4 minute read
Cascade Golfer Short Game Extra
TRAVEL THE NORTHWEST - Presented By Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Inspirational ideas on where to play and aprés golf activities in the Pacific Northwest and Europe
You, being the seasoned traveler you are, know where you want to go and what to do when you get there.
Play golf.
You don’t need travel advisor Michelle Wicks Cypher to tell you that.
However, what about your loyal life partner, who doesn’t begrudge your hours on the course on a family vacation, as long as she/he has something fun to do while you’re gone? And the kids … well, if you remember to think about them, you know they bore easily …
“I do as much or as little as they’re interested in,” says Cypher, who co-owns the Kennewick-based company, Travel There & Back, with her husband, Michael Cypher.
Her outlook is international — Mexico, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, you name it — and she’s just as comfortable close to home or elsewhere in the U.S.
When you have a grand plan for your vacation trip, with or without golf, or you have barely an idea, or no plan at all, Michelle and Travel There & Back can help you get a great trip going.
The following is a sampling of some areas where Cypher’s vast knowledge could come in handy, starting nearby for us golfers of the Cascades.
Central Washington
So, you want to play Gamble Sands, one of Washington’s best courses, and you want something to do off-property afterward. Cypher wouldn’t necessarily recommend Brewster, the closest town. She might instead steer you to Chelan, roughly a half hour away, where grand Lake Chelan promises many kinds of water frolics.
Chelan and nearby Manson are solidly in wine country and it’s fruit country, too — the cider flights are offered alongside whiskey flights and, of course, wine flights at the 18 Brix Restaurant at Karma Vineyards in Chelan.
Spokane and Western Idaho
One of the best things about Spokane, other than its rich array of golf courses, is its proximity to even more golf across the Idaho border.
Indian Canyon and The Creek at Qualchan can hold their heads up against any public course in Washington, and your time would be well-spent on Liberty Lake, MeadowWood or Latah Creek.
At Circling Raven in Worley, Idaho, a casino awaits after your round. Coeur d’Alene Resort is known for the island green at its golf course, but families can find lots to do there. Cypher touts the Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park. And once again, she says, good wine abounds.
Scotland
Your Scottish experience will likely center around St. Andrews. Certainly the Old Course (and New Course) sits atop many bucket lists. But please note, there are handfuls of famous tracks within 30 minutes of these hallowed grounds. Many are historic, easier to book and among the oldest the world. Cypher can book you an all-inclusive golf tour, but she can also get you on a course here and a course there and tell you what there is to do besides golf, which is plenty.
Castles are big, Cypher says. Or take a ride on the Jacobite steam train that was used for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies.
And when in Scotland, drink Scotch.
“Food and drink are part of exploring the culture, wherever you go,” Cypher says. “In Ireland, I don’t drink beer, but I’m trying Guinness. In Scotland, I’m trying Scotch.”
Italy
Golf in Italy is not necessarily on people’s radar, Cypher says, but she’s taken groups to play there. Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside of Rome hosted the Ryder Cup in 2023. Tuscany is rightly known as one of the world’s great wine regions, and there’s golf there, too.
Bicycle tours are popular out the Appian Way toward the Aqueducts.
Whistler, B.C.
For a trip to Whistler, B.C., you can tap into Cypher’s international expertise without leaving the Pacific Northwest.
Whistler is known best for skiing at Whistler Blackcomb Resort. But Big Sky Golf Course, Nicklaus North, Whistler Golf Club and Chateau Fairmont Whistler are four top-rated courses with a long playing season for high altitude (May to October), and they’re all close by.
If you time it just right, you might be able to play golf and go skiing in the same Canadian vacation. Cypher can make that work.
It’s what she does. You can reach them at travelthereandback.com to stitch together your own experience.
