Colonial Heritage Golf Club

The Colonial Heritage Club is an artful craft of Arthur Hills that emulates Southern Virginia’s classic beauty perfectly set amid Williamsburg’s historical backdrop. This stunning golf vacation destination meanders through the acres of densely wooded grounds and offers the challenging 6,889-yard par 72 play for golfers of all handicap levels. The championship layout also features the five sets of tees with the strategically placed bunkers, carefully planned water features, and the undulating fairways that create the guest’s enjoyable golfing experience.

There is no need to worry if golfing is not your cup of tea. The resort has the vast natural terrain landscape where you can enjoy relaxing with nature at its finest. While some of the resort’s guests take the challenges of the inviting 18-hole Colonial Heritage Golf Club course, some would head to the magnificent Clubhouse where they can dine, chat, and enjoy live entertainment with the classic British-colonial ambiance. Hospitality is also unsurpassed. The resort staff also provides guests the superb assistance that is beyond expectations.

What makes this golf spot much more attractive is that guests can play and relax with the feeling of being at home. And although the championship golf course can be very inviting, you can still opt for solitude with nature away from the crowd and still have a great time. The next time you plan for an exciting golf escape with family and friends, think about the Colonial Heritage Golf Club. There are already plenty of golf vacation packages that will suit your budget and preferences as well as golf vacation specialists that will help you plan out that dream golf vacation of a lifetime.

Free Lunch in Williamsburg!

Looking for the best deal going in Williamsburg? Well here it is...... On top of an already great deal we are throwing in a 4th nights lodging for free, a 4th round of golf for free, lunch at each course for free and if that was not enough you get two free beers with each round!

Lodging- Springhill Suites by Marriott

-Bedroom has 2 queen bed along with living room that has- couch, tv, refrigerator and microwave.

-Free extended continental breakfast (includes hot items)

-Restaurants within walking distance

Golf-

• The Tradition Golf Club at Kiskiack - Awarded with 4 stars by Golf Digest's "Places to Play"
• The Tradition Golf Club at Stonehouse - Included in the Golf and Travel list of the "100 Modern Courses"
• The Tradition Golf Club at Royal New Kent- Named as one of "America's Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses" by Golf Digest.
• The Tradition Golf Club at Brickshire - Golf Digest 4 1/2 star rating

This package is valid from April 4th through May 29th 2011 for $525 per person with all taxes and fees included. If you would like to discuss this package or get information on other options give Craig Gordon a call at 888.333.6079.

Guide to Orlando golf

If you have kids, or are a kid at heart, Orlando means one thing: Walt Disney World. If you're a golfer at heart, Orlando means not only Disney World, but also a slew of outstanding public, semi-private and resort golf courses. It seems like half of the PGA Tour makes Orlando a home, likely due to its fine airport, wonderful climate, superior golf facilities — and hey, we've got to throw in Florida's lack of a personal income tax, too. Pros such as Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara and Nick Faldo hang out mostly at such private enclaves as Isleworth and Lake Nona, but you never know when you'll run into one of these celebrities at a restaurant or grocery store. Best of all, Orlando has so many public-access Tour courses; you can feel like a star merely by putting your peg in the ground.

What's New in Town

Give and take is the theme these days in O-Town. The real estate slump has shuttered the Ginn Open, won by Lorena Ochoa, but you can still play its distinctive venue, the Independence Course at Ginn Reunion Resort. This course is an entertaining Tom Watson design in 2002 that features the massive moguls, wildly undulating greens, and the vast sandy waste areas.

After the closure of the Pete Dye-designed Eagle Pines in 2007, Disney will have the new addition to its golf courses this fall with the debut of a new Rees Jones creation. Technically, the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club is not a Disney property, but it's surrounded on three sides by the Disney Resort. The course will serve guests of two new hotels, the Waldorf Astoria Orlando and the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.

GOLF Magazine's 3rd Best New Private Course of 2008, Sugarloaf Mountain Golf & Town Club, has attempted to weather the economic downturn by keeping its doors open to public play.
Perfectly set on a remarkably rolling terrain located just 40 minutes west of Orlando, Sugarloaf’s Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw eighteen dishes out 250 feet of elevation change. The layout’s occasionally blind tee shots as well as the heaving fairways hearken back to the classic lay-of-the-land designs that date back 90 years and more and views of Lake Apopka add further nuance to the experience.

The Trophy Collection

The closest thing Orlando has to royalty is Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge, a civilized island in the city's sea of glitz and glamour that serves as winter home for the King. The Challenger/Champion nines make up the layout that has played host to the PGA Tour since 1979 and it's full of long, flat, no-nonsense, boldly bunkered holes that play over and around seven massive lakes. Drop-dead sceneries are not visible in the area. It would be just about the players and one challenging breeze-fueled holes. The relentless shot-making demands would make it easier for you to understand why Tiger Woods, a defending champion, has won several times in this course including the 2000-2003 four-peat.

An even older PGA Tour stop is at Walt Disney World which is home to the Palm Course and Magnolia Course that made their big-league debut in 1971. It was when Jack Nicklaus won the first of three straight. Of these two Joe-Lee designed spreads, two-time Ryder Cupper Chris DiMarco says, "The Mag used to be a great course — and it still is if you stay away from the back tees they put in back in 2005. The Palms is a lot of fun, with reachable par-5s." The Magnolia Golf Course tips out at 7,516 yards, but there's big fun to be had from any tee at the par-3 6th, which features a green protected at the right-front by a bunker shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. The Palm is the slightly tighter of the two, with many holes edged by jungle-like forest, with wildlife to match. Still, the premier Disney course is Tom Fazio's Osprey Ridge, which is distinguished by its mounds, its wetlands and its huge, very three-puttable greens.

Continuing the "magic" theme, I would put Grand Cypress Resort's New Course on your Orlando must-play list. Jack Nicklaus' homage to the Old Course at St. Andrews features no trees, minimal water (in the form of winding burns), semi-blind shots, double greens and more than 140 bunkers, some as much as 12 feet deep, where a ladder provides access. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but when the wind is up and the course is playing firm, it's like Scotland in sunshine.

Best of the Rest

Tiger Woods once uncovered that Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Grande Lakes contained some of the best courses he had ever putted. The low-profile Greg Norman design eases past oaks, lakes and wetlands, but it's the service, facilities and conditioning that make it worth the hefty fee.

Ginn Reunion Resort's Independence course might be the best of the property's three choices, but the flower-laden Legacy course, crafted by Arnold Palmer, is close behind. The resort’s newest layout, a Jack Nicklaus product, typifies the essence of what Florida golf is all about even more when its new clubhouse opens next year.

ChampionsGate’s two tracks – The National Course and The International Course, both a flattish creation of the famed Greg Norman are also attracting plenty of guests year. The International Course that plays host to early December's Del Webb Father/Son Challenge, is probably one of the most coveted invitations the PGA and Champions Tour players get all year. The on-site Omni hotel is a plus, as is one of golf's greatest institutions of higher learning, the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, which has its headquarters here.

Orange County National's Crooked Cat and Panther Lake both serve as PGA Tour Q-School tests and comprise perhaps the best values in the Orlando area, though they're often overlooked, so superb are the practice facilities and Phil Ritson Golf School.

To keep up with the Joneses, you'll need to tackle Celebration Golf Club, one of the final collaborations between Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr. The course’s strategically deployed water hazards as well as the slopey greens will instantly give you an idea who designed the holes.


These are just a few of the great courses in the Orlando area. As you can see, there are nusmerous options for great golf with all sorts of pricing. Peak season green fees in Orlando can range from $70 to $150 plus. Looking for a Golf Vacation Specialist to help you plan your next golf getaway, you can call Glen at 888.333.6103 or email me at glen@golfzoo.com.

Bent Grass is no longer King in my book.

My entire golfing career (if you call it that) I have always said how much I love putting on Bent Grass greens and how much I despise Bermuda. The "older" Bermuda greens have always had thicker blades of grass and you could never count on the ball having a true roll. You always stood and watched your ball zig zag towards the hole hoping it zagged at the right time into the bottom of the cup. Here in Myrtle Beach more and more courses are changing over to the new and improved strands such as Mini Verde and Champion Ultra Dwarf and wow are they good! The blades are as thin as Bent giving a great roll but require far less maintenance. This past summer with 90 degree plus temperatures virtually everyday was the tipping point for golf course owners as the Bent could just not survive while the new bermuda greens were thriving.

If you would like to see for yourself just how good they are here are a couple of courses in the Myrtle Beach area to try: TPC Myrtle Beach, Arrowhead, Legends- Heathland or Rivers Edge. Call myself or one of other Myrtle Beach golf vacation specialists a call at 888.929.7300.

Reynolds Plantation- High end golf at it's best!

This past weekend I stayed at the beautiful Ritz Carlton hotel at Reynolds Plantation in Georgia. When talking about the top east coast golf resorts I can not believe this property is not brought up in the same breath with Pinehurst and Kiawah Island as it is of equal caliber. The Resort is an hour and a half east of Atlanta which makes for easy access and boarders lake Oconee.

The hotel lives up to it's name with the highest level of service, gorgeous views, and superior dining. If your looking for night life there is Gabby's on the Lake which has a sports bar feel but the majority of the guests have a few cocktails in the lobby bar that features live music daily. There are very few places to go outside the resort as it's a fairly secluded area.

Now for the golf.....although Oconee and Great Waters are the top two I still loved Plantation, National, and Landing. If I had to pick just one it would be Jack Nicholas's Great Waters and the back nine in particular which nearly every hole runs alone Lake Oconee. The views are spectacular and although there are homes that can be seen from many of the fairways they are set back far enough you hardly notice they are there. I am also partial to Plantation as I shot my personal best and found myself in the 60's for the first time!

All things considered this is one of my absolute favorite golf destinations and anyone who loves the game of golf needs to experience at least once.

Scottsdale on a budget? Here's your deal!!!

Scottsdale, Arizona - arguably the best destination on the planet for winter golf, is also one of the most expensive in the winter months. Looking for a winter Scottsdale golf package without having to take out a second mortgage? Here's the answer:

The Arizona Grand Peak Season Stay and Play.

It's an all suite, Four Star full service resort with all the goodies you need, along with 4 great tracks for $199 per person per day all inclusive. Here are a few reasons the Arizona Grand is one of my all time favorite resorts:

• Every room is a "real" suite - Many hotels will call their rooms suites simply because they throw a couch and table in the corner. The Resort Suite at the AZ Grand is a true 2 room suite and over 500 square feet with a private patio as well. It's the real deal.
• It's all right there - with the Arizona Grand Golf Club on site, 3 restaurants, cool lobby bar with billiards, killer fitness club, spa, and less than 10 minutes from the airport, it's no fuss no muss.
• Services - don't underestimate the convenience of a full service resort. Room service, concierge service, valet parking, even mini-bars will all come in handy at some point...
• The Arizona Grand Golf Club - one of my favorites in Scottsdale, it's relatively tame (less than 6400 yards from the tips), but the layout is FUN. It's absolutely perfect for day of arrival or day of departure golf. Also - #18 is one of the best par 3's in Arizona.
• Back Patio with fire pits - the new clubhouse sports a very cool back patio overlooking the island tee off #1 hole - one my favorite spots in Arizona for a cocktail with the boys after our round. (Show em your scorecard, and you get happy hour prices in the bar all day...)

We picked 4 courses that are not only some of the valley's best, but also close to the resort - all are within a 20 minute drive:

• Arizona Grand Golf Club - Onsite at the resort - day of arrival after 1:00.
• Club West Golf Club - dramatic elevation changes - esp. on back nine - double green on par three 17th hole.
• Ocotillo Golf Resort - Bring a few sleeves.... water comes into play on 23 of 27 holes. Have lunch at Bernard's on the back patio after your round. (Before 8:30)
• Whirlwind Golf Club - Your choice - Devil's Claw or Cattail - Gary Panks will get you one way or the other...

There are also many other courses available, so just ask, and we can customize an itinerary for your group. This stay and play is valid now through the end of peak season, and will be even less after April 10th, 2011! $199 per person per day covers everything - double occupancy suite at the Arizona Grand Resort, the $30 daily resort fee, golf each day, and all the taxes. It's simply the best deal in Arizona for peak season this year.

Call Chris Parcell at 888.867.6911 or Lori Greene at 888.867.6921 in our Phoenix / Scottsdale offices today!

Cocktails Anyone??

Although my preference is a good shot of Silver Patron and a cold beer, a foofy cocktail now and then is fun.  Check out the article I found on where to go for that kind of thing on azcentral.com

If it's beer you're looking for, Four Peaks Brewery is a nice spot for microbrews.  Consistently voted the best brewpub in the Phoenix area.  Four Peaks has two locations, Tempe and Scottsdale. They have a good happy hour menu and the food is good.

Nothing better than sitting back on a hot summer night with a cold one.  My favorite beer is the Hefeweisen and the Kiltlifter.  The beer bread sandwiches are excellent and portions are big.  Parking is a bit of a challenge but worth it!

Myrtle Beach Golf Courses are Getting More Aggressive

It's no big secret that nearly all business are down compared to where they were a few years ago, with some more than others. The Myrtle Beach golf courses have actually faired very well compared too many other destinations and other industries for that matter. But lucky for golf enthusiasts they are getting even more aggressive with the "deals" and "specials" passed along to companies like us, Golf Zoo.

Recently the Myrtle Beach National Company has taken over management of an increasing number of courses around town. They offer a great "Play 4, Get the 5^th Round Free" promo which has been very successful and even more so with the addition of TPC of Myrtle Beach, Wachesaw Plantation East, Tradition Club, Pawley's Plantation, Wild Wing and Blackmoor. Groups now have 15 different courses to choose from with tracks close to any lodging location. This gives them a big advantage over the stand along courses that do not have the ability to offer such great multi play deals.


Legends Resorts is another that has been very successful as of late not only offering the "Play 4, Get the 5^th Round Free" but also throwing in Breakfast, Lunch and Beer as well. This is especially nice for groups staying in condo properties that do not normally offer breakfast they now get that and more.

Another trend that just started this year is "early booking incentives" which give groups special rates and time slots for booking their trips further in advance.


With the competition heating up this is a great time to consider Myrtle Beach for your next golf trip. If you want more information on the specials above feel free to give me, Craig Gordon a call at 888.333.6079 as I am here in Myrtle.

$100 Merchandise Gift Certificate for Group Leaders!

Group Leaders deserve a little something extra this summer!

Book your next golf package by August 31, 2010 and the group leader will receive a $100 Gift Certificate to The Golf Warehouse, one of the biggest online golf discount stores! Golf Zoo not only saves you money, time and the hassle of putting the trip together, but we are going to hook you up with a nice gift for yourself. Pick up that new putter you've had your eye on and take more of your buddies' money on the links! Group leaders deserve Pro V1's - not Top-Flites!

To qualify for the Gift Certificate you must have a group of 8 or more people and make your deposit on a minimum of a 3 night / 3 round package by August 31, 2010. The Gift Certificate will be emailed to you with your travel vouchers 3 weeks prior to travel. This offer is only valid on new reservations.

Call one of our expert Golf Vacation Specialists today!

Sweet Rides @ Palmetto Dunes Resort

To make each round of golf more enjoyable on its three courses, Fazio, Jones and Arthur Hills, Palmetto Dunes offers three unique modes of transportation for getting around the links.  The golf carts provide air conditioned comfort for the Summer months and the heated models for the cooler months.

Segway Golf Transporters can travel at more than 12 mph and are easy to operate and maneuver. It's a popular alternative for transportation on the green.

Whatever type of transportation you choose you will have a enjoyable round on these three World Class courses.