thailand, especially on a site so unusual. This is flat, coastal country here by the Gulf — but we had fully 25 meters of elevation change to work with at Chee Chan,” Dale reported. “The eye is naturally drawn to the escarpment featuring the Buddha, but the property is ringed by these limestone karsts — some are 150 meters tall. The perimeter holes play uphill to their bases, then back down again. These enormous features give the entire course both an amphitheater feel and a pleasing sense of seclusion.

“In this environment, it’s tempting to shape the golf course in competition with these large features. But I think we struck the right balance. The contour is flamboyant but toned down through the landing zones. There are several cavernous valleys that separate the holes, which tend to melt over and between these landforms. With the introduction of drought-tolerant bahia grass to frame and accent all this, it’s a pretty stunning tableau.”

Buddha Mountain was created on the northern face of Khao Chee Chan in 1996, to commemorate His Majesty the King of Thailand’s golden jubilee. It’s been a major domestic tourist draw ever since — enough to invite subsequent development of a water park, winery and shopping district. With new accommodations and world-class resort golf added to the mix, this corner of Pattaya (just 90 minutes from Suvarnabhumi International Airport) is a fully fledged destination unto itself.

“I love golf,” said Narit Chia-Apar, founder of Chee Chan Golf Resort and chairman of the developing entity, Chartered Square Holding Company. “I know how golfers think and what they want. I know the level of service that is expected, and so I built the course based on the needs of myself as a golfer, and not just as an investor. Whatever I see fit to give the best impression for our visitors, I will make sure that we have it here.”

cheechangolf.com

LPGA, Celebs Team Up For Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions

The world’s best female players, a slew of golf-loving celebrities and lots of central Florida sun: That’s the party time prescription Jan. 17-20 for the first-ever Diamond Resorts LPGA Tournament of Champions Presented by Insurance Office of America, which turns Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando into a unique, made-in-media-heaven matchup that simply has no peer in modern professional or amateur golf.

While LPGA sanctioned event champions from 2017 and 2018 — up to 36 players in all including superstars Michelle Wie, Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson (pictured above) — engage in serious stroke play competition for a $1.2 million purse over four days in the Florida sun, big names from the worlds of professional sports and entertainment — from baseball greats like Roger Clemens and Justin Verlander to comedian Larry the Cable Guy to NFL legends Marcus Allen and Jerry Rice — get a shot at their own $500,000 purse in a Modified Stableford format. And it all happens simultaneously, one LPGA star battling alongside two celebs on the links by day, attending parties and concerts together by night, with the Golf Channel and NBC bringing the on-course action live to millions of fans in 135 countries.

diamond resorts jerry rice — Former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice

This year’s event, the first in a three-year deal among Diamond Resorts, the LPGA and NBC, kicks off the ladies’ tour season with a bang and promises to be a winner for all involved, especially fans who will revel in the best of both worlds: the game played at its highest level and their favorite celebs getting out there and knocking it around, just like they do on the weekends. The Golf Channel will televise the event live on Thursday and Friday and host an hour-long lead-in for both weekend rounds before NBC takes over for two hours of live competition.

The Tournament of Champions is the outgrowth of a celebrity-only fundraiser that Diamond Resorts CEO Mike Flaskey started in Orlando four years ago with players from Major League Baseball. NBC, which owns the American Century Celebrity Championship — now nearing its 30^th edition as a marquee summer event at Lake Tahoe — noticed the strength of Flaskey’s field and asked him if he wanted to televise it as the ACC’s winter counterpart. They introduced him to their tournament director, Mike Milthorpe. “We signed a three-year deal with Golf Channel, and our year one ratings exceeded everything on the LPGA and PGA Champions Tour that year,” Flaskey says. “We had something; we saw what moves the needle, what people want to see, and that’s celebrity golf.”

Flaskey ended up inking a two-year deal with the Champions Tour to do a non-sanctioned early season event — 35 players, each paired with two celebs, basically two tournaments in one — which again drew big ratings. It became the blueprint for the LPGA’s first-ever Tournament of Champions this year; four LPGA players took part and loved the experience.

“We knew we had something special and wanted to explore all the available options,” Flaskey says.

Along came LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, who had expressed earlier interest in the event. Since taking over the help in 2010, Whan had grown the LPGA brand immensely around the world and was looking for new formats and fresh ways to put his players in front of millions of new fans. Flaskey wanted to build on his limited field concept, bringing the LPGA’s “best of the best” instead of a full field event. Whan agreed, telling Flaskey that his tournament “checked all the boxes.”

“I wanted to create something that’s fun not only for the fans, but for us, too. Diamond Resorts asked me, ‘Do you have a party on tour, Mike? You know, a place where you celebrate your winners, play great golf all day, but also have fun every night?’ I thought, you know, we have some great gala parties and parting parties, but nothing like that. So they said, ‘We want to be your week-long party on tour, the thing that people try to qualify for.’ Living in Orlando, I’ve seen their event, so it wasn’t out of the question for me. They also said, ‘We want to take it to the next level, partner with your players, put in on network TV.’

“This event merges two worlds together. That’s cool.”

Whan adds that the handful of LPGA players who had teed it up in the event and were, in Flaskey’s words, “blown away” by Diamond Resorts’ hospitality, the entertainment, the food — all provided free of charge — lobbied him hard to get involved. “They came to me and said, ‘You’ve got to meet with these guys at Diamond Resorts — they’re building something really fun.’”

The feeling was mutual. Flaskey told Whan that he and his athletes loved the LPGA players’ personalities, how they clicked with the celebrities and athletes. Whan knew then that this was a powerful partnership. “My players will have fun, and those celebrities with their own strong followings will see just how good the best female golfers in the world really are. We’re the perfect tour to welcome the fun side of this, the comradery, the teamwork. As each group walks by, you’ll get a little bit of everything. Every player, every group will find its own mojo. Some will be giving verbal jabs back and forth.”

In other words, it’ll be a blast for everyone involved.

“I think it will quickly become the best party on tour. It’s going to be a lot of fun, not only on the course during the day but at night.”

Flaskey agrees that given Diamond Resorts’ reputation for staging over 3,000 top-notch parties and concerts at its venues worldwide each year, the Tournament of Champions’ evening events will be the best on either the LPGA or celeb golf circuits. “You may remember an event that used to be played at Lake Nona called the Tavistock Cup,” he says. “I watched it closely, the entertainment and parties, the level of hospitality, and envisioned that as part of this tournament. Music is a big part of what we do and we’ve integrated it as big part of this week.”

Tuesday evening’s pro-am draw party kicks off the festivities, with Lee Brice performing. Wednesday’s post pro-am party will focus on great culinary experiences featuring great chefs from around the world. Finally, the Saturday night gala headlines No. 1 country artist Cole Swindell performing on the heels of silent and live auctions for local charities.

It all adds up to a week to remember, revel in and root for, thanks to Diamond Resort’s proven events expertise … and the LPGA’s passion for making its tour the best it can be.

“One thing I love about our partnership with the LPGA and Mike Whan is they’re open-minded and creative,” Flaskey says. “They sit back, listen and say, ‘That’s a really good idea — what if we do this?’ And the next thing you know, you’re collaborating.

“We think we’ve created a really cool masterpiece here.”

For information or tickets, visit www.diamondlpga.com

Cabo San Lucas Country Club Reopens

Cabo San Lucas Country Club, one of the oldest and most centrally located golf facilities in Los Cabos, has successfully completed a major renovation project.

According to Alfonso Terrazas Cecena, the club’s project manager, “We needed to demonstrate to visitors and the community that Cabo San Lucas Country Club was not wiped out by Tropical Storm Lidia in September, 2017. We were hurt (by torrential rains), but the damage was superficial and certainly not catastrophic. We’ve bounced back as part of a five-month renovation project, and I believe we’ve succeeded in restoring confidence and credibility in the club.”

Located just minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas and the only course in Los Cabos with views of the iconic sea arch and rock formations at Land’s End, the Country Club’s original 18-hole course was laid out by Roy Dye, brother of Pete Dye. The course was completed by Roy’s son Matt Dye, a second-generation architect.

The parkland-style layout, previously one of the longest and most challenging courses in Los Cabos, has been significantly remodeled. Now stretching to 6,852 yards (par 71) from the black tees, the Country Club compares favorably to golf courses in Palm Springs, California. Gently rolling fairways girdled by waste bunkers, cardon cactus, palo blanco trees and colorful bougainvillea characterize the layout. Tall stony mountains frame the course to the north. Lakes bring water into play at seven holes, notably at the testing par-4 ninth and 18th holes, where a large rock-rimmed lagoon protects each green.

Agustin Piza, a Mexican designer who has worked extensively throughout Latin America, altered several holes to improve sightlines and enhance playability. In particular, the club’s back nine was shortened and its corridors widened to expand the layout’s ocean views. The new and revised holes feature improved flexibility from the forward tees, better risk-reward scenarios from the back tees, and more undulating greens. Bunkers throughout the course were reshaped and upgraded. Pruning of trees and vegetation has created a breezier, links-style environment. The club, readily accessible by area hotels and cruise ship passengers, also features the only lighted driving range in Los Cabos.

In the wake of the remedial work by Piza, holes one through seven remain the same, while the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth holes were swapped for the par-3 17^th and par-4 18^th holes, respectively.

The most noticeable changes are found on the back nine, specifically holes 10 through 16. The par-4 10^th plays from the same set of tee boxes as the original hole, but a friendlier green closer to the tees enables average players to reach it in regulation. The par-3 11^this a new creation that plays to the site of the old 12^th green, which Piza refashioned into a large, wavy putting surface. The 12^th hole was converted from a brawny par 4 to a sporty par 5, while the par-4 13^th occupies the original hole’s corridor but plays to a remodeled green. The par-3 14^th, stretching to 208 yards, brings a lake into play on the right. At the par-5 16^th, Piza reversed the direction of the hole. The fairway, pointed to the Sea of Cortes, now runs from north to south.

While players have lauded the changes and embraced the layout’s improved playability, the club still presents a firm test. The new greens are larger and more liberally contoured than the original putting surfaces, which are small and relatively flat.

In addition, Cabo San Lucas Country Club still has a few very tough hombres. Among the more daunting holes is the double-dogleg par-5 seventh, which swings around a lake and stretches to 610 yards from the back tees, ranking it among the longest holes in Mexico.

The closing duo is one of the most challenging in Cabo. The par-3 17^th, measuring 226 yards from the tips (205 yards from the white tees), plays uphill into the prevailing wind to a perched, tilted green. The long par-4 18^th, which calls for a blind tee shot over a gentle rise, demands a very accurate approach shot to a green pinched by a lagoon on the left and bunkers on the right.

Future plans call for a pitch ‘n putt course to be built in the vicinity of the driving range. A new clubhouse is also planned. Cabo San Lucas Country Club offers special green fee and driving range specials that include burgers, beers and BBQ ribs. The club’s Viva Restaurant, its spacious outdoor patio set near the practice facility, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

www.visitloscabos.travel

Branson Golf Hits The Big Time

I’d seen this movie before, or variations of it. Dozens of times. But never while playing Branson golf.

I strike a pure sand wedge from 95 yards, sending the ball high against the autumn blue, then watch it light a few feet past the hole on a gentle ledge that, apparently, was flat enough to ward off the nasty backspin I’d managed to impart on the ball’s hide.

“Come back,” said one compadre.

And so it did, slowly, as if scripted for maximum drama in more than a few golf flicks through the years. “Tin Cup” comes to mind. “The Legend of Bagger Vance.” The immortal “Caddyshack.”

We watched its backward progress, covering the 10 feet or so between divot and cup with almost imperceptibly increasing speed. Rolling, rolling …

And then it was gone.

My first ace in 46 years of battling this damned game.

I whooped. My friends whooped even louder. High fives. Hugs. That out-of-breath glow after four holes on Mountain Top, what might be the best 13-hole par 3 course in the nation, certainly in the southern Plains, definitely in Missouri, open only a year and carved through limestone Ozarks cliffs by Gary Player with impish and muscular glee.

Yeah, this place called Branson was growin’ on me quick.

South Africa Hosts World Amateur Match Play

The inaugural World Amateur Match Play Championship, which will take place at Sun City, South Africa in May 2019, is the first of its kind and a unique structure that allows every participating amateur to play through to the last putt on the final day, no eliminations.

Entries can be either as an individual who will be assigned to a 4-ball team made up of individual entries combining, players who are friends from difficult clubs or an entire team from one club . Any official club handicap index is valid, but a maximum of 24 for men and 30 for women. Each player competes in 12 x 6-hole Match Play competitions, rotating every six holes in a four-ball. Each six holes are stroked specifically from one to six for this championship so that there is an even spread of easy and difficult holes across each six holes played, making it equal for everyone. There are eight Trophy categories and the combined team score over 12 matches a day will position the team 1-8 in each of the Trophy divisions.

The final positions on the leaderboard after four days of play will determine who finishes in each trophy division with the Royal Crown including the Top 8 teams (1-8) and the Horseshoe Trophy the bottom eight (57-64). However, no one goes home empty-handed. Golfers are drawn to compete against similar handicaps with no more than a two-shot different after their club handicap indexes have been adjusted to the Championship course handicap.

The Gary Player Country Club, internationally renown as the Home of the Nebank Million Challenge hosted by Gary Player and compliant with strict U.S. PGA standards and the Lost City Golf Course, will be set up as enjoyable but challenging, where golfers will rotate over four days playing six matches on each course.

Packages all include golf and then your own choice of accommodation starting at the Sun Cabanas, Soho, Cascades and through to the absolute premier Sun Palace.

“Non-golfer packages include a choice of the maginificent facilities offered at Sun City and surrounding tourist attractions. We encourage all participants to spend a little extra time during their stay to enjoy pre- or post-championship tourism opportunities into the surrounding, magnificent game parks, further to the Kruger National Park and various other world class wildlife experiences,” says Craig Clay-Smith, tournament spokesperson.

This all-inclusive, true African wildlife, world-first golfing experience, provides a “ Pro Golfer Tour “ experience and all the luxuries and amenities of this world-renown resort, including a Luxury car Hole-in-One prize and thousands of dollars in amateur prizes.

Entries are limited for this Match Play format, so visit WorldAmateurMatchPlay.com for more details and enter your team or as an individual.

PGA National Champion Course Reopens

The PGA National Champion Course in South Florida has reopened following a major $1 million renovation by Nicklaus Design.

Significant improvements implemented by Nicklaus Design, led by senior design associate Chris Cochran, include the removal of Palmetto palms on the right side of No. 1 and left side of No. 9 to offer more options for PGA Tour players on their tee shots as well as approaches into both greens. The removal will also allow for better crowd flow during the Honda Classic as the annual event has become one of the most popular and well-attended on the PGA Tour schedule.

Additionally, one-third of an acre (14,400 sq. ft.) was recaptured on the putting surfaces, adding an average of 800 square feet per green. Most notably, the putting surfaces will return to the native design Jack Nicklaus and his team implemented 16 years ago.

The green complexes were re-built, shaped and grassed with Tif-Eagle Bermuda. This results in seamless transitions from green surrounds to putting surfaces and tighter relationships with respect to greenside bunkers. The changes allow for consistency in a variety of weather conditions and make one of the true “bucket list” courses in the game even more compelling.

The mighty Champion Course has long been feared and revered as one of the most challenging in the game. One of the premier tests of golf is now even stronger. Resort guests can try and tackle The Champion Course when taking advantage of several exceptional stay-and-play offers including the popular Gold Golf Package with rates starting at $279 (per person, per night, double occupancy)

Nicklaus and his team comprehensively redesigned The Champion in 2002 as well as a 2014 redesign of layout’s stout par-4 14th hole which leads to the famous “Bear Trap” – a series of three demanding holes (Nos. 15,16 and 17) which many considered the toughest stretch in the game.

“We are honored to have worked on a course with such a storied history with both Jack Nicklaus and his design company,” says Cochran. “We took the advice of the best players in the game and made one of the great layouts in the U.S. even stronger.”

Next to its daunting first hole, The Champion Course’s outstanding driving range was significantly upgraded last year and includes a secluded section for PGA TOUR pros to practice their short game as well as greenside and fairway bunker play. The new pristine area garnered rave reviews from the players in the 2018 Honda Classic.

“As the home of a PGA TOUR course as well as being an iconic golf resort and private membership club, we continue to invest significantly in our brand assets,” says Greg “Coach” Saunders, PGA National’s vice-president and managing director. “The time was right to restore the greens and we are excited to announce the completion of this major project on our distinguished Champion Course.”

The renowned destination also features four added first-class championship layouts: The Palmer, The Fazio, The Squire and The Estates. The transformed Palmer Course, originally designed by legendary Arnold Palmer, reopened last November after undergoing a comprehensive renovation to rave reviews.

Additionally, PGA National offers the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and David Pelz Scoring Game School for individual instruction and group clinics; Every Ball Counts – the world’s first science-based, statistics-driven training system for golf improvement offered at its off-site Estates Course; and state-of-the-art club fitting at the PGA National Club Fitting Lab.

For more information, visit www.pgaresort.com.