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GOLF RESORT NEWS |
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Triple Header at Reunion
Creamy magnolias and pine boughs scent the air on the new Nicklaus
Design-created Tradition at Ginn Reunion Resort and Club, in the Disney
corridor near Orlando. That makes a total
of 54 holes of championship golf at Reunion on courses by Nicklaus,
Palmer and Watson. If you manage to emerge from Tradition's deep
bunkers, huge waste areas and water on nine holes, firm, generous
greens will be your reward. Also just opened at Reunion is Annika
Sorenstam's Academy of Golf and Fitness, where the LPGA star's
long-time golf coach, Henri Reis, emphasizes cardio-core training along
with swing techniques. Après golf, stow your stuff in the golf lockers
at the Reunion Grande condo hotel and head to the rooftop tapas bar,
Eleven, for city skyline views. Featuring opulent suites, the
eleven-story architectural icon at the resort opened in February. (http://www.reunionresort.com)
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Dr. Livingstone I Presume?
Built in 1908 for European settlers, the Livingstone Royal Golf and Country Club was entirely renovated and expanded in
2006. In the charming Zambian town of
Livingstone, the course is nearby the Zambezi River and spectacular
Victoria Falls, one of the "must-see" sights in Africa. The course and
the clubhouse comprise a Zambian National Heritage Monument. Over a
hundred species of mature trees create a veritable botanical garden
throughout the traditional parkland track. The sweet Edwardian
clubhouse is a lovely place to spend a few hours, browsing the historic
artifacts and lounging on the gracious verandah, enjoying lunch or
dinner in the restaurant, having a tipple in the Old Drift Bar,
chatting with the white-jacketed waiters. New additions to the club are
the fitness center, lawn tennis, a heated swimming pool and a locker
room with showers. Set in a secluded bend of the Zambezi, the 5-star
lodge, Tongabezi, offers a golf package, to include accommodation in a
sumptuous riverfront cottage, massage, river cruise, candlelight
dinners on an island, hippo viewing from a canoe, and two or more
rounds of golf. (http://www.livingstonegolf.com, http://www.tongabezi.com)
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Palmer and Fazio at the Beach
Arnie got married at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu not long ago, at sunset
in front of the Beach Cottages with a view of five miles of tropical
sands and blue water on gorgeous Kuilima
Cove. The 42 luxurious, beachfront cottages
are private retreats adjacent to the high-rise hotel and the Arnold
Palmer and George Fazio golf courses, amid ironwood trees and beautiful
wetlands on the island's North Shore. $70 million in renovations in
2006 resulted in new paspalum grass greens on the links-style Palmer,
and restoration and upgrade of the back nine on the Fazio; the new Lei
Lei restaurant and a clubhouse re-do, and a new practice facility at
the Turtle Bay Golf Academy. A unique offering, the Family Golf program
involves a parent-child clinic and a modified round on the Fazio
Course. The PGA Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour make stops here in the
wintertime. (http://www.turtlebayresort.com)
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Back at the Ranch
$25 million in renovations and additions are complete at Rancho
Bernardo Inn, the sprawling, 4-star vacation resort a half hour inland
from San Diego. Additions include a
lap pool and cabanas, and the 287 rooms and suites were outfitted with
new beds and fresh color schemes, flat screen TVs, deep soaking tubs,
and new indoor and outdoor furnishings; multi-level, 2-bedroom suites
have fireplaces. Oriental rugs, fireplaces, antiques and glorious
gardens enhance the several gathering places. The remodeled
full-service spa now has lush gardens, cabanas, outdoor fireplaces and
sunning lounges. The setting is a secluded valley reminiscent of early
California, with streams, lakes and bubbling fountains throughout the
grounds and the golf course, a 1960s beauty credited to the legendary
William F. Bell and upgraded to 21st century standards. Mature pines,
oaks and eucalyptus, elevated tees and undulating, parkland fairways
create a sweet experience. Guests are welcome to play at all of the JC
Golf-owned courses in southern California, and at Torrey
Pines. (http://www.ranchobernardoinn.com, http://www.jcgolf.com)
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New Lodge at Boyne
162 holes of world-class golf are reasons to spend summer vacations at
Boyne Mountain in northern Michigan. What's new is the 4-star, 220-room
Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa luxury condominium hotel featuring 1- to 4-bedroom suites with kitchens. Sumptuous European alpine is the theme: hand-hewn timbers and knotty
pine, fireplaces, cuckoo clocks, hand-carved furnishings and whirlpool
tubs. Among eight courses welcoming Mountain Grand guests, the Alpine
plunges gracefully down to Deer Lake in generous fairways. At the
7,086-yard Monument, be ready for a mile-long cart ride to the first
tee, which drops dramatically to a green beyond a menacing pond. Leave
the kids at the gigantic new Avalanche Bay water park, where rides,
slides, waves and pools, a surf simulator, climbing walls and a
mega-arcade with 100 games will fill their hours while you chase the
little white ball. An alternative: check your beginning golfers in at
the Boyne Golf Academy, overseen by Dean of Golf Instruction, Jim
Flick. Tops on the luxury list, the Inn at Bay Harbor hotel/condominium
offers 1- to 3-bedroom, lakefront accommodations, a beach club and
full-service spa, and 27 holes of Arthur Hill-designed golf at Bay
Harbor Golf Club. (http://www.mountaingrandlodge.com, http://www.innatbayharbor.com)
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TPC Re-Dye/Sawgrass Re-Do
The notorious THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra
Beach has reopened after a $40 million renovation to Dye's original
design, including all-weather improvements to the greens, a glamorous
new Mediterranean-style clubhouse, larger practice facilities and a new
caddie program. Nearby, the TPC Valley course is a
Dye/Pate creation, while Ed Seay designed the Sawgrass and Marsh
Landing Country Club courses and the Oak Bridge Club course. In an
idyllic environment of lagoons, freshwater lakes and the Atlantic
Ocean, the 508-room Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Spa here has also been
completely transformed. Sleeping eight
people, the luxurious Island Green Villas have full kitchens,
living/dining areas and water views. The expansive Spa at Sawgrass
opened in 2005 with 19 treatment rooms. Hotel guests get top tee times
at both TPC courses, and access to the private Cabana Beach Club. The
second largest golf resort in the U.S. with 99 holes of championship
golf, Sawgrass hosts PGA and Senior PGA tour events and the Players'
Championship. (http://www.tpc.com, http://www.sawgrassmarriott.com)
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