As I drove through England on a balmy day in late May, I found it hard to concentrate on driving on the “wrong” side of the road because the countryside constantly drew my attention. Meadows and crops in all shades of green covered the hills like patchwork pieces stitched together by tidy hedgerows, with fields […]
Scotland’s Fairmont St. Andrews
The seaside village of St. Andrews is the historic heart of Scotland. The world’s first golf course is here, along with the country’s first university and cathedral ruins dating back to the 1100s. Golf on St. Andrews Old Course was first mentioned in print in 1457, when King James II ordered his archers to stop […]
Myrtle Beach’s Golf Coast
Myrtle Beach’s greatest attraction may be its 70 miles of wide, sandy beaches, but many of its 14 million annual visitors spend a lot of time trying to avoid sand. Bunker sand, that is. On the 100 courses scattered along the Grand Strand, there are probably as many golfers having fun with their sand wedges […]
Orlando: Golf Till You Drop
The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center is a good place to begin an Orlando odyssey, especially after a winter hiatus when your home course is snowbound. The extraordinary Florida-themed hotel has 1,406 guestrooms ringing a 4 ½-acre glass-domed atrium. Many rooms have balconies overlooking the climate-controlled interior. Shops and restaurants are set among tropical […]
The Awakening: Bahamas’ Great Exuma
There are more than 700 sleepy little islands and cays collectively known as the “Out Islands” of the Bahamas. The “In” islands (though they do not call themselves that) are New Providence Island (Nassau, Paradise Island) and Grand Bahama Island (Freeport). These mega-islands never sleep, and the tourist traffic is constant year-round. The island of […]
The Raven Golf Club at West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Thirteen inches of snow has fallen at Snowshoe Mountain Resort since the weekend. Cold as it is, we’re sure to have a white Christmas. Yesterday’s snowfall was the stuff of skiers’ dreams, feather-light powder that makes you feel as if you’re floating down the slope on a cloud. From my desk I can see one […]
Australia Wine and Golf
Americans often lump New Zealand and Australia together, even though they are 1,000 miles apart. Both countries are peopled by friendly folk, but they dislike being named in the same breath and are fiercely competitive in the things that count—sports, wine, food and the wow factor of their countries. We flew from Auckland, New Zealand, […]
Delightful Duo–St. Kitts and Nevis
The sky was streaked with the tangerine and lavender of sunset when our plane touched down on St. Kitts. Caught in brilliant silhouette was the volcano on the neighboring island of Nevis. We’d only been in the air 45 minutes from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the islands appeared–long, skinny St. Kitts looking like a […]
Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
I kept my eyes on the ball until it vanished in a flurry of horses’ hooves, swinging mallets and shouting riders. A whistle signaled the chukker’s end, and I resumed my conversation with the fellow sitting beside me in the stands. “The games are not all that different,” I said, “except for the danger. Golf’s […]
White Witch Golf Course, Jamaica
Jamaica offers a quick fix for the winter blues. Montego Bay is easy to get to and offers enough good golf to keep you busy for a week or more, starting with the White Witch Golf Course at Rose Hall. Opened in 2000, the course is named for one of Jamaica’s most famous legends, “the […]
