Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Golf where the grass is greener
Take a trip along the US’s most celebrated courses and enjoy the sites travel2014
MOST golfers who have ever loaded their clubs on to a US-bound plane will probably have been heading for Florida or the Carolinas, which is understandable, given their eastern seaboard location and the superb golfing options they offer.
But there are 47 more states in that vast union, each with fabulous fairways to explore. So, while there’s nothing wrong – and myriad things that are right, as we’ll see – with sticking to a more traditional US golfing destination, the horizon is much broader.
For those who enjoy a game by the sea, several US states, plus those on the Great Lakes, offer golf by the water’s edge. The courses on the Californian coast’s magical Monterey Peninsula have long seduced players, thanks to the captivating images of Pebble Beach that are enjoyed whenever the PGA Tour visits. The famous Golf Links (pebble beach.com) is the pricey star act at $495 (R5 173) a round, including cart, while the course at Spanish Bay offers links lovers an experience at $270 a round, with cart.
Some of America’s most revered courses are those with the longest histories and few go deeper than Pinehurst ( pinehurst.com). This North Carolina resort dates back to 1895, with Donald Ross’s renowned No 2 course hosting the US Open again next month. There are now eight Pinehurst courses to keep you entertained, with a two-night stay at The Manor Inn on site, including dinner and breakfast daily plus three rounds of golf, costing $812 a person (R8 487) from early June to early September, based on two sharing (flights not included).
“American- style” golf is a catch-all term for lush manicured fairways, big sloping greens and copious water hazards. The scale and diversity of the landscapes in the US guarantees even greater golfing variety among its 15 000plus courses, whether by the water, in the mountains, in the plains or out in the desert.
If you’re not sure where to go, Your Golf Travel ( yourgolftravel.com) will build a package to suit your requirements in many of America’s most popular golf states, and if lugging your clubs through airports doesn’t appeal, Golf Rental World (golfrentalworld. com) can deliver direct to your hotel from $25-$35 a day for a week’s rental.
Check with your carrier, before you travel, about the rules for transporting golf clubs. British Airways’ baggage allowance in economy requires one piece up to 23kg, with the fee for an extra bag $93 each way.
Premium economy passengers get a second bag free.
Virgin Atlantic will fly out your clubs free of charge in addition to your normal allowance, providing your golf bag weighs less than 23kg.
You can play a different course every day without moving the car at Pinehurst Resort, from the late 19th century’s charming No 1 layout to Tom Fazio’s 1990s No 8, and his 21st-century remodelling of No 4.
As for No 2, which all-time great Jack Nicklaus rates among his favourites, there’s a $195 premium on any of the resort’s own packages and it will be closed for US Open duties from June 8 until September 3.
You can take in Pinehurst and some of the best golf in the Carolinas with Golf Breaks. com which offers a 14-day North and South Carolina Tour from $4 222 (excluding flights).
A sample itinerary might include 13 nights at four different resorts, with three nights’ B&B at Pinehurst, playing Nos 4, 8 and 2 courses, then room-only or selfcatering for the other 10 nights as you gradually head down to the Nicklaus- designed Harbour Town Links via the Kiawah Resort’s Ocean course.
This tour option includes 11 rounds of golf and 14 days’ car rental.
The PGA Tour spends earlyseason time in the desert.
At the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale (tpc.com), a rowdy but good- natured crowd gathers every year to cheer and jeer around the amphitheatre- like 16th hole.
There’s something surreal about a lush green oasis among the cacti and desert scrub.
The Arizona, Grand Canyon or Las Vegas Tour from Eagle Golf Tours (eaglegolftours.com) offers a 14-night Arizona golf break including six rounds of golf, flights from Heathrow to LA, car hire and golf cart hire from $2 280pp, with scope to take in the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam.
Temperatures can be oppressive. If you can stand the heat, the lowest prices can be found from June to September.
North Carolina has more than 400 courses, while South Carolina’s nearly 100km Grand Strand coast boasts more than 100 public courses, a greater concentration per capita than anywhere else in the US. Meanwhile, Florida has 1 250 courses, more than any other single state.
Dr Alister MacKenzie fans should head up the North Californian coast to Pasatiempo (pasatiempo.com) in Santa Cruz, a course the creator of Augusta National regarded as his favourite. Green fees start at $165.
Whistling Straits in Wisconsin has four courses in total, with the Straits and Irish courses complemented by the River and Meadow Valleys courses at Blackwolf Run. All were created by legendary course designer Pete Dye and his wife Alice.
The resort’s Dye- abolical package offers three nights at the American Club on site and a round on each of the four courses, with repeat golf on the Irish and Meadow Valleys courses, from $1 115pp excluding flights, but including a complimentary video lesson, carts at the two Blackwolf Run courses and caddie fees at the two Whistling Straits courses.
Two contrasting courses at The Prairie Club in Nebraska ( theprairieclub. com) opened recently to wide acclaim. The Dunes is the handiwork of 1996 Open winner Tom Lehman. A day’s unlimited play costs from just $165pp, or $335pp if you also stay in the Lodges or Cabins, with breakfast and golf cart included on a sharing basis.
Other newcomers include Bandon Dunes’ five- wonder courses (bandondunesgolf.com) on the Oregon coast (from $100), and Whistling Straits by Lake Michigan in Wisconsin (americanclub resort.com/golf). – The Independent