Travel Insider: News and notes on great golf venues

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Nov. 3, 2011
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.

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Desert Heat. Much of the country is getting chillier by the day so it's time to look around for good weather, good golf, and great deals. Start in Palm Springs, California's long-time playground for the rich and famous, with an Unlimited Golf Package for Two at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa. Beginning at $329 per night (through December), the deal includes room, unlimited golf on the Ted Robinson-designed Palm and Valley courses, and 25% off any 60-minute spa package.

Sand Blasts. For golf and spa by the beach, try the Fairmont Mayakoba in the heart of Mexico's Riviera Maya. Its Beachside Escape package, good through the middle of December, features accommodations (on the beach or facing the inland waterways) and either daily golf for two on El Camaleon, the Greg Norman-designed course that hosts the PGA TOUR's Mayakoba Golf Classic, or a daily $50 spa credit at the luxurious Willow Stream Spa. If your game needs more massaging than your body, take advantage of the complimentary golf-swing video analysis at the Jim McLean Golf School. The package begins at $349 per night.

Down Under Extraordinaire. To escape the cold weather altogether get yourself to New Zealand where two of the world's outstanding golf courses -- Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, both on the North Island -- are featured in the Ultimate New Zealand Golf Package. Also included are the two courses at Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown on the South Island. Nine-day packages, available year-round, combine golf, accommodations at the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, and Matakauri Lodge, most meals, use of the lodge facilities, and much more, beginning at around $10,000 per person.

Tour Tracks. With the professional golf season winding down, the rest of us have the opportunity to tee it up on courses regularly tackled by the world's top players. And it's hard to find more pro-level layouts in one place than Scottsdale, Arizona, where the Fall Tour Package at Zona Resort Suites is a four-night, four-round golf extravaganza. Included are TPC Scottsdale (home of the PGA TOUR's Waste Management Phoenix Open), Grayhawk Golf Club (which has hosted the Frys.com Open and Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship), Superstition Mountain Golf Club (site of numerous LPGA and Champions Tour events), and Wildfire Golf Club (home of the new RR Donnelley LPGA Founder's Cup). Rates begin at $865, are good through the end of the year, and also include accommodations and a daily $20 food/beverage credit at Zona Resort.

Latest Links. You're going to have to hold off a bit playing this course, but it sounds as if the wait will be worthwhile. The first new links course in Northern Ireland in 100 years is in the final stages of planning, with the last hurdle a decision by the environmental minister expected by the end of November. The course at Runkerry, Bushmills, wouldn't seem to have any problem proving that it's green: Northern Ireland's first eco-resort has been planned with all sorts of environmentally-sensitive elements, including rainwater recycling, geo-thermal heating, natural lighting and ventilation, photovoltaic panels that harness solar energy, and more. Plus, the resort's low-rise structures will be built into the sides of existing slopes so they are invisible from the iconic Giant's Causeway, a mile and a half away.