Golf News & Reviews

I’ve seen golf balls blown sideways at St. Andrews and I’ve lost hats at Lahinch, but nothing prepared me for what I recently experienced at Cape Kidnappers, the magnificent New Zealand golf course designed by Tom Doak. This video was taken as our group began playing famous holes 11-16, which sit atop “fingers” that extend into the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean…500 feet below! To help put this in perspective, consider that Old Head in Ireland sits 300 feet above the Atlantic. And those famous cliffs at Pebble Beach? A mere 100 feet above Carmel Bay. (continued at GolfVacationsInsider)

You’re probably already aware that FedEx, UPS, DHL, and a variety of luggage-only shipping services make it easier to get your golf clubs to your golf vacation destination rather than lugging them yourself. But when it comes to short trips, or business trips, is it really worth paying upwards of $100 to ship them when you might only play a round or two? A new firm, citing the high cost and low quality of golf course rental clubs, thinks its golf club delivery service provides a good solution for those on brief Florida golf vacations or business trips.Called GolfClubsAway.com, the company will deliver a full set of late-model Nike or Callaway clubs (including a putter) to your hotel or the golf course by 7 am and pick them up from the same location around 8 pm. The per-day cost, which includes the use of the clubs and a sleeve of Nike balls, is $35 for Nike and $45 for Callaway. (continued at GolfVacationsInsider)

We have plans for a Marco Island golf vacation in January 2008. Could you recommend reasonably priced golf courses that we might play while in this area of Florida?Marco Island is 15 miles south of tony Naples, Florida, but, unfortunately, private courses still dominate the scene in this area. This includes the two on-island courses, Island Country Club (18 holes) and Hideaway Beach Golf Club (9 holes). (continued at GolfVacationsInsider)

Want to play private Naples golf courses on your next Florida golf vacation? Staying at the right hotel or inn could be your “in.” Take, for example, the all-suite Marco Beach Ocean Resort, which offers one-bedroom suites starting at $209 per night. With a room key here and a pleasant rapport with the concierge, it’s possible to get on at least three private Naples golf courses (although things might tighten up in high season). One is the highly acclaimed Creek Course at the Golf Club at Fiddler’s Creek. This Arthur Hills layout is usually reserved for members and their guests only, but the club gives special consideration to Marco Beach Ocean Resort guests. Hopefully, the arrangement will extend to Fiddler’s second course, a Hurdzan/Fry design called Preserve currently under construction. (continued at GolfVacationsInsider)

Cancun, which typically conjures images of cookie-cutter beach hotels and sloppy Spring Break shenanigans, used to be a golfing wasteland. No longer. As we saw on our recent visit, new Cancun golf courses, including those located on the stunning Mayan Riviera immediately to the south, are quickly transforming this area into a world-class golf destination. No place in Mexico — and perhaps in the Western hemisphere — matches the burgeoning construction of Cancun golf courses. Ongoing projects (scheduled to open from late 2007 to late 2008) include: the Nicklaus Design team’s 36-hole routing at Riviera Cancun, Tom Fazio’s TPC Cancun, a Nick Price 18 at La Roca Country Club, and Tom Weiskopf’s Puerto Cancun. (continued at GolfVacationsInsider)