October 31, 2007

The Must-See Natural Wonder on Your Northern Ireland Golf Vacation

by Craig Better

While we would advocate for playing as much golf as possible on a
Northern Ireland golf vacation, one of our golden rules of traveling
is to never leave a place without experiencing at least a few of the
off-course sights, sounds, activities, and tastes that make it famous
or unique.

One of the great things about a Northern Ireland golf vacation is that
you don’t have to go very far from some of its best golf courses to
find its most famous sight, the Giant’s Causeway.

Just seven miles east of Northern Ireland’s great Royal Portrush Golf
Club (http://www.royalportrushgolfclub.com/), on the scenic Antrim
Coast Road, is the Giant’s Causeway, a network of 40,000 basalt (i.e.
volcanic) columns packed together, their tops forming “stepping
stones” that lead away from the shore and disappear under the sea.

Similar columns can be found on the Scottish island of Staffa, giving
rise to the romantic myth that the Causeway was a road built by an
Irish giant whose sweetheart, a lady giant or giantess, lived on the
Scottish isle.

What’s almost more unbelievable than this fantastic story is how
molten rock can crystallize and form these near perfect, hexagonally
shaped columns, some of which are 40 feet tall.

In 1986, the Giant’s Causeway was declared a World Heritage Site and
some consider it to be one of the top-five greatest natural wonders in
all of the United Kingdom. It’s definitely worth a short detour on a
Northern Ireland golf vacation.

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Recent Tips from Golf Vacation Insider

Pick the Right Portmarnock for Your Dublin, Ireland Golf Vacation
by Craig Better | August 27, 2007

When deciding where to play on a Dublin, Ireland golf vacation, the
name “Portmarnock” will undoubtedly arise. What many people don’t
know, however, is that there are two worthy courses in the Dublin area
which carry that name, and it’s important to know the difference.
The Portmarnock Golf Club was established in 1894 and its course has
hosted more important golf competitions than any other in Ireland.
Despite being virtually flat (the overall elevation change is no more
than 12 feet) it’s length, wind, bunkers, forced carries, and overall
demand on accuracy also make it one of the country’s most difficult.

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Why Everybody Plays Lahinch on Their Ireland Golf Vacation
by Craig Better | July 16, 2007

More times than not, when you hear someone rattling off names of the
golf courses they’ve played, or are planning to play, during an
Ireland golf vacation, Lahinch is on the list. But why, exactly, is
this course a perennial favorite?
Well, it doesn’t hurt that Lahinch is one of the most convenient
courses to play when you’re on a southwestern Ireland golf vacation.
It’s located only about 30 miles from Shannon Airport, which handles
the bulk of air traffic to that part of the country.

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New Look Puts Old Hotel Back in Play on a Northern Ireland Golf
Vacation
by Craig Better | June 18, 2007

In the past, we couldn’t wholeheartedly recommend the Slieve Donard
hotel when playing Royal County Down on a Northern Ireland golf
vacation. Despite being located next door to the famous golf course,
the quality of the imposing, red sandstone Victorian inn had
fluctuated over the years.
Thanks to the recent completion of an 18-month, 15 million
refurbishing program, however, it seems like good things are,
literally, back on track. Last summer, our

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October 29, 2007

Nicklaus Layout in Doubt as Addition to New York City Golf Courses

by Craig Better

Thanks to Tiger Woods’ drama-filled win at the 2002 U.S. Open,
Bethpage Black is what comes to most peoples’ minds when talking about
great, municipal New York golf courses.

That was supposed to change by this year, when a new, tour-caliber
golf course was to be open for play in the Bronx, the northernmost of
the city’s five boroughs. Unfortunately, seven years after the Ferry
Point Golf Course
project was announced, the future of the New York golf course is still
in doubt.

In a recent New York Times article (), we learned that the city’s
Department of Parks and Recreation cancelled its contract with Ferry
Point Partners, the investment/development group that included Jack
Nicklaus, but, according to the city’s comptroller, not before
overpaying the firm by nearly $6 million.

After auditing the project, the comptroller claims that most of the $7
million that Ferry Point Partners billed the parks department to clean
up the toxic landfill site (upon which the course was to be built)
should have been absorbed by Ferry Point Partners as part of the deal
they worked out with the city. The parks department disputes the
comptroller’s findings, but is looking for a new firm to finish the
project, which the article estimates could cost about $85 million.

This tells us not to expect a new addition to New York City’s golf
courses anytime soon. Perhaps the layout will be ready by 2009, when
the U.S. Open returns.to Bethpage Black.

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Recent Tips from Golf Vacation Insider

Choosing Between the Two Best Courses for a New Mexico Golf Vacation
by Craig Better | October 24, 2007

Black Mesa Golf Club (http://www.blackmesagolfclub.com/) near Santa Fe
and Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club (http://www.paakoridge.com/) near
Albuquerque are arguably the two best courses to play on a New Mexico
golf vacation, but in terms of the experiences they provide, they
couldn’t be more different.
Set amidst rugged sandstone cliffs and mesas, desert arroyos, and
native grasses, the Black Mesa golf course guides you from one
strategic and relentlessly difficult challenge to another. And while
architect Baxter Spann took steps to accommodate higher handicappers,
there are still plenty of blind shots, hefty forced carries and narrow
lanes of turf to contend with.

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The Best Course to Play on a Costa Rica Golf Vacation
by Craig Better | October 22, 2007

The 2004 opening of the Four Seasons Costa Rica Golf Club
(http://www.fourseasons.com/costarica/golf.html) lent great support to
the idea that Costa Rica can be more than the low-budget playground
for rough-and-ready trekkers, backpackers, surfers, and
eco-adventurers.

And, not only is the Four Seasons Costa Rica Golf Club the best course
to play on a Costa Rica golf vacation, it is arguably the best course
in all of Central America.
Architects from Arnold Palmer Design carved the course into a tropical
dry forest and incorporated the area’s rollicking headlands and
canyons, so there are precipitous elevation changes and continual
visual movement, as well as spectacular ocean views on 14 holes (the
ocean never comes into play, however).

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The Most Expensive Course to Avoid on Your Las Vegas Golf Vacation
by Craig Better | October 12, 2007

The PGA Tour is in Las Vegas this week, a city known for big-money
golf. With the opening of the Wynn Golf and Country Club
(http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/) in April 2005, three Las Vegas golf
courses now charge $500 green fees, the most expensive in the Unites
States of America to our knowledge. The other two are Shadow Creek
(http://www.shadowcreekgolf.com/) and Cascata
(http://www.harrahs.com/golf/cascata-golf/).
Unlike its five-Franklin friends, however, whose bang-for-the-buck
quotient is arguable, at Wynn, it’s clearly not. If it wasn’t located
directly on the Las Vegas Strip, we doubt owner Steve Wynn could get
away with charging half of what he does. Even with its convenient
location, there are better options on a Las Vegas golf vacation.

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