Destination Golfer 2017 by Varsity Communications

2017 EDITION

GAMBLE SANDS BREWSTER • WA

NORTHWEST’S BIG GAMBLE AMERICA’S GOLF COAST SOUTHWEST SURPRISES AT HOME IN THE HEARTLAND

DANCING RABBIT G.C. CHOCTAW • MS

CONTENTS 4 TEEING OFF

DESTINATION:MW Our favorite drives

THIS PAGE

DESTINATION:SW Chase the sun south

The Firekeeper Golf Course at Kansas’ Prairie Band Resort draws golfers from throughout the Heartland.

TOP SHELF Top tracks in every region

STORY ON PAGE 6

DESTINATION:NW America’s Best New Course

RESORT REPORT Maui’s island paradise ON THE COVER

DESTINATION:SE Gulf Coast gems

From the designer of Bandon Dunes, Washington’s Gamble Sands is America’s next big thing. STORY ON PAGE 12

Dreaming of America’s Best Golf Destinations In 2017 VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 1 • 2017 Destination Golfer is published and owned by Varsity Communications, Inc.

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All photos are courtesy of the course or individual unless otherwise noted. PROUD CHARTER MEMBER

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BY KIRK TOURTILLOTTE

his is the year I am going to play more golf. Not only more golf, but more golf getaways. And that’s saying something, since 2016 saw me hit Arizona, Palm Springs, Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Trail and Bandon Dunes, on the Oregon Coast. I also jammed in a golf buddy trip to Eastern Washington that included 99 holes in three days. Thank goodness for hotel hot tubs! Our goal in publishing Destination Golfer each year is to showcase some of the best golf destinations in the U.S. and kick-start your golf juices, while giving you a blueprint for a fun, travel-filled year of golf. Our Gulf Coast feature includes travel through Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, collectively home to some of the best courses in the country and regular stops for the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and other pro tours. Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail includes 16 courses and gives Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Trail a run for its money. Mississippi’s “Golf Coast” includes the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Grand Bear Resort, and Tom Fazio’s Fallen Oak, one of America’s top-100 public courses. In the Midwest, we drive from Indianapolis to Dallas, including stops at Lake of the Ozarks favorites Osage National, The Lodge of Four Seasons and Old Kinderhook. We also hit Missouri’s Big Cedar Lodge in our “Top Shelf” feature, home to courses designed by Nicklaus, Gary Play-

er and Ben Crenshaw. I am keeping my fingers crossed that 2017 will be the year I finally enjoy this beautiful area. In Indiana, we stop in at Fuzzy Zoeller’s courses, Covered Bridge and Champions Pointe, as well as Purdue University’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. We also drive through Hamilton County, home to some of the most celebrated tracks on the Pete Dye Golf Trail. And don’t miss our coverage of Oklahoma’s WinStar Golf Academy, a great environment to work on your golf game and the official home of the World Long Drive Championships. Then we head north to showcase the spectacular Gamble Sands in Washington, along with Chambers Bay (home of the 2015 U.S. Open), Salish Cliffs and Spokane’s Kalispel Golf and Country Club. We also cover what many consider Oregon’s best, Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver. And no golf destination package would be complete without a visit to Palm Springs, home to the terrific SilverRock Resort, Indian Springs, La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West, and The Classic, with a little love thrown to tracks in Las Vegas and New Mexico as well. Finally, we finish things off where the PGA TOUR kicks off each New Year in January, on the island of Maui, at the beautiful Ka’anapali Golf Resort in Lahaina. I hope to see you at one — if not many — of these destinations in 2017. Mahalo!

TOP SHELF THE BEST OF THE BEST

FIREKEEPER GOLF COURSE MAYETTA • KANS.

KANSAS

s recently as the 1950s, the Prairie Band of the Potawatomi Tribe were on the brink of elimination. Fragmented by centuries of government intervention and internal dissension that had seen the tribe relocated from Michigan, to Missouri, to Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma, the tribe was slated to lose its federal recognition, before a determined group of Potawatomi negotiated successfully to preserve the tribe’s status. Flash forward 60 years, and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation are flourishing, with a casino resort that draws visitors from across Kansas and the surrounding states, and one of the top new golf courses in America. The Firekeeper Golf Course at Prairie Band Casino & Resort, which opened officially in 2011, was named Kansas’ top public track by Golfweek, and for good reason — 18 holes sprawl across 7,500 yards of beautiful, rolling plains, with fescue rough and firm, fast greens. There’s little doubt that course designers appreciate the land they were given, as they pay homage to it at every turn, with one of the most scenic layouts on the Great Plains. 6 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

The signature architect on the venture was Notah Begay III, himself a Native American. But it was his co-designer, industry veteran Jeff Brauer, who did much of the preliminary work and day-to-day observation and execution. Brauer and Begay allowed the site to speak for itself. “I found a little notch of tree clearing, which they told me had been done in 1947 and which, actually, they still regretted,” he says. “I proposed a short par-4 using that notch as a hazard, in an effort to show them I would use every natural feature available. We moved very little earth and used the surrounding land forms as guides in our shaping, trying to match the rolling hills of Kansas.” The Director of Golf at Firekeeper is Randy Towner, who moved to Firekeeper after 23 years at Alvamar Golf Club in Lawrence, about 50 miles southeast of Mayetta. Towner says the course records about 17,000 rounds a year, and that, though most visitors come from Topeka (20 miles south), and Kansas City (85 miles east), the course draws golfers from Omaha, St. Louis and even more distant locales.

“Golfweek named us the best public course in the state, so the course has nationwide appeal,” says Towner. “I’m always surprised at the great lengths some people will travel to play great golf. It’s nice to be one of those places. It’s been a great addition to the hotel and casino.” Most out-of-town visitors take advantage of stay-and-play packages through the Casino & Resort, which include golf for two and a room in the comfortable, lodge-style hotel for as little as $199 a night. With the golf itself valued at $130, that means it’s just $70 more to spend the night and enjoy the 1,100 slots and more than 30 table games in the Prairie Band Casino, while dining in your choice of three award-winning restaurants. Before you drive away, look back across the hills at the grass waving gently in the breeze and spare a thought for the Prairie Band of Potawatomi ancestors who first settled this land. It may have taken more than 500 years of hard work and perseverance, but they’ve finally found a home. Learn more at www.pbpgaming.com or by calling (785) 966-7777.

TOP SHELF

WASHINGTON

CHAMBERS BAY

UNIVERSITY PLACE • WASH.

t’s hard not to be jealous of students at Indiana’s Purdue University. Their campus sits among scenic hills, with beautiful open spaces and historic buildings. Their school annually ranks among the top-25 public Universities in America. But most significantly, they can tee it up on two Pete Dye courses built adjacent to the campus, and ranked among the top-10 public tracks in the state — for as little as $35. If that doesn’t make you want to put on the black-andgold, we don’t know what will. The Kampen Course at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex is lauded for its variable design, which challenges golfers at PGA, NCAA and Big Ten Championships from its 7,400-yard tips, while still proving playable for the average 19-year-old freshman. A links-style track littered with Dye’s signature sandy wastelands and massive greens, it’s the kind of course that plays differently depending on pin position, weather conditions and the placement of your ball in the fairway. Birck Boilermaker is also home to the Ackerman-Allen Course, the original 18 at Purdue built in 1934, which reopened in 2016 after a two-year renovation at the hands of Dye, who donated his time to the project. An NCAA Championship course in its own right, the Ackerman-Allen Course was built with a parkland style and smaller greens, routed through some of the most scenic terrain in the region. Dye overhauled the irrigation system, constructed two brand-new holes, softened some green contours, lengthened other holes and added more tee boxes to make the course enjoyable for all levels of golfer. With the renovation, Birck Boilermaker is now the only 36-hole facility on Indiana’s Pete Dye Trail, and one of the most enviable collegiate golf facilities in the country. Rates on both courses start at just $68 for non-students, with the option to play all day for as little as $129, including cart. Frequent visitors can also take advantage of the Purdue Golf Card to save up to $36 on every round, enjoy seven-day advance booking, plus discounts at the driving range and pro shop. Call 765-494-3139 or visit www.purduegolf.com to learn more. 8 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

rom the moment the final putt went into the hole at the 2015 U.S. Open — or, perhaps more accurately, didn’t go into the hole (sorry, DJ) — golfers around the world have been asking, How can I get to Chambers Bay? The links-style municipal course on the shores of Puget Sound, just 40 minutes south of Seattle, was built to host the world’s best golfers, and over a thrilling week in June of 2015, proved itself up to the test. In the 18 months since, it’s become one of the world’s true “must-play” courses, with golfers traveling from 48 states and 134 countries in the summer of 2015 alone to challenge Chambers’ sandy dunes and sprawling greens. The only trouble is, while those visitors enjoyed incredible rounds of golf, once the round was over, they had nowhere to stay. The hotel proposed in Robert Trent Jones, Jr.’s initial design was never built due to the recession, and the nearest lodging is approximately 20 minutes away in downtown Tacoma. Well, that’s about to change. In October, county representatives announced that a local design team has been awarded the bid to build a spectacular new hotel on the bluff overlooking the course, including (according to preliminary designs) 80 luxurious rooms, a health spa, a 5,000-square-foot event space, and an on-site restaurant from Seattle native and James Beard Award-winning chef Tom Douglas. In addition, 80 villas could be built below the hotel to potentially be used as long-term rentals. There are still plenty of hurdles to jump through — a lease agreement, permits, environmental reviews, etc. — but it seems that a decade into its existence, Chambers Bay may finally be getting the true destination resort status it deserves. Keep up with the project or book your round online at www.chambersbaygolf.com.

INDIANA XXXXX

BIRCK BOILERMAKER GOLF COMPLEX WEST LAFAYETTE • IND.

TOP SHELF

hen you win nine majors, including a career Grand Slam, you can play just about anywhere you want, anytime you want. And when Gary Player is in Missouri, he plays at Big Cedar Lodge (www.bigcedar.com, 417-335-2777). “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said of the course in 2014. “I thought Augusta’s [nine-hole course] was enjoyable, but this is way better.” That’s right — better than Augusta. And that’s coming from a man with three green jackets. If that doesn’t get your attention, nothing will. A Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, what sets Top of the Rock apart are its views — nearly 20 miles in all directions, including Table Rock Lake and the surrounding forestland — and its design, which gave Nicklaus the chance to showcase his favorite par-3s. There are short ones and long ones, uphill and downhill ones, island greens, infinity greens and more. It’s little wonder that the PGA TOUR made Top of the Rock the first-ever par-3 course to host a regular Tour event, bringing the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf Tournament there in 2014. Nicklaus, Player, Tom Watson and other legends make it one of the year’s most memorable events; this year’s tournament takes place Apr. 17-23. It’s so good, in fact, that it does what no other par-3 could ever dream of — threaten to overshadow a Tom Fazio championship 18. Buffalo Ridge Springs, Fazio’s contribution to Big Cedar Lodge, is good enough to have been named Missouri’s No. 1 public course — and yet it might not even be the most popular at the resort. Live buffalo roam alongside the fairways, while waterfalls, caves and Amish-built bridges decorate holes that are as impressive to play as they are to look at. Player likes Big Cedar Lodge so much, in fact, that he’s putting his money where his mouth is, and collaborating with Johnny Morris to build a 12-hole short course that will cater to families and golfers looking to bridge the gap

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MISSOURI

BIG CEDAR LODGE RIDGEDALE • MO

between the par-3 and championship tracks. Likewise, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore are getting in the game as well, building their own championship 18 at Big Cedar Lodge. When complete, Big Cedar will add Player’s short course (in 2017) and Coore and Crenshaw’s 18 (in 2018) to Nicklaus’ par-3, Fazio’s 18 and a driving range created by Arnold Palmer to give the resort a pedigree unmatched by any other in the world. “Big Cedar is all-in on golf,” says Eric Smith, head golf professional at Top of the Rock. “The Legends of Golf Tournament really put us on a national stage, but going forward, we want to be the premier destination resort for golfers.” It certainly seems like it already is.

DESTINATION

There and Back Again BY BRIAN BEAKY • DG EDITOR WITH SPECIAL REPORTING BY • TONY DEAR

he debate started on Highway 97 south in Orondo, Wash., roughly 45 minutes after leaving the all-new Gamble Sands Golf Club. As we passed between towering hills covered with thousands of acres of fruit orchards — including some of the finest wine-growing vineyards in the United States — I found my mind drawn back time and again to the experience I had just been privileged to enjoy, an exclusive look behind the scenes at the course that, in just a few months’ time, would be named America’s Best New Course by Golf Digest, and would debut 48th on GOLF magazine’s list of America’s Top-100 Courses You Can Play. “What’s the best hole at Gamble Sands?” I asked. My partners that day fell silent for a minute, reflecting on the thrilling day we had just spent playing 36 holes at Gamble Sands — replaying each majestic drive from elevated tees, each approach intentionally fired long or wide to catch slopes that would guide the ball to the pin, each moment when we drove up to the next tee box and let our eyes soak in the beauty that designer David McLay Kidd had coaxed from the brown, dry hills. Was it the short, par-4 second, with its elevated tee and infinity green that seemed to drop off the edge of the cliff to the river below? Was it the 592-yard, par-5 third, where you tee off uphill over an imposing wall of sand? Was it the long, par-4 fifth, which bends right around a hole-length sandy waste area, daring you to cut the corner for a shorter approach? Maybe it was the par-3 sixth, where the best play is to miss the green entirely? Or perhaps the risk-reward 7th, 11th and 12th holes, the split-fairway, par-4 14th, the two-tiered, par-3 16th or the eagle-friendly finishing hole? “Honestly, Brian, I’m too overwhelmed to even think about that right now,” one finally said. It was an entirely understandable sentiment.

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We traveled nearly 400 miles in one day and played 36 holes to answer the question golf magazines nationwide are asking — is Gamble Sands worth the hype?

Gamble Sands Golf Club, No. 16 • Brewster, Wash.

ight years ago, David McLay Kidd was on top of the world. Already having designed acclaimed courses throughout the world, Kidd’s star went supernova following the opening of Bandon Dunes in 1999, which immediately shot to the top of America’s public golf ranking and put the name “Kidd” in the same breath as Fazio, Nicklaus, Jones or Doak. After successful openings in 2008 at both the Castle Course at St. Andrews and Central Oregon’s Tetherow Golf Club (another perennial top-100 public course), Kidd just about had his pick of any new golf development project in the world. Which made his choice to fly up to tiny Brewster, Wash. — home to just 2,500 permanent residents, more than three hours from any major city and far from any coastal scenery — a curious one. Kidd did so at the invitation of Orrin Vincent, president of OB Sports, who had worked with Kidd at Tetherow and had been hired to manage a new property currently in the early design stages in Brewster. As the plane descended over the arid landscape dotted by apple and cherry orchards — much of it owned by the same Gebbers family that owned the land on which Gamble Sands would be built — Kidd, too, was a little confused. “Orrin told me it was a pretty special spot, but as I was flying in, I wondered how on Earth this could be as unique as he had said. I couldn’t

see the sand,” he says. “But I wasn’t looking at the parcel of land immediately under the aircraft on approach. There is a belt of fine sand about 300 feet deep that lies on the east bank of the [Columbia River]. After walking it, I thought he had totally undersold it. It’s almost absurd to think it could exist so far from an ocean.” Kidd would later tell Golf Digest that Gamble Sands was one of three perfect sites he had been given during his career, the others being Bandon Dunes and Scotland’s Machrihanish Dunes. “There’s no real estate,” he says, “no big clubhouse. It’s pure golf. And working with sand dunes is butter.” Kidd spent the next four years developing plans for the course, which he felt could rival Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Sand Hills in Nebraska, a similarly inland-sand paradise regarded by many as the best course built anywhere in the world in the last 50 years. “It definitely reminded me of Sand Hills,” says Kidd. “There was soft, rolling sand with sparse scrub vegetation. Really, the only difference was that at Gamble Sands, the site was framed by the most amazing of views of the Columbia River and North Cascades.” Finally, in 2012, shovel hit dirt, as Kidd set to work molding the sand into his vision of a course that would be both visually stunning and mentally challenging, yet rewarding for golfers

of all skill levels. Now — two months before the doors would officially open to the public — it was our chance to find out how well he had succeeded.

n the pre-dawn light of a Seattle spring morning, our little band had gathered together, watching the sun creep above the Cascades as we shuffled out of our respective homes. We were tired, a little bedraggled and certainly in need of some coffee, but the light in our eyes was unmistakable. Our fellowship had been granted an intoxicating quest — to make a 392mile round trip across the Cascade Mountains to play 36 holes on one of the most anticipated new tracks in the United States. And we’d have the place all to ourselves. Now, while we chose to drive over and back from Seattle, you may be less, shall we say, “adventurous.” No trouble — the resort town of Chelan has hundreds of hotel rooms of varying price and luxury, while a handful of roadside hotels and motels dot the 35-mile drive from Chelan to Gamble Sands. In addition, Gamble Sands opened its own lodging last fall — the all-new Inn at Gamble Sands features spacious, modern accommodations, with incredible views. And best of all, despite being a short walk from the first tee, the Inn is all but out of D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 13

DESTINATION

Gamble Sands G.C. • No. 2

America’s High-Desert Hideaway Crosswater G.C. • Sunriver, Ore.

sight from the golf course, tucked behind a ridge just below the golf course property. As we drove past the tiny airstrip in Brewster, then followed unpaved roads past landmarks we had been told to look for like “the weigh station” and “the stack of apple crates,” it was hard to escape the sense that we were traveling back to a rural, unhurried, agricultural time and place, one where the hours are measured not so much by the hands of the clock as by the passage of the sun, and the entire world seems limited to the people you’re with, and the landscape you can take in with your eyes. And what a landscape it was. From the roundabout driveway at the humble Gamble Sands clubhouse, we could see for miles in every direction — a treeless expanse that stretched north and east to a series of high ridges, south down the Columbia River valley and west towards the small town of Brewster, backdropped by the snow-capped peaks of the North Cascades. And before us — the golf course. Eighteen holes of wide-open fairways, sandy waste areas and bunkers, elevated tees, massive greens and a promise from our forecaddie, Nick — “You guys are in for a lot of fun.” It took just two shots to be sucked in to the wonders that Kidd has crafted from this barren patch of farmland — land that, according to the caddie, the Gebbers’ had essentially cast aside as waste due to its sandy nature before the family chose to build here instead of a site that had been previously scouted at a separate, nearby location. From the fairway at the par-4 first, the green — 50 yards deep — peeks out from behind a sandy dune. A sloping “backboard” rises behind the hole, a feature common to many of Gamble’s greens and one that makes an excellent target for any back-pin placement. We fired at the backboard, watched our balls come down the slope to rest near the pin, and turned to each other with looks that said more than words could convey — this was going to be a blast. For the next eight hours, we played nearly every shot you can conceive — putts from well short of a green over firm slopes; bump-and-

run approaches; wedges dropped over front bunkers to well-tucked pins; approaches struck intentionally off-target to funnel towards the hole; tee shots smashed from elevated greens and more. From the 6,200-yard green tees — the middle of the course’s five tee boxes — no fewer than five holes, and potentially as many as seven, represented fantastic risk-reward opportunities, perhaps none more so than the par4 second. Depending on pin placement anywhere from 240-275 yards from the green tees (280-300 from the back), the green begs to be fired at, even as the sand that surrounds it and the sheer cliff that drops off on three sides suggest otherwise. From the elevated tee, big hitters can easily go long with their driver, and a ball missing anywhere but right will find the sand at best, oblivion at worst. Standing on the green, looking down at the broad curve of the Columbia River — which makes three 90-degree turns in a 10-mile stretch as it passes Brewster, finally turning south for its long journey to the Oregon border — our caddie explained how the river’s abrupt course changes have, over centuries, deposited millions of tons of sand on its banks, much as the ocean creates beaches by depositing sand on shore with each crashing wave. While that sand is no good for growing apples, cherries or wine grapes, it’s absolute butter for crafting a golf course. The par-4 fifth was unanimously voted as the course’s toughest hole, despite its No. 3 rating on the scorecard. At 462 yards from the green tees, played slightly downhill, it’s a cape-style hole that bends around a long bunker extending down the entire right side. Adventurous golfers can hug the sand for a shorter approach over yet another bunker, while the safer play is to the left, leaving a 200-plus-yard approach to a long, narrow green. The Redan-style sixth is the course’s longest, most imaginative, and unquestionably most fun par-3. It measures at 217 yards from the green tees but plays 170 downhill to a front pin, the location that will no doubt be preferred by those looking to showcase Gamble Sands’ unique attributes. Our caddie showed us how Kidd crafted

hen David McLay Kidd said he wanted to build his Bandon Dunes follow-up in Central Washington farm country, far from any dramatic ocean views or towering cliffs — heck, far from civilization at all, really — it raised a few eyebrows. Bunny Mason knows the feeling. When the famed golf course architect first suggested building golf courses in Central Oregon in the 1960s, nearly everyone laughed. Everyone except developers John Grey and Donald McCullum, who instead made plans for an all-new destination resort just south of Bend, at the time a sleepy country town with just 12,000 permanent residents. Their resort — Sunriver — became the first to open in the region in 1968, and has remained one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier vacation destinations ever since. Golfers come from across the continent to play Bob Cupp’s Crosswater course, which ranked 51st in Golf Digest’s most recent list of America’s top public courses, while Robert Trent Jones, Jr.’s Woodlands Course, the John Fought-redesigned Meadows Course, and the executive-length Caldera Links each rank among the state’s best. But golf is just part of the allure of Sunriver — there’s also the spa, horseback riding, river rafting, hiking and biking, multiple pools and waterslides, numerous shops and restaurants, and a state-of-the-art observatory featuring one of the largest telescopes in the continental U.S. In addition, the resort has just completed a $50 million property revitalization project that included opening three new restaurants — a tavern loaded with Central Oregon microbrews (including Sunriver Brewing Company’s own Rippin’ Northwest Ale); a lobby bar with wine, beer and small bites; and a family-friendly, casual-dining restaurant, Carson’s American Kitchen, highlighting local ingredients and named after one of the first Oregon Trail explorers, Kit Carson, who reportedly camped on the Sunriver Meadow. Of course, the lodging has improved a bit since Carson’s time. Sunriver offers accommodations to match any size party or budget, from one-bedroom lodge rooms to expansive luxury homes. Packages combine lodging with unlimited golf at the two resort courses, plus one round per day at Crosswater, at perperson rates starting under $100 per night. Check sunriver-resort.com to see what packages are available before you book your trip. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 15

Spokane’s Kalispel Tribe Becomes Latest To Combine Golf & Gaming

DESTINATION

Kalispel Golf & Country Club Spokane, Wash.

or over 100 years, Spokane Country Club has been among Eastern Washington’s most exclusive. Arnold Palmer played there when he was in town. So did Jack Nicklaus. Tom Watson holds the course record. Now, you’ll finally have your chance to break it. Spokane’s Kalispel Tribe of Indians — who also own the nearby Northern Quest Resort & Casino — have made a significant investment in golf with the purchase of Spokane Country Club. And, starting in 2016, the course is open to the public for the first time, giving daily-fee golfers a look behind the ropes at the club that hosted the inaugural U.S. Women’s Open in 1946. Renamed Kalispel Golf & Country Club, a limited number of public tee times will be made available each day, primarily to guests at the Northern Quest. “We wanted to preserve the rich history of the club,” said Phil Haugen, general manager of the Northern Quest, “and also open this extraordinary place to Spokane.” And not just Spokane. While daily-fee golfers not staying at the resort pay $115 for the privilege of teeing it up at Kalispel, resort guests can score a twosome, carts, transportation to and from the resort, and a night’s stay for as little as $409, a significant savings over booking golf and lodging separately. The increasing marriage of golf and gaming — at Northwest courses like Circling Raven and Salish Cliffs, Kansas’ Firekeeper Golf Course and dozens of others nationwide — has been a shot in the arm for the golf industry and a boon to golfers, who have benefitted from new course construction, renovations and increased amenities. And indeed, the Kalispel Tribe has already poured millions into club infrastructure, building a new “gastropub” — the 1898 Public House, celebrating the year of the club’s construction — and enhancing clubhouse facilities to include a fitness center and two full-size simulators. “We want everybody to come see this. To enjoy the Kalispel Golf and Country Club,” Haugen says. “The Kalispel Tribe wants to be a great community partner here in Spokane, [and] create the best golf destination in all of Eastern Washington.” To learn more, visit www.northernquest.com or call 877-871-6772.

Washington’s Premier Stay-and-Play Resort

hile Gamble Sands has become one of the nation’s must-play destinations, most golfers who come to Washington do so with the intention of playing in and around the south Puget Sound region, anchored by the city of Tacoma and courses like 2015 U.S. Open host Chambers Bay, casino resort destination track Salish Cliffs, and the myriad courses of Washington’s Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas — Gold Mountain, McCormick Woods, Trophy Lake, White Horse and Port Ludlow. While you could stay in Seattle and drive (or, in the case of the peninsula courses, take a ferry) to each of these Evergreen State gems, savvy visitors choose to stay at Salish Cliffs’ Little Creek Casino Resort. Not only does it put you on-site at one of the state’s top-five public tracks (with all the attendant stay-and-play perks), the Little Creek’s location is central to each of those other great courses, all no more than 30-40 minutes away. In 2017, the Little Creek is undergoing a significant expansion which will fully renovate half of the resort’s rooms. Already one of the region’s top destinations due to its sprawling gaming floor, numerous restaurants (ranging from high-end steakhouses to quick-bite cafes) and indulgent Seven Inlets Spa, the renovations will further cement the resort’s status as Washington’s premier vacation spot for golf-and-gaming enthusiasts. The main perk, of course, will be the special stay-and-play package rates at the resort’s Salish Cliffs Golf Club, rated No. 5 in the state of Washington by Cascade Golfer magazine, and one of the most celebrated tribally-owned courses in America. A thrilling romp across forested ridges with sprawling views of Western Washington, Salish Cliffs mixes reachable par-4s and short par-5s with some of the most challenging holes in the state, resulting in a visually stunning and rewarding course that plays host to both amateur tournaments and USGA qualifiers. Rates start as low as $159 for a night’s stay and two rounds of golf. Salish Cliffs G.C. • Shelton, Wash. To learn more or book your package, visit www.salish-cliffs.com/stay-play/. 16 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

the hole such that the best shot to a front pin is not at the hole, but at a gentle slope leading down from the seventh tee box, taking the large bunker on the left side out of play and letting your ball run straight down the hillside to the flag. We spent the rest of the day unlocking Kidd’s secrets — hidden fairway chutes that added 50 yards to any tee shot, slopes that funneled approaches to ideal positions and shortcuts that rewarded players willing to take a chance. Whether because of the altitude (just over 1,200 feet), the heat, the steady breeze, the firmness of the fescue or our sheer exuberance, we found our shots consistently carrying farther than they typically would. Three-hundred yard drives were common; 380 wasn’t out of the question. On the 452-yard, par-5 18th, having been wild with my driver, I opted for my 180-yard club, figuring two of those and a wedge would get me to the green. My first shot carried over 200 yards. My second carried even farther. I left the wedge in the bag, and enjoyed a two-putt birdie. By the time we plucked our balls from the cup on 18 the second time, the sun was slipping behind the mountains, casting long shadows across Kidd’s design and turning the grasses and sands that frame the holes from pale yellows and browns to vibrant shades of orange, red and purple. The course was just coming alive, but for us, it was time to head home.

idd has been criticized in the past for crafting courses too difficult for the average golfer. They’re words he has taken to heart at Gamble Sands, where he set out to build a beautiful, inspiring course that challenges a golfer’s mental creativity more than their physical prowess. Indeed, despite not always playing our best, each of us scored well, yet even the course’s easiest holes offered a thrill or challenge in the form of a risk-reward decision, or bunkers to avoid. Debating our favorites, we ultimately decided there wasn’t a weak one in the bunch. On the way back to Seattle, we stopped at a take-out burger shack to fuel up for the remaining two-hour drive, and reflected once more on the day we’d just had — 36 holes on America’s best new course, and eight hours among friends, free from our cell phones, jobs and worries of a world that was 200 miles away. “It will never be like this again,” I said nostalgically, noting the course’s like-new condition and the absence of other players. Two years later, I’m happy to report that I was wrong. Gamble Sands is just as fun the fifth and sixth time as it was the first and second — and it’s only getting better.

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Southern Swing Fallen Oak G.C. • Saucier, Miss.

America’s Golf Coast

A decade after Katrina, is thriving once again

INTRO BY BRIAN BEAKY FEATURES BY TONY DEAR & JIM STREET

ou’ve survived Las Vegas. You’ve battled the crowds in Palm Springs. You’ve endured the heat in Scottsdale. You’ve played every course on Hilton Head, trod every fairway in Orlando — heck, maybe you’ve even made those dream destination trips to Hawaii, Scotland or Ireland. What’s left to do? If you’re lucky enough to recognize yourself in the description above, then hoo boy — you’ve played some incredible golf. But you haven’t yet experienced America’s fastest-growing golf destination, the region drawing architects like Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus and Robert Trent Jones, the most casinos per golf course outside of Vegas itself, and the one with enough outside entertainment — in the form of incredible beaches, amusement parks, jazz and blues clubs, and American historical monuments — to keep the whole family busy. And we haven’t even mentioned the food. Oh, Lord, that food. We’re talking about the Gulf Coast, or as the country’s major golf magazines (and, naturally, the local tourism boards) have taken to calling it, the “Golf” Coast, stretching from New Orleans in the west all the way to the Florida Panhandle. Ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Gulf Coast has rebuilt its tourism industry largely on the twin pillars of golf and gaming, with some of the nation’s top-ranked courses (like Fazio’s Fallen Oak in Saucier, Miss., ranked 36th in Golf Digest’s most recent ranking of America’s top public courses) and most-lauded golf trails, including the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama, and Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail. While the golf magazines and professional tours have caught on, though, ranking numerous Gulf Coast courses among the nation’s best and adding several new Champions Tour, Web.com Tour and LPGA Tour events throughout the region, amateur golfers haven’t been as quick to follow, continuing to flock like the snowbirds they are to the old favorites mentioned in the first paragraph above. No matter. Low traffic is music to a golfer’s ears, because it means faster rounds and lower greens fees — indeed, most courses on the Robert Trent Jones Trail can be played for just $50-$85 (less than half of rates in Palm Springs, and one-third of those in Vegas), with the region’s other tracks in a similar range. Add in the casinos, beaches, Civil War history and thriving cultural scene — again, all at rates lower than what you’d find in other more well-traveled regions — and it’s only a matter of time before the “Golf” Coast earns the attention it deserves. Our advice? Get there first, ahead of the crowds. Here’s where we’d start. — B.B.

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Louisiana

golf course wasn’t part of John Charles Olmsted’s original plan for the 350-acre Audubon Park in New Orleans, but citizens of the Crescent City had the good sense to pressure the famous landscaper into including one. The course opened in 1898, and after over 100 years of constant use, it finally received a muchneeded renovation in 2001, when Denis Griffiths turned the old 81-acre, 5,500-yard, par-68 into a 4,220-yard, par62 with 12 par-3s, two par-4s, and a couple of par-5s. The entire project, with clubhouse and landscaping, cost the city a whopping $6 million, but golfers will tell you the outlay was worth every penny. With four lagoons, moss-draped Spanish oaks and excellent TifEagle greens, Audubon Park is an attractive, challenging and endlessly enjoyable round that non-city residents pay just $40 to walk. Though it didn’t meet the required distance (6,600 yards) and par (70) minimums, Audubon Park — named in honor of the famous naturalist and artist John James Audubon, who spent most of his middle years in New Orleans and Louisiana — was quickly allowed to join the Audubon Golf Trail (www.audubongolftravel.com) shortly after re-opening in 2002. The Trail was created to promote Louisiana’s golf courses, the hope being it would do for the Pelican State what the Robert Trent Jones Trail had done for Alabama since opening in 1992. Packages and quotes can be arranged directly through the Audubon Golf Trail website, where you can review the various courses and hotels, and work with a knowledgable agent to book a specific package to meet your needs.

Audubon Park G.C. • New Orleans, La.

Oxmoor Valley • Birmingham, Ala.

Capitol Hill G.C. (Judge Course) • Prattville, Ala.

TPC Louisiana • Avondale, La.

The Trail began with six courses, a number that has now grown to 16. Nine of those on today’s roster are clustered in the southeastern part of the state, within easy driving distance of Bourbon Street. Besides Audubon Park, New Orleans is also home to the Pete Dye/Steve Elkington/Kelly Gibson-designed TPC Louisiana, which has hosted the PGA TOUR’s Zurich Classic 11 times since 2004. Located in the suburb of Avondale, TPC Louisiana is a 15-minute drive from downtown, and characterized by alligator-inhabited water features, faux mounds faced with pot bunkers, hundreds of cypress pines and extreme yardage — it can play as long as 7,600 yards, but five sets of tees allow anyone to survive this adventure, provided they choose their shot wisely. The Atchafalaya at Idlewild, 90 minutes west of the French Quarter, is a Robert Von Hagge design that opened in 2006 and was soon ranked among Louisiana’s best. Builders moved over a half a million cubic yards of dirt to create water hazards and significant elevation changes that give the golfer splendid views of the Atchafalaya Basin. At 76.4, the course rating is Louisiana’s highest but, again, five sets of tees make it playable for all. Moving north from New Orleans, and easily reached from Baton Rouge, are the highly-acclaimed Links at Pelican Point in Gonzalez, which opened in 1998; The Island, designed by Mike Young, which is virtually surrounded by water and sits on an old sugar plantation; and the Robert Trent Jones-designed Santa Maria G.C., which first opened in 1987 but was renovated by Baxter Spann in 2006. Three quarters of an hour east of the state capital is the excellent Carter Plantation, designed by 13-time PGA TOUR winner David Toms. Routed between live oak flats, cypress wetlands and upland pine forests, Carter Plan-

tation was deservedly named among GOLF magazine’s top-10 public courses in the U.S. in 2003. Fifteen miles north of Baton Rouge, just outside the town of Zachary, you find the Scottish-influenced Copper Mill G.C., designed by Max Maxwell and Nathan Crace and opened in 2004. With six par-3s, six -4s and six -5s, the course possesses a fascinating routing that holds players’ attention from start to finish. A little further north, you find the elegant Arnold Palmer design at The Bluffs on Thompson Creek, where the King found eight routings before picking his favorite. In the town of Lafayette in south-central Louisiana, in the heart of cajun country, Frank Burandt created a course with water in play on 11 holes. Appropriately called The Wetlands, it opened in 2006. Before heading into central and northern Louisiana, you must make one last stop in the south — at Rocky Roquemore’s superb Gray Plantation outside Lake Charles. Situated on the Calcasieu Shipping Canal that connects Lake Charles with the Gulf of Mexico, Gray Plantation has appeared on national publications’ top100 lists, and rightly so. There are five more gems still to come as you venture north — the beautifully-bunkered Tamakha Trails at the Paragon Resort and Casino, which has hosted three U.S. Open qualifiers and was designed by the highly regarded Steve Smyers; Jim Lipe’s OakWing G.C. in Alexandria; Dave Bennet’s wonderful Cypress Bend, which hugs the shores of the 186,000-acre Toledo-Bend Reservoir on the Texas/Louisiana border; Olde Oaks G.C., in the far northwest corner of the state, where former PGA Championship winner Hal Sutton played a significant design role; and lastly, the fantastic Roy Bechtol/Randy Russell design at the Louisiana State Parks-owned Black Bear

G.C. in Delhi, that Golfweek named Louisiana’s best public course from 2010-14. That’s a lot of fine golf. And when you throw in a little jazz, some incredible food, and lots of sunshine and golfable temperatures year-round, you have yourself a golf trip to savor. — Tony Dear

Mississippi

t didn’t take long into my five-day trip through Mississippi’s “Golf” Coast to discover the secret to how the region has, in just over 10 years, gone from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to one of America’s most buzzed-about golf destinations. I hadn’t quite put my finger on it until a pair of golfers from Michigan pulled up to the practice green at the luxurious Grand Bear Resort Golf Course near Biloxi, with smiles on their faces and birdies on their minds. “This is a vacation we take every year,” one of them said. “While we golf, our wives gamble, and we have a fabulous dinner afterwards.” There are 140 golf courses in the Magnolia State, and many of them are either owned by local casinos, adjacent to local casinos, or offer stay-and-play packages with local casinos at prices that are often less than what you’d pay for a single round in one of America’s more well-traveled golf destinations. “There’s a lot to do,” says Kyle Ramey, head golf pro at Windance Golf & Country Club. “We have good weather. We’re close to the water. You can go to the beach, fish, and there’s also night life and gaming.” Being more passionate about golf than gaming, my focus was on the pristine courses in the Gulf Coast reD ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 19

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Cypress Bend G.C. • Many, La.

gion and the cuisine that was out of this world. Three of the four courses I played are ranked among Golf Digest’s top-10 in the state for 2015-16 — including No. 1 Fallen Oak Golf Club, site of the PGA TOUR Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Also among the best are The Preserve Golf Club, and the aforementioned Grand Bear and Windance. My adventure started at The Preserve, a 245-acre masterpiece magnificently carved out of flat-as-apancake terrain surrounded by 1,800 acres of swamps, oak groves and grass prairies. Jerry Pate, a former U.S. Open champion, designed the 6,774-yard, par-71 course, which opened in 2007 and has been granted membership into the prestigious Audubon International Signature Program.

Before setting out, I asked head pro Chris Champagne what impresses guests the most. “The mixture of holes,” he said. “None of the holes look the same from the tee, so you get a different feel on virtually every hole.” Next up was the aforementioned Grand Bear, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that encompasses more than 7,200 yards, winding through cypress wetlands and tall pines of the DeSoto National Forest. The only visible structure is the lavish, 5,000-square foot, log-style clubhouse with pro shop, restaurant and numerous Nicklaus-related memorabilia. The course is owned and operated by Harrah’s Gulf Coast Hotel and Casino, with stay-and-play packages that start much lower than you’d expect. Jack’s gem has received numerous accolades, including Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public-Access courses and Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play. It’s also a great place to encounter the descendants of some of Mississippi’s earliest residents. At the par-3 14th hole, a player’s tee shot landed close to the Biloxi River. As he approached the ball, the player decided it might be best left where it lay — as it was being “guarded” by eight baby alligators. Fortunately, momma was nowhere to be seen, as the player took perhaps the quickest drop I’ve ever seen. Of course, not all of the state’s courses are in the middle of nowhere. Windance, in Gulfport, was built as a private club in a housing development, before being

bought by the Island View Casino in 2007. “We still have members, but it really is a resort and public golf course,” says Ramey. “You don’t have to play with a member or stay at the casino. Just make a tee time and come out and play.” The original course, designed by Mark McCumber in 1986, underwent a complete renovation following the casino group’s investment. The resulting gem covers a modest 6,600 yards and plays to a par of 72. “The best defense the course has are the greens,” warned starter Joe Jester. “They’re tricky.” Indeed they are, as my 42 putts would attest. “A lot of them are undulated from back to front, and they’re always in good shape,” Ramey says. “If you get on the wrong side of them, you lose.” Saving the best for last, Fallen Oak — the top-rated golf course in Mississippi — provided an unforgettable ending to the trip. Playable only to guests at the nearby Beau Rivage Casino and Resort, Fallen Oak recently underwent a facelift orchestrated by renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio, who also designed the original. Since Fallen Oak opened in 2006 – construction was delayed several months by Katrina – the course has been among the most highly-rated in not only the state, but the entire country. Located 15 minutes from Biloxi at the edge of the DeSoto National Forest, the 7,487-yard, par-72 course features elevation changes that are rare for a Gulf

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DESTINATION Coast design, earning it more than 30 national honors. Fallen Oak also hosts the Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, which was coincidentally being held the week of my trip; by sheer luck, I was able to participate in the 2016 Pro-Am. It was one of the trip’s many highlights. Another one was a two-hour side-trip to Beauvoir, the final home and Presidential Library for Jefferson Davis — the only Confederate President. American history comes to life during a guided tour through the mansion and grounds. Davis’ father is buried there, along with many Confederate soldiers and their wives. So, why do golfers keep flocking to Mississippi? Well, there’s the golf, certainly, which is on par with any I’ve played in other regions. But what sets Mississippi apart is everything beyond the fairways and greens — the casinos that keep the action going well into the night, the food, the beaches, the unique wildlife and the rich history of a region that envelops you at every turn, whether a Civil War battlefield, a centuryold blues club, or a beach town recovering from Katrina. The website VisitMississippi.org allows travelers to plan a trip based on your interests, your intended destination, and numerous other variables, while also serving as a vault of intormation on the Magnolia State. It’s a must-visit before any trip. It was my first time in Mississippi, but — like the Michigan golfers I met on one of my first days — it certainly won’t be my last. — Jim Street

Alabama

t sounded so fanciful and implausible, the doubters didn’t think the idea would last 25 minutes. But next year, Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail celebrates 25 years of making world-class golf accessible and affordable for all; 25 years of boosting Alabama’s image in the U.S. and abroad; 25 years of providing golf and hospitality jobs for resident Alabamians (over 3,000 currently); and 25 years of fueling massive economic growth through tourism — visitor spending in Alabama rose from $3 billion in 1990 to $11.8 billion in 2014, thanks largely to the RTJ Trail. In his 2016 book, “The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail; Its History and Economic Impact,” author Mark Fagan calls the Trail “the only substantial tourism attraction to be developed in Alabama (in the last 25 years).” It was former law professor and 43-year manager of the Yellowhammer State’s municipal workers’ retirement fund, Dr. David G. Bronner, who hatched the plan, saying he wanted to “improve Alabama” and help the state’s people, so that others would want to join them. “I wanted to feature Alabama’s natural beauty,” he said in Fagan’s book. “I wanted something of which all Alabamians could be proud. I wanted something no other state had. I decided to build

Old Waverly G.C. • West Point, Miss.

world-class golf courses and world-class hotels to increase tourism and create residential and commercial development.” Construction, under the supervision of project manager Bobby Vaughn and longtime RTJ associate Roger Rulewich, began in 1989, with four sites opening in 1992 — Hampton Cove in Huntsville, Oxmoor Valley in Birmingham, Grand National in Opelika and Magnolia Grove in Mobile. They were joined the following year by Silver Lakes, Cambrian Ridge, and Highland Oaks. Today, there are 11 facilities with 26 courses — a total of 468 holes from Mobile in the state’s southwest corner, to Muscle Shoals in the northwest

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Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club Gulf Shores, Ala.

and Huntsville in the northeast. If you began at The Shoals and drove to all 11 sites (playing every hole), finishing at Magnolia Grove, you would have driven 760 miles, and walked more than 100 miles of golf. You could play 36 a day for 13 straight days without ever seeing the same hole twice. All sorts of packages, specials, member pricing, and cardholder deals are available throughout the year, but greens fees basically start at $65 and rise depending on the site and season. Only rarely, though, does the rate for 18 holes exceed $100. Ross Bridge, in fact, is the only course at which you’ll pay more than $100 on a winter weekend. That sort of value once prompted the Wall Street

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Journal to say the RTJ Trail “may be the biggest bargain in the country.” The New York Times has also weighed in, describing the courses on the Trail as “world-class golf that’s not a world away,” and saying that the Trail “has some of the best public golf on Earth.” It’s not common for big-time professional tournaments to be played at public-access courses that charge $100 or less for a greens fee, but the Trail has hosted all three of America’s major pro tours — the Champions Tour at Ross Bridge from 2006-10; the LPGA at Magnolia Grove from 1998 to 2014, and at Capitol Hill since 2007; and the PGA TOUR at Grand National starting in 2015. The RTJ Trail also boasts eight on-site resort hotels, giving easy access to the golf courses. And, just like the golf courses, they are top-notch, with Bronner insisting “our hotels compare favorably to hotels anywhere in the world.” Bronner has a right to boast. He took a big risk building the RTJ Trail, but America’s golfers certainly did come. As if the RTJ Trail weren’t enough to entice tourist golfers to Alabama, the Gulf Shores area on the south coast, near the opening to Mobile Bay, also offers a very attractive combination of quality golf, lodging, food and entertainment. The weather is typically pretty good, too. Together, the seven golf facilities — Craft Farms

(featuring two Arnold Palmer designs), Glenlakes (Bruce Devlin/Robert von Hagge), Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club, TimberCreek, Rock Creek (all Earl Stone), Lost Key (a Palmer redesign), and the exceptional Jerry Pate-designed Kiva Dunes — give you as solid a week’s golf as you’ll find. You could be forgiven, though, for wanting to play 36 a day, every day, at the jewel in Gulf Shores’s crown, Kiva Dunes, which benefitted from a major renovation in the summer of 2015. Pate oversaw the project, swapping the Champions Bermuda greens for TifEagle, upgrading all the bunkers, roto-tilling the fairways to dispose of accumulated organic matter (consequently ensuring near-perfect lies), removing scrub trees and thinning the more sturdy trees — their lower halves, specifically, to facilitate finding wayward drives and having a shot to the green. The work received high marks, leaving Kiva Dunes looking its best for its 20th birthday. The Gulf Shores courses have joined forces with a number of the area’s excellent lodging options to make booking a golf package a cinch. And with a number of highly-acclaimed places to dine, 32 miles of sugar-white sand beaches, and amazing fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Shores could be your next great golf trip. To learn more or book your next Gulf Shores travel package, visit www.alabama.travel. — T.D.

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God’s Country Golfers in the Midwest are spoiled with riches — no matter where in the region you live

BY BRIAN BEAKY DG EDITOR Purgatory Golf Club • Noblesville, Ind.

f you’re a golfer, and history buff, there’s no place quite like the Midwest. Incredible destination resorts in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma are just a day’s drive or less from practically any point in flyover country, with even the casino resorts of Mississippi or Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail just a similar distance away. What’s more, each of those destinations, and the route to them, come with unique markers in American history, from Civil War battlefields to Oregon Trail markers to the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. Nowhere else in the country can one combine history and golf in such a short trip. Most golf Meccas — Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Orlando — are lighter on the history front, while America’s most notable historical locales — New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., etc. — can’t match the quality of the Midwest’s public golf courses and resorts. This year, we’re charting a trail from Indianapolis — as we’ve written before, the perfect jumping-off point for any trip across America’s highways, within a day’s drive of 11 other states — to Dallas, a path that takes you through some of the country’s most historic cities, including St. Louis, Springfield and Oklahoma City, and just a short side trip from our favorite destination resorts at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks or Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees. Along the way, you’ll encounter some of America’s top public courses, and pass by some of its most significant historical markers. Even if you’re rushing to make your next tee time, take a minute to pull over and read the plaques. After all, a road trip isn’t unlike a round of golf — it’s only when you reach your destination that you wish you’d taken more time to appreciate the journey.

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INDIANA

ports and the state of Indiana have long been synonymous. One of America’s most famous annual sporting events, the Indianapolis 500, celebrated its 100th running in 2016, drawing up to 300,000 spectators to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, plus millions more on TV. Indiana is also the heart of American basketball, having given us one of our greatest-ever superstars, the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird, and one of our most beloved underdog stories, the 1954 Milan High School basketball state champions, immortalized in the movie “Hoosiers.” So, it should be little surprise that as we’ve entered a new century, Indiana has found itself once again on the leading edge of a sporting trend — as one of America’s fastest-growing golf destinations. Hamilton County, the moderately-sized county just to the north of Indianapolis, long known for its scenic vistas, has found itself leading Indiana’s golf revival, with no fewer than eight courses within a 30-minute drive in any direction. Pete Dye had a hand in three of them; Robert Trent Jones, Jr., crafted a fourth. That’s why thousands of visitors a year from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and Michigan make the pilgrimage to Hamilton County each year specifically to take advantage of one of the last great secrets in American golf. “There are few places where you can find such a high level of championship facilities, in such close proximity,” says Karen Radcliff, the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Hamilton County Tourism. “It’s really made us a popular golf destination.” Most popular among out-of-town golfers are the three courses on the Pete Dye Golf Trail, including Plum Creek, The Fort and Brickyard Crossing. If it seems like a high concentration of Dye courses in one region, it’s for good reason — Dye

himself calls Hamilton County home, with a permanent residence at the famed Crooked Stick Golf Club (another Dye creation), home to the 1991 PGA Championship,1993 U.S. Women’s Open and 2012 and 2016 PGA TOUR BMW Championships. Brickyard Crossing is one of Dye’s most unique designs, starting on the scenic, rolling land just outside the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, before heading to the track itself for four holes routed across the famed Brickyard infield. It’s no gimmick course, though — elevation changes, challenging greens, a creek that meanders through the property and plenty of Dye’s signature pot bunkers make for an engaging and enjoyable round. And talk about American history — there’s no experience in golf quite like standing on the seventh tee, watching cars zip around the world’s most famous racetrack at 200 miles per hour as you try to focus on your seven-iron to the green. Most golfers who visit Hamilton County stay in Carmel, on the county’s southern edge, close to Indy and home to another Dye creation, Plum Creek. Rounding out the Pete Dye courses is The Fort, which is more tightly contained by the deep ravines and tall trees of Fort Harrison State Park. While Dye may be Indiana golf’s favorite son, he’s hardly the only big-name designer to visualize a golf paradise in Hamilton County’s fertile, rolling terrain. Robert Trent Jones, Jr., passed through Carmel in 1997 and left behind perhaps Indiana’s most acclaimed public course. Prairie View Golf Club, RTJ II’s first-ever Indiana design, is a classic Jones layout that forces golfers to think their way around the course. Named Indiana’s No. 1 public golf course by Golfweek, it’s a must-play for any Indiana golf visitor. Not to be outdone, the northern half of Hamilton County boasts its own memorable courses, including Bear Slide G.C. in Cicero, River Glen C.C. in Fishers, and Radcliff’s personal favorites, Noblesville’s Purgatory G.C. and Westfield’s Wood Wind G.C. Purgatory, in particular, is a blast — one of the longest courses in America at 7,754 yards from the back tees, it’s a challenge worthy of its name, with 18 holes named for scenes in Dante’s Inferno. Split fairways, over 200 bunkers (read that again — 200 bunkers!) and a whipping wind make for a significant challenge — though, its unique design, and six sets of tees, are what make it Radcliff’s favorite. “From the forward sets of tees, it’s not intimidating at all,” she says, noting that many of the bunkers are largely out of the way for shorter hitters. “And it’s so beautiful — on one hole (the par-4 16th, “Blinding Cloud of Smoke”), you see nothing but bunkers from tee to green, but then when you look back from the green, you see nothing but grass. It’s very cool.” Golfers who travel to Hamilton County from out of state often choose to bundle their golf with lodging through any of several stay-and-play partner hotels in the area. On the Hamilton County website, VisitHamiltonCounty.com (or by phone at 800-7768687) golfers can choose their hotel — ranging from

budget-conscious motels to high-end luxury hotels — then choose from any of the aforementioned courses. Packages range from one-night, two-round day trips starting at $180, to three-night, four-round weekends, allowing golfers to customize a trip to fit their time and budget. In addition, golf concierges at each hotel can book additional tee times, spa packages and more. “It’s that flexibility, to be able to choose your own courses and your own hotel, and have all the arrangements taken care of for you, that truly sets this region apart,” Radcliff says. Making our way south out of Indianapolis, it’s not long before we come to two courses owned and designed by another Indiana native, PGA TOUR legend Fuzzy Zoeller. Located in the southwest corner of the state, only 15 minutes from Louisville and less than 90 minutes from Indy, Zoeller’s Covered Bridge Golf Club and Champions Pointe Golf Club (www.fuzzygolf.com) are annually ranked among the state’s best. Routed across gently rolling terrain, they’re as pretty to look at as they are fun to play, full of thought-provoking holes and player-friendly landing areas designed specifically to maximize the enjoyment of the amateur golfer. Five sets of tees at each course allow golfers to further dial in whatever challenge they seek, whether a casual round from the forward tees, or an attempt to channel your own inner Nicklaus, Seve or Trevino from the tipped-out “Fuzzy” tees. Fuzzy himself is a frequent sight at Covered Bridge, whether practicing, playing or just sharing memories with fans. And just as friendly are the rates, which drop as low as $40 in the offseason, and peak around $85 on a summer weekend. The courses also partner with hotels in Indiana and Louisville alike on stay-and-play packages starting as low as $105 per person, so whether coming up from Louisville or, in our case, down from Indy, the Fuzzy Zoeller tracks are a must-stop along the way.

Brickyard Crossing • Indianapolis, Ind.

Osage National G.C. • Lake Ozark, Mo.

Shangri-La Resort • Monkey Island, Okla.

MISSOURI

t’s just a six-hour drive from Indianapolis to our next destination, Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks — though, it’s worth extending the drive to spend some time in St. Louis, whether to take the strangest elevator ride of your life to the top of the Gateway Arch, to call out to the ghosts of baseball’s past like Stan Musial and Bob Gibson at Busch Stadium, or simply to park yourself in one of the city’s jazz clubs and let the night slip away on a trail of syncopated rhythms. When it’s time to get away, though, residents of St. Louis — and Kansas City, and Omaha, and just about every other major city within a three-hour drive — head to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. With over 1,000 miles of coastline, the 175-square-mile lake (actually, a reservoir created by construction of the Bagnell Dam in 1931) is one of the Heartland’s largest outdoor recreation attractions, drawing water sports

enthusiasts, boaters, hikers, bikers, kayakers — and, appropriate to our little road trip, golfers, too. Twelve different courses — including some of Missouri’s highest-rated tracks — sit within 30 miles of each other around the lake, making it easy to bed down in one spot and play a different course every day for a week or more. While the bulk of vacationers arrive in the summer to take full advantage of the lake amenities, the “Goldilocks” season for golfers is the spring, when rates are lower, resorts (and tee boxes) are less crowded, and the flowers that line many of the lake’s prettiest tracks are in full bloom. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 29

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The Lodge of Four Seasons (www.4seasonsresort. com) is unique among resorts of the region in that many of its 54 holes — designed by no less than Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and Ken Kavanaugh — extend out into the lake, on tiny peninsulas of land that immerse golfers in their surroundings. The RTJ-designed Cove Course is the most popular with resort guests, a par-71 course with RTJ’s large, rolling greens and numerous bunkers. The Ridge Course, meanwhile — ranked fifth in the state by Golf Digest in 2016 — is a little more “player-friendly,” with large fairways, elevated tees and a tipped-out length of just 6,447 yards. (Nicklaus’ Club at Porto Cima, the third course at the Lodge, is open only to club members.) Just a half hour to the south, practically on the lake’s southern shore, is Old Kinderhook Golf Club (www.oldkinderhook.com), an equally outstanding course which draws its own share of stay-and-play visitors. The state’s second-ranked public track according to Golf Digest, Old Kinderhook features a Tom Weiskopf design that plays to 6,855 yards from the tips, with water on almost every hole, well-bunkered greens and a creative layout that offers a new challenge on seemingly every shot. In-season rates peak at $110, but are just $59-$89 in springtime, when the flowers are at their peak and the traffic that will come in summer has yet to arrive. The recently rebuilt Lodge at Old Kinderhook provides guests with a home-away-

Old Kinderhook G.C. • Camdenton, Mo.

from-home featuring modern rooms overlooking the golf course, a conference center, ice skating rink, indoor and outdoor pools, and more. Golfers coming to Lake of the Ozarks from I-70, meanwhile, often stop in at Lake Ozark’s Osage National Golf Resort (www.osagenational.com), a 27hole facility located just a few miles from Bagnell Dam on the lake’s northeastern shore. What sets Osage National apart aren’t just its 27 holes — 18 designed by Arnold Palmer himself, the only Palmer-designed course in the state — but its large pool, where the non-golfers in your family can enjoy the afternoon at no additional cost while you tee it up on a course four times named “best at the lake” by local golfers. The Mountain Course is the most-acclaimed of Osage National’s three nine-hole tracks, with holes that play along the ridges that rise high above the Osage River below. Significant elevation changes add drama and challenge, with numerous blind shots on which the GPS in your golf cart comes in handy. The Links Course, as its name would suggest, is a more open layout, with broad fairways lined by long grasses

and numerous bunkers and water features. Large, undulating greens allow for multiple methods of attack, making it the preferred course of short-game wizards. The River Course, meanwhile, is the shortest — and easiest — of the three, blending the best qualities of each for a fun and enjoyable set of holes. All three courses finish with dramatic par-5s, none more so than the River’s epic 626-yard ninth (from the tips, a much more manageable 501 from the blues). The resort has played home to the Michelob Skins game — featuring Palmer, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Payne Stewart — as well as numerous PGA Section events and other major tournaments. Condo rentals are available, too, for golfers who wish to stay on-site, with group rates and custom-designed golf packages to meet your group’s specific needs. And just as with any great destination, while there are the places the magazines tell you to hit, sometimes, you’ll get the best recommendations from simply chatting up a local over bacon and eggs at a roadside cafe. That’s how we came to discover both Bear Creek Valley (www.bearcreekvalley.com) and

DON’T GAMBLE ON YOUR NEXT GOLF TRIP!

Play a guaranteed winner Aliante Golf Club Located 25 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, Aliante Golf Club is a memorable, Troon Managed, 18-hole championship course that was designed by Scottsdale-based Gary Panks Associates. Aliante is an exciting and challenging course that will challenge the expert to utilize every club in the bag while providing an enjoyable experience for the novice golfer. The presence of the meandering arroyo that comes into play on 14 holes causes the golfer to feel slightly elevated, providing interesting contours and unique playing lies and angles. The course is highlighted by two water features, generous landing areas, and strategic use of trees that are not commonly found in most desert courses, such as Pear and Purple Locust trees. The practice facility features an expansive driving range, putting green, chipping green and practice bunker. Aliante offers a variety of packages that include transportation, rentals and meals. Please visit aliantegolf.com for more information.

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3100 West Elkhorn, Las Vegas NV 89084

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www.aliantegolf.com

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The Golf Club at Deer Chase (www.deerchasegolf. com), two off-the-beaten-track courses that will give you as much bang for your buck as any in the region. Tucked into a river valley, they offer the same scenery as the more celebrated courses, with little rush, half the crowds and even lower greens fees. “For the amount of courses of such good quality, in such a concise area, it really is hard to beat for the price point,” says Kyle Stewart, whose useful website, GolfingMissouri.com, helps golfers browse courses and hotels throughout the Lake of the Ozarks region. He’s right ... which is what makes it so hard when it’s time to move on.

OKLAHOMA

ack on the road, it’s not long before you pass through Springfield, Mo., the birthplace of Route 66, then Joplin, Mo., where Bonnie and Clyde waged destruction in 1933, and one of the country’s most destructive tornados in recorded history did the same in 2011. About an hour past Joplin, in Oklahoma’s northwest corner, is Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees, the state’s answer to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. While the Lake of the Ozarks is famous for its many golf destinations, though, the Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees is

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Shangri-La Resort • Monkey Island, Okla.

primarily famous for one — the Shangri-La Golf Club, Resort & Marina, located on the tip of the confoundingly named Monkey Island (not only are there are no monkeys, it is also not an island, but a peninsula). Since its complete redesign in 2010, Shangri-La has become a haven for golf vacationers who enjoy its 27 holes of championship golf, nearby casino and all the outdoor recreation you could want. In fact, so many golfers have made the trip, that Shangri-La is having to expand in 2017, when it will open an all-new, 120-room resort hotel in April. Featuring a health spa, ballroom, indoor and outdoor pools, a “splash pad” for younger children, indoor and outdoor dining, a gym, beach volleyball courts and other activities, the hotel will significantly expand Shangri-La’s capacity while providing resort guests with amenities for golfers and non-golfers alike. While golfers enjoy Tom Clark’s 27 holes — including newly renovated white-sand bunkers (the same crushed quartz used at Augusta National) and large, undulating greens — families can swim in the

pool or soak in the spa, before heading out onto the lake for an afternoon of fun. Reservations for the summer season will fill up quickly, so visit www.shangrilaok.com or call 918-2574204 or to book your spot today. Because in the search for Shangri-La, you don’t want to be left behind.

s we putter into Dallas to wrap up our trip, it’s worth looking back on the experience — from the wonders of the Pete Dye Trail in Indiana, to the historical splendor of St. Louis, to the recreational paradise at Lake of the Ozarks, to the relaxing getaway of Monkey Island’s Shangri-La Resort, to the lap of luxury at the WinStar (see sidebar on page 33), to the hundreds of roadside markers, observation points and other unique side trips, the Midwest is packed with incredible golf destinations and notable historical landmarks. So the next time you hear coastal elites talk down to the Midwest, just smile. Because we know that no place else in America can match our riches.

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Experience the VIP lifestyle at Oklahoma’s

WINSTAR GOLF ACADEMY

hey say everything is bigger in Texas. They’re almost right. One of the nation’s largest casino resorts, and a recreational golfer’s dream, the WinStar Golf Club and Academy is located in Thackerville, Okla., just an hour’s drive from Dallas and a few long drives from the Red River. It’s become a prime destination for golfers from Oklahoma City and the DFW metro alike, who come to WinStar not only for the golf (36 holes designed by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolford, with some of the peak conditioning in the region) but also for the amenities of a full resort destination. That includes one of America’s largest casinos — a 600,000-square-foot metropolis that features eight gaming areas themed around the world’s most exotic locales (including Paris, London, Madrid and others) and over 7,400 machines — an event center, night clubs, numerous restaurants, multiple pools, luxury accommodations, and the finest golf academy in the Midwest. “To live out my passion everyday is a gift, and it wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support of the Chickasaw Nation and their vision to make WinStar a total resort destination,” says Michael Ferguson, general manager of the WinStar Golf Club and Academy. “We have focused ourselves on providing a Disneyland golf experience

through our facilities, technology, staffing and amenities., and it’s a tremendous honor for me to be driving the ship when it comes to the golf experience.” Some golfers just come to blast the ball as far as they can — the World Long Drive Championship has hosted its kick-off and finals at WinStar since 2015, with the world’s biggest hitters gathering at the world’s biggest casino resort for a week each fall to crush drives halfway back to the Texas border, all televised live on The Golf Channel. With impeccable conditioning combined with VIP-level service, GPS, ceiling fans (yes, ceiling fans!), phone plug-ins in every cart and the luxurious casino hotel rising in the background, WinStar wouldn’t be at all out of place among the top casino resorts in Las Vegas — the main differences being the ease of getting a tee time, the cooler temperatures, the lack of crowds on the fairways and the considerably lower impact on your bottom line. Combining generous fairways with challenging green complexes that rate between 10 and 11.5 on the stimpmeter, WinStar gives golfers of all skill levels a chance to score. Golfers also score on WinStar’s numerous promotions, including a dozen Pro V1s added complimentary to any $99 round Monday through Thursday, complimentary bottled water and more.

WinStar Golf Academy • Thackerville, Okla.

Perhaps the most unique quality of WinStar, however, is its on-site, 5,000-squarefoot training academy, featuring eight outdoor hitting bays (equipped with heaters and fans, for all types of weather), GEARS 3D Analysis Training, Trackman systems for lessons and fittings, and a SAM putting lab for shortgame work. The Academy also boasts one of the region’s most impressive staffs, including 41year PGA member and past President of the South Central PGA Gary Nutt, who came to WinStar from the prestigious PGA WEST in La Quinta, Calif. Along with Bill Knodle, a long-time teaching professional, and top-100 clubfitter Jon Stephenson ensuring the perfect clubs and fit for your swing, it’s like enjoying the amenities of a PGA TOUR player. “When it comes to technology and environment, the WinStar Golf Academy is one of the finest facilities I’ve seen,” Nutt says. For as little as $199, golfers can take advantage of a one-hour private lesson — including 30 minutes of digital swing analysis and 30 minutes of instruction — followed by a full round of golf. Other packages include more or longer lessons, additional golf and other amenities. A lesson in the morning, round of golf after lunch, late-afternoon dip in one of two pools (including an exotic resort pool with multiple spas, cabanas and a poolside bar, or the kid-friendly hotel pool, with a waterfall and shrouded grotto), followed by a world-class dinner, an evening on the mile-long gaming floor and a concert in the event center, is the perfect way to end any journey — whether you’ve driven hours from Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City or Omaha, or just hopped the Red River from Dallas. Greens fees start at $129 (illustrating the incredible value of that lesson), and there are all kinds of specials available that knock that rate down — Club Passport cardholders, for example, can play a round for just $89, including golf, cart and range balls, while juniors, seniors and military members all receive significant discounts as well. Visit winstarworldcasino.com or call 1-800-622-6317 to check out the latest stayand-play rates and travel packages. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 33

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The Great Migration When the winter weather hits, snowbirds flock south to America’s winter golf haven — Las Vegas and Palm Springs

BY BRIAN BEAKY DG EDITOR

all me a wuss if you must, but I don’t love donning four layers of clothes, wrapping my grips with towels, putting through puddles and hosing mud off my shoes, only to score a few strokes worse than I do the rest of the year. On days like those, off-season golf can really be the worst. In many parts of the country, though, there is no such thing as an “off-season.” And I’ll tell you — there’s a big difference between teeing it up at an impeccable desert oasis on an 80-degree day and doing the same on a 40-degree, rainy day at home. A difference of, I’d say, 4-5 strokes, and a healthy dose of serenity. What’s more, the courses in these warmer locales thrive on snowbirds coming down from colder climates — thus, they’re in constant competition with each other to put together the most attractive stay-and-play packages, the best players’ card deals and the most appealing amenities to inspire you to choose their course

SilverRock Resort La Quinta, Calif.

(760) 777-8884 silverrock.org In our parents’ and grandparents’ days, nobody would have ever dreamed of taking a destination golf road trip just to play a muni. These days, though, some of the top golf course designers in the world are lending their hand to municipal courses — from Tom Weiskopf’s TPC Scottsdale, to Tom Fazio’s Butterfield Trail in El Paso, to Robert Trent Jones II’s Chambers Bay, outside Seattle. Suddenly, munis are cool. In 2005, the city of La Quinta — already home to the world-famous La Quinta Resort & Spa and PGA WEST — decided to throw its hat in the ring and hired Arnold Palmer to craft a municipal course on prime city real estate, tucked hard against the same red-rock Santa Rosa mountains that have provided the backdrop for hundreds of hours of PGA TOUR footage from La Quinta Resort over the years. The resulting project, SilverRock Resort, has earned a reputation nationwide as not only one of Palm Springs’ most dramatic settings, but also one of its toughest tests. Part of the regular rotation of the PGA TOUR’s Bob Hope Classic, SilverRock can stretch all the way 34 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

or resort over the one next door. Who benefits from that competition? We do. No cities go to such great lengths to lure golfers as Las Vegas and Palm Springs, where you can hardly drive a block without discovering a new, incredible golf course to play. With so many options, the competition is fierce, the margins are thin, and the deals are unmatched by those in any other U.S. destination region. With no shortage of great golf options, we’ve combed through this year’s offers to pick out what we feel are the top packages available to our readers — the ones that truly maximize your golf dollar, giving you the most bang for your buck. These aren’t necessarily the desert’s fanciest tracks (though some are), or the region’s most celebrated (though some are) — they’re quite simply the courses you’ll walk off at the end of the day and say, “That was a dollar well-spent.” And when you’re in peak form this summer, with tanned skin and a few more marks checked off your golf bucket list, you’ll be glad you did.

to 7,600 yards in an attempt to contain the Dustin Johnsons and Bubba Watsons of the world. If that’s you, enjoy! If not, then you’ll probably prefer the white tees at 6,000 yards or the blues at just over 6,600, or a combination of the two that roughly splits the difference. A few years ago, the city sought to tame the course’s rougher sections, removing long grasses and clearing desert scrub throughout its 50 acres of native areas to create more playable lies. Not only has the resultant clean-up led to better scores and faster rounds, it’s also left the golf course looking brand-new again, and drawn in many players who might previously have thought a PGA TOUR course too challenging. With the golf course on solid footing, the city is beginning construction in 2017 of a $420 million development project including a five-star luxury hotel, a four-star hotel, a resort village, spa, luxury homes, and more, which will transform SilverRock from a fantastic golf course to a high-end luxury resort. Play it at twilight to take advantage of rates that drop as low as $40, and you might even spot a mountain goat or two wandering down from those Santa Rosa peaks for a snack. Yep, that’s right — it’s a literal goat track. But it’s the finest one you’ll ever see.

Indian Springs Golf Club Indio, Calif.

(760) 200-8988 indianspringsgc.com It’s appropriate that Indian Springs Golf Club straddles the line between swanky, resort-littered La Quinta, and scrappier, blue-collar Indio. Not only is half the course on one side of the city line and half on the other, Indian Springs itself walks the fine line between providing the quality you’d expect from one of the major resorts (like PGA WEST, just a few blocks up Jefferson Ave.) at prices more akin to a local favorite. Indian Springs isn’t a major resort — nor is it trying to be. Instead, it’s simply a good golf course that has become a favorite among locals and visitors alike for providing consistent quality, outstanding customer service and tremendous value. At 6,771 yards, and with greens consistently rated among the fastest and best in the Coachella Valley, it’s tough enough to test the single-digit handicappers, though its wide fairways and player-friendly intermediate tees give the mid-handicapper the chance to swing free without doing too much damage to the scorecard. Redesigned a decade ago at a cost of $4 million — and opening an all-new restaurant, the

SilverRock Resort • LaQuinta, Calif.

TPC Stadium Course • La Quinta, Calif.

Indian Springs G.C. • Indio, Calif.

The Classic Club • Palm Desert, Calif.

Big Rock Pub, this winter — it’s as fun as any course in the valley, and despite posting more than 35,000 rounds a year, has an average pace of play of just four hours that leaves you plenty of time for a second 18, or an afternoon dip in the hotel pool. So what do you pay for this privilege? Rounds at Indian Springs top out at just $89 during the peak winter months, dropping to $60 at twilight times — including cart, GPS, and a free lunch, with your choice from seven different menu items. In a region where even some average courses can get away with charging three-digit greens fees, it’s an incredible bargain. Indian Springs isn’t trying to win over your pocketbook — they’re trying to win your loyalty. Does it work? Well, there’s only one course we’ve included in every single one of the features we’ve written about Palm Springs golf, so it’s certainly working on us.

The Classic Club Palm Desert, Calif.

(760) 601-3600 classicclubgolf.com One of a rare breed of non-profit golf courses, Palm Desert’s Classic Club was actually built specifically for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (now the CareerBuilder Challenge), and continues to donate all of its proceeds to local charitable organizations. To maintain its charitable status, the Classic donates up to 5,000 rounds a year to charitable groups for as little as $35 a round, and maintains greens fees about 20-percent lower than others in the region, with

a peak winter greens fee under $150, which includes a lunch voucher, yardage book, divot tool, ball marker, cart with GPS and unlimited bottled water. Given the format of the Bob Hope, in which professionals play alongside celebrities for four of the event’s five days, legend Arnold Palmer designed the course to be both a challenge for pros, yet playable for amateurs, a quality that makes it as fun and challenging for today’s snowbirds as it was for Phil Mickelson, Samuel L. Jackson and the Bob Hope field in 2006. It’s also unique — for one, there isn’t a single palm tree anywhere on the property. Instead, the course is dotted with over 4,000 pine, olive and pepper trees, for a different feel than any other course in the region. Even more remarkable is the fact that there is virtually no real estate. Where most desert courses were built specifically as amenities to real estate and resort developments, The Classic sprawls across a vast acreage, giving you a feeling of isolation that’s hard to find in America’s winter golf Mecca. Fun holes, affordable rates and a unique golf experience — at The Classic, the one benefitting most from their charity is you.

Aliante Golf Club North Las Vegas, Nev.

(702) 399-4888 aliantegolf.com Golfers in Vegas have no shortage of options. From the Tom Fazio-designed Shadow Creek and Wynn Golf Clubs, to Cascata, TPC Las Vegas, Bear’s

Best and the various courses of local sports-wagering magnate Billy Walters, you can blow your mind playing a different world-class course every day of the week for a month. Of course, you’re also going to blow your budget — and as anyone who’s ever fallen a little behind on cash flow in Vegas can attest, you can dig yourself into a pretty deep hole trying to catch back up. That’s why we prefer Aliante Golf Club in North Las Vegas. It’s a course just as good as any you’d hope to play — ranked No. 10 among Vegas’ top public courses in 2013 and voted the best new course in the city by multiple publications when it opened in 2004 — but at a fraction of the cost. Every one of those courses above will set you back at least $200 — in some cases, $300. You could play Aliante three times for the same price — indeed, just $100 will cover not only your greens fee, but also private transportation to and from The Strip, rental clubs, or a meal at the course — even at the busiest times and days of the season. And you’ll want to come back. The Gary Panks design is best played a second time, after you’ve figured out which club to hit off the tee at the long, par-4 second, where a strip of desert wash cuts the fairway in half; after you’ve tried (and probably failed) to bomb the green on the par-4 fifth; and after you’ve figured out that the only way to have a shot at the green on 17 is to challenge the waste down the right side off the tee. You’ll also better appreciate the panoramic views, beautifully landscaped tee boxes, flowering D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 35

DESTINATION trees, and four-hour “Time Par” — the maximum amount of time managers Troon Golf expect a round to take. Golf isn’t the only reason you came to Vegas, after all — so a quality round that leaves you with more time and money on your hands is a round that can’t be beat.

La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West LaQuinta, Calif.

(800) 598-3828 laquintaresort.com At the time of its construction in 1926, the La Quinta Resort & Club was in the middle of the desert, 20 miles east of Palm Springs with little but flora and fauna between the resort and the valley’s working hub. That privacy made it the most exclusive of exclusive Hollywood getaways, inaccessible to all but those who could afford a good car and knowledgeable (and discreet) local driver who could navigate the dirt tracks and rutted country roads. Today, the resort is the pulsing heart of the community that bears its name — a community that is (not surprisingly, given its origins) dedicated almost entirely to the pursuit of a world-class experience. Much of that experience centers on golf, and much of that golf is located within the property lines of the La Quinta Resort itself, which boasts five of the world’s most famous courses, including the PGA WEST Stadium, PGA WEST Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and PGA WEST Greg Norman Course, plus La Quinta Resort Mountain Course and La Quinta Resort Dunes Course. The Stadium course, in particular, needs no introduction. (Remember Trevino’s ace on the island-green 17th at the 1987 Skins Game?) Its wealth of hazards — both of the sandy and wet variety — always seem to pop up in exactly the places you’re aiming for, making for one of the most enjoyable shotmaking challenges in the desert. The Stadium Course, and the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, are also the current hosts of the CareerBuilder Humana Challenge, meaning you can follow in the footsteps of the top pros and celebrity amateurs in the days and weeks following the tournament’s conclusion on Jan. 22. Savings can be had by bundling your golf with a stay in one of the resort’s thousands of guest rooms, ranging from budget-friendly casitas to the swanky legacy villas, located in a private, gated community adjacent to the resort itself. The Desert Links package combines a night’s stay with unlimited golf on any of the La Quinta Resort or PGA WEST courses (there is a $50 surcharge for the Stadium Course), plus a $25 resort credit, for as little as $189. With 41 pools, 53 whirlpools, dozens of restaurants, premium shopping, a full-service spa, polo, tennis, bicycling, and horseback riding, the resort is really a city unto itself, one where every resident is either having the vacation of their lives — or dedicated to making sure that you have yours.

New Mexico’s High Desert Hideaway

merica’s fastest-growing golf destination is the high desert of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. With mild spring and sumSandia Golf Club • Albuquerque, N.M. mer weather, stunning red-rock vistas, and acres of picturesque landscape, New Mexico has begun to attract the same golfers and architects that put Mesquite, St. George and other famed Southwest destinations on the map. In addition, the majority of the eight courses that make up the Santa Fe Trail — including four of the state’s top-five courses according to GOLF magazine — are within a 30-40 minute drive of one another, and six of the eight boast casino resort partners, making them ideal stay-and-play destinations. Yet, it remains one of the West’s best-kept secrets. That means few crowds, access to preferred tee times, and rates that with but a few exceptions top out around $75 including cart, even at the busiest times of the year. Most golfers hit the state’s top-ranked courses, including Paako Ridge — a Ken Dye design named America’s Best New Course in 2000 — Twin Warriors, a Gary Panks design ranked among America’s top50, and the University of New Mexico Championship Course, dubbed “The Monster” for its 7,500-yard, tipped-out length. For the price and convenience, though, it’s tough to beat Albuquerque’s Sandia Golf Club. Centrally located in Albuquerque — less than 20 minutes from five other Trail courses — and with the Trail’s newest course, a full-service resort, health spa and 140,000-square foot casino, it’s the ideal base for golfers exploring the region. Most play 18 or 36 holes a day at Sandia or other nearby Trail properties, then return to the casino at night for dinner and entertainment, whether at the tables or enjoying a live show from national touring acts. Packages can be booked through GolfOnTheSantaFeTrail.com, or by calling 866-465-3660, where agents will help customize a golf and lodging package to suit the specific needs of your group — whether driving in from Colorado, Arizona or Texas, or taking advantage of easy flights from Kansas City, St. Louis or Portland, Ore. New Mexico has long been known as the “Land of Enchantment.” Finally, golfers are finding out why.

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RESORT REPORT

Say aloha to your next golf getaway...

tanding at the peak of Maui’s Haleakala volcano in the freezing, pre-dawn morning gloom, it’s easy to think, What on earth am I doing here? Then the first orange rays of the sun peek over the horizon, bathing the mountain and the island below in a glorious golden light, and you stand, breathless, unable to recall a single thought besides one simple truth – this is why 1,500 years’ worth of civilizations have been drawn to Maui … an island unlike any other and, for golfers, an experience you’ll never forget. The current home of the Wendy’s Champions Tour Skins Game, the Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed Royal Ka’anapali is a challenging test of a golfer’s shot-making skills, combining oceanfront and hillside holes that showcase all that is beautiful about the West Maui coast. The shorter Ka’anapali Kai is more forgiving, with generous fairways and subtle greens surrounded by brilliant native flowers, coconut trees and lava rock formations. Combine your stay with lodging at Ka’anapali’s premier hotels, the Westin Maui and Sheraton Maui, to receive discounted or even free golf. Take advantage of multi-round packages that provide more than 50-percent savings on greens fees for golfers planning to tee it up more than once. Or, check out the “Golf My Way” program, that allows golfers to play 18 holes over a seven-day stretch, playing as many or as few holes at a time as you like. It’s the aloha spirit in action — and in this case, you’ll never want to say goodbye. Visit kaanapaligolfcourses.com or call (866) 454-4653 to learn more. Ka’anapali Golf Courses • Lahaina, Hawaii

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