Sunday, March 27, 2011

Golf in Virginia Beach

Known as the “Tidewater Region”, Virginia Beach is home to the miles of beaches and as well as the array of long-protected beach areas. This resort city is maintaining a reputation being considered as a family-friendly classic beach vacation oceanfront resort. With the year-round mild climate, the city is often flocked by local and foreign guests looking for a relaxing retreat by the waters or the scenic greens. Aside from the miles of pristine waters, Virginia Beach also boasts of its several state parks, numerous historic sites, three military bases, large corporations, two universities, and a number of challenging golf courses. The Riverfront Golf Club, the Heron Ridge Golf Club, the Signature at West Neck, the Virginia Beach National Golf Club, the Nicklaus Course of Bay Creek Resort & Club, and the Palmer Course of Bay Creek Resort & Club are among the premier golf courses that has been attracting golfers from across the nation.

Riverfront Golf Club

Designed by the famed golf course architect Tom Doak, the Riverfront Golf Club is an old-style layout that is situated along the banks of Nansemond River. This challenging layout winds through the huge oaks and pines, vast rolling farmland, tidal marshes, and the riverfront acreage. The course was also awarded with Golf Digest’s 4 ½ stars as well as Golf and Travel Magazine’s “40 Best Daily Fee Courses”.

Heron Ridge Golf Club

Considered as one of the best kept golf facilities in Virginia Beach, the Heron Ridge Golf Club is the masterpiece of Gene Bates and Fred Couples. The layout features the 14 holes with natural wetlands and water hazards that wind through the not so typical topography with uncommon elevation changes and the unique setting of Beech, Elm, and Oak trees. The “Big Hitters” can also take advantage of the course’s 7,000 yards of play.

Signature at West Neck

An unmatched golf masterpiece set in the Tidewater area is what the Signature at West Neck is all about. This latest Arnold Palmer Course Design offers the challenging par 72, 7,010 yard of play and the five sets of tees. The layout also features the expertly maintained A-4 bent grass greens as well as the Tifsport Bermuda fairways and tees with the picturesque natural wetlands that accent the landscaped terrain.

Virginia Beach National Golf Club

The Virginia Beach National Golf Club is a premier public golf facility in the Tidewater area. The entire layout was designed by the famous Pete Dye with the assistance of Curtis Strange, a known golf Hall of Famer. It features the masterful blend of rolling fairways, “tour-quality greens”, waste areas, and the natural grasses. Stretching over 7,200 yards of play, golfers of all sorts can surely find a “comfort zone” among the five sets of tees.

Bay Creek Resort & Club – Nicklaus Course

The Nicklaus Course of the Bay Creek Resort & Club is a Jack Nicklaus creation that was cited as one of the “Top 10 Best Public Courses in Virginia in 2010” by Golf Week. The layout, which is considered as Nicklaus’ latest design, features the acres of natural dunes as well as the breathtaking views of the Old Plantation Creek and Chesapeake Bay. Large waste bunkers and over a hundred formal bunkers await every golfer.

Bay Creek Resort & Club – Palmer Course

Considered as East Coast’s most spectacular golf layout, the Palmer Course of the Bay Creek Resort & Club offers the challenging rounds for golfers of all ability levels. The layout features several holes that were framed by large beach bunkers and sand dunes, eight holes situated on the Old Plantation Creek, and four holes on the Chesapeake Bay. To add up to the challenge, the course was placed with the strategically placed five sets of tees on the smooth A-4 greens.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Orlando’s Finest Courses

What was once a quiet town and a featureless scrubland has now turned into an all-time favorite vacation destination for guests from all parts of the world. Orlando, among the many other places in Florida has been attracting visitors of all ages whatever season it may be. Kids and young at hearts can explore the well visited theme parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld, or try the water parks, shopping malls, and many other exciting places to visit. Although Orlando has been popularly known as a year-round getaway paradise with the major theme parks, the city is also home to some of the world’s finest greens that were designed by professional golf icons. Amidst the city’s vast urban sprawl are the best holes scattered around the undulating greens that offer unmatched beauty and difficulty levels. Some of Orlando’s finest courses include the Crooked Cat of the Orange County National, the International Course of the Championsgate Golf Resort, the Grande Lakes of Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista, the Harmony Golf Preserve, and the Legends Golf and Country Club.

Orange County National – Crooked Cat

Cited by Golf Digest as “Places to Play” in 2000 and rated with 4 ½ stars, the Crooked Cat of the Orange County National is a 7,277-yard layout that features the native redtop heather grass with the Scottish feel. The steep grass, sand bunkers, large sloping greens, and the 50-foot elevation changes has made this unique layout stand out among the rest. The Crooked Cat course also serves as the true test to every golfer’s skill level.

Championsgate Golf Resort – International Course

World class golf with unmatched facilities is what the International Course of the Championsgate Golf Resort is all about. Just minutes away from the famous Walt Disney World, this ultimate escape also serves as the perfect retreat for golf professionals who want rekindle the good old days. The resort also offers the digital GPS Caddy System where golfers will experience the PGA-type scoring while improving further with their swings.

Ritz-Carlton Golf Club – Grande Lakes

The Grande Lakes of Ritz-Carlton Golf club is the masterpiece of Greg Norman, a 2-time British Open Champion and top golf course designer. The layout offers the strategically placed bunkers, the intermingling balance of water hazards, and the meticulously groomed green complexes. These features serve as Orlando’s fair test of golf to guests coming from all parts of the globe.

Disney’s Lake Buena Vista

Disney’s Lake Buena Vista is a meandering course that runs through Orlando’s pine forests, sparkling lakes, palmettos, and the pastel villas. The golf course that was designed by Joe Lee was given a rating of four out of five stars by Golf Digest. While honing their swinging skills, golfers can also take the best views of the boats and canals as well as the enchanting lighthouse.

Harmony Golf Preserve

Designed by Johnny Miller, a former U.S. Open Champion, the Harmony Golf Preserve offers the complete golf practice facility that features the driving range, chipping area, and the putting green. The resort is also home to the magnificent clubhouse that holds the best banquet facility as well as a professional shop, locker rooms for men and women, and the taproom. The resort’s great outdoors has the diverse animal and plant life that lovers of nature can further explore.

Legends Golf and Country Club

Selected as the first among the “Top Ten Golf Courses in Central Florida” for the year 2002 by the Florida Golf Central Magazine, the Legends Golf and Country Club has the majestic layout that has a 72.9 course rating. The course features the vertiginous elevations, breathtaking views, and the cinemascopic horizons that amaze every golfer who takes the challenges of its well designed holes.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Homestead Resort Golf

Year-round fun and adventure in a tranquil setting suits the best description for Homestead Resort. This premier luxury resort was founded ten years prior to the American Revolution and is considered as national historic landmark that has been attracting both the local and foreign visitors from all parts of the globe. The area is said to be home for the state’s largest hot springs, the oldest alpine ski resort, and three championship golf layouts designed by famous golf icons like Donald Ross, William S. Flynn, Rees Jones, and Robert Trent Jones Sr. Along with its rich history that extends nearly 2 ½ centuries as well as the majestic sceneries, Homestead is by all means, Virginia’s pride for relaxation and luxury in abundance. The Cascades Course, the Old Course, and the Lower Cascades Course are three of the world’s finest greens that The Homestead offers to its guests.

The Homestead – Cascades Course

The Cascades Course of Homestead has been cited as “The Best Public Course in Virginia for 2010” by GolfWeek Magazine, and among Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses”. Designed by the legendary golf course architect William S. Flynn, the Cascades is set through the varied terrains of the breathtaking Allegheny Mountains that offers the par 72, 6,679 yards of play from the layout’s longest tees. This fabled mountain golf course is also where Sam Snead had his humble beginnings. For those who have just started to develop their golfing skills, the layout may penalize them for unfair hazard placements or forced carries. The course was given a slope rating of 137 and a course rating of 73.0.

The Homestead – Old Course

Home to the nation’s oldest first tee that is continuously operating, the Old Course of The Homestead is an 18-hole facility that boasts of its evolving as well as challenging golf rounds. The layout features the par 72, 6,211 yards of play from the longest tees as well as the challenging rough that would require positioning on the greens. It has the slope rating of 120 and a course rating of 69.7. With the constant updates of Rees Jones and William S. Flynn, golfers will have the challenging tee times on the layout’s abundant fairways that give the mot shots a downhill lie, side hill, or uphill to smallish greens.

The Homestead – Lower Cascades Course

The Lower Cascades Course of The Homestead is all about competitive golfing. Designed by the older Robert Trent Jones, the layout features the wide-open fairways, runway tee boxes, exaggerated breaks on severe green contouring, and the strategically placed bunkers, all placed on the 6,579 yards of golf. This 18-hole par 72 course was given a slope rating of 127 and a course rating of 72.2. Majority of the holes at Lower Cascades are set in a beautiful valley with a few that winds up onto the ridges. When playing from the back tees, golfers would be required to take the long and straight approach shots all the way through the course’s undulating greens.