Travel Insider: Summer deals, Northern Michigan
By LINKS Magazine staff
Each week, LINKS Magazine will provide travel news and notes. For more information from LINKS Magazine, please visit the official website.
TRAVEL INSIDER
To celebrate the 100th anniversary season of the San Francisco Symphony, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco is offering a "Cool Nights and Hot Classics" package through July 31. The summer concert series, held at Davies Symphony Hall, features the repertoire of composers like Tchaikovsky and Gershwin along with performances by contemporary artists. Packages start at $209 per night and include a 25 percent discount on concert tickets. Make it a birdies-and-Beethoven trip by teeing it up at the Presidio, a hilly, historic (1896) track with fine views of Golden Gate Bridge; and Harding Park, a superb revamped muni that hosted the 2009 Presidents Cup. Click here for more information
Tucked into Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley, Omni Bedford Springs Resort, treated to a $120 million makeover four years ago, may be the best-kept secret in the East. With its white-columned hotel, spring-fed spa, blue-ribbon trout stream and a revived golf course originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast and Donald Ross, this "palace in the wilderness," used by President James Buchanan as his summer White House in the late 1850s is a step back in time. Click here for more information
Promontory, a private golf community in the trendy ski town of Park City, Utah, welcomes visitors to enjoy a weekend like a member. An exclusive two-night Stay & Play package, priced at $499 through Aug. 31, features accommodations in a luxury Trapper's Cabin, golf for two on the Pete Dye Canyon Course, access to the Ranch Clubhouse Fitness Center & Spa, and other extras. Click here for more information
Stuck for a place to play in the New York metropolitan area? Pound Ridge GC, the rugged Pete Dye course in Westchester County, has partnered with Delamar Greenwich Harbor, a stylish waterfront hotel in nearby Fairfield County, Conn., to offer a best-in-class tandem. Guests receive preferred tee times and golf rates. Click here for more information
Hate getting lost? Never-Search has created travel and trip planning software that accurately maps the location of every golf course in the U.S., with profiles of each course plus ancillary information on airports, hotels and restaurants. It's available for $24.95.Click here for more information
GOLF GOURMET
Northern Michigan
Self-proclaimed as "America's Summer Golf Capital," northern Michigan offers a smorgasbord of first-rate resort and daily-fee golf courses carved into the hills and valleys between Traverse City and Gaylord. The après-golf dining options in these parts put to rest the notion of bland Midwestern cuisine.
Shanty Creek (The Legend). Spectacular Arnold Palmer-designed course drops 175 feet on the first hole alone and never takes its foot off the pedal on a scenic roller coaster ride through the woods. Click here for more information
Rowe Inn. Masquerading as a local-yokel outpost in tiny Ellsworth, "The Rowe" features superb regional fare (venison sausage, stuffed morels, baked walleye) with wines to match.Click here for more information
Bay Harbor. A 27-hole spread fronting Little Traverse Bay, this multi-themed Arthur Hills layout descends into an old limestone quarry and tiptoes along bluffs high above the bay. Click here for more information
Chandler's. Tucked behind historic Symons General Store in Petoskey, take a seat at the bar and order the herb spaetzle and smoked pheasant appetizer with wild mushrooms. Beyond good. Click here for more information
Belvedere GC. Semi-private club in Charlevoix has a walker-friendly, Willie Watson-designed classic (1927) that has hosted 39 Michigan Amateurs. Tom Watson played here as a kid. Click here for more information
Dockside - Torch Lake. Located on what National Geographic has described as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, this outdoor café is the perfect place for a juicy burger and a frosty beer. Call 231-377-7777 for more information.
Black Forest at Wilderness Valley. Early Tom Doak-designed layout is an underrated sleeper marked by wavy greens, artful bunkering and enticing risk-reward scenarios. Minimalist golf on a BIG canvas. Click here for more information
Pontresina Steakhouse. Named after Gaylord's sister city in Switzerland, this Otsego Club restaurant offers a Tomahawk Ribeye topped with roasted salsa verde plus fine views of the Sturgeon River Valley. Click here for more information
Boyne Highlands (Heather). The Robert Trent Jones layout opened in 1968. It was updated in 2007 and is a regional favorite. Broad sweeping fairways, giant cloverleaf bunkers and large undulating greens are splayed out at base of ski mountain. Click here for more information
Teddy Griffin's Roadhouse. Harbor Spring hangout is a popular sports bar with solid pub fare (try the lake perch with fries or thin-crust pizzas). Good selection of Irish and regional beers. Click here for more information
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