I’m afraid that I may be admitting to some form of golf heresy when I confess that I’ve never been to play at Myrtle Beach. I’m scheduled to rectify that situation this year. Unfortunately, my trip is scheduled for July, when I’m convinced it will be as hot and humid as it possibly can be.

Still, that’ll knock one more locale off my golf to-do list. The list mainly is centered around achieving a variety of experiences, not visiting any particular course or completing a list of states, per se. I’ve golfed in quite a number of different states, but I’m not counting them all. Ohio and Indiana golf, for example, don’t seem much different to me from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware or Virginia golf. West Virginia wasn’t for me appreciably different from Kentucky.

So, accomplished: California, Florida, Appalachia, Texas (The Colonial)

Still to play:
Oregon (Bandon specifically)
Arizona
Colorado or Utah (mountain golf)
Hawaii
The Gulf Coast

Outside the US, I’d like to take a golf holiday to:
Scotland
Ireland
New Zealand

I’ve also got a notion about a Spain golf holiday, particularly on the Mediterranean Coast.

Casino and resort developer Donald Trump has been in the golf news quite a bit lately. First, there was his purchase of the Doral Resort, where the WGC Cadillac Championship is held. Then, in a bit of serendipity that only The Donald could experience, the man he has chosen to renovate The Blue Monster, Gil Hanse, also was picked to design the Olympic Golf Course in Brazil. He also dropped a hint that his Trump National is on the short list for a US Women’s Open. If that works out, he’ll be in the running to have other national championships—perhaps even a men’s major—at one of his properties.

Las Vegas comes immediately to mind when it comes to casinos and their associated courses. Perhaps the most famous is MGM Resorts’ Shadow Creek, an apparently Oz-like oasis in the middle of a desert. That Tom Fazio design regularly cracks the Top 50 and in some cases the top twenty of golf courses nationwide. Cascata Harrah’s is a Rees Jones design that also gets regular plaudits.

Thanks to attempts by states to raise additional revenues and tribal casino games, however, you can play casino courses in many states. In Michigan, you can play the Nicklaus and Player courses at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, which is owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, who also run a number of nearby casinos. Bay Mills in Brimley has a casino course. In the Upper Peninsula are the highly regarded Sweetgrass course (associated with the Island Resort and Casino) and the Lac Vieux Desert Resort Casino and Golf Course.

A list of the top twenty casino golf courses from Golf Digest list tracks located in Minnesota, Idaho, California, Michigan, Connecticut, New Mexico, Mississippi. New York boasts the Turning Stone course, which has hosted a PGA Tour event. West Virginia has The Greenbrier, also a PGA Tour stop.

Best of all, these casinos often have great deals for stay and play packages. Their assumption is that after you play a round, you’ll spend the evening playing and they’ll make up any losses.

Bandon Dunes

Here’s an event I’d like to attend: A golf and wine tour at Bandon Dunes. The cost of the trip is $4,750 based on double occupancy and includes: four nights’ lodging, four rounds of golf as well as a round on the new Par 3, all meals, four evening winery dinners, all wines, gratuities, and much more.  Reservations are limited to just 20 participants on a first come/first serve basis.

There’s a terrific book on the building of the Bandon Dunes complex. You can read my review of Dream Golf here.

Even after visiting the websites, I’m still not sure this isn’t a joke: A travel company has apparently put together a two event amateur golf tour with one stop each in North Korea and Iran. They’re calling it “The Axis of Eagle.”

Here’s what they say:

Lupine Travel are proud to announce the launch of the Axis Of Eagle Golfing Circuit.

The circuit currently takes in two of the worlds most exclusive courses; The Pyongyang Golf Complex in North Korea and Tehran’s Enghelab course in Iran.

The first event of 2012 is the Iranian Amateur Golf Open, the first ever international golf tournament to take place in Iran. It is the world’s only ever 13 hole course. Previously a full 18 hole course,five holes have been taken away each year for military use. The course is set to the breathtaking backdrop of the Alborz mountains. The tournament runs from 20th to 22nd April.

The second event is the 2012 DPRK Amateur Golf Open. The first event took place last year and had 17 competitors from 8 different nations taking part. The field this year has been increased to allow up to 45 competitors. The top score last year was 12 over par; a long way from Kim Jong Il’s world record 38 under par which he shot on the very same course! If anyone can beat that record, it will surely be his son, the new leader Kim Jong Un who has yet to play the course, but competitors in this years event are welcome to give it their best shot! This years tournament takes place from the 19th to 21st May.

There’s so much that is wrong with this, I don’t even know where to start. But if you’re still interested, you can visit: http://www.axisofeagle.com

“Over The River And Through The Woods To Grandmother’s House We Go …” (Lydia Marie Child, 1844)

Some ninety two million Americans will be “on the road” between December 23 and January 1 for the holidays—and ninety one percent of those, the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics says, will take personal vehicles. Six percent of trips are by air, while the remaining two to three percent are via bus, train, ship, or other mode.

Visits with the relations tops the list or reasons for travel at 43 percent, while an unlucky eight percent are on business. The remainder presumably are headed to DisneyWorld, a warm beach or on a luxury golf vacation.

The average Christmas season trip is 275 miles, but about half of holiday travelers make same-day trips without spending a night away. For those who do stay away, four nights is the average.And four nights is more than enough time for American golf holidays to places such as Florida, South Carolina, Arizona and California.

My search for travel statistics led me to a few interesting bits about foreign travel to the United States accounts for a significant amount of air and road traffic. The US International Trade Administration reports that in 2010, 63 million international visitors stayed one or more nights in the US. That’s a nine percent increase over the record volume in 2010. By 2016, that number is expected to grow to 81 million. North America accounts for 44 percent of this tourism, with Asia at 18 percent and Western Europe at 16%. Frankly, I’ve never really thought about the US as a “tourist” destination.

Still, given the crowded terminals and roads, a golf fan may want to wait until spring for that dream trip. If you’re planning a spring vacation, any golfer should consider making a pilgrimage to Augusta. Because tickets to the Masters are so hard to come by, getting US masters golf packages may be your best bet.

The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly On The Plain (that’s from “My Fair Lady,” if you’re looking for the cultural reference). But it apparently doesn’t fall in any sort of volume. Depending upon the source, Spain averages between 306 and 320 days of sunshine each year. Scotland, on the other hand, averages (depending on location) between 170 and 265 days of rain.

The temperatures also seem quite hospitable in Spain. Winter coastal temperatures are reported to hover around 17c (62f). In Michigan in the fall, winter and spring, that’s a heat wave and would have every golfer in town hitting the links. I wouldn’t be able to get a tee time.

While I’m sure that there’s nothing to compare with Scotland for the spiritual golf experience, I think a hard core player looking for a European golf vacation just might want to head to a golf course in Spain.

Spain’s tourism business realizes its natural advantages and have built what looks like a pretty impressive set of facilities.  You could golf Marbella, for example. Marbella is close to Spain’s “Golf Valley,” which hosts a collection of courses and resort areas such as Puerto Banus, Melia La Quinta and Atalaya Park. All reportedly are favorite spots of northern European vacationers. Marbella also has attracted a large number of celebrities, including at one point, the noted golfer Sean Connery.

For US travellers, now might be the time to take advantage of a favorable exchange rate. Smarter Travel says that countries that use the faltering Euro are good places to stretch your dollar—and Spain is one of those Euro-based countries.

As the snow falls this morning on GolfBlogger World Headquarters in Michigan, I begin my annual period of wistful thinking about living in warmer climes. A couple of years ago, we took a vacation to San Diego, where I had the opportunity to play Torrey Pines. I’ve got some relatives and friends in Los Angeles, and I’ve often thought about heading there to combine a family visit with a trip to Disney Land. And, of course, I’d play a little LA Golf. My dream trip would include a round at the brilliant George Thomas designed Riviera Country Club. But there are a number of other good looking courses in that area which would do just as well.

From the photos, Lost Canyons is high on my wish list. It’s a Pete Dye project (like the Radrick Farms course near GB HQ), done in collaboration with one of my two favorite golfers, Fred Couples. As with desert and links courses, what attracts me is that it’s so different from the pine and hardwood lined fairways of Michigan.

Angeles National also has that unique look, and is a 4.5 star Golf Digest pick. It’s a Nicklaus design.

Dreaming … dreaming … dreaming ...

If you’re out there in La La land, what’s your favorite course?