I was struck by this photo that came with a press release about the Yas Links course in Abu Dhabi. Looks like a course I’d like to play. 

I’ve always been fascinated with Scotland. As a child, I wanted to go to Scotland to see the castles, the battlefields and Nessie. As I got older, its been my goal to play golf there. But I think I’m going to put this garden on my list. It’s called the Garden of Cosmic Speculation and its all supposed to be mathematically inspired.

Spring Break’s on it’s way, and with it the opportunity to escape the six month long icy nightmare that’s afflicted the Midwest, the Northeast, the Mid Atlantic—heck, just about everyone. In fact, there are flurries here in Michigan this April 1 as I write (and that is NOT an April Fool’s joke).

Every spring, I start planning (yet rarely executing) a golf trip for my week off. Many of my friends head to the resort areas of Florida, but since my main goal is to get AWAY from teenagers (too much like work) and college students (too much like being in Ann Arbor), that’s never been on my list. I also have a couple of colleagues who head to Mexico, but given that country’s law enforcement and political difficulties, it seems a bit risky. They’re quick to point out that there won’t be any trouble because the hotel guards are heavily armed ... a point that does nothing to assuage my fears.

As I’ve written before, I’ve long thought of playing some Hawaii golf courses. The advantage of a trip there is that Mrs. GolfBlogger could take in the beaches or other touristy things while I hit the links. Another option would be the desert. A Phoenix golf course, like the ones I admire on television at the Waste Management Open or the WGC Match Play would be just the thing. The Phoenix area also has plenty for Mrs. GolfBlogger to do.

I’ve still got a couple of weeks. I’ll think on it some more.

If you’re taking a golf holiday, you just know that you’re going to have an encounter with that reprehensible bureaucracy, the TSA. I for one am absolutely convinced that I am not one whit safer as a result of TSA thugs conducting random aggressive pat downs and strip searches of blue haired grandmas and bodacious young blonde girls (there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that they deliberately pick attractive people for the pat downs. The Israelis manage to avoid even incidents like the shoe and underwear bombers (both of whom escaped TSA scrutiny), while not conducting random searches. They profile terrorist behavior, much like our police criminal profilers profile criminal behavior.

A tale of two forecasts:

Michigan

North Carolina

There’s no doubt which one I prefer. The first is a recipe for hypothermia and frostbite. The second, a cool but playable round. That’s the reason why several of my older friends have retired to North Carolina. If you’re looking for North Carolina property, visit Coastal Carolina Properties for Wilmington NC Real Estate or try a Wilmington NC Real Estate Search For more than a decade, they’ve been in the business of helping people find North Carolina homes and full MLS search of Wilmington NC Homes online.

Mike at Monarch House in St. Andrews sent me an email about a terrific contest:

Next year, 2011, is the 10th anniversary of Monarchs House in St Andrews. We are holding two drawings. One for those who stay with us next year and another for those who provide their email address and a comment about why they would like to visit St Andrews. We are giving away 2 weekly stays at Monarchs for up to 8 guests. (Not insignificant for a small business at £17,00+). It’s a cracking prize with no strings attached.

You can read about it here.

http://monarchshouse.com/2010/09/13/monarchs-house-10th-anniversary-2011/

This is one I’d really like to win.

For most of my golfing buddies, South Carolina means Myrtle Beach. But Hilton Head golf is another viable South Carolina alternative. There’s the Harbor Town Golf Links, of course. But there also are other not-so-well known gems, such as Arthur Hills’ Palmetto Dunes, the Robert Cupp Course at Palmetto Hall, Pete Dye’s Herron Point, Point Royal, The Shipyard, Oyster Reef ... the list goes on and on.

My sense from people who have visited both Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head is that Hilton Head is a little more relaxed and much more upscale. The Golf Channel has a page where you can book Hilton Head tee times, and find Hilton Head packages.