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Longing to get away this winter? If golf's your game, you're in the right place.
Golf experts Brian Kendall and Lorne Rubenstein were online Thursday to take your questions on all things golf -- from the best travel destinations to where to find instructional schools to what to look out for in this winter's pro tournaments.
Toronto-based writer Brian Kendall does most of the golf travel writing for The Globe and Mail and contributes to golf and lifestyle magazines around the world. Mr. Kendall is also the author of six books, including Northern Links: Canada From Tee to Tee (RandomHouse), which describes his adventures in Canadian golf.
Lorne Rubenstein has written a golf column for The Globe and Mail since 1980. He has played golf since the early 1960s and was the Royal Canadian Golf Association's first curator of its museum and library at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario. Mr. Rubenstein, who has written nine books on golf, was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in June, 2007.
Brian Kendall (above) and Lorne Rubenstein
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Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question. Questions may be edited for length, clarity or relevance. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
David Leeder, Sports Editor, Globesports.com: Hi Brian and Lorne. It looks like it's going to be a busy hour. Let's get right to the questions.
Bruce McCallum from Toronto writes: I am going to be in the Florida panhandle in a few weeks. I'm aware of the Hombre course at Panama City Beach. Are there any other notable courses in the area?
Lorne Rubenstein writes: Your best bet is probably to try the Bay Point resort. It has two courses, one that Jack Nicklaus designed, called, not surprisingly, the Nicklaus Course, and another course called The Meadows. The Nicklaus is the tougher of the two. Check the courses, and the resort, out at baypointgolf.com. Bay Dunes is another course in the area you might want to try. It's 6,600 yards long from the tips, and very playable. The website is baydunes.com. Have fun. And don't forget to spend some time on the beaches in the Panhandle.
Brian Kendall writes: Hi Bruce. Definitely worth checking out is the Bay Point Marriott Resort in Panama City Beach. The recently renovated Meadows Course is a strong Willard Byrd design dating from 1973. Better still is the Nicklaus Design Course, which opened in the fall of 2006. Both tracks are carved through the scrub oaks, pines and saltwater marshes unique to the Panhandle.
Patrick Dicerni from Toronto writes: Hi Brian and Lorne, I'm looking to plan an extended golf weekend in early April. In recent years I've been to Pinehurst and the Robert Trent Jones Gold Trail in Alabama. I'm hoping you can suggest some alternatives, I'm interested in quality courses - hoping you can help!
Brian Kendall writes: Hi Patrick: How about a long weekend in Austin, Texas? Great weather, superb Tex-Mex dining, a new international airport, and more than 50 courses within a 70-kilometre radius. Barton Creek Resort is a great place to hang your Stetson. The resort offers two Fazio-designed courses-- Fazio Foothills, and the even better Fazio Canyons, which weaves through a series of deep limestone canyons. Also on the property is Crenshaw Cliffside, a more traditional design by Ben Crenshaw. Other top local courses include the Golf Club at Star Ranch, ColoVista Country Club and Willie Nelson's Pedernales Golf Club.
Lorne Rubenstein writes: You can't go wrong by teeing it up within an hour north of West Palm Beach, or a short distance south. Fly into the terrific airport there and play the following courses, all of which are quality tracks.
Lots of places to stay in West Palm, Jupiter, Hobe Sound, Stuart Links at Madison Green; madisongreengolf.com. John Sanford designed this course. He should be better-known. The course is both challenging and has a lot of variety in the holes. A short drive south and west of West Palm.
Delray Beach Golf Club: delraybeachgolfclub.com A muni that Donald Ross designed in 1923. Lots of fun. Cool atmosphere around the clubhouse. Neat bar. Cheap and cheerful. Just south of West Palm.
Polo Trace Golf Club: polotracegolf.com. Fairly swanky, always in great shape. Just south of West Palm off the Turnpike.
West Palm Beach Golf Course: wpalmbeachcounryclub.com. Dick Wilson designed the Royal Montreal Golf Club's Blue course and he did this as well. Also cheap and cheerful.
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