On the Tee

LAS VEGAS – If you need further evidence that Las Vegas has become a player among golf vacation destinations, consider this latest ranking of golf courses from a renowned industry publication. In the 2009 Golf World Readers’ Choice Awards, five Las Vegas golf courses were listed among the top 50; that’s 10 percent.

With its signature island green, par-3, Bali Hai Golf Club is one of the five Las Vegas golf facilities to make the list. It’s also one of three courses owned and operated by Walters Golf to be included in the top 50. Royal Links Golf Club , another Walters Golf property, came in at No. 13, and Desert Pines Golf Club is ranked 50^th. TPC Las Vegas was listed at No. 27, while Bear’s Best Golf Club , a compilation of the best holes from Jack Nicklaus’ courses around the world, finished 47^th. 

As Pete Dye stood at the podium accepting his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the legendary designer looked back thoroughly and fondly on all of the places his "digging" had taken him, and all of the people he had met along the way.

While Dye told tales of his love-hate relationship with the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, his frenetic finish at Harbour Town and his humble beginnings at Fort Bragg, it was clear that his true love, aside from his wife Alice who was seated in the front row for the ceremony, resided an ocean away in the Dominican Republic.

NASHPORT, Ohio - The Longaberger Golf Club today announces its award-winning course has garnered distinction in GolfWorld magazine's inaugural "Readers' Choice Rankings" in the category "Top 50 Public Courses."

GolfWorld's discerning readers voted the Arthur Hills design No. 4 overall nationally - ahead of highly regarded Chambers Bay (future site of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open) and Bethpage State Park Golf Courses (home to multiple U.S. Open Championships). 

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – When the powers that be at the PGA Tour sent out a search party in order to find a suitable and more permanent home for the grueling Qualifying School finals competition, at least on the East Coast, they were looking for a course capable of testing the nerves and resolve of some of the nation’s most grizzled golfers, intent on outlasting dozens of others to finally capture that elusive Tour card. At Orange County National Golf Club, they found two; Crooked Cat and Panther Lake.

They needed a location lacking distraction, a place where golf would be the sole focus. After all, if you know anything about Q School, the last thing a competing player needs is something to think about in addition to how one slice, yip or shank could significantly change his financial future. At Orange County National they found a secluded spot out in the Florida countryside, where highways look more likely to be inhabited by a horse and buggy than a Girls Gone Wild bus. 

Pinehurst Resort Releases Winter Travel Deals

VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. - If you're looking for winter travel rates packed with value, Pinehurst has released its annual Evergreen offers just in time.

Take a look at hot dates and rates through February 2009, for a little southern comfort: 

PGA Professional Chris Hartig and his staff at Virginia Golf Vacations.com can’t promise golfers sunny skies, sub-par rounds or accurate iron play at any of the two dozen courses they represent. What they can offer is the most intimate, local knowledge for all of your golf vacation needs, whether you’re traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia Beach or the Northern Neck region of Virginia.

“We’re the local experts,” said Hartig, the golf director at Virginia Golf Vacations and former director of golf at Kingsmill Golf Resort who boasts more than 20 years of experience in the golf business. “We’re in the marketplace. We know how long it takes to get from point X to Y. And we can help with course and accommodation selection based on personal preference.” 

"Brack" Is Back Following $7.5 Million Restoration 

SAN ANTONIO - After nearly a year's absence, San Antonio's Brackenridge Golf Course is preparing to re-emerge December 1 from a $7.5 million project that completely restored and aesthetically renewed all 18 holes in accordance to the original designs of A.W. Tillinghast, regarded as one of the great architects of American golf courses.

Originally built in 1915 and opened in 1916, Brackenridge was the first public golf course built in Texas, as well as one of the first courses designed by Tillinghast. 

If you're in the San Diego area for this week's Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, take the short trip across the Coronado Bay Bridge and experience San Diego County's second favorite municipal track. 

SAN DIEGO - According to a County-wide zip code chart published in the San Diego Union-Tribune in August 2006, the median cost of a single family home in the small beach city of Coronado, California was roughly $1.6 million in July of the same year. That makes it one of the most expensive places to live in San Diego County, and one of the priciest places in the country.

As you near the water on the massive white-sand public beaches of "Coronado Island", as the locals prefer to call it, you can't help but notice the gold particles that come ashore with every wave of blue water. 

Only a handful of destinations can hold a candle to Pinehurst when it comes to historical significance in the game of golf. Most of that fame, notoriety and importance can deservedly be attributed to the Pinehurst Resort's No. 2 course. The Donald Ross design is like the Terri Hatcher or Lori Laughlin of golf courses, remaining just as relevant and attractive after all these years.

No. 2 has hosted three Major Championships (1936 PGA and 1999, 2005 U.S. Open) and is set to host another U.S. Open in 2014. The storied venue also welcomed the Ryder Cup competition in 1951. This past summer, Pinehurst was the site of the U.S. Men's Amateur Championship.

The Orlando Golf Trail, a collection of accomplished golf courses and well-situated lodging properties along the Interstate 4 corridor, is adding a new club to its bag. The organization recently announced the introduction of an all-encompassing Web site that will allow users to book every aspect of their Orlando golf vacation.

On this site, you can link directly to a course's Web site, book tee times online at each course and receive a quote for a golf outing or a golf vacation package at a variety of properties in one, easy place.