FAIRWAYS-FORE-FREEDOM
Military Golf Program in Honor of Armed Forces
ORLANDO, FL – Marriott Golf, the golf management organization of Marriott International, Inc. recently announced that Desert Springs Golf Club and Shadow Ridge Golf Club, both located in Palm Desert, CA, are participating in the company’s 4th Annual “Fairways-Fore-FREEdom” military golf program which debuted over Memorial Day weekend.
Created to celebrate the men and women of the military who are dedicated to protecting America’s freedom, “FairwaysFore-FREEdom” provides active, reserve and retired military personnel with discount golf from Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day at 20 acclaimed Marriott Golf courses throughout the United States.
As part of “Fairways-Fore-FREEdom,” which ends on Veteran’s Day (November 11, 2015), members of the armed forces who present a valid military ID card can take advantage of discounted twilight green fees/ carts, ranging from just $29 - $69, while receiving a free replay certificate for another day. The free replay certificates will be valid until December 31, 2015. The program is available after 3 p.m. any day of the week at participating Marriott Golf courses, and all tee times can be made up to three days in advance. In some cases, select Marriott Golf properties will even extend the hours that the special offer is available, further enhancing the value of the program and enabling eligible military personnel to experience the company’s prestigious collection of championship golf courses.
“Discounted golf opportunities at our collection of Championship courses, combined with the recent launch of the $1 For HOPE Campaign in support of golf programming for military veterans, reinforces Marriott Golf’s commitment to honoring the men and women of the armed forces who stand at the frontline and protect our freedom,” said Jim Keane, Senior Director of Operations, Marriott Golf.”
The launch of the 2015 “Fairways-ForeFREEdom” program comes on the heels of the $1 For HOPE launch. As part of the $1 for HOPE campaign, all golfers/visitors checking in for their tee time and/or making a purchase at the pro shop – at any of 20 participating Marriott Golf resort destinations – will have the opportunity to make a donation, by adding $1 or more, to their fee. All proceeds from this initiative will be used to support and enhance PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) programming nationwide. PGA HOPE is designed to introduce golf to veterans with disabilities in order to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.
Participating courses in the “FairwaysFore-FREEdom” military golf program represent some of the country’s premier championship venues, including: Wildfire Golf Club, Phoenix, Ariz.; Camelback Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Starr Pass Country Club, Tucson, Ariz.; Desert Springs Golf Resort, Palm Desert, Calif.; Shadow Ridge Golf Club, Palm Desert, Calif.; Grande Vista Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.; Hawk’s Landing Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.; Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes, Orlando, Fla.; The Rookery at Marco, Naples, Fla. (hotel stay required); Renaissance Vinoy Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Fla. (hotel stay required); RitzCarlton Members Club, Sarasota, Fla.; Stone Mountain Golf Club, Stone Mountain, Ga.; Crane’s Landing Golf Club, Lincolnshire, Ill.; Toftrees Golf Club, State College, Pa.; Cattails Golf Club, Kingsport, Tenn.; and Westfields Golf Club, Clifton, Va.
In total, 20 golf courses located at Marriott Golf properties will participate in the program, which will provide military personnel with arguably the greatest golf values in the country today. For more information on the program, visit http://www.marriott.com/explore-andplan/kids-golf.mi.
Sizzlin’ Summer Special at Caledonia & True Blue is Golf’s Hottest Package Deal
Pawleys Island, S.C. -- Caledonia Golf Vacations – the golf travel provider of True Blue and Caledonia, two of America’s top 100 public courses – announces its “Sizzlin’ Summer” package, a two-night, three-round deal that delivers the best value in golf travel.
The package costs $299 and features three rounds of golf at Caledonia and True Blue and two nights accommodations at True Blue golf villas. For an additional $100 per day, golfers can add additional nights and rounds to their trip.
Summer isn’t regarded as a peak golf season along Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand, but True Blue and Caledonia enjoy excellent conditions during the summer months, enhancing the appeal of a package that gives golfers the opportunity to play two top 100 courses.
The Sizzlin’ Summer Special run through September 7, 2015.
“The Sizzlin’ Summer Special is best package in all of golf travel,” said Bob Seganti, Director of Golf Operations at Caledonia and True Blue. “Caledonia and True Blue offer two distinct yet equally dramatic experiences, and to stay-and-play at both for $299 provides golfers incredible value.”
Caledonia is ranked 24th on Golf Magazine’s list of the Top 100 You Can Play, a ranking of America’s best public courses, and True Blue is 77th on the prestigious list.
Caledonia, which is equal parts art and architecture, plays through a stunning piece of lowcountry land that was once home to a thriving rice plantation. The live oak trees draped in Spanish moss, the marshy waters of the Waccamaw Neck, and Strantz’s architectural brilliance combined to make Caledonia one of America’s premier public golf experiences.
Golf Channel’s travel guru Matt Ginella wrote of the course, “I could never imagine a trip to Myrtle and not heading down to Pawleys Island to play Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.”
A round at True Blue, while completely different from a design perspective, is no less captivating. Everything about the 7,126-yard layout is big – the fairways, the greens and most of all, the fun.
Strantz used waste bunkers, which frame many of the course’s fairways, to craft a layout that is among the area’s most visually stunning.
Golf Magazine’s travel expert, Joe Passov, said of True Blue, “From the late, great Strantz’s sublime design to the helpful staff to the tip-top course conditions, this dramatic, watery layout remains a must play in Myrtle Beach.”
For more information on Caledonia, True Blue and Caledonia Golf Vacations, go to www. FishClub.com.
Celebrate the Longest Days of Summer with BOYNE Golf’s ‘Great Escape Golf Vacation’
PETOSKEY, MI – BOYNE Golf – home to 11 premier golf courses spanning three resorts in the scenic northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula – announces the availability of its five-day, unlimited golf “Great Escape Golf Vacation.”
With nearly 16 hours of daylight available this time of year in northern Michigan, the Great Escape is an ideal way to celebrate the first days of summer. Accommodations are available at Boyne Highlands Resort, just named the U.S.’s “No. 1 Golf Resort for Value” by Golf.com readers.
Golf on its five courses, as well as sister courses at Boyne Mountain, Crooked Tree Golf Club, Bay Harbor Golf Club and Hidden River Golf & Casting Club, is available. The package starts at $880 / person and includes: • Five nights’ lodging (Sunday check-in) • Unlimited golf with cart on following courses: Boyne Mountain (The Monument,
The Alpine), Boyne Highlands (The Moor, Donald Ross Memorial, Arthur Hills, The Heather), Crooked Tree Golf Club and Hidden River Golf & Casting Club
• Sunday welcome reception and gift, including choice of a round at Bay Harbor Golf Club, 50-minute spa service, two-day lesson with the BOYNE Golf Academy or $75 food and beverage gift card.
• Unlimited range balls, plus club storage and cleaning • Scramble golf tournament with prizes • Preferred pricing at Bay Harbor Golf Club courses (The Links, The Quarry and The Preserve nines)
• Breakfasts and dinners (salad, entrée and dessert) at any BOYNE-operated restaurant
• Country Club of Boyne and Bay Harbor Golf Club dining privileges
• Night at The Young Americans Dinner Theatre (July-August, based on availability; inquire at Sunday reception)
• $25 Odawa Casino gaming voucher and complimentary casino shuttle
• Access to swimming, hiking, biking, fitness centers, tennis, hot tubs, and more
“The sun rises before 6 a.m. and sets after 9:30 p.m. this time of year, making a 54- or even 72-hole golf marathon possible,” says Bernie Friedrich, Boyne Resorts’ senior vice president of golf and resort sales. “Come see why we’re renowned as the quintessential Great Lakes golf escape.”
With courses designed and inspired by renowned architects like Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Arthur Hills and Donald Ross, BOYNE Golf ’s three flagship resorts offer experiences to suit players of all ages and abilities.
The Inn at Bay Harbor – A Renaissance Golf Resort Bay Harbor Golf Club • The Links (9) • The Preserve (9) • The Quarry (9) Crooked Tree Golf Club (18)
Boyne Highlands Resort
Arthur Hills (18) Donald Ross Memorial (18) The Heather (18) The Moor (18) Hidden River Golf & Casting Club (18)
Boyne Mountain The Alpine (18) The Monument (18) Beyond golf, BOYNE’s unique onproperty amenities include award-winning spas, waterfront dining, sandy beaches, Avalanche Bay – Michigan’s largest indoor waterpark and adventure sport venues. They are supported by historic, lakeside resort towns Charlevoix, Harbor Springs and Petoskey all a short drive from Mackinac Island. Following in Hemingway’s footsteps, taking in the famous northern Michigan sunsets, enjoying the casino and exploring acclaimed microbreweries like Petoskey Brewing mean golf isn’t the only game in town.
More information: www.BOYNEGolf. com, info@BOYNE.com, 844.634.5315
PRINCEVILLE MAKAI GOLF CLUB OFFERS SUNRISE TO SUNSET FUN FOR GOLFERS AND NON-GOLFERS
PRINCEVILLE, KAUAI, HAWAII – The spectacular Princeville Makai Golf Club on Kauai’s north shore offers a variety of unique, fit, and fun ways for golfers and non-golfers alike to experience the acclaimed Makai Course. Situated on Kauai’s famed north shore, the Makai boasts an extraordinarily beautiful setting and was named one of the “Top 5 Great Golf Settings in the U.S.” by National Geographic Traveler in 2011.
Start your day with Sunrise Yoga, Monday and Wednesday mornings at 7:30 a.m. on the Makai’s signature oceanfront 7th hole tee area. Undoubtedly one of the most scenic yoga settings in the world, this site features a dramatic 360-degree view of Kauai’s magnificent north shore from ocean to mountains. The Sunrise Yoga class is open to all levels of students for a fee of $20. Enjoy yoga accompanied by the sounds of the sea, whales spouting offshore during winter months, and albatross and shearwaters soaring overhead. No reservation is needed. Check in at 7:25 a.m. at the Makai Golf Shop.
Then head over to the open-air Makai Grill for breakfast. This charming café, situated in the Makai Clubhouse courtyard, is open from 7 to 5 daily, serving breakfast and lunch, with a Happy Hour beer and pupu menu from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The Grill hosts many special theme events throughout the year, and its 70-inch flat screen TV makes it an ideal gathering place for major televised sports events.
Golfers can spend the day enjoying a round of golf on the Makai Course, then relax and unwind at the neighboring St. Regis Princeville Resort on the “Makai Wine & Dine” program. This special package includes 18 holes of golf on the Makai Course (tee times at any time of day, based on availability) and a $50 gift certificate for use at any of The St. Regis Princeville Resort’s restaurants, lounges, or Halele’a Spa. (Gift certificate does not have to be redeemed on day of play.) The 18-hole package is priced at $225 per person, with a 9-hole variation offered at $135 per person.
End your afternoon with the Makai’s popular Sunset Golf Cart Tour, a wonderful way for non-golfers to experience the beauty of the course without swinging a club. Starting at 5 p.m. daily, two people can explore the Makai Course at their leisure in a 2014 Club Car Prestige electric cart. Guests can follow the cart paths meandering through the 18 holes, stop and linger wherever they wish to take photos, enjoy a snack or drinks (including champagne) purchased from the Makai Grill, and watch the sun set over Hanalei Bay. Written information on specific scenic points is provided for this self-guided cart tour, which provides approximately 90 minutes on the course. Cost is $50 per cart (accommodating two guests). For groups (10 to 20 people or more), arrangements can be made for a guide/escort or a beverage cart on the course for an additional fee.
For more information, reservations for these programs, or tee times at Princeville Makai Golf Club, call (808) 826-1912 or visit www.MakaiGolf.com. The Princeville Makai Golf Club is managed by Troon Golf.
‘Myrtle Beach Family Fun Golf Tournament’ Ideal for Summer Vacations
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Mystical Golf – owner and operator of The Witch, Man-O-War and The Wizard courses – and Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts are co-hosting the “Myrtle Beach Family Fun Golf Tournament,” ideal for an unforgettable summer getaway (Aug. 20-23).
Two-person teams (parent / child and grandparent / child pairing welcome) start at $995. Non-competing family members may be added for just $160 per person, enjoying accommodations and all non-golf activities. This value-packed extravaganza includes:
• Three nights’ lodging (Aug. 20-22) at the oceanfront Grande Shores (two queen beds)
• Two tournament rounds on the Wizard and Man-O-War courses (Aug. 21-22)
• Welcome reception at Grande Shores (Aug. 20) • Daily breakfast and lunch • Two tickets to the Alabama Theater’s “One Show” (Aug. 21)
• Dinner for two at Logan’s Steakhouse (Aug. 22)
• Golf skills challenge and demonstrations on tournament days • Gift bag for each participant • Prizes awarded to event winners • Practice rounds are available on Aug. 20 for cart fee only
To register, call 855.420.8043 or visit www. grandeshores.com/familygolf. All entries must be in by Aug. 7. For Mystical Golf information: www.mysticalgolf.com, 843.282.2977.