2020 EDITION
PAYNE’S VALLEY AT BIG CEDAR LODGE RIDGEDALE • MO
DANCING RABBIT GOLF CLUB PHILADELPHIA • MS
R ED R O CK HE AV EN M AUI’S MUST - PL AYS A MER ICA’S G O LF CO A ST S O U T H W EST SUR PR ISES TIGER’ S MISS O UR I D EB U T
CONTENTS 4
TEEING OFF
6
TOP SHELF
8
16
DESTINATION:MW Tiger Woods unveils first public design
Coeur d’Alene’s iconic floating green
22
DESTINATION:SW Beyond Vegas
SPOTLIGHT
26
DESTINATION:SE The beer and bayou trail
30
TRAVEL BAG
32
RESORT REPORT
Chasing the sun to Palm Springs
12 PRODUCT WATCH Drop five strokes without changing your swing
ON THE COVER The all-new Payne’s Valley at Ridgefield, Mo.’s Big Cedar Lodge is the first-ever public design by Tiger Woods STORY ON PAGE 16
Maui’s perfect paradises
Kansas’ No. 1 golf getaway
THIS PAGE The Firekeeper Course at Kansas’ Prairie Band Casino Resort has helped revive the fortunes of the Potawatomie Tribe, and is regularly ranked as the state’s No. 1 public course. STORY ON PAGE 30
D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 3
TEEING OFF VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 1 • 2020 Destination Golfer is published and owned by Varsity Communications, Inc.
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V I C E P R E S I D E NT / D I R E C TO R O F S A L E S Kirk Tourtillotte S ALE S R E P R E S E NTAT IV E S Simon Dubiel, Ian Civey, Elijah Prokopenko FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, CONTACT: Kirk Tourtillotte • (425) 412-7070 ext. 114 kirk@varsitycommunications.com
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PRINTING
Consolidated Press • Seattle, WA COPYRIGHT 2020 Destination Golfer. PRINTED IN THE USA. All rights reserved. Articles, photos, advertising and /or graphics may not be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher. Advertising and editorial contained herein does not constitute endorsement of Destination Golfer or Varsity Communications, Inc. Publisher reserves the right to edit letters, photos and copy submitted and publish only excerpts. The publisher has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all material contained in this issue. However, as unpredictable changes and errors do occur, the publisher can assume no liability for errors, omissions or changes.
All photos are courtesy of the course or individual unless otherwise noted. PROUD CHARTER MEMBER
4 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
America’s Greatest Destinations, From Sea to Shining Sea
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BY KIRK TOURTILLOTTE
f you are like me, you love this time of year, when you can start turning your thoughts towards planning fun golf trips in the year ahead. Once again, I am eagerly awaiting my annual trip to the Valley of the Sun in Phoenix over Super Bowl Weekend. It’s a great golf trip with some very special friends. I can’t wait to play some desert courses and watch some football! This is our 12th annual edition of Destination Golfer, and our way of firing ourselves (and, hopefully, you) up for the coming golf season. In addition to this magazine, we produce eight golf shows from January through March, where I see so many of you starting to feel excited about the end of the long winter, and the chance to pull the clubs out of the garage, car trunk or hall closet. In this edition, we are excited to showcase the new Tiger Woods design, Payne’s Valley, set in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, along with a number of the Lake’s other courses. We include stops at the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama,
and visit our golf course friends in Mississippi. Also included in this issue is golf in Kansas at the Firekeeper Golf Club and in Oklahoma at the Shangri-La Resort. Out West, we visit Coeur D’ Alene Resort in Idaho, tour the best of the island of Maui, and tee it up in Palm Springs at Desert Willow, Silver Rock and The Classic Club. We also head outside of Vegas to visit the red-rock wonders of Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah, before ending our trip with a stop at the British Openinspired Royal Links. I was fortunate to have visited Mesquite and St. George this past fall, enjoyed their golf courses and look forward to playing them again in the near future. Whatever your golf vacation plans are for 2020, it’s our hope that Destination Golfer helps to save you a few bucks, inspires you to visit new locales, and makes your next golf getaway a big success. Hit them long and straight, my friends!
TOP SHELF PLANNING A TRIP TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THIS YEAR? YOU CAN’T LEAVE WITHOUT PLAYING THE FLOATING GREEN.
IDAHO
COEUR D’ALENE RESORT
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COEUR D’ALENE • IDAHO
ust over a quarter-century ago, Duane Hagadone was walking his dog along the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene when he observed a tugboat putter by, pulling a raft of logs behind. I wonder if I could land a golf ball on that raft, he thought. And, just like that, the concept for one of the world’s most unique golf holes was hatched. Coeur d’Alene’s par-3 14th is, without question, one of the most breathtaking sights in all of golf. Far from a simple raft of logs, it’s a 15,000-square foot, five-million pound floating island accessible only by boat, complete with white-sand bunkers and colorful flowers, adrift in a sea of deep blue. Well, not “adrift” in a literal sense — the green is attached via underwater cables to the shore, and can be moved anywhere from 95 to 230 yards from the tee box. After striking their shots (and taking the requisite photos), golfers board a boat for the short trip to the green. Regardless of whether you make a two or a six on the scorecard, it’s one of America’s most iconic golf holes, and one of just a handful in the world that can truly make the claim to be one-of-a-kind. The crown jewel of a course once called “America’s Most Beautiful Resort Course” by Golf Digest, it’s just one of many outstanding holes on a course where guests are treated to forecaddies, woodpaneled carts, engraved bag tags and a whole host of additional luxurious amenities. Pair your golf with a stay at the lakeside Coeur d’Alene Resort (cdaresort.com, 855-280-4398), and you’ll be ferried to the course on a mahogany-lined speedboat, and be able to savor the steaks at Beverly’s, one of America’s top resort restaurants and home to the largest wine cellar in the Pacific Northwest, stocked with award-winning vintages from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and around the world. Current stay-and-play packages include overnight accommodations and a round for two for as little as $168 per person … more than 60 percent off the rate you’d pay booking each separately. Furthermore, it’s proximity to Idaho’s Circling Raven (30 minutes), Washington’s Palouse Ridge (90 minutes) and the award-winning courses of Spokane, Wash. (40 minutes) make Coeur d’Alene Resort a terrific home base for exploring the best of Northwest golf. So, tee it high and let it fly ... because this is one experience you won’t soon forget. 6 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
SPOTLIGHT: PALM
SPRINGS
The Classic Club • Palm Desert
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Despite Plenty of Worthy Challengers For the Throne, Palm Springs Remains King of Winter Golf Destinations
egas has the nightlife, Mesquite and St. George have the solitude and stunning natural scenery, but there’s no desert golf destination that packs in as many incredible courses per capita as Palm Springs. Home to nearly 125 courses, the Coachella Valley — which includes Palm Springs, La Quinta, Indian Wells and various other towns and cities that are distinct largely in name only — is like a Whitman’s Sampler of incredible golf ... just open the box, dive in and enjoy the sweet rewards. That sheer abundance of choice, though, can create problems for golfers who don’t have time to play all 125 tracks, or even 10. Unless you’re one of those lucky snowbirds who make an annual trek to the desert, you won’t want to waste precious vacation time and money playing courses that simply weren’t worth your investment. You want to squeeze every ounce of quality and value you can out of your dream Palm Springs getaway. If that’s the case, then here’s where to play.
Desert Willow Golf Resort Palm Desert, Calif. (760) 346-0015 desertwillow.com
SilverRock Resort La Quinta, Calif. (760) 777-8884 silverrock.org
One of our first stops in Palm Springs is always Desert Willow, home to 36 Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry-designed holes each ranked by national magazines among the top public courses in America, plus the single-best Players Card value you’ll ever find. The Firecliff — named for the supper club owned by Palm Desert residents Leonard Firestone (yes, of the Firestone tires Firestones) and Clifford Henderson — was the first of the resort’s two courses, completed in 1997, and remains one of the most unique golf experiences in the Coachella Valley, combining natural shrubbery and waste areas with well-placed water and sand features. Firestone called in a favor when the course opened, inviting his old friend President Gerald Ford to appear in its inaugural tournament. The Mountain View followed a year later and is a bit of a compromise between the desert-style Firecliff and the more commonplace, resort-style layouts, especially following an $11 million renovation to rework all of the greens, bunkers and lake edges. It’s shorter (6,913 yards from the tips) and more forgiving than its predecessor, giving resort guests the ability to choose between two unique golf experiences on a day-to-day basis. What truly sets Desert Willow apart, though, is its Platinum Club card, which for $399 grants up to 50-percent off on greens fees for you and your entire foursome, plus other goodies. Split the card four ways and it will pay for itself after just one round; play both courses, and you’re in the black.
In our parents’ days, nobody would have ever dreamed of taking a destination golf 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, Jr’s Chambers Bay, which hosted the 2015 U.S. Open. Suddenly, munis are cool. Such is also the case at the City of La Quinta’s SilverRock Resort, which — like Chambers Bay — has proven good enough to host the PGA TOUR’s best, but has also undergone regular maintenance to ensure that the course remains fun and playable for those of us who don’t hit it quite like Dustin Johnson. Tucked hard against the same Santa Rosa mountains that form the dramatic backdrop of Golf Channel shots from nearby La Quinta Resort and Club & PGA WEST, the Arnold Palmer-designed course is not only one of Palm Springs’ prettiest, but — thanks to its world-renowned neighbor — also one of its best-kept secrets. That won’t last long, though — SilverRock recently broke ground on a $420 million development project that will include 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 resort. In other words, play it now, and be able to say you knew SilverRock before it was cool. And, paying as little as $40 on a weekday at twilight, you’ll feel pretty cool yourself, too.
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SPOTLIGHT: PALM
SPRINGS
The Classic Club Palm Desert, Calif. (760) 601-3600 classicclubgolf.com
Desert Willow (Firecliff) • Palm Desert
SilverRock Resort • La Quinta
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One of a rare breed of non-profit golf courses, Palm Desert’s Classic Club was built specifically for the PGA TOUR Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 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 that 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. It’s also unique, in that there isn’t a single palm tree anywhere on the property. Instead, the course is dotted with over 4,000 native pine, olive and pepper trees, giving it an immediately different feel to any other course in the region. Even more remarkable is the fact that there is virtually no real estate on the property. 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 haven. Fun holes, affordable rates and a unique golfing experience — at The Classic, the one benefitting most from their charity is you.
PRODUCT WATCH:
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MOBILITAS GOLF
Drop Five Strokes This Season Without Changing Your Swing With Mobilitas Golf
t’s a tantalizing tease, that headline — but, can it actually happen? According to Blaine Seitz of Mobilitas Golf — and the many users and supporters sharing their success stories on the Mobilitas Facebook group, Mobilitas Movers, the answer is “yes.” A Class A PGA pro with Titleist Performance Institute certification, Seitz was teaching Crossfit to elite athletes when he realized how much crossover there was between Crossfit and golf. “It’s all about mindset, health, wellness, movement and fitness,” he says. “These are the core principles that make elite athletes successful, but they’re often overlooked when teaching golf. What I wanted to focus on was, ‘How can we take these lifestyle choices of the world’s best players, and incorporate them into your golf game?”
In the decade since Seitz began focusing his efforts on teaching these basic principles, he’s seen his players’ scores drop significantly. Even better, though, their quality of life is improving at the same time. “It’s really a holistic approach,” he says. “When you can find yourself in a better place physically and mentally, you will perform to your greatest potential. It’s only when you trust yourself and let all the pieces of the puzzle fall together without trying to manipulate the result that you’ll finally achieve what you’re looking for.” Seitz’s clients including touring professionals and other elite athletes, plus club pros, weekend warriors and others just getting into the golf and physical fitness world. Nearly all of his work is done online, including video coaching of every
Golf in Minnesota – A Great Story Home of 2016 Ryder Cup and 2019 Women’s PGA Championship...... PLUS Minnesota is an Easy Gateway to the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits
Minnesota has long been a favorite golf destination for great golf quality, variety and value. Plan your trip, bring your clubs and play where the world’s best players convene..... both men and women!
www.ExploreMinnesotaGolf.com 12 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
YOUR “BUCKET LIST” OF GOLF IN MINNESOTA
exercise, customized programs, accountability management and the ability to track progress and consult with Seitz directly via phone, email or Facebook. In addition, Seitz offers private coaching to clients nationwide, and conducts workshops and speaking engagements for small and large groups, including the PGA Merchandise Show, and numerous regional golf expos. Seitz has also authored a book, Better Golf From The Inside-Out, that is available as a free download at http://book.mobilitasathletics.com. “From just the last few months working with Blaine, I am getting twice the distance from when I started,” says Henry M., in a testimonial on the Mobilitas website, MobilitasGolf.com. “Blaine’s knowledge and understanding of body mechanics, and his respect and philosophy for the game of golf have all made a huge difference.” Adds Mike S., another Seitz client, “I was taking some lessons with another instructor, but I wasn’t seeing the results I was looking for. I was referred to Blaine and that’s when I started to see real improvement. My entire body and my swing immediately began to feel better. I was achieving more effortless power without having to try so hard.” Seitz says that his players’ success comes from their willingness to focus not on external factors — the course, the competition, or even their specific swing mechanics — but instead on improving themselves from the inside out. “If you create a strong foundation for health and wellness, your golf game will improve,” Seitz says. “I am not looking to simply give golfers a quick fix, but rather to create long-lasting solutions that will overcome the obstacles holding them back from playing the best golf of their life.” To learn more, visit MobilitasGolf.com or the Mobilitas Movers group on Facebook, or email MobilitasGolf@gmail.com.
PRODUCT WATCH:
PAPA SCOTT’S BLOODY MARY MIX Papa Scott’s Bloody Mary Mix Is a Revelation Sixty Years in the Making
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he Bloody Mary mix market has a new and exciting entrant. Russell Scott, also known as “ Papa Scott,” introduced Papa Scott’s Bloody Mary Mix in August of 2019, and has quickly earned a strong reputation in the restaurant and bar industry. Scott’s recipe was created 60 years ago by his father, Buddy Scott. Who knew back then that this concoction would evolve into what it is today? In those early days, Buddy took long bus rides to watch horse races in Arkansas, bringing gallon jugs of his mix on board to share with friends along the way.Twenty years later, Buddy passed the recipe down to Russell, and between the two of them, they gave away hundreds of gallons to family and friends. Many of them told Russell the mix was good enough to market, but Russell was busy with a thriving plumbing supply business, and didn’t have the time to dedicate to a second full-time job. After retiring in 2017, however, he decided to give it a try and launched the product. Flash forward just three years, and Papa Scott’s is now in several restaurants and bars within Scott’s home state of Texas, and earning a growing reputation outside the region as well. What is it that makes Papa Scott’s so appealing? Scott says that it’s a combination of a special brand of tomato juice (the result of long hours of testing) and a special blend of spices that produces a decent kick and leaves no aftertaste. “I love to watch people taste it for the first time,” Russ says. “They seem quite surprised.” At one restaurant in a Dallas suburb, a side-by-side comparison was made with another popular mix. Under a bright light, Papa Scott’s appearance was much brighter and refreshing, prompting the owner to toss out all of his old product. Of course, it’s one thing to have a great product. But, just as in the golf world, name recognition means everything. “Getting accepted is the hardest part, “ Russ says, noting the competition in the Bloody Mary business is particularly fierce, and major retailers and restaurant chains are often hesitant to invest in smaller, lesser-known brands. But, Papa Scott’s is a handmade Texas brand that can compete with the most popular. Earlier this year, Papa Scott’s received a Gold Medal in the category of “Best New Product” at the Drunken Tomato Awards, an international Bloody Mark mix competition that draws in hundreds of Bloody Mary makers from around the world. “We were very proud,” Russ says. The recipe has also been used as a marinade on all types of meats like beef, chicken and pork, as well as, of course, that ever-popular shrimp cocktail. Russ hopes to take this incredible recipe, passed down from father to son, and the increasing word of mouth around the Dallas area into the mainstream of American culture. To learn more or to order your supply of Papa Scott’s Bloody Mary Mix,visit www.papascotts.com.
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Show Me THE
Birdies
T Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge, Hole No. 1 • Ridgefield, Mo.
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MW
DESTINATION
Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge, Hole No. 4 • Ridgefield, Mo.
Whether to play Tiger Woods’ first-ever public course, or to play and party along the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail, America’s savviest golfers are coming to Missouri this year
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BY BRIAN BEAKY DG EDITOR
he year was 1997, and Tiger Woods had just won golf’s most prestigious title — The Masters. With his first professional million in hand, the 21-year-old did what many young people who suddenly find themselves flush with cash do — he bought himself some bling. In Tiger’s case, the “bling” was in the form of a fishing boat purchased from mega-retailer Bass Pro Shops. Founded in Springfield, Mo., a quartercentury earlier by Missouri native John Morris, the local bait and tackle shop (which famously covered just eight square feet in the back of Morris’ father’s liquor store) had grown into one of largest outdoor retailers in the world. Mostly confined within the Show-Me State throughout its first two decades, Bass Pro Shops had launched Internet sales the previous year, and revenues were soaring. Expansion quickly followed; after buying Cabela’s in 2017, Bass Pro Shops reported revenue of over $8 billion the following year, with Morris valued by Forbes as having a net worth of approximately $3.9 billion. That was all in the future, though. In that summer of 1997, Morris wasn’t all that different from Woods; despite the 27-year age gap, both were undergoing a rapid change in fame and fortune, a pair of rockets just lifting off. Morris decided to hand-deliver Woods’ new boat, and the two struck up a friendship over a day of bass fishing. Flash forward 22 years and Morris and Woods are back together again, reunited at Morris’ Big Cedar Lodge (www.bigcedar.com, 800-225-6343), a massive wilderness resort in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains where Woods is putting the finishing touches on his first-ever public golf course design. “We are beyond excited to give golf fans a taste of the truly remarkable course we are creating here in the Ozarks,” said Morris, when the first 13 holes of the course — called Payne’s Valley in a tribute to PGA TOUR legend and fellow Springfield native Payne Stewart — were opened for preview
play this past fall. “Payne’s Valley will be an unforgettable golf experience.” The course certainly won’t be light on dramatics. The first two holes tumble 200 feet down the slope of a ridge from the Mountain Top clubhouse (home base for Gary Player’s 13-hole Mountain Top short course, one of four existing courses at Big Cedar Lodge), while numerous other holes play along ridges, or across or around scenic natural streams and ponds. Indeed, Beau Welling, the Senior Design Consultant for Tiger’s TGR Design group, told LINKS Magazine’s Erik Matuszewski that the rough lining many fairways isn’t there to be penal, but rather to keep golfers’ balls from flying off a cliff or into a pond. Woods says that for all the jaw-dropping moments that Payne’s Valley will present, his goal was to create a fun and accessible track for golfers of all skill levels. “I want to see a lot of birdies made here,” Woods said this fall. “Some of my greatest memories are growing up playing golf alongside my dad at public courses. I want to create courses where future generations can share those same experiences and I can play with my kids.” To that end, Payne’s Valley features massive fairways — 85 acres in all, big enough to land a jumbo jet, jokes Big Cedar Lodge director of agronomy Todd Bohn — open approaches, and tightly mowed rough around the greens, allowing golfers to play the types of shots that work best for their game. Shorter hitters or golfers looking to stay under the afternoon breezes can run balls up onto the greens, while golfers missing the putting surface will have the option to pull putter, pitching wedge, lob wedge — whatever shot they feel comfortable with, and work best with the lie and pin placement. “I want the ground to be a player’s friend,” Woods said. “This gives players an alternative to the high shot with a lot of spin [and] allows players to play to their strengths versus forcing them to hit a lob wedge out of thick rough. It also promotes creativity.” D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 17
MW
DESTINATION
Top of the Rock at Big Cedar Lodge • Ridgefield, Mo. The Pines at Grand View Lodge • Nisswa, Minn.
Minnesota’s North Stars
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n the wintertime, golfers in the Midwest head south. In the summer, those same golfers turn their cars north and head to the Land of 10,000 Lakes — and nearly as many incredible golf courses. Minnesota is the only state to have hosted all 13 USGA championships, plus the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, Solheim Cup, PGA of America and others. Minnesota also hosted the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National (with another already scheduled for 2028), and brought the world’s best women to Hazeltine last year at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The best golfers in the world come to Minnesota to compete — and the rest of us aren’t far behind. Minnesota boasts some of the nation’s most celebrated public tracks, including The Quarry at Giants Ridge (No. 30 on Golf Digest’s 2017-18 list of America’s Top Public Courses), The Wilderness at Fortune Bay (No. 57) and The Classic at Madden’s Resort (No. 58). Minnesota’s golf season hits full swing in the summer, though we like to make the trip in the early fall, when the colors have started changing on the trees, the “summer people” have headed back to their big-city homes, and we can take our time enjoying the incredible scenery in the slanting sunlight and crisp fall air. Golfers planning a trip would be wise to start at www.exploreminnesotagolf.com, the Explore Minnesota Golf Alliance website, featuring lists of the state’s top public and resort courses, plus maps, photos, special offers, stay-and-play recommendations and more. You can even enter to win a Minnesota golf getaway to enjoy with your family and friends. This summer, enjoy the quality, variety and value of great golf, and play where the world’s best men and women play each year — Minnesota. 18 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
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he high point of a round at Payne’s Valley may well be the fourth and fifth holes, a reachable par-5 threatened by a stream and pond near the green, followed by a par-3 played back across that same point to a virtual “island” green, connected to the teeing area by a beautiful, winding wooden bridge. Stunning limestone walls dot the property and form the cliffs from which Payne’s Valley draws much of its drama, with no hole more dramatic than the par-3 19th — yes, you read that right — located on a shelf of a 160-foot wall with a cascading waterfall dumping up to 6,000 gallons per minute. The 18th green sits at the base of the wall — how golfers will get back from there to the ridgetop clubhouse is a mystery even to Welling. “I don’t know to this day,” Welling said in December of the route from 18 back up to the clubhouse. “But, John [Morris] says he’s got it. That means it’s going to be something off-the-charts unbelievable.” “Unbelievable” is a fitting word to describe much of Big Cedar Lodge, which Morris has been steadily expanding since purchasing the property in 1987. First came the acquisition of Top of the Rock, a par-3 course designed by Jack Nicklaus that holds the distinction of being the only par-3 course on the PGA TOUR rotation, annually hosting the PGA TOUR Champions
Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. Morris brought Nicklaus back to Missouri to up the drama at Top of the Rock, then did the same at Tom Fazio’s nearby Branson Ridge, recalling Fazio to update the course and renaming it Buffalo Ridge Springs. The year 2017 brought Player’s aforementioned short course, Mountain Top, followed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Ozarks National last spring. Add in Woods’ Payne’s Valley, a putting course designed by Tom Watson and a driving range crafted by Arnold Palmer, and you’ll see that Morris has spared no expense creating what is unquestionably America’s most star-studded golf destination. In addition to the golf, the resort includes a full-service spa, marina, entertainment center (with bumper cars, laser tag and other attractions), nature park, shooting academy and more, cementing its reputation as Missouri’s No. 1 outdoor recreational resort. When Woods returned recently to check on progress at Payne’s Valley, Morris used the occasion to mount another fishing expedition — only, this time, with Woods’ son, Charlie, and Morris’ grandson. “That was special for Tiger,” Welling told LINKS’ Matuszewski. “He had this experience 20-some years ago, and now his son got to do that, too.”
Shangri-La Resort • Monkey Island, Okla.
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The Search For Shangri-La
n 1933, author James Hilton imagined a fictional paradise called Shangri-La, a peaceful, harmonious land isolated from the outside world, where residents remained in a permanent state of bliss. Hilton’s ShangriLa was said to be deep in a Himalayan valley – fortunately, ours isn’t nearly so remote. Tucked away in Oklahoma’s northwest corner is the 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 primarily famous for one — the ShangriLa 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 expanded in 2017, opening an all-new, 119-room resort hotel with a ballroom, indoor and outdoor pools and more. This year, the resort will expand again, adding a new $5 million Activity Park including outdoor courts for tennis, pickleball, basketball and sand volleyball, a 50-seat theater with teleconferencing capabilities, a coffee and snack bar, an indoor-outdoor bar and lounge area, golf and shooting simulators, pop-a-shot basketball, table games and bowling. Combined with hunting, fishing, horseback riding, boat and jet ski rentals, parasailing and other activities, the resort attracts thousands of golfers, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts throughout Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and northwest Texas each year. Of course, we care most about the golf. Tom Clark’s redesign of Don Sechrest’s classic Old Blue Course, completed in 2013, expanded Shangri-La from 18 to 27 holes, creating a fun and playable layout that challenges players to hit almost every shot in their bag. Five sets of tees give every golfer the chance to score well, while the large, undulating greens, white-sand bunkers (the same crushed quartz used at Augusta National) and many creeks, ponds and lake views make for a thrilling and memorable round. Reservations for the summer season will fill up quickly, so call 918257-4204 or visit www.shangrilaok.com to book your spot today.
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The Cove at Lodge of Four Seasons • Lake Ozark, Mo.
The “Heart” Of The Heartland
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hile Morris may have just recently begun bringing golfers to Central Missouri with his rapid expansion at Big Cedar Lodge, he’s been bringing boaters to the region for nearly half a century. With over 1,000 miles of coastline, the 175-square-mile Lake of the Ozarks (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, of course, golfers. Yes, while Big Cedar Lodge may be the sexy newcomer to the Missouri golfing scene, the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail (golfingmissouri.com, 800-490-8474) has long been one of Missouri’s top golfing destinations, featuring many of the courses rated among the state’s top public offerings. Thirteen different courses sit within 30 miles of each other around the lake’s perimeter, 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. For full-service resorts, it’s tough to beat Tan-Tar-A Resort (tan-tara.com), which boasts not only 27 fantastic holes with tree-lined fairways, elevation changes and more bunkers and water hazards than are typical of a Midwest track, but also a luxurious hotel, full-service marina, bowling alley and the region’s largest waterpark. Featuring more than 600 feet of water slides, plus a lazy river, whirlpool and three-story treehouse with a 600-gallon tipping bucket, it’s the perfect place to stash the kids while you’re out knocking ‘em stiff on the 18-hole Oaks Course, ranked among the region’s top-five every year by users at TripAdvisor.com. The Lodge of Four Seasons (4seasonsresort.com) is unique among area resorts 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 Robert Trent Jones, Sr., designed Cove Course is the most popular with resort guests, a par-71 course with RTJ’s large, rolling greens and numerous bunkers, and a signature fourth hole that extends out into the lake. The Ridge
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Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge, Hole No. 5 • Ridgefield, Mo.
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 tippedout 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 (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. In-season rates peak at $105, 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 remodeled Lodge at Old Kinderhook provides guests with a home-awayfrom-home featuring modern rooms overlooking the golf course, a conference center, ice skating rink, indoor and outdoor pools, and more. Golfers coming down to Lake of the Ozarks from I-70, meanwhile, often choose to stop in at Lake Ozark’s Osage National Golf Resort (osagenational.com), a 27-hole facility located just a few miles downstream 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 complex, where the non-golfers in your family can enjoy the afternoon at no additional cost while you tee it up on the course four times named “best at the lake” by local golfers. Condo rentals are available for golfers who wish to stay on-site, with group rates and custom-designed golf packages to meet your group’s specific needs.
The Secret’s Out
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hen Tiger Woods looked to build his first public course, he didn’t look to Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Hawaii, Florida, Myrtle Beach or any of the other much-publicized golf destinations. Instead, he followed in the footsteps of thousands of pioneers before him and headed to Missouri, where the views are big, the people generous, and opportunity awaits around every corner. “[It’s] even grander than anyone can imagine,” says Fazio of the Missouri landscape, specifically that at Buffalo Ridge Springs. “Every time I come here, I am amazed.”
Old Kinderhook Resort • Camdenton, Mo.
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eaving as egas This year, we’re looking outside the heart of the city to find the best golf — and best values — that the Nevada and Utah deserts have to offer
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he best things about a Vegas golf vacation are also the worst things about a Vegas golf vacation. Yes, there’s an abundance of incredible desert golf courses, many with themed layouts that echo the pageantry of The Strip. But, that sheer volume of courses attracts tens of thousands of golfers each winter, meaning you often find yourself paying premium rates to play fivehour rounds. And, sure, it’s fun to play golf all day and then hit the casinos after dark to keep the action rolling well into the wee hours of the morning. But, unless Lady Luck smiles upon you, that 24-7, never-stop-moving quality of a Vegas vacation
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Sand Hollow G.C., No. 12 • Hurricane, Utah Photo by Brian Oar
By Brian Beaky DG Editor can make it significantly more expensive than a similar trip to, say, Palm Springs, Scottsdale or even Hawaii. Not only are you spending money at the tables, but you’re also eating more, drinking more (um, much more) Ubering all around The Strip ... it adds up quickly. There’s a way, though, to get the best of a golf trip to the Nevada desert — the amazing courses, the incredible scenery, the 80-degree sun on your skin — without the crowds, the crazy rates, or the all-night action that drains your wallet and saps your energy for the next day’s round. You have to get out of town. As we’ve aged, we’ve come to realize that the best way to do a Vegas golf vacation is to keep
the “Vegas” and “golf” parts separate, spending a week or so playing the incredible courses in the nearby vicinity, before finishing our trip with 2-3 nights on The Strip, blowing through all the cash we won off of our buddies. From St. George, to Mesquite, to other courses within a short drive of The Strip, there are dozens of fantastic tracks that offer even better scenery, smaller crowds and rates as much as 50-percent lower than some of those premium Vegas designs. In our twenties, being on the go for 24 hours was awesome; in our forties, it’s simply exhausting. We’re not just older, though, we’re wiser — so, this is how we’re doing Vegas this year.
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Greater Zion Golf
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St. George, Utah GreaterZion.com/activities/golf
e’ll start on the outer perimeter of the Vegas golf radar, about two hours northeast along I-15 in St. George, Utah. You’ve no doubt heard stories of St. George — how the luscious, green fairways run all the way to the edges of deep, red-rock canyons; how the views into the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area stretch for miles in every direction; and, most notably, how still and quiet everything is. How you can stand over your ball, about to play across a yawning chasm to a tiny tuft of green clinging desperately to a cliff on the other side, and hear nothing but the wind across the sand, the cry of a distant hawk, and the beating of your own excited heart. Well, in the words of Han Solo in The Force Awakens, “It’s true. All of it.” Less than an hour from Zion National Park, two hours from Bryce Canyon and barely 70 miles (as the crow flies) from the Grand Canyon, the topography of St. George is carved from the same powerful forces that sculpted those iconic, bucketlist landscapes, with wind-swept desert punctuated by stunning bluffs and seemingly impossible red-rock towers, each displaying millenia of different-colored rock and sediment layers. The T-Rex of this apocalyptic landscape is John Fought’s Sand Hollow. Located in Hurricane, just a few miles up the road from St. George, Sand Hollow may have one of the most dramatic five-hole stretches in all of golf — yes, all of golf — on its back nine, including two fantastic par3s, a reachable par-4, a two additional par-4s, all played across or alongside stunning red-rock cliffs with deep drops to the canyon below. The same is true at Matt Dye-designed The Ledges, Keith Foster’s Coral Canyon, Gene Bates’ debut solo design at Green Spring (probably the region’s toughest test), the City of Hurricaneowned Sky Mountain, the City of St. George’s Sunbrook (twice named Utah’s No. 1 course by Golf Digest) and many others. You can spend a week in St. George, never play the same course twice, and never be disappointed. “I think some people see how low a lot of the rates are and just assume that the courses are not going to be of the same quality as those that traditionally charge more,” says Doug Boyer, of the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office. “But, while it’s a discounted rate, it’s definitely not a discounted experience.” The courses and area resorts have come together to form the Greater Zion Golf group, which makes planning a trip easy. Stay-and-play
packages are available with multiple area hotels and resorts — most of which are just 10-15 minutes from the courses — and consultants can help customize a package that works the best for your specific group and budget. Wherever you choose to lay your head, you’ll be eager to wake up again each morning, because St. George is one of few places in the golfing world where reality is every bit as exciting as your dreams.
Golf Mesquite Mesquite, Nev. GolfMesquiteNevada.com (855) 767-9661
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hen I used to play EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf, my favorite courses were the fantasy ones that game designers created from scratch, an endless series of epic carries, stunning elevation changes, wild bunkering and incredible background scenery. I knew courses like that couldn’t exist in real life, which was made them so fun to play — or, at least, I thought I knew that, until I stumbled onto the Golf Mesquite Nevada website in 2008 and saw that someone had brought my childhood golf fantasies to life. Greens encased by stunning, red-rock bluffs. Five-hundred-yard fairways routed along the edge of cliffs that dropped off seemingly to infinity. Courses carved into alien landscapes made of stone and sand, with color contrasts only an artist (or a video game designer) could conceive. A little over an hour northeast of Vegas, and just over halfway between Vegas and St. George, Mesquite is one of those paradises you dream about, flush with eye-popping courses, but without the crowds and greens fees that many of the Southwest’s top wintertime destinations command. Like St. George, Mesquite is at the center of an
outdoor recreational paradise, a short drive from multiple state and national parks, and less than 25 minutes from Lake Mead. The two regions even share some courses in common, with packages to Mesquite also including rounds at Coral Canyon in St. George and Sand Hollow in Hurricane, giving you the chance to taste the best of both regions. Should you simply want to hunker down, though, Mesquite has plenty of its own incredible tracks, including Arnold Palmer’s Oasis Golf Club (which includes both the Palmer course and the stunning Canyons course), Gary Panks’ Conestoga Golf Club, Jack Nicklaus’ Coyote Springs and the Kelby Hughes/Cresent Hardy-designed Falcon Ridge. One of the best ways to explore Mesquite is with the Mesquite Golf Pass, which, for $150, grants you discounted rounds to six courses in Mesquite and St. George, plus a free round to either Coral Canyon or Coyote Willows in the winter (or any of the six courses in the summer), a free hat and more. Assuming you use the free round, just 2-3 additional rounds will pay for the card, making it a no-brainer for anyone planning to spend more than a night or two in town. And, if you are the kind who wants to “game after the game,” and hit the casino tables in the evenings, then making Mesquite the home base for your red-rocks adventure will be your best bet. In addition to numerous stay-and-play partnerships with area hotels, Mesquite is also home to the Eureka Casino Resort, with award-winning bars, restaurants, nightlife and enough tables to keep you busy well into the evening. Visit GolfMesquiteNevada.com to check out stay-andplay packages, golf course rates, the Mesquite Golf Pass and more. Just don’t oversleep and miss your tee time — trips like this one only come around once in a while, and you won’t want to miss a minute of the magic.
Palmer Course at Oasis G.C., No. 6 Mesquite, Nev. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 23
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Conestoga G.C. • Mesquite, Nev.
Plan Your Golf Vacation
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nspired to get away to one of these great locations — or, perhaps, Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, or even Augusta National? Consider working with a travel advisor. Unlike the internet, which creates “one-sizefits-all” experiences, a travel advisor can help customize an itinerary that includes experiences most likely to match your budget, priorities and personal preferences. Not only are travel advisors knowledgeable about the areas you’ll be visiting, but their relationships with suppliers (hotels, tours, etc.) and local experts can often lead to savings you wouldn’t have been able to find on your own, while giving you peace of mind in knowing that the suppliers you’ll be dealing with have been professionally vetted. Your experience starts before you leave, when your travel advisor will get to know you and your interests, and can make recommendations for destinations or experiences that are the best fit for you personally. Travel advisors can also take care of all the logistical aspects of booking your trip, from airfare, to hotel accommodations, to tours, rounds of golf and more, saving you time and stress. They can also share tips and insights learned from years of experience to reduce any surprises that might occur on your trip; and, should something go wrong, a travel advisor becomes an advocate in your corner, working to set things right while you enjoy the rest of your vacation. Furthermore, travel advisors’ relationships with local experts in destinations across the world can help you discover off-the-beaten-path experiences you may not have found on your own, while steering you away from those that, while perhaps popular with tourists, are overrated or not the best fit for your personal interests. For the cheapest possible trip, visit the Internet, but remember that you generally get what you pay for. To get the most bang for your buck, though, give a travel advisor a call — you won’t regret your choice. To start planning your next great golf adventure, contact travel advisor Michelle Wicks Cypher at www.travelthereandback.com. 24 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
Royal Links G.C., No. 9 • Las Vegas
Royal Links Golf Club
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Las Vegas, Nev. RoyalLinksGolfClub.com (702) 765-0484
K, you’ve spent your week in red-rock Heaven, and you’re ready to blow 48-72 hours back in the city. But ... all that incredible golf has you itching to play just one more round. The reason you chose Vegas, instead of Palm Springs or Scottsdale, is that you don’t just want to play great golf courses. You want a spectacle. You want to ride up the Eiffel Tower, throw dice in an ancient pyramid, ride a roller coaster around the Empire State Building and grab drinks next to the Trevi Fountain — all in the same evening. So, when you play golf, it makes sense that you might be looking for a little sizzle, a little razzle-dazzle, a little bit of that Vegas magic to transport you from a mob-built town in the middle of the desert, to some of the greatest destinations in the world. And, in golf, that means taking a trip to Scotland. Well, Scotland, and Ireland, and frankly the entirety of the British Isles — which is exactly where you find yourself when you step out of the car at Royal Links Golf Club. Yet another Dye International design, Royal Links recreates 11 different holes from the Open Championship rotation, giving you the opportunity to play all of your overseas favorites, without ever getting more than 20 minutes from your Vegas hotel room. Have you dreamed of playing the famed Road Hole at St. Andrews? It’s here. Maybe you’ve always wanted to drop a ball into Hell Bunker? Well, smack it on in there and test your mettle. Or, maybe you’ve fantasized about dropping a wedge
onto the postage stamp green at Royal Troon, or fantasized about teeing it up at Turnberry, Prestwick, Carnoustie or Muirfield. Royal Links features holes from every one, plus plenty of amenities on the side that complete the immersive experience. There’s the replica of Swilcan Bridge, which takes golfers from the clubhouse to the tee. There’s the forecaddie service, with professional caddies versed in the history of the holes and courses they represent. And, there’s the iconic, castle-style clubhouse, home not only to one of America’s toprated golf shops, but to Stymie’s Pub, an authentic, English-style joint where the Guinness flows freely and the fish-and-chips and bangers-and-mash are always hot and ready to go.
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owever you choose to plan your desert getaway — whether heading east to enjoy the untouched paradises of Mesquite and St. George, or staying closer to “home” and playing our favorite Vegas tracks like Royal Links — you’re going to need to remember three things. First, your name — let’s be honest, depending on how your Vegas vacation goes, that’s not always a gimme. Second, take advantage of early-morning and twilight rates that will both save you a few bucks, and keep you out of the worst of the heat. Finally, remember that a good golf trip isn’t about the birdies you make, the money you spend, or even the courses you play. It’s about the people you’re with, and those moments you take to stop for a minute, look around, and marvel at the opportunity you’ve had to get away from home, soak up some incredible scenery, and reset yourself for what comes next. Only then should you step up, smack that little white ball, and watch it fly off into that incredible desert sunset.
THE SOUL OF SCOTLAND, THE ADVENTURE OF LAS VEGAS
Legends have walked these same hallowed holes. Create your own Claret Jug moment and relive history at Royal Links Golf Club, an unrivaled union of fabled holes - like the “Postage Stamp” at Royal Troon and the “Road Hole” at St. Andrews - from the Open Championship’s eleven world-famous courses. This once-in-a-lifetime and, for many, life-changing golf experience can become a reality without a trip across the pond: It only requires a passion for the game and a quick, five-minute jaunt from the famed Las Vegas Strip.
5995 E. Vegas Valley Dr. | Las Vegas, NV 89142 | 702-765-0484 | www.royallinksgolfclub.com
Golf s’
Undiscovered Country
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Magnolia Grove G.C. (Crossings) • Mobile, Ala.
The Gulf Coast courses of Mississippi and Alabama are devilishly good
n the pitch-black dark of a moonless night sometime in the early 1930s, blues musician Robert Johnson stood at the intersection of state Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Miss., strummed his guitar, and waited. What exactly transpired at that fateful intersection is the stuff of blues legend. As the story has been told and retold many times over, the Devil himself emerged from the mist and offered to tune Johnson’s guitar, in exchange for his immortal soul. At the time an itinerant musician playing for pennies on street corners throughout the Mississippi Delta region, who had recently lost his young bride in childbirth, Johnson agreed, handing his guitar over to the Devil. The Devil tuned the instrument, then handed it back
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BY BRIAN BEAKY DG EDITOR
to Johnson — and, along with it, the extraordinary talent that would make Johnson a legend, called by Eric Clapton “the most important blues singer that ever lived.” Is the legend true? Supporters point to the fact that seemingly overnight, Johnson became a Delta blues superstar, recording four songs that would find their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — none more iconic than “Cross Road Blues,” which tells the story of that fateful night — before dying just as suddenly in 1938, at the age of just
27. The Devil, they say, claimed his due. These days, millions of visitors flock to the Gulf Coast states of Mississippi and Alabama on annual basis. They come to trace the history of Delta blues across the Mississippi Blues Trail, to sample the award-winning craft beers of Alabama, to soak in the history of Civil War battlefields, to lay out on white-sand Gulf of Mexico beaches and — of course — to play some of America’s most celebrated golf courses. Both states boast numerous courses ranked annually among America’s finest, many affiliated with casino resorts, and nearly all boasting rates below $100. This may all sound like the stuff of legend, but as Robert Johnson himself would tell you — the Gulf Coast is where legends come true.
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Gulf Shores G.C. • Gulf Shores, Ala.
RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge • Hoover, Ala.
Sweet Home Alabama
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hile it might be tempting to think of Alabama as one golf trip, in reality, it’s at least three, if not more. The first and most obvious Alabama golf getaway is to cruise the RTJ Golf Trail, a network of 26 courses built and managed by Alabama’s state public pension fund. In the late 1980s, the fund’s CEO, David Bronner, sought a way to ensure the fund’s solvency for decades to come, and with the stock market unreliable at the time, he settled on a more creative idea — bring America’s pre-eminent golf architect to Alabama to design world-class courses in all corners of the state, essentially creating a golf destination from scratch. “I wanted to feature Alabama’s natural beauty,” he said in Mark Fagan’s 2016 book, The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail; Its History and Economic Impact. “I wanted something of which all Alabamians could be proud. I wanted something no other state had. I decided to build world-class golf courses and world-class hotels to increase tourism and create residential and commercial development.” Bronner’s board members must all have been golfers — it’s the only way to explain this crazy idea becoming reality. Even crazier? It worked — the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail has become renowned throughout the country for its unique courses, beautiful layouts and reasonable rates. The New York Times called it “some of the best public golf on Earth,” while The Wall Street Journal called it America’s best golf bargain. And, it’s true — despite several top-100 tracks — including Grand National’s Links Course (home to the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship), Magnolia Grove (whose Crossings course was named one of the Top-50 Courses You Can Play by readers of Golf World magazine; and whose short course was named America’s best par-3 by Golf Digest), Capitol
Hill (whose Judge course may be the state’s best, and has hosted the LPGA Tour and other prestigious events), plus Cambrian Ridge, Ross Bridge, The Shoals and other RTJ tracks that annually highlight lists of Alabama’s best — most RTJ Trail courses top out at no more than $85, with some playable for as little as $50. The second way to tour the Yellowhammer State is to stick close to those white-sand, Gulf Coast beaches, and enjoy the award-winning tracks on the state’s southern shore. Jerry Pate’s Kiva Dunes, in Gulf Shores, gets the most acclaim, and for good reason — it’s as pretty a round of golf as you’ll find on the Gulf Coast, with perfectly manicured turf and an abundance of water hazards and shallow bunkers, all nestled onto a half-mile-wide spit of land separating Bon Secour Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. And, at under $100, it’s a bargain well in line with those to be found throughout the state. Along the coast, you can also enjoy Craft Farms (featuring two Arnold Palmer designs), Glenlakes (Bruce Devlin/Robert von Hagge), Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club, TimberCreek, Rock Creek (all Earl Stone), and Lost Key (a Palmer redesign), giving you as solid a week’s golf as you’ll find. 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. Lastly, there’s Alabama’s all-new craft beer industry, which has exploded onto the scene over the last few years as changes in state law have allowed for increased production and distribution of many golfers’ favorite libation. Gadsden’s Back Forty Beer Company was
the first. Founder Jason Wilson and brewmaster Jamie Ray brewed their first beer together — Naked Pig Pale Ale — in 2009, and won their first award (a Silver Medal at the Great American Beer Festival) the following year. But, it wasn’t until 2012 that Back Forty opened its own production center in Gadsden, and it wasn’t until 2016 that laws allowed Back Forty (and other breweries) to sell beer for off-site consumption. From that one brewery, Back Forty, in 2009, there are now dozens of craft breweries statewide, many co-located with the state’s most popular golf courses. Planning to play RTJ’s Magnolia Grove, outside Mobile? Stop in at nearby Haint Blue Brewing and Serda Brewing Company — both of which opened their doors in 2017 — before visiting the historic BraggMitchell Mansion or the U.S.S. Alabama. Likewise, Montgomery — home to RTJ’s Capitol Hill — is also home to a handful of excellent craft breweries (including Railyard Brewing Co. and Common Bond Brewers, while Grand National, tucked between Auburn and Opelika, pairs well with the latter’s Red Clay Brewing Co. There are a half a dozen more in Birmingham (with Good People, Cahaba and Avondale leading the way), and a dozen in Huntsville, including the well-known Yellowhammer, who recently completed a $1.2 million expansion, all of which make good stops en route to the state’s excellent northern courses, including both the aforementioned Ross Bridge and The Shoals. Alabama.travel is a good resource to start planning your trip, while rtjgolf.com/trail showcases golf-and-lodging packages that will let you put together your own trail experience, whether you prefer to stay close to the coast, or explore the many outstanding rewards to be found in Alabama’s interior. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 27
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Mighty Mississippi
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f there’s anyplace that will make you believe in magic of all sorts, it’s Mississippi. Centuries of settlement by people of Native American, French, British, Spanish and African descent have stirred the cultural pot into an intoxicating blend of artistic, architectural, literary and culinary styles. From that blend of cultures and traditions have come some of America’s most creative thinkers, including musicians Elvis Presley, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, authors William Faulkner, John Grisham, Tennessee Williams and Richard Wright, and others like Medgar Evers, Cool Papa Bell, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones, Walter Payton, Brett Favre and Jerry Rice. The Magnolia State attracts millions of visitors annually, each in pursuit of their own Mississippi legend. In the summertime, they flock to the southern shores of Biloxi Bay and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, frolicking on whitesand beaches and dipping their toes into the crystal-blue Gulf of Mexico. Others follow in the footsteps of General William Tecumseh Sherman, soaking in the history of Civil War battlefields and antebellum mansions. Still others follow the historic Mississippi Blues Trail, whose road markers guide blues aficionados to the most famous sites in blues history — including, of course, that legendary highway intersection where Robert Johnson maybe, just maybe, sold his soul. More and more, though, visitors are flocking to Mississippi for an altogether different reason — an abundance of high-quality, reasonably priced golf courses. Three of the state’s most acclaimed tracks — Old Waverly and Mossy Oak in West Point, and Fallen Oak in Saucier — were named to Golf Digest’s “Best Courses You Can
Play” list in 2019-20. In addition, Fallen Oak, The Preserve, Grand Bear and both 18-hole courses at Dancing Rabbit regularly feature in rankings of America’s best resort and casino courses. And, here’s the kicker — all but one of those courses are open to the public, and depending on the time of day and year, only one is sure to cost you upwards of $100. Most visitors choose to stay in one of two locations, either to the south, on the Gulf Coast, or to the north, in the heart of blues country around Clarksdale and the “Vegas of the South,” Tunica. Staying on the Gulf Coast puts golfers close to many of the state’s most lauded tracks, including the aforementioned Fallen Oak, The Preserve and Grand Bear, as well as other highly-regarded courses like Davis Love III’s Shell Landing, in Gautier, and Arnold Palmer’s The Bridges in Bay St. Louis. While Fallen Oak, Tom Fazio’s PGA TOURquality gem in Saucier (an amenity of the Beau Rivage Casino), has deservedly earned a reputation as the Mississippi course every golfer should play before they die, it’s Mossy Oak that the industry is buzzing about these days. The brandnew Gil Hanse design opened in September of 2016, just a month after Hanse’s other major 2016 project, the Olympic Course in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Mossy Oak debuted this year at 63rd in Golfweek’s top-100 rankings, and was ranked 28th among the nation’s top resort courses. The course was constructed through a unique partnership between Hanse, the George and Marcia Bryan family, and Mossy Oak, an outdoor lifestyle company dedicated to the preservation of natural habitats. Working with Mossy Oak, Hanse designed the course to blend seamlessly
Fallen Oak G.C. • Saucier, Miss. 28 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
Old Waverly G.C. • West Point, Miss. with the land around it, and accentuate the natural features of the surrounding area, while also incorporating the latest sustainable practices. It was a process the team called “Nature’s Golf.” “The expansive landscape highlights the local habitat of the Mississippi Black Prairie,” explains George Bryan, golf club co-founder. “Once off the first tee, nature is a highlight of the playing experience, with native grasses, wildlife and creeks interacting with fairways and bunker complexes to blend a sense of place on every hole.” Located adjacent to fellow Mississippi mustplay Old Waverly Golf Club, Mossy Oak offers regular guest rates, plus several packages that combine golf at one or both of the state’s gems with lodging in the cottages, condos and villas at Old Waverly. More information is available at www.mossyoakgolf.com. Farther to the north, a little less than an hour from Jackson, are the two courses at Dancing Rabbit, each ranked among the state’s top-10 by numerous publications. The Choctaw Indians, who own the 36-hole complex and the nearby Pearl River Resort, chose Fazio and Jerry Pate to turn their ancestral lands into award-winning golf courses, and the duo more than delivered. The Azaleas is the tougher of the two, longer and tighter than the Oaks, requiring strong iron play and the humility to know which tees are right for you. The Oaks has broader fairways and a handful of reachable par-4s and -5s, but don’t take it lightly — while the Azaleas is rated tougher, the Oaks actually has the higher slope. Nearly every great golf course in the state is affiliated with a major casino, which ensures a visitor’s nights will be just as full as their days. Mississippi’s Gulf Coast alone boasts 12 casinos, while the area around Tunica, to the northwest, features an additional eight, plus its own highly regarded courses in Tunica National, River Bend and the Links at Cottonwoods. It’s also just a short drive from Clarksdale, widely considered the birthplace of the blues, and home now to Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero blues clubs, where music’s greats and greats-to-be can be heard slingin’ their stuff on a nightly basis. And it’s just an hour from Dockery Farms, where Robert Johnson walked in a broken man, and walked out a legend.
SAUCIER, MISSISSIPPI
...ON THE ULTIMATE DRIVE
Some of the biggest names in golf have put their signature touches on pristine golf courses all over the Magnolia state, from the rolling hills in North Mississippi to the coast along the Gulf of Mexico. Test your swing out at one of our 140 golf courses.
Plan your next Mississippi trip at VISITMISSISSIPPI.ORG/DONTMISSOUT
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MaUI Ka’anapali Kai • Lahaina
Want that same warm sun of Vegas, but prefer surf to sand? We’ve got you covered.
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Plantation Course No. 5 • Kapalua
Photo by Joe West
et’s be honest — the desert isn’t for everyone. And, it’s a heck of a lot easier to convince the non-golfers in your family to spend their winter vacation in Maui than Mesquite. Maui’s Ka’anapali Golf Resort (kaanapaligolfcourses.com, 866-454-4653) has proven to be one of Hawaii’s most beloved destinations, both for its two award-winning courses, its proximity to Maui’s top hotels and beaches and its unique programs that make fitting a round (or two, or three) around your other vacation plans a breeze. The long-time 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. Both show up on just about every list of Maui’s top-10 tracks, for their quality alone. Add to that their location just steps from the beachfront Mecca of Lahaina, with its trendy shops, restaurants and the island’s premier snorkeling beach, Black Rock, and it’s evident why golfers often choose to call the courses at Ka’anapali home during their island stay. Combine your stay with lodging at Ka’anapali’s premier hotels 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. The best part of a stay at Ka’anapali is its central location between two of the island’s other top golfing destinations — Kapalua, 20 minutes north, and Wailea, 40 minutes south. The undisputed crown jewel of Maui’s golf scene, the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort (golfatkapalua.com, 808-669-8044) reopened in November following a ninemonth, multi-million dollar enhancement project aimed at refining and revitalizing the course regularly ranked No. 1 among Maui’s many public offerings. Led by original course architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the project saw all 107 acres of Kapalua’s fairways, rough and tee boxes and all 18 greens re-grassed, along with numerous changes to the course’s bunkers, tee boxes and clubhouse. One thing that wasn’t changed was the design and routing of the course itself, which has earned a reputation as the “bucket list” track for Maui golf visitors who marvel at the Plantation Course each year while watching the PGA TOUR’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, held in January. “The newly refined Plantation Course looks and plays amazing,” said Alex Nakajima, general manager of Kapalua Golf & Tennis. “We’re excited to welcome locals, Maui visitors and the PGA TOUR’s best.” The Plantation Course refinement comes on the heels of 2018’s rerouting of the resort’s Bay Course in order to improve pace of play and create a memorable and challenging final stretch of holes. While it may not be as iconic as the Plantation’s risk-reward, par-5 18th, the Bay Course now finishes on a par-5 as well, following Maui’s only over-
Wailea Emerald Course, No. 18 • Wailea
Photo by Scott Campbell
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By Brian Beaky DG Editor
the-ocean par-3 at No. 17. Unlimited golf packages start at less than $167 a day, with further discounts for guests staying at the resort. Heading southeast from Ka’anapali will take you to Wailea Resort, whose 54-hole Wailea Golf Club (waileagolf.com, 888-328-MAUI) — the only 54-hole resort on the island — is not only one of Hawaii’s best, but also one of its top values. Routed across the sloping foothills of Maui’s mighty Mt. Haleakala, Wailea boasts some of the island’s best views, with fairways as much as 300 feet above sea level offering panoramic ocean vistas. It’s not at all uncommon — especially in the peak season of January through March — to spot humpback whales spouting off the Wailea coast, while the incredible Maui sunsets make for must-see viewing at any time of year. The Gold Course, formerly home of the Champions Skins Game, features low lavarock walls built centuries ago by early Hawaiians, while the Emerald and Old Blue Courses are scenic delights, with fragrant blossoms, challenging greens and jaw-dropping views. The resort was recently featured on The Golf Channel’s Golf Advisor Round Trip program, and was named to Golfweek’s list of the “Best Courses You Can Play” in 2019. Wailea’s most popular golf deal, the Seahorse Swing, is available year-round, and includes three days of unlimited golf on the Gold and/or Emerald courses, plus a host of extra goodies. Terrific twilight and family-friendly rates (for example, kids play free with a paying adult after 3 p.m. each day) simply add to what is already a great deal. Whether it’s to hit the beach after a round at Ka’anapali Kai, walk in the footsteps of the PGA TOUR’s best at the all-new Kapalua, or soak in the views and values at Wailea, Maui awaits. Just promise you’ll take us with you when you go.
RESORT REPORT
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A place to call home ...
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 70 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 Tribal 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. That passion for excellence is reflected in the resort as well, which is currently undergoing a major expansion to include a modern hotel tower; additional upscale and casual dining options; indoor and outdoor pools; hot tubs; a luxurious spa and an all-new gaming area featuring a Topgolf hitting suite, so golfers and non-golfers alike can enjoy playing the world’s greatest courses without ever having to set foot outside. Stay-and-play packages including golf and lodging for two start at just $209 a night — with the golf priced at $80 per player in the summer, that means you’re paying just $50 more for all the amenities of Kansas’ premier destination resort. To learn more or book your trip, call (785) 966-7742, or visit firekeepergolf.com.
FIREKEEPER GOLF COURSE MAYETTA • KS
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