I’m sitting here, poolside, on the last night of my vacation in San Diego. I’ve done a lot of neat things in five days, including playing Torrey Pines—site of the 2008 US Open (more about that in a later post). But the thing I liked most about the trip was ... fish tacos.

Yes, fish tacos. They sounded pretty weired to me at first, but they were recommended by a local, and I found them at a place called Rubios.

They’re teriffic. Rubio’s fish tacos are a beer battered fish, with a mysterious white sauce, cabbage and salsa, all stuffed into either a corn or flour tortilla.

Now I am sure that locals will say that other places eclipse Rubio’s tacos, but given my short stay I didn’t have the time to find them.

Add that to my list of restaurants that need to open a branch in Ann Arbor (the other is Chick Fil A).

The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan

More than a million Michigan residents are heading “Up North” this Memorial Day weekend to kick off another summer of outdoor fun. Swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling (the only vehicles allowed on Mackinac Island), motorcycling, or just sitting on the lake shores and beaches and enjoying the fresh air all are on the agenda. Every summer, families and friends are reunited as they return to cottages, campsites and resorts that have been traditions, in some cases, for generations.

And, of course, there’s golf. Northern Michigan boasts some of the best—and most affordable golf anywhere. Boyne, Bay Harbor, Gaylord, Little Traverse Bay and Grand Traverse are just a few of the big names up there. But there are dozens of world class courses and resorts that you can take advantage of.

I can think of no place I’d rather be than on a golf course “Up North”— pine tree-lined and riotiously green—on a breezy summer evening.

Yes, I said evening. For at the height of summer, I have finished rounds of golf at nine o’clock at night with enough light to do a little putting afterwards. It’s absolutely unbelievable how long the days are up there. I like to start a round at six p.m., when the temperatures have cooled (I often will wear long pants), and the breezes have picked up.

At the risk of sounding like an ad for the Michigan Tourist board, I recommend that you take a look at Northern Michigan for a vacation this summer. Visit Mackinac Island, Petosky (a summer home of Ernest Hemmingway), and the Grand Traverse area. You won’t be disappointed.

Samsonite 4 Piece Deluxe Travel Set Review

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: A terrific set.

When I was looking for a golf travel bag last year, I investigated all the usual suspects—brands like ClubGlove and Bag Boy, which are well represented in the pro shops and at the Golf Superstores. Eventually, I settled on a Bag Boy model with a padded top and rip stop nylon sides. Nothing fancy, and probably over priced.

I say that because I recently acquired a four piece Samsonite Golf Travel set which is priced at less than the Bag Boy I got and offers far more value.

It’s not just that the Samsonite set includes a duffel bag and two golf shoe mitts—though that’s a nice plus. It’s that the Samsonite offers what I think is superior protection.

Both the Bag Boy and the Samsonite are constructed of what appears to be very tough nylon. But the Samsonite shines in that it has padding on the sides as well as on the top. This should really help to ensure that your clubs survive a trip through airport luggage or in the trunk of a car. 

Of course, the Samsonite offers all of the other usual bag cover features. It’s got a hard bottom with sealed ball-bearing in-line skate built in for towing. Three rubberized handles give you a variety of options for extracting the bag from your trunk and lugging it about. And there are external pockets.

But there also are a couple of other neat features. First, there’s an elastic lace arrangement on the front for strapping on another bag. And the large front pocket can be zipped off.

The extra pieces—the shoe mitts and the duffel bag—also are nice.

The mitts are lined with a soft material that won’t scruff your finely polished shoes. I had thought at first that each mitt would hold two shoes, but after trying to squeee a pair in each, I gave up and put one shoe in each bag. The tops of the bags close with drawstrings and a plastic lock.

The bags fit into a special side pocket of the accompanying duffel bag. Another nice touch: the shoe pocket has a mesh end to allow them to breathe.

Both the mitts and duffel are constructed of the same tough material as the golf bag cover.

This set offers a good value for the golf traveller.

I just had a friend return from a trip to the La Costa resort in Carlsbad, California. He had been bragging about getting the chance to make the trip, and having suffered through another cold snowy Michigan winter, I was more than a bit jealous.

But he wasn’t impressed with the golf there. His report: “It’s not very good by Michigan standards. If I’d paid thirty five for a course like that in Michigan, I’d have asked for my money back.”

It cost him $265.

His main complaint was with the condition of the fairways and greens. The fairways apparently were not in good shape, but he absolutely hated the greens, which he described as “really spongy.”

“If someone stepped on your line, you couldn’t putt because their footprint left a major indentation,” he said.

It all makes me feel better. First, that some of Michigan’s mid priced courses match up to a legendary place like La Costa. And second, I take perverse pleasure in the fact that he didn’t enjoy himself nearly as much as he thought he would.

USA Today answers the question of what it would cost for a week of golf at Scotland’s best courses: $4,000.

I’d like to play in Scotland, but don’t really have a need to play the premium courses. I read a book once called A Season in Dornoch : Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands that made think that the REAL way to play golf in Scotland would be to pick one of the small towns and spend a couple of weeks playing their course.

I imagine that it would cost much less than $4,000.

I highly recommend the book, by the way.