Destination Golfer 2025 Puetz by Varsity Communications

The ultimate digital magazine for the golfer on the go!

Iconic

Cape Cod

TRAVEL ABROAD

Mexico, Ireland, Northern Ireland & Canada

PLAY THE SOUTH

Alabama, Mississippi & Oklahoma

DESTINATION MIDWEST

Lake of the Ozarks, St. Louis & Kansas City

GO WEST

Hawaii, California, Utah & All Over Washington State

HEAD EAST

Cape Cod & Connecticut

Blue Rock GC • South Yarmouth, Mass.

Golfing memories to be made along this New England seaside dreamscape EQUIPMENT Retail sales, equipment previews & inventor profiles PAGE 84

Highland Links • Truro, Mass.

19TH HOLE Amazing spirits, cocktails & top American beers PAGE 100

Where can you lose yourself in golf paradise - and find your best game?

Go find out.

Firecliff, Reimagined at Desert Willow Golf Resort Palm Desert, California’s premier golf destination invites you to experience the newly enhanced Firecliff Course. With Mini Verde Bermudagrass greens, reshaped tee boxes, and refreshed fairways, this 7,056-yard par-72 layout blends beauty and challenge across 18 unforgettable holes - featuring dramatic desert vistas, water features, and over 100 bunkers.

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Go somewhere you’ll always come running back to. Discover the sun, sea and culture that make Cape Cod truly magical, truly remarkable and truly yours.

Golf cart excellence

BY JENNIFER HINTERSCHER

or more than 40 years,

LITTLE EGYPT GOLF CARS, LTD. has been providing the

A Family Business Little Egypt began in 1985 and the Smiths expanded to acquire Gateway Golf Carts in O’Fallon, Mo., in 1989. They added Prairieland

area with new and used golf

Golf & Utility Cars in Bloomington, Ill., 10 years later. Little Egypt now

carts, sales, service, parts and

cars that serve Illinois and Missouri customers.

rentals. Offering primarily E-ZGO and Cushman cars, owners Neal and Marcie Smith have grown the business to become the Midwest factory direct hub for E-Z-GO and Cushman fleet vehicles.

has three locations with an inventory of nearly 1,000 golf and utility Their longevity could be attributed to their business philosophy: Treat people right and give the absolute best customer service you can. The Smiths are always willing to try new things and be as innovative as possible to ensure that customers are taken care of. They are inspired any time they travel to deliver golf carts and they see vehicles they have sold or serviced. “The business has evolved so much over the years,” Neal said. He notes that they supply vehicles to several large regional events, including NASCAR and IndyCar, as well as NHRA Drag Racing. The World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Ill., is a regular customer and Little Egypt partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to assist in making wishes come true.

Learn more about the vehicles and services available from LITTLE EGYPT GOLF CARS

littleegyptgolfcars.com

in Missouri & Illinois

One thing the Smiths have noticed over the years is that golf carts aren’t just for golf anymore. “They are a daily recreational or work vehicle for so many,” Neal said. “Our goal is to help make life and work much more enjoyable.” Their example has been well-received by their children, who also work at Little Egypt. Their daughter, Janelle, is the Sales Manager and their son, Eric, is Manager of the Bloomington location. “A lot of the grandkids have worked or currently work for the company too,” Marcie said. Little Egypt Golf Cars has not been without its share of challenges. In 1996, their Salem location was destroyed by a tornado. In 2017 that same location burnt down. They broke ground on a new facility in 2022 and the next year, another tornado passed a block north of them. “We moved to a new location in 2023 along Interstate 57 on the west side of Salem to try and avoid any more natural disasters,” Neal joked. Owning a business that centers around recreation has surely helped the Smiths keep their sense of humor in the face of these challenges.

Little Egypt Golf Cars Ltd.

Gateway Golf Cars Ltd.

Prairieland Golf & Utility Cars Ltd.

150 Little Egypt Lane • Salem, IL 62881

18965 Veterans Memorial Parkway • O’Fallon, MO 63366

1 Quest Drive • Bloomington, IL 61705

(618) 548-2366

(636) 272-2278

(309) 820-1936

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

DESTINATIONS

PLAY THE SOUTH

ON THE COVER

TEEING OFF • Dick Stephens shares view on

16 • Sweet Home Alabama

2025 issue

20 • Magnolia Magic in Mississippi

10 TRAVEL ABROAD

• Mexico’s Baja California and Globetrotting Gems in the Americas

84 EQUIPMENT SHOWCASE

proudly doing so in 2025. Known globally as one of the finest

DESTINATION MIDWEST

Cape Cod, with endless golf options

26 • Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail

— like Blue Rock GC on the cover —

29 • Old Kinderhook in Camdenton

caters to golfers at every price point

seaside vacation spots anywhere,

and skill level.

30 • Missouri’s Porter Golf Trail 32 • ELV8 in Lake St. Louis 34 • Spotlight: St. Louis Battlehawks

• MGI carts are all the rage

36 • Puttery on The Plaza in KC

• Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO

40 • Bob Peel and Outlaw Golf Carts

• Shape and Swelter launches product

featuring a New England location and

22 • Shangri-La in Oklahoma

• Regional retailer super sales

• Swing Sports focus on female golfer

A Destination Golfer first, we are

Photo courtesy of Cape Cod Chamber

ON THIS PAGE We never miss a chance to talk about

GO WEST

one of America’s longest-running golf destinations — the Palm Springs

42 • Coachella Valley’s Desert Willow

100

19TH HOLE • Brown-Forman’s fan favorites • Tito’s Handmade Vodka Transfusion • Always time for the House of Suntory • Our expert’s top five beers in U.S.

44 • Heavenly spots in Hawaii

area and Coachella Valley in

50 • Greater Zion area awaits golfers

California. Desert Willow in Palm Desert is a 36-hole public jewel

52 • Circling Raven in Idaho 54 • Northern Quest in Spokane

managed by Kemper Sports and is

56 • Salish Cliffs a Northwest hot spot

world-class. It’s for sunseekers that

58 • New Scarecrow at Gamble Sands

appreciate the finest in public golf, food and libation.

60 • Horn Rapids GC in Richland, Wash.

Photo courtesy of Desert Willow.

64 • Visit Tri-Cities – wine-lovers’ haven

HEAD EAST 74 • Cape Cod awaits in New England 80 • Chris Cote builds a golf empire 82 • Golf on the Go: Connecticut's Long View RV

Firecliff Course at Desert Willow • Palm Desert, Calif.

6 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

Custom-built. Player-tested. Fitter-approved. Haywood designs and builds premium golf clubs— without the inflated prices or retail middlemen. No gimmicks. Just performance.

VOLUME 17 • 2025

Destination Golfer is published and owned by Varsity Communications, Inc.

Photo by Shutterstock

VARSITY COMMUNICATIONS 2128 Sahalee Drive East Sammamish, WA 98074 varsitycommunications.com

EDITORIAL STAFF P U B LI SH ER S Kirk Tourtillotte & Dick Stephens A RT D I R EC TI O N & GR A P H I C D ESI G N Robert Becker CO NTR I B UTI NG ED I TO R Tony Dear STA F F WR I TER S Bob Sherwin, Bart Potter & Lily Stephens CO PY EDI TI NG Charles Beene & Steve Hamilton FOR EDI TO R I A L SU B M I SSI O N S stephens@varsitycommunications.com

ADVERTISING & MARKETING STAFF GOLF MA R K ETI NG MAN AG ER Simon Dubiel FOR ADVERTISING & ACCOUNTING INQUIRIES CONTACT Simon Dubiel simon@varsitycommunications.com COPYRIGHT 2025 Destination Golfer. PUBLISHED IN THE USA. All rights reserved. Articles, photos, advertising and /or graphics may not be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher. Advertising and editorial contained herein does not constitute endorsement of Destination Golfer or Varsity Communications, Inc. Publisher reserves the right to edit letters, photos and copy submitted and publish only excerpts. The publisher has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all material contained in this issue. However, as unpredictable changes and errors do occur, the publisher can assume no liability for errors, omissions or changes. All photos are courtesy of the course or individual unless otherwise noted.

PROUD PRODUCERS OF

VARSITY GOLF SHOWS 8 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

Destination Golfer is a journey through a dozen states and six countries, meeting interesting people along the way BY DICK STEPHENS • PUBLISHER

his issue is another reflection of our American golfing quilt — a patchwork of linksy fabrics and experiences from coast-to-coast that are an amalgamation of what our sport looks and feels like here in 2025. Our golfing options are as diverse as we are. It’s a cornucopia that reaches any player who wishes to delve deeper. We love that Destination Golfer magazine plays its part in showing the U.S.’s appeal globally to our sojourning brothers and sisters who live in Europe, Asia and all over the world — and of course to our fans here at home, too. We’re indeed fortunate to have such a portfolio of incredible places to play and report on across our fruited plain. The spoils of this business have afforded me more than my share of premium loops such as: The Pebble Beach-area links (sans Cypress Point, which is my white whale), desert golf in Nevada and Arizona, the whole Bandon Dunes swath of amazingness, Bethpage Black, stops on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Kapalua, playing on the Gulf of Mexico's coast, the Deep South and many others. I’m indeed grateful for these cherished experiences as each allow us and I as a writer to help pull focus on places that appeal to our ever-growing readership. This year, we’ve again produced our consumer golf expos with our team in Connecticut, St. Louis, Kansas City, Portland and our hometown of Seattle. We see nearly 40,000 consumer golfers and host 1,000 sponsors and exhibitors over a nine-week period on the show tour. As a result, we get a very keen look at the habits, appetites and views of our fellow golfer. I can summarize the examination of the sport we just undertook by saying this: golf remains healthy, still retains much of its post-Covid growth but I do think there will be frugality in 2025 by many in their enjoyment of the sport. Don’t read into that as fear — just reality. Dough

is a bit tighter, and costs are going up, which means the average golfer’s decisions on travel and experience will be more acute and perhaps enjoyed more than ever. Like buying a special bottle of wine and savoring it. Let this issue help you in your consumerism and choices for the year to come. It’s our biggest Destination Golfer ever — yours free of charge or obligation. We hit all four corners of the U.S. map and traveled abroad this year. Our foreign coverage extends to Baja California where Villa del Palmar and TPC Danzante Bay peacefully await. We also touch on Irish golf in and around Dublin and Belfast and peer into British Columbia as well. No DG is complete without our sweep of the South, so we have features on the many offerings in Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma. Our writers reflect on the vibe and value all around the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail and places along I-70 between St. Louis and Kansas City. We worked our way up the Atlantic with focus on New England’s people and places and more specifically Cape Cod. The après golf there is as cool as the time on the tee. Being West Coasters ourselves, we love our writer's spotlight coverage on the world-class golf and lifestyle in Washington, Idaho, California and Hawaii. Finally, we'll cap off our reporting and propose a toast in our 19th Hole section on libations, cocktails and mixology that will ‘stir’ your soul. Golf is ‘spiritual’ — we will introduce you to the masters of vodka, whiskey and beer. Cheers! In closing, I wish to thank the great many advertisers of this title that make Destination Golfer possible. You’re not just clients. We see you as partners and friends — vital to making this fun and worth the read. Enjoy your 2025 journey, write your own narrative and relish your time with the game at home and on the road. And, as always, TAKE IT EASY.

MEXICO

TRAVEL ABROAD

Splendor

on the Sea of Cortez

TPC Danzante Bay • Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Villa del Palmar and TPC Danzante Bay are jaw-dropping

BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

olf is not the only thing going on at the Villa del Palmar Resort — far from it — but if golf is your groove, TPC Danzante Bay might be the best you’ll find in Mexico. Put this one-of-a-kind golf course together with Old Mexico charm and every dining, lodging and recreational amenity that's possible to imagine, and that’s the Villa del Palmar on the Sea of Cortez. A stay-and-play vacation here, roughly a halfhour from the town of Loreto in Baja California, might as well be a stay and play and play and play … on the golf course and off. Danzante Bay is a 740-acre master-planned community, home to the award-winning Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto hotel and new “Baja contemporary” real estate offerings. For a lot of destination travelers, it starts with the golf: “Golf is the most popular amenity of the resort and the most well-known,” said TPC Danzante Bay Director of Golf Rich Taylor. “It's one of the most stunning, scenic golf courses I've ever seen.” Danzante Bay, voted the best golf course in Mexico by Golf Digest, is an 18-hole gem from worldrenowned architect Rees Jones. The only TPC course in Mexico, Danzante Bay is known for its shot-making challenge and jaw-dropping visuals. The natural beauty of the course arrests the eye. The rolling hills of the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains hug the contoured greens and open to views of the Islands of Loreto. At 7,237 yards from the tips, TPC Danzante Bay delivers exceptional golf, while the clubhouse, onsite pro shop, and state-of-the-art practice facilities add to the experience.

10 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

Designer Jones’ course routing takes a golfer through some valleys and through some peaks then down to the sea, and then back up through some more peaks and valleys … “And then ultimately gets up to hole 17,” Taylor said, “which is one of the most spectacular par-3s in the world. It sits out on a cliff.” Late winter and early spring is whales season here. He continued: “And so you’re playing 17 and you’re seeing whales spouting and bouncing around, and dolphins are out there … “It’s everybody’s favorite because it’s so stunning. You can stand there for a half hour and just look at it.” Danzante Bay might be the most photographed course in Mexico, and No. 17 is almost certainly its most photographed hole. And then to 18, a cool finishing hole that takes a player down from the very top of the mountain back to the clubhouse. Loreto sits on the eastern coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The oldest human settlement in Baja, the beach town is known for its secluded, unspoiled setting, clear seawaters teeming with marine life, colonial buildings from the early 17th century, and natural topography unique to Baja. If for some reason you or a family member or anybody in your vacation party doesn’t play golf, there’s no chance for boredom at Villa del Palmar. With a seemingly endless variety of activities to entertain children of all ages — including cooking classes, treasure hunts, Spanish lessons, and Mexican crafts — along with a secluded stretch of beach and spacious suites — Villa del Palmar is a haven for families and multi-generational travel. The resort’s Family Fun Package includes a four-night stay

in a deluxe suite, daily breakfast, a snorkeling excursion, putting at TPC Danzante Bay, a beach bonfire, and more. Hotel-led boat and scuba diving tours offer guests an up-close look at the underwater wildlife of the Loreto Bay National Marine Park. Dubbed the “Galápagos of Mexico,” the park is home to nearly 800 animal species, including manta rays and those dolphins and whales. Villa del Palmar takes pains to ensure the property, sheltered by the bay, is safe for families. All parts of the property are joined by paths, making it feel like a small community. At the hotel you’ll have everything you need — five restaurants with an array of dining options, with food grown and sourced locally. All the hotel rooms are suites with kitchenettes, and a market stocked with fresh food is on-site. The resort doesn‘t forget the youngest members of families — join the Kids Club on the first day and you’re covered for the rest of your stay, with special programs just for children. The property offers several packages including a Stay & Play package and Unlimited Golf or Spa package. Villa del Palmar lets you know you can live here year-round if you want. The Loreto region is shaping up as the next big Baja resort and residential market. For visitors seeking an authentic Mexican lifestyle in a setting of natural luxury, lots and homes are available for sale. Come early, stay late, or stay forever, and whatever else you do, stick around for the golf. It’s that good. Visit villadelpalmarloreto.com to review the golf, lifestyle and vacation options — all world-class.

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THE AMERICAS

TRAVEL ABROAD

GLOBETROTTING

GEMS

Carnoustie Golf Links • Scotland

Photos by Shutterstock

Travel There & Back outlines North American and North Atlantic spots to ponder and play

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

The Swilcan Bridge on The Old Course at St. Andrews

ver wonder how your golf game would hold up if you took it on the road?

Michelle Cypher can make that happen. She co-

owns the Washington State-based company., Travel There and Back, with her husband, Michael Cypher. For nearly a decade, they have been sending Northwest golfers off on global road trips. The couple, which moved their agency to Kennewick from Monroe a year ago, have intimate knowledge of many of the world’s best courses and how to get folks on them. Their top five most requested global golf destinations are Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Mexico and Canada. “Rightfully so, Scotland comes to mind first, but Ireland is right up there,” Michelle said. “They have some really awesome courses.”

12 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

SCOTLAND

f course, St. Andrews’ Old Course, the venerable “Home of Golf,” is where just about every golfer would love to play. Dating back to the early 15th century, The Old Course is one in a seven-course complex that includes Eden, Balgove, Strathtyrum, Castle, Jubilee, and The New Course, which opened 130 years ago (1895). Worldwide demand is always high to play The Old Course. The best way to get on is entering a lottery-like drawing during a two-week period every August. If you are fortunate to ‘win’ a tee time, “you can contact us, and I’ll build the rest of your trip,” Michelle said. She added that her agency works with a Scottish company that, given enough notice in advance, also can secure Old Course tee times for her clients. “We also have great, great options if you can’t get on The Old Course,” she said. “In that area, there are a ton of courses within an hour’s drive. There’s Carnoustie. Kingsbarns is growing in popularity, it’s close by and easy to do. Then there’s Inverness up in the Highlands, where there’s really great golf. Cabot Stuart is really good.” Other affordable seaside courses in the County of Fife close to St. Andrews to consider are Crail, Lundin and Leven Links and Scotscraig. All are among the 20 oldest courses in the world and designed by St. Andrews’ Old Tom Morris. She can also plan side trips to locations such as Loch Ness or the Culloden Battlefield in the Highlands and the scenic Isle of Skye on the northwest coast. Plus, “there’s no shortages of castles. There’s a lot of history to explore.” Not to mention Scotch to consume.

Portmarnock • Dublin

IRELAND

he name of the game in Ireland is links. “It’s the home of one third of the world’s natural links courses,” Michelle said. There are two popular areas for Irish golf. One on the east coast, in and around Dublin, and one out west. Dublin has some outstanding links courses within 30 minutes of downtown, such as The Island, Portmarnock, and Royal Dublin. Then, head west, where it just gets better as you drive. Just remember to stay on the left side of the road. Michelle advises golfers to consider Adare Manor, in the fanciful, thatched-roof city of Limerick, which serves as a gateway to the west. Adare Manor is a parkland course that had a recent $125 million revitalization and was thus rewarded with the 2027 Ryder Cup. The course, along with its modernized mid-1800s castle and hotel, will shine during that competition. From Limerick, you can go south to Castlemartyr, or to a relatively new (yet immensely popular) Old Head course on a spectacular peninsula. You can kiss the Blarney Stone in that direction and pick up some crystals at the Waterford factory. Due west is the quintessential Irish town of Killarney, which leads to the picturesque Ring of Kerry. You can find outstanding courses such as Tralee, Waterville, and Ballybunion, then onto Dingle Peninsula. Further north along the Irish west coast is venerable Lahinch, just 10 miles from the Cliffs of Moher and close to the Aran Islands. “The Aran Islands are kind of the heartbeat of the Celtic culture in the Gaelic language,” Michelle added. “Then up further you have the Connemara (Golf Links) with abbeys and forts and a beautiful drive along the Wild Atlantic Way.” “There and Back” can guide you around the entire archipelago.

TPC Danzante Bay • Baja California

MEXICO

ichelle’s focus has always been on Cabo and the Baja Peninsula. “It has all three landscapes, mountains, desert and ocean,” she said. “Just beautiful.” “There are courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman, and Robert Trent Jones. There’s a lot of golf opportunities there, especially for us on the West Coast. It’s so quick and easy to get down there. When it gets cold here, we go to Mexico to get some golf in.” Another recommendation is Loreto Bay Golf Resort, overlooking the Sea of Cortez. The community boasts a long history of protecting its natural environment, birds and wildlife. It was declared a national park by the country in 1996 and a World Heritage Site in 2005. Even if you don’t play well, there are birdies galore. There’s TPC Danzante Bay, a spectacular Rees Jones design. Pueblo Los Cabos and Cabo Del Sol are both Nicklaus designs. There’s also Cabo Real, a Trent Jones, Jr. layout. Plus, Solmar Golf Links (designed by Norman), just to name a handful of quality course options.

Whistler Fairmont Chateau Golf Club

Royal County Down

NORTHERN IRELAND

orthern Ireland is its own country on the northeast corner of the island. It’s part of the United Kingdom, about a two-hour drive from Dublin to Belfast up the east coast. There are two courses that stand out. Royal County Down, considered the No. 1 golf course in the world, and Royal Portrush, which hosted the 2019 Open Championship. Each May, Royal County Down also has a system for assigning tee times. As for Royal Portrush, you might need to sharpen your game a bit to get on this summer. The 153rd Open will be held there again July 17-20. One alternative that Michelle recommends is Ardglass Golf Club on the Irish Sea. “It’s just gorgeous,” she said. Another recommendation is Holywood Golf Club, where Rory McIIroy learned the game. There are plenty of places to visit as well, from the Titanic Museum in Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage site that features about 40,000 peculiar round basalt columns formed by an ancient volcanic eruption. You can read our deep dive into Ireland in the April 2024 issue located in the Past Issues section at CascadeGolfer.com.

C A N A DA

ike Cabo and Baja, Michelle said she is also fortunate to live in the Northwest, within close proximity to Canadian golf courses. She has steered many of her clients to quality courses around Vancouver and Whistler. “Living here, there is so much to do in British Columbia,” she said. “Plus, there’s very good wine there and it’s not lacking for views.” Some of the most spectacular views anywhere are along the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. You can choose from any number of mountainous, fir-lined courses like Nicklaus North, Fairmont Chateau, Big Sky and Whistler GC. Michelle has had a long partnership with travel specialists in Vancouver and can set folks up anywhere for golf and fun. She also gets requests for other parts of Canada, such as the magnificent natural settings near Jasper, Alberta, far-off Nova Scotia, and the popular Cabot Cliffs. Golf season generally goes from May to October. It’s always nice to see that area of the country not white, but green. Visit TravelThereAndBack.com to connect with these golf travelfitters and plan your 2025 voyage. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 13

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Award-winning dining, a booming craft beer scene, luxurious resorts, and exceptional year-round golf on courses along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail await you in Alabama. Plus, with Jerry Pate’s Kiva Dunes and Arnold Palmer’s Craft Farms in Gulf Shores, from the Mountain Lakes to the Gulf Coast, you can take it all in. With all INTERSTATE travel and DIRECT FLIGHTS into many airports, getting here is easy.

www.GolfAlabama.org

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National, Auburn-Opelika

PLAY THE SOUTH

ALABAMA

Sweet Home

Alabama Alabama Grand National (Lake) • Opelika, Ala.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail: 30-plus years and still going strong

t’s hard to believe Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail has been a thing for a third of a century now. It seems like Dr. David Bronner’s ambitious plan of creating a network of courses spanning an entire state was realized far more recently as changes, upgrades, and innumerable positive reviews keep it front and center in the minds of countless golfers, both local and distant. Only time will tell how the Trail will be regarded and valued a hundred years from now, but if its first 33 years are anything to go by, it will remain a significant influence on golf travel and an important part of golfers’ lives. It all started at four sites, of course: Hampton Cove near Huntsville, Magnolia Grove outside of Mobile, Oxmoor Valley in the Birmingham area, and Grand National. The latter was built by Jones around the 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, which he said was the finest site for golf he’d ever seen. That’s quite a statement coming from the architect of Spyglass

16 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

Hill on California’s Monterey Peninsula, Firestone CC in Ohio, Peachtree in Georgia, the amazingly picturesque Kananaskis in Alberta (Canada), Point O’Woods in Michigan, Port Royal on the island of Bermuda, Valderrama in Spain, and dozens of other notable courses. All of them offered an amazing 54 holes of golf made up of two conventional-length courses and an 18-hole par-3 layout. The Trail’s par-3 courses, built to the same quality specifications as their longer siblings, were a brilliant part of each property and have been featured in many national publications’ lists of America’s best short courses. Oxmoor Valley’s original par-3 course was replaced in 2022 by the terrific Backyard, a 911-yard, nine-hole playground with holes ranging in length from 59 yards to 132 yards, where a wedge, a putter, and a couple of friends are all you need for a highly entertaining hour at the end of the day.

A year after the original quartet’s debut, three more multiple-course destinations were added: the 54-hole Highland Oaks near Dothan and Greenville’s Cambrian Ridge, plus the 36-hole Silver Lakes (which features three regular-length nine-holers and a nine-hole short course), located 15 miles south of Gadsden. That one happens to be this writer’s favorite Trail venue. The Trail continued to add to its inventory of properties after 1993 with the development of Capitol Hill (54 holes) outside Prattville in 1999, the purchase of the 36-hole Lakewood Club and Grand Hotel in Fairhope (also in 1999), the construction of two mighty courses at the Shoals near Muscle Shoals in 2004, and the opening in 2005 of magnificent Ross Bridge (the only 18-hole site on the Trail), which many regard as its very best course. Following Trent Jones’s death in 2000, Ross Bridge was the work of his longtime associate Roger

Rulewich (largely responsible for much of the Trail’s golf in actuality), who built a colossal 8,168-yard behemoth covering 310 acres and which hosted the Regions Charity Classic on the Champions Tour from 2006 to 2010. Renovated (or rather repaired following an unfortunate fertilizer-herbicide mix-up) in 2023, Ross Bridge is a memorable round of golf with beautifully smooth and firm TifEagle Bermuda greens, which stand up to Alabama’s summer heat far better than their bentgrass predecessors. Magnolia Grove and Lakewood are the Trail’s two most southerly destinations, making them perfect for winter and spring visits. With March temperatures in the mid-60s — typically 5-10 degrees warmer than in Muscle Shoals, 370 miles to the north — and low humidity, there can be few more enjoyable ways to dodge the bitter winds, persistent rain, and golf-preventing snow found elsewhere in the country than by teeing it up on either the Crossing or Falls Courses at Magnolia Grove (or the very highly-ranked Short Course), or Azalea and Dogwood Courses at Lakewood, whose original holes were designed by the great Perry Maxwell — a former design partner of Alister Mackenzie’s — and which opened in 1947. Lakewood is the site of the outstanding 405-room Grand Hotel, which was originally built in 1847 and became the Trail’s first lodging destination in 1999. There are now eight hotels and/or resorts on the Trail, which not only include Lakewood’s Grand Hotel — part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection — but also downtown Mobile’s historic and wonderfully elegant Battle House Hotel, a Renaissance Hotels property often ranked among the country’s most desirable stays. The Shoals Marriott became a Renaissance Hotel and resort earlier this year following a $25 million renovation that began in the summer of 2023, which turned an already popular and highly thought of destination into something truly special. There are 196 luxury guest rooms, a spa, and an award-winning restaurant — the 360 Grille — which sits atop a 300foot, rotating tower that provides splendid views of the Tennessee River and its surroundings. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is one of those golf trips you won’t likely make just once in your life. After seeing how good and affordable each course is, you’ll probably want to make it a regular part of your golf year, and over time, you’ll develop a list of your favorites. Due to its popularity, a number of player incentives are available. The Trail Card, Annual Pass, and Annual Platinum Pass offer discounts on golf, food and beverage, as well as merchandise, which enable you to make tee times well in advance of your round. After three decades plus, the RTJ Trail is still what it set out to be — an excellent way to spend your golf dollar. Visit alabama.travel and review all the amazing options available in 2025.

Oxmoor Valley • Birmingham, Ala.

Capitol Hill • Prattville, Ala.

Ross Bridge • Birmingham, Ala.

Silver Lakes • Gadsden, Ala.

D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 17

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6309 NW Kelly RD, Unit 6 Parkville, MO 64152 (816) 255-2159

Mississippi is famous for the blues. But our greens are pretty spectacular, too.

If you’re looking for challenging play and beautiful scenery, you’ll ﬁnd both in abundance in Mississippi. Our state boasts true destination courses designed by Nicklaus, Palmer, Fazio, and other luminaries, with a number of stunning courses located at our casino resorts. Learn more at VisitMississippi.org/Golf. #VisitMS

Dancing Rabbit Golf Club | Philadelphia, Mississippi

PLAY THE SOUTH

MISSISSIPPI

Gulf golf and

Magnolia majesty

Mississippi Tunica National • Tunica Resorts, Miss.

Mississippi’s becoming a golf hotspot with something for everyone

nce considered a remote possibility, a golf trip to Mississippi is now a very real option, and one you should choose sooner rather than later. It takes years — maybe decades — for a state to develop a sufficient number of quality courses as well as the infrastructure (suitable lodging, dining, non-golf attractions, etc.) necessary to become an appealing destination capable of accommodating large numbers of traveling golfers. Well, Mississippi has now ticked all the necessary boxes. So, while your reaction (not so long ago) to a friend mentioning they were going there for a golf vacation would have involved some consideration, you’re now more likely to nod, smile, and congratulate them on a good choice. Between the Gulf Coast in the south, Jackson and Philadelphia halfway up the state, plus Oxford and Tunica to the north, you will find dozens of excellent courses, good quality lodging, food that puts a smile on your face, plenty of post-golf activities and attrac-

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BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

tions to fill the non-golfing hours, as well as hospitality that comes across as entirely natural rather than forced or performed. Biloxi, on the Gulf Coast, is a wonderful place to start your tour of the Magnolia State. It might be the place you fall in love with seafood for the first time. It could also be where you strike it rich (or at least win a little extra spending money) at one of the city’s eight casinos. This group of properties includes the incredible, 1,740-room, MGM-managed Beau Rivage Resort — which opened in 1999 — located right on the beach. In addition to hitting the tables and enjoying as much snapper, grouper, flounder, catfish, crawfish, shrimp, crab, and as many oysters as you can throw down your neck, a visit to Biloxi — first settled in 1699 — must involve some golf, or rather, a lot of golf. Guests staying at the Beau Rivage have access to the superb, Tom Fazio-designed Fallen Oak, which opened in 2006 and hosted the Champions Tour’s

Rapiscan Classic from 2010 to 2019. Modeled on Las Vegas’s Shadow Creek (in terms of exclusivity and quality, rather than the design of the course), Fallen Oak moves through glorious parkland and woodland in the southern half of the De Soto National Forest. Water hazards, substantial bunkers, and over 4,000 stately oak trees make the course beautiful, challenging, and definitely worth booking a room. Elsewhere in the vicinity, you’ll find Jack Nicklaus’s Grand Bear, the Mark McCumber-designed Windance, Jerry Pate’s The Preserve, the lovely Sunkist CC, and Shell Landing (which Davis Love designed amongst the forest, bayous, and marshes) near Gautier. You could spend a grand four or five days playing golf in and around Biloxi, but at some point, you’ll want to start heading north to find the 36 exquisite holes at Dancing Rabbit in Philadelphia, part of the Pearl River Resort and owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The two courses here

Grand Bear Golf Club • Saucier, Miss.

— the Oaks and Azalea — were designed by Pate and Tom Fazio. Each has won its own fair share of awards and acclaim. The Oaks is the slightly more rugged of the two, while the Azalea provides a splash of color that visitors will love, and which might put them in mind of Augusta National. Jackson has a handful of courses worth stopping at, including the excellent Refuge, which is just a stone’s throw from the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. That course was renovated by Mississippi architect Nathan Crace between 2017 and 2021. Crace, who also renovated Bay Breeze in Biloxi, did stellar work at Ole Miss GC in Oxford (165 miles north of Jackson) as well, where he totally revived the 1973 original with new bunkers, greens, etc., in a project that attracted national attention. Bob Cupp’s Mallard Pointe, 25 miles west of Oxford on Sardis Lake, is another very enjoyable round. You’re now well on your way to Tunica, which sits on the Mississippi side of the river, with Arkansas across the water. The small community of Tunica Resorts, about 10 miles to the north, is home to six casinos and two excellent golf courses: Tunica National Golf & Tennis (owned by the City of Tunica) and the Clyde Johnston-designed River Bend Links. The latter was opened in 1998 and developed by three casinos: Hollywood, Sam’s Town, and the nowclosed Resorts Casino. Flooding in 2011 lead to a change in ownership, but the course remains open to the public who enjoy the expansive, exposed layout, where nine sizeable water hazards affect play. From the Gulf Coast to the State’s northwest corner, there’s a lot of genuinely good golf in Mississippi these days ... and you should make time to go play there. Take your first step and web surf to visitmississippi.org/things-to-do/golf/ and peruse the places you which to play.

Dancing Rabbit Golf Club • Philadelphia, Miss.

Windance Country Club • Gulfport, Miss.

The Preserve Golf Club • Vancleave, Miss.

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MIDWEST

OKLAHOMA

Play here ‘Sooner’ rather than later

Oklahoma Shangri-La Resort • Monkey Island, Okla.

Nobody does it better in Oklahoma than Shangri-La

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

hat’s new at the Shangri-La Resort on Monkey Island? In a word, for the first time in 15 years, nothing. “This is the first year since Eddie Gibbs bought the facility in 2010 that we don’t have something new under construction,” said Mike Williams, ShangriLa’s Director of Communications and Government Relations. “We’ve added so much every year, the question we get now is, ‘What are you guys building next?’ We’re adding events instead.” Gibbs, a Tulsa businessman, is a celebrated figure in this corner of northeast Oklahoma. In 2010, he offered a vision as well as an infusion of cash — more than a $100 million — to take this rather unremarkable property and transform it into an extraordinary entertainment attraction, with the theme of celebrating Americana, and particularly the U.S. military. “We’ve had such an attraction for the championship golf course and the (par-3) Battlefield course that we’ve had guests from all 50 states, and as far as we can tell, eight different countries,” Williams said. “Which is pretty amazing for a place an hour from the closest airport. We have a 91 percent return rate of groups who come here. They rebook for next year before they leave.” Monkey Island is the high ground in the middle of the six-mile-long, man-made Grand Lake near the borders of Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. For decades, it was an underdeveloped region with a rather ordinary golf course. When Gibbs committed to the property, his immediate priority was improving the course, incorporating the old course with new holes, and developing three nine-hole courses: The Champions, The Heritage, and The Legends. The Legends honors Yankee great Mickey Mantle, who was born in nearby Spavinaw and lived in the area until his death in 1995. Shangri-La’s championship course was his home course, and the par-5

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580-yard 18th hole is known as “The Mick.” When the project was completed in 2012, the championship course was immediately honored as “Oklahoma’s No. 1 Golf Destination.” It remains so. The marina on Grand Lake was revitalized, paving the way for a resort hotel, thousands of waterfront properties, and tourist activities such as fishing, boat rentals and parasailing. The 119-room Shangri-La Hotel Resort opened in 2017 and was immediately named the "Best Lodging in Oklahoma.” In 2021, the property opened a $12 million, year-round indoor/outdoor facility called “Anchor Activity Park,” which features tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, plus Trackman Golf Simulators. There, you will also find a Fenway-style Wiffle ballpark, complete with the iconic stadium’s Green Monster in left field. The centerpiece is a 20,000-pound replica of the battleship USS Oklahoma’s anchor. The mighty Oklahoma was one of the ships sunk during the surprise Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. There is a tribute wall to the 429 servicemen who lost their lives on the ship that fateful day. There is also a Sherman tank and service boats on display. Anchor’s 11,000-square-foot indoor facility features an arcade, a sports bar, and several spaces for a variety of different sports and games. The Oklahoma Tourist Industry Association named the Anchor as “the Best New Attraction” in the state, and it has been an instant hit. “The Wiffleball Association of America named it the No. 1 Wiffleball park in the United States,” Williams added. “You can bring the whole family to Anchor Park. There is literally something to do for everyone from age 3 to 100.” In May of 2023, Shangri-La unveiled a most unique pac-3 course called “The Battlefield.” Each of the 18 holes on the course, two years in the making, is

named in honor of an Oklahoma military figure who served in World War II. Distances range from 110 to 245 yards with creeks, waterfalls, and a 100-foot elevation change so demanding that carts are required. In the ongoing theme here, Battlefield was awarded the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association's RedBud Award as the "Best New Attraction in Oklahoma.” “Golf Digest called it (Battlefield) one of the top five par-3 courses in the nation,” Williams said. “We thought that the par-3 course would decrease play on the championship course. It did not. In fact, we’ve almost doubled the amount of play (40,000 rounds per year).” Last October, Battlefield featured a first-ever four-man competition featuring YouTube golf influencers. The team from Good Good Golf — former Oklahoma teammates Brad Dalke and Quade Cummins (who earned his PGA Tour card this season) — edged former Oklahoma State stars from BustaJack Golf — Cole Lantz and Mason Nutt — by one shot. The winning Dalke-Cummins team managed to finish just one-over-par on the challenging par-3. “The Battlefield is the best par-3 course we've ever played, and it's not even close,” Nutt said afterward. Another celebrity influencers shootout is scheduled for September. “Certainly, we’re not the biggest resort by any stretch,” said Williams. “But we have more amenities than any resort in the nation.” This year offers a breather for folks to catch up after this remarkable growth spurt. However, innovations, improvements, and nostalgia are essential to Shangri-La’s business entertainment plan. “What’s next,” you ask? Whatever might be trending. Should frisbee golf, frog jumping, or wife-carrying competitions one day become all the rage, Shangri-La will be the first to feature them… and no one will do it better. Visit shangrilaok.com and get things rolling before someone else takes your place in line.

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EASY PEACHY 1½ oz Forthwest Giant Peach Whisky 4 oz Sweet Tea

MIDWEST

THE OZARKS

Odyssey

in the Ozarks

Missouri

The Lodge of Four Seasons, The Ridge • Lake Ozark, Mo.

The Lake of The Ozarks Golf Trail is a Missouri mecca and marks the center square on America’s golfing game board

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

olfers have a different view of The Masters when they visit courses at The Lake of the Ozarks, a golfing paradise smack in the middle of the country. Here they are treated to master touches from some of America’s finest golf course architects in the history of the game, such as Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Ken Kavanaugh, Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin. Golfers can play designer courses on The Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail, a Missouri mecca for golfers in the geographical center of the country, as eight Midwestern states (Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas) shoulder Missouri’s borders. For decades, thousands of recreationally inspired folks have been drawn here to enjoy the relaxing waters of the lake, voted “The Best Recreational Lake in the Nation’’ by the readers of USA Today. It’s reach-

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able for millions, a half-day drive from Memphis, Wichita, Des Moines, Topeka, Omaha, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Cedar Rapids, Indianapolis, Peoria, Evansville, Cincinnati, or Nashville, along with Kansas City and St. Louis. Golfers are treated to one quality Ozarks Trail course after another, built by masters of the design community. For starters, you'll need to go with the King — Arnold Palmer’s Osage National Golf Resort. Palmer created more than 300 courses in 25 countries. Several of note include Tralee and The K Club in Ireland, where the 2006 Ryder Cup was played. Of course, in America, we have The Tradition, PGA West, and The Classic Club in Palm Desert, Bay Hill and Isleworth in Florida, Kapalua and Turtle Bay in Hawaii and Suncadia and Semiahmoo in Washington. Osage National, on a bluff overlooking the Osage River, is the only Palmer design in Missouri. He was authorized to design Osage in the early 1990s. He fin-

ished 18 holes in 1992. Another nine-hole circuit was finished in 1998, giving the resort three nine-hole selections: The River, The Mountain, and The Links. The course was voted “Best Course at the Lake” four times. Its motto is “The Must Play Course at the Lake.” No reason not to. Palmer put it to his own test in 1992 when he took part in the Michelob Skins Game on the Osage. He played against three other legends: Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, and Payne Stewart. Stewart still holds the course record of 63, shot during that round. The course also hosted the National Club Pro Championship in 1994. Thirty miles south of Osage, in Camdenton, Old Kinderhook is consistently ranked as either the first or second-best course in the state. If you venture into this golfing community, it should be unavoidable. Old Kinderhook was designed by the late Tom Weiskopf, who like Palmer, was a prolific designer

The Golf Club at Deer Creek • Linn Creek, Mo.

The Oaks Course • Osage Beach, Mo.

Osage National Golf Resort • Lake Ozark, Mo.

with worldwide acclaim. Weiskopf's TPC Scottsdale course (“The Stadium Course”) where the PGA Tour’s Waste Management tournament is held, is his most notable. His other lasting contributions into golf’s pantheon of special places are The Olympic Club in San Francisco, both Troon courses in Scottsdale, Kukui’ula and Hualalai in Hawaii, TPC Craig Ranch in Texas, The Ocean Club in the Bahamas, and The Reserve Club in Indian Wells, Calif. Opened in 1999, Old Kinderhook is not only considered to be among the best in the state, but the course has also made Golf Digest’s Top 100 in the nation list. With a well-appointed 84-room hotel, The Lodge at Old Kinderhook allows you to stay and play at reasonable rates. It was back in 1973 that Robert Trent Jones, Sr. — one of the great golf architects the nation has produced — unveiled The Cove at the Lodge of Four Seasons. Jones is known for a multitude of designer courses including Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, Calif., Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Firestone in Akron, Ohio, Medinah in Chicago, Oakland Hills in Michigan, Hazeltine in Minnesota, Southern Hills in Oklahoma, Oakmont in Pennsylvania, Ballybunion in Ireland, and Valderrama in Spain. The Lodge is challenging, particularly because of the water on more than half the holes. The fourth hole, “Witch’s Cove,” is 230 yards long and requires an all-carry drive from the back tees over the water. Ken Kavanaugh was later authorized to add another 18 holes, The Ridge. Known for his many Southwest courses, it was Kavanaugh’s

first and only project in Missouri. The par-72, 6,447-yard course is characterized by its beauty, with sweeping lake views and more than 180 feet in elevation changes. The signature hole, the par5 555-yard sixth, is considered the hardest par-5 in the state. The design team of von Hagge and Devlin utilized their talents to create The Oaks Course at Margaritaville Lake Resort, in Osage Beach. The 6,432-yard layout takes golfers around tight turns with a series of water and forest hazards. Von Hagge is best known for a celebrated and elegantly designed course in France, Les Bordes. There are also no design restrictions among the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail selections. You don’t have to play a course built by a “name” to be considered worthy of play or praise. There are a host of well-favored courses among the Trail circuit including Rolling Hills CC in Versailles (the most established course, built in 1955), Lake Valley GC in Camdenton (which features six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s), The Golf Club at Deer Chase in Linn Creek, Eldon GC, Indian Rock GC in Gravois Mills, semi-private Redfield GC in Eugene, and Bear Creek Valley GC in Osage Beach. The LOZ Golf Lounge in Osage Beach, which features numerous indoor Trackman booths, is also part of the circuit. It’s located in Wicker Willie Sports Bar & Grill. Virtually all the courses are within a 30-minute drive of each other, making two-in-one-day possible, and essentially offering a Trail mulligan. Their site golfingmissouri.com is the place where you can get inspired and set the stops on your own trail experience.

The Cove GC at Lodge of Four Seasons Lake Ozark, Mo.

The Golf Club at Deer Creek • Linn Creek, Mo.

D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 27

MIDWEST

OLD KINDERHOOK

A Weiskopf Magnum Opus

Missouri Old Kinderhook • Camdenton, Mo.

Old Kinderhook in Camdenton, Mo., is an Ozark must-play

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

nce you sink your tee into the Zoysia grass at Old Kinderhook Golf Course and assess your opening tee shot on the par-4, 430-yard first hole, you might be a bit fooled. You won’t see it initially, as your downhill drive appears benign, but things change on your second shot. That's when the challenge begins. For this hole and just about all 17 to follow, the second (approach) shot is what matters. That’s by design. It’s one of those courses where you can see what the architect has in store for you with every approach shot, some risk, some reward and something always to avoid. That architect who envisioned Old Kinderhook was the late great Tom Weiskopf, who has a vast portfolio of quality designed courses around the world. This was his only handiwork in Missouri. Old Kinderhook — on a bluff overlooking Lake of the Ozarks right in the middle of the state and the country — has been consistently ranked the first- or secondbest course in the state since it opened in 1999. It also has been rated among the top 100 public courses in the nation. It’s a quality piece of work that annually attracts thousands of golfers, mostly from around the eight-state Midwest region. The 6,726-yard par 71 layout caters to all skill levels but getting to the green from any distance requires precision. And, at times, swing courage. The course is the central feature in the 700-acre Old Kinderhook master-planned Camdenton, Mo., community. It is adjacent to Lake of the Ozarks,

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where the Osage River empties. It is part of the much larger 55,000-acre recreation area that annually draws folks for boating, fishing, camping, hiking, swimming and golfing. Old Kinderhook’s name derives from two centuries past, with a remote reference to America’s eighth president, Martin Van Buren. When searching for a name, it was pointed out that Camden County was once called Kinderhook County, in honor of Van Buren, who was born in Kinderhook, N.Y. He was known as ‘OK’ throughout his life, so Ozarkers adopted the motto ‘OK’ or ‘All is Well.’ Old Kinderhook is much better than OK. Weiskopf created such diverse courses as TPC Scottsdale with the crazy enclosed ‘Stadium Hole,’ where the PGA Tour’s Waste Management tournament is held, to the more elegant Olympic Club in San Francisco and the Kukui’ula and Hualalai in Hawaii. Old Kinderhook is somewhere in the middle, like country chic, as Weiskopf routed the course among the fairway-lined elm, oak and maple trees and into the rolling Ozark hills. Streams meander alongside and across the playing surfaces with plenty of elevation changes and water hazards fashioned to shrink your ball supply. The course doesn’t give in or give up throughout the circuit. The front nine is particularly challenging for budding pin-seekers, as Weiskopf closes the nine, No. 7 through No. 9, with risk/reward drama. No. 7 is just a152-yard par 3 but the smallish green is elevated and guarded by impenetrable forests on ei-

ther side. You also can’t be short, as the false front will tumble short shots back down into the bramble. No. 8 is a 416-yard terrible beauty. The green is nearly unapproachable from distance. There’s a lake on the left with a green that slants toward it. A tree guards the left side, and a bunker is right in the way, up front. The front nine closes with a 514-yard par-5 and a deep bunker complex directly in the middle of the fairway, about 20 yards short of the green. Quite unusual. Then there’s another sizable bunker behind it, adjacent to the green. No relief on the back side. The par-5 14th, the course’s longest hole at 549 yards, offers a very small green to all those second shots. There’s water all along the left side with a pair of bunkers on the right and on the left. It doesn’t let up even to the end, as the par-5, 516-yard 18th is dramatic and potentially traumatic. There’s a lake all along the left side and a creek that crosses the front. The golfer must steer the ball left of center to hit the green and avoid all the bunkers, including a nasty pot bunker just behind the hole. The 84-room Lodge at Old Kinderhook Resort, which opened in 2015, is adjacent to the first hole. It is, like the course, well designed. Old Kinderhook is not just a must stay-and-play but deserves to be in the list of top-100 resort courses you will want to say you posted a score at. Visit oldkinderhook.com to review lodging and golfing package options.

PORTER GOLF TRAIL

MIDWEST

Porter Golf Trail: Perfect I-70 hookup

Missouri Sun Valley Golf Course • Elsberry, Mo.

Entrepreneur goes from cart attendant to multi-course owner and crafts his very own Missouri golf experience

olfers have a lot of dreams — playing Augusta National or the Old Course in St. Andrews are popular ones, as is being helped into a green jacket by Tiger Woods. Hoisting a Claret Jug, U.S. Open Trophy, Wanamaker Trophy, or the Ryder Cup high above your head in front of an adoring crowd would be nice. Designing a course is many golfer’s fantasy, and perhaps best of all, owning one. Or how about five? And those five being so close together and easily reachable you form a golf trail … with your name on it? Now that is some heady stuff, and it’s precisely what Missouri native Kirk Porter has done. Porter, 60, grew up in St. Charles, about 25 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis, and got his first job in the golf industry in 1977, aged 13, when he was made a cart attendant at the St. Andrews Golf Course. From there, he moved 40 miles west along I-70 to Country Lake GC and began attending the

30 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

University of Missouri at St. Louis from which he graduated with a degree in business. Soon, he was taken on at the Gary Kern-designed Bear Creek GC in Wentzville, 20 miles west of St. Charles. In 2001, having earned his Class A PGA status three years previously, he became Bear Creek’s General Manager and, when it soon became available for purchase, he bought into it, becoming a course owner as well as a GM and teaching professional. Four years later, Porter added Sun Valley about 30 miles north of Wentzville to his portfolio and built a 720-yard par-6 hole, known as The Beast, which golfers come from far away to play. It would be another 15 years before he’d buy a third course — Warrenton GC, a lovely 5,854-yard layout with nine significantly dog-legged holes. It was nine more years before the final two courses came aboard — nine-hole Wildcat (previously Mont-

gomery County) in January 2024 and, later that year, the beautiful Country Lake where Porter had worked for a year many years previously. The Country Lake purchase happened in September, but the course wouldn’t open until October as it took a few weeks of maintenance to get into shape. “I basically mowed it for a month,” says Porter whose quintet of courses was now complete. At this point, Porter began thinking of creating a trail. “I obviously knew about the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama,” he says, “and there’s a few others around the country now. I thought it would make sense, commercially, to market them together and for them all to fly under the same banner.” The Porter Golf Trail exists between exits 175 and 212 of I-70. “That’s five courses within about 37 miles of each other,” says Porter. “I still give lessons at all of

LINKS TO THE LINKS

Porter Golf Trail in Missouri

them, we have several leagues — for men, women, and couples — monthly tournaments, restaurants or snack bars, and we try to create a really welcoming atmosphere at all of them.” With Zoysia fairways, bentgrass greens, and a scorecard that extends past 7,000 yards, Bear Creek is considered the Trail’s flagship course and, consequently, commands the highest green fee — $69.99 on weekend mornings with a cart — outstanding value for a quality course at peak times. Membership at Bear Creek certainly has its privileges, as members pay only for a cart at the four other courses. Kirk Porter has risen from cart attendant to golf trail owner. It’s been quite a journey and, judging by the energy in his voice in telling the Trail’s story, he’s loved every second of it. “We have been blessed to work with and side-byside Kirk and Mike Bober (current GM) as they have been invaluable sponsors of the St. Louis Golf Expo for many years,” said the show’s owner Dick Stephens. “Kirk has set a tone and struck a chord with not only the golf expo attendee but also with St. Louis golfers and those traveling into the area to play their spectrum of courses. What he’s done to build these up and what Mike does in managing them is truly an example of free enterprise and the American dream unfurled for all to enjoy and learn from.”

Warrenton Golf Club • Warrenton, Mo.

Country Lake Golf Club • Warrenton Designer and opening: Bob Girrard, 1993 4,105-5,921 yards, par 71 countrylakegc.com Bear Creek Golf Club • Wentzville, Mo.

Sun Valley Golf Course • Elsberry Designer and opening: Gary Kern, 1988 5,160-6,607 yards, par 71 sunvalleygc.com

Ultimate I-70 stopover in The Lou — The Porter Golf Trail

For golfers coming into St. Louis and are driving along I-70 this spring, summer and fall, we recommend the following. Stay in historic St. Charles, Mo., which is one of the oldest cities along the Missouri River — it’s beautiful and a mile-long brick street awaits you there with shops, pubs, bistros and inns. Stay in any number of locations there as lodging is aplenty throughout the county and dining and drinks in downtown St. Charles harkens back to its FrenchCanadian and Cajun roots. Places to consider there for gastronomy bliss are: St. Louis Distilling, Novellus, Firebirds and Tony’s on Main. Our favorite places to bed down: Ameristar Casino Hotel and Spa (standard room includes jetted tub with TV), the Embassy Suites St. Charles and Radisson’s Country Inn and Suites. From these spots or any hotel nearby you can play all five of Porter’s courses, eat and stay in an epicurean fashion for less than it would cost you for a couple of evenings and one round at a major golf resort. It’s a no-brainer and the ultimate I-70 golfing hook up. Then when you’re done, hit the intestate and sing Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” Chevy Chase style and make more memories with your clubs in tow.

Bear Creek Golf Club • Wentzville Designer and opening: Gary Kern, 1998 5,195-7,005 yards, par 72 bearcreekgolf.com

Country Lake Golf Club • Warrenton, Mo.

Warrenton Golf Club • Warrenton Designer and opening: Larry Luecke, 1971 4,716-5,854 yards, par 70 warrentongolfcourse.com

Wildcat Golf Course • Montgomery City Wildcat GC • Montgomery City, Mo.

Designer and opening: Lee Redman, 1960 2,769 yards, par-35 wildcatgc.com D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 31

MIDWEST

ELV8

ELV8 does just that

A transformative golf experience in Lake St. Louis, Mo.

ndoor golf facilities have become hugely popular in recent years, ensuring golfers are able to scratch their itch even when it’s dark, cold, and raining outside. Some of these facilities are primarily entertainment-based and designed for more casual players who might meet up on a Friday or Saturday evening for a game on a simulator — a fun alternative to a movie or a ballgame, perhaps. Other facilities are meant for serious golfers, who require a place where they can work to improve their game by practicing and training alongside similarly golf-immersed enthusiasts. ELV8 in Lake St. Louis, Mo. (35 miles northwest of the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium), has an area where you can relax and think about something other than golf for a while if you’d prefer. But the talk in the Player’s Lounge is more likely to involve swing planes, shaft lean, and ball speeds, rather than movie times or the Cardinals score. This is a place to work on technique and fitness in the hope of becoming a significantly better golfer than you were before you arrived. “We opened in November of 2023,” says General Manager Taylor Goodsell. “(ELV8 offers) a transformative golf experience that shapes you into a more resilient, confident, and skillful player.” Goodsell’s colleagues at ELV8 include Class A PGA teaching professional Zach Conlin, three PGA associates working towards Class A membership, and a doctor of physical therapy. The focus here, you understand, is not on partying and merriment, but rather, growth and progress. “At ELV8, we're not just about teaching golf,” Goodsell insists, “we're about refining talent and inspiring champions.” Inside the state-of-the-art, 10,000 square foot building, you’ll find seven Trackman simulator bays, a 3,000 square foot short-game area with a real sand

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BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

bunker, and a dedicated fitness area. Memberships are available with plans for all ages and skill levels, meaning everyone from new golfers to college players are accommodated. A proprietary, eight-stage assessment identifies your strengths and weaknesses, giving instructors the information they need to devise an improvement plan specific to each player. “It provides the foundation for your personalized training plan,” says Goodsell. “We perform golf and physical evaluations of all our new members, and then build them an individualized routine for all parts of the game, including the physical side. We then observe their development every time they are here and help with parts of their game that might need attention.” The most thorough, and indeed most popular membership level is Tour Player. At that level, besides the assessment and supervised golf practice sessions, players get five 90-minute training sessions every week. The Mini Tour level includes all the above, but with two 90-minute training sessions. Then there’s ELV8 Range, which gives you access to the facility between 7 and 10 a.m. every weekday, priority booking, member discounts on simulator rentals, and access to the gym and shortgame area in the evenings and on weekends. ELV8 Remote Fitness gives members access to the company’s training software and enables constant communication (virtually or in-person), between you and your coach. Finally, there’s ELV8 Elite, specifically designed for juniors. This is a club-based program in which team members take part in group practices and training sessions, then play in both local and national junior tournaments. There are five levels of the ELV8 Elite program: Take Off Tots, Gliders, Jetsetters, High-Flyers, and Aces. Each of these levels seeks to combine the excitement of community-building with the fundamentals of golf,

physical fitness, teamwork, and personal growth. In early February, ELV8 exhibited at the St. Louis Golf Expo. According to the show’s producer, Dick Stephens, it was a big hit. “ELV8 pros and members were really energized,” Stephens says. “You could tell how committed they were to helping people with their games. Show goers flocked to their booth and came away really impressed. We can’t wait to have them back again in 2026.” The company’s website makes it clear you don’t have to be a member to get involved and take advantage of what ELV8 offers. Outside of membership and training time, there are leagues which golfers can join. They also put on tournaments, stage charity events, and host parties. “We also rent the simulator bays out by the hour,” says Goodsell. He suggests that while ELV8 exists to make new golfers competent, intermediate golfers into single-figure players, and better golfers into elite performers, there’s also an element of amusement and recreation. The emphasis, though, is clearly on giving golfers the capacity to improve, whether it’s making them useful members of corporate-day scramble teams, lowering their handicaps in order to move up a flight in the club championship, or getting them to a level where they can compete for national titles. You only have to read the website blog to get an idea of the level of expertise ELV8 can offer and how it can help you advance. Take note of its motto, which has helped scores of golfers to achieve their goals: “Trust the Process, Do the Work, Reap the Rewards.” If you live in ‘The Lou’ or just traveling through, visit elv8golf.com to make an appointment to tune your game or enjoy the confines before or after your round.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.ELV8GOLF.COM OR SCAN THE CODE BELOW!

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ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS

Greatest show on turf Part deux

Battlehawks continue long tradition of football in St. Louis — golf and gridiron share a fanbase

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

t was a welcomed addition that this year’s St. Louis Golf Expo had a booth manned by the St. Louis Battlehawks, one of eight teams set to compete in the United Football League (UFL) this season. Golf and football do not share much of a common thread, other than gravity, flags, and penalties. However, the Battlehawks folks know these fans, and this was a great way to reach them. “People in St. Louis are some of the best sports fans in the country,” said Battlehawks Director of Communications and Media Relations, Brian Stull. Stull and the management team understand the city’s history. Specifically, how the local fans have suffered, again and again, from NFL teams using the city as a revolving door. The Battlehawks, playing a level below the NFL, have been there to ease the pain of abandonment. Seven years ago, it took a golf event — the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club — to show the nation the spirit of the area’s sports fans. The tournament was won by Brooks Koepka but Tiger Woods, with his game on a decline then, rediscovered his competition juices via the gallery roars. He put on a thrilling final day charge with a 6-under 64 to finish second, two strokes behind Koepka. “The people here were so positive, the energy was incredible,” Tiger said after his round. “I wish we could play in front of crowds like this every single week because this is a true pleasure.” A sportswriter at the event added, “This is a city, perhaps like Tiger Woods, that’s been left for dead before ... it loves a winner, and it loves something, someone that might love it back. For one insane day, Tiger and St. Louis were at the summit.’’ Duly noted, two years later, the inaugural Extreme Football League (XFL) chose to place a franchise in St. Louis, and the Battlehawks were born. Last year, the XFL and the United States Football League (USFL) merged to form the eight-team United Football League (UFL).

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St. Louis is called the Gateway City, and unfortunately for sports fans in the region, that gate swings in as well as out. The city has had two NFL franchises — with connections to two more — but have seen them all move on, not for lack of fan support but instead due to owners’ greed and stadium envy. The first two football forays into the National Football League didn’t really count. The initial franchise in 1923 was the St. Louis All-Stars (secured with a $100 franchise fee) that drew virtually no fans and scored virtually no touchdowns. The owner canceled the season’s final game and sold the franchise back to the NFL, which canceled it, as if it never existed. The second brief attempt was the St. Louis Gunners, which played just the last three games of the 1934 season — as a replacement for a failed team — and never more. The first substantial NFL franchise came in 1960 when the Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis, known affectionately as “The Big Red.’’ The football Cardinals shared Sportsman’s Park — built in 1902 — with the baseball Cardinals and had plenty of quality players in the ’60s such as Larry Wilson, Jackie Smith, Roger Wehrli, but not much team fortune. In the 1970s, there was the high-flying ‘‘Air Coryell’’ offense, but very little playoff success. There was talk of the Cardinals moving to Atlanta in 1964 until the city agreed to build Busch Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1966. Then, after 28 seasons and only three playoff appearances — and no victories — owner Bill Bidwell moved the franchise to Arizona. Early in the 1990s, St. Louis petitioned the NFL for another franchise, the Stallions, with a proposed new domed stadium. Denied. There also was interest from the New England Patriots to move there, but then Foxboro Stadium owner Robert Kraft held the Patriots to their lease, and the move was denied. Kraft then purchased the team. In 1995, L.A. Rams owner Georgia Frontiere, a

St. Louis native, had her own stadium lease dispute in L.A. and promptly decided to move the Rams to St. Louis. That triggered the glory years for the St. Louis Rams, and “the Greatest Show on Turf.” Quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Fault, plus wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt helped guide the team to two Super Bowl appearances, winning it all in 2000. When Frontiere passed in 2008, billionaire Stan Kroenke took full control, and everything split into small pieces. Rams fans were to witness a three-year stretch in which they won just six times. Kroenke, pushing for a new stadium and maintaining his allegiance to St. Louis, secretly purchased land in Inglewood, Calif. After the 2015 season, the team became the L.A. Rams again, breaking the St. Louis fans’ hearts all over again. Stull said the loss of two NFL franchises “unfairly labeled’’ the city’s sports fans. “But a lot of that has subsided (now). Remember, the Cardinals moved here. The Rams were moved here. The Battlehawks were born here, so people could put their arms around them from day one.’’ Despite the challenges of playing seasons in the throes of the Covid restrictions, the Battlehawks have prospered, attracting more than 20,000 fans per game during their 10-week season. “We’ve got some amazing sports fans in the city, not just football fans,’’ Stull added. “They love baseball, football, soccer, chess tournaments, golf events. Whatever the event, St. Louis shows up.’’ The Battlehawks have an amazing offering for all sports fans in St. Louis and those touring golfers playing their way through “The Lou” this spring and summer. It’s great family fun and check out the options on their Battle Bridge for an upgraded experience. Visit theufl.com/teams/st-louis for tickets and to follow the team in 2025. And look at the schedules of all the other UFL teams to catch gridiron action wherever you may be with your golf bag.

MIDWEST

THE PUTTERY

The art of golf

Puttery and Drive Shack are making artistic impressions in Kansas City and across the country

BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

iniature golf in your old hometown never looked like this. Not a clacking clown face in sight. Puttery, a new take on an old golf novelty standby, is up and putting in 13 American cities, with custom courses specific to each city locale that take you, putter in hand, to the virtual art museum, or out to the garage, or down the illusionary hallway of your mind (wow, man) and then let you recover with a burger and cocktail. Puttery is a corporate sidekick to Drive Shack, which finds a new kind of entertainment value in a trip to the driving range.

Puttery — puttery.com

The Kansas City Puttery, which showed off the concept at the Kansas City Golf Show in February, offers a trip to the Art Museum, with ancient statues and groovy pop art throughout the curated nine-hole course; or to the Conservatory, where you putt and sip among redwoods and cacti; or up to the Rooftop, with virtual cityscape views within steps of a (nonvirtual) full-service bar. Each of the other 12 Puttery cities offers its own course options and the same multiple food and drink opportunities. To be fair, the bar program, mixology and culinary delights alone there are worth the visit 36 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

even if you don’t pick up a flatstick while you are there. At the Kansas City location on the famed Country Club Plaza, we were literally wowed with the amazing décor and cocktails we sipped. For instance, in West Palm Beach, Fla., patrons of the putt can visit Street Art, where the course meanders through street art masterpieces; and The Garden, where the lush and manicured garden figures offer a visual guide to the course routing. In New York City, the Puttery on Long Island takes a flatstick foray to the Lodge, with Rocky Mountain views and drinks beside a toasty fireplace; and the Museum, where a modern-day putter person navigates among centuries-old artifacts and architectural relics. In Minneapolis, the Library course beckons you to browse the age-old shelves and spin a globe between reading and spinning in putts from multiple angles. At Pittsburgh’s Puttery, there’s no need to step around oil stains on the floor of the Garage, where a player steers through a niner of vintage vehicles and exposed brick walls. In Washington, D.C., it all ain’t what it seems deep inside the Illusion, where the brain-numbing nine holes takes you away from reality but never too far from the bar. Puttery palaces can also be found in Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Charlotte and Raleigh in North

Carolina, and Richmond, Va. The family friendly Puttery venues offer all-ages access during all business hours Sunday through Thursday and before 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Pre-booking is requested for putter parties larger than eight, but Puttery welcomes drop-ins, too. The Puttery website offers all the information a putter could need about hours, pricing and the nonprofits Puttery supports.

Drive Shack — driveshack.com

At Drive Shack locations in four American cities — Richmond, Raleigh, West Palm Beach and Orlando — the drive’s the thing. Drive Shack is jumping into the growing worldwide market for golf-simulator fun with full-service drinking and dining. Each Drive Shack location offers three eightweek social-league seasons each calendar year. Build your four- to six-player team and get it going on. Office parties and corporate events have a home at Drive Shack locations. Birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, anniversaries, graduations … you got the party, Drive Shack has the venue. Every Drive Shack features a multitude of flat screens, games and a vast menu of food and drink. If golf and fun are not synonymous in your world, you haven’t visited a Drive Shack.

NOW OPEN!

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Outlaw Golf Carts has a ride for every need. From two-seaters perfect for the course to four and six-seaters built for the whole family, and even work-ready utility carts—we’ve got you covered. Planning a special event? We also offer cart rentals to keep your guests moving in style and comfort.

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opening Saturday, March 1, 2025 1301 E Santa Fe St, Olathe, KS 66061 • 913-967-9097

MIDWEST

OUTLAW GOLF CARTS

Paying it forward Bob Peel took tragedy and turned it into a life of philanthropy and career of prosperity — Outlaw Golf Carts in Kansas is his latest launch

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

hat a life Bob Peel has provided for his family and his community. The 73-year-old Kansas City-area entrepreneur has lived an exemplary life. It’s one that has been highly productive, dedicated to starting successful companies — from hair salon products to golf carts — as well as raising millions for breast cancer research, schools and other charities. He has had an immense impact on all his family members and the lives of hundreds of folks he has employed over the past half century. He understands how fortunate he is. He also understands that he’s fortunate to be here at all, and that a 17-day period in June of 1985 changed everything in his life. It was the best of times that month, vacationing in Greece: sunny, bright, and relaxing. He had won the trip through a sales contest at his company. He and his wife Kris took along his parents. They had the time of their lives. However, they ran into problems on their trip home, missing their flight out of Athens. They scrambled to catch another plane back to the States — the fateful TWA Flight 847. “We were lucky, we thought, to get on another flight. And that’s the one that got hijacked,” Peel said. “Just after we took off, two guys jumped up, pulled pins out of hand grenades and held a live grenade for three days in their hands.” The two Hezbollah hijackers sought the release of at least 600 Shia Muslims from Israeli custody. Negotiations among the hijackers and the various countries’ leaders were intense as the plane crisscrossed the Mediterranean between Algiers and Beirut for the next three days. One U.S. Navy diver was killed, thrown onto the tarmac, and many hostages were treated poorly. After multiple flights back and forth, the plane finally landed and remained in Beirut for the next 14 days before both the hostages and the Muslims prisoners were exchanged and freed.

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Peel and his family finally arrived back in Wichita, Kan., on July 3 of that year. Peel was extremely weary and mentally exhausted from the traumatic events. He remembers being asked to read the Pledge of Allegiance the next day — at a July 4 celebration — before a packed football stadium. “People could see I was a mess,” he said. “After the first sentence, a wind blew all my cards off the podium. I had no clue what the next sentence was. Senator (Robert) Dole saw this and he started yelling out the words to me. That’s the only way I could get through it.” It took some months to recover from the ordeal, but Peel was left with the feeling “like I shouldn’t be here.” He believed he was given a second chance at life. He said he had “an obligation to pay back and try to do as much charity work as I could. I made a promise to help as many people as I could. I’ve done that a lot.” His paybacks are more of paying it forward — in all aspects of his life. After his mother died of breast cancer, Peel raised more than $2 million for cancer research through the City of Hope in Pasadena, Calif. He also donated more than $1 million to three schools in Hutchinson, Kan., among his many charitable endeavors. His family sold their 73-year-old business, Peel’s Salon Services — which had 700 employees, 57 stores, and $120 million in annual sales — to L’Oréal in 2011. Peel took three months off and couldn’t sit still. He and his children then started a series of businesses in their Olathe, Kan., community: an Amazon

shipper, running an office complex, Tint World for tinting car windows and Outlaw Golf Carts. Peel, who played college golf at Kansas State and is still a five handicap despite a recent knee replacement, added, “golf has been a family passion.” His three girls — Erin, Erika, and Evan — all played college golf and he taught the game to all seven of his grandchildren. Given that background, the Outlaw Golf Cart business is a labor of love. The carts can be custommade and serve various functions: a four-seater for running around the neighborhood, a utility vehicle for maintenance work, leased carts for special events such as weddings, and the most popular Outlaw golf carts. “I’ve always been an out-of-the-box thinker. I wanted to distinguish ourselves in the marketplace,” he said. The carts are equipped with Macpherson struts for a smoother ride and disc brakes for quicker stops. Many of the carts are loaded with all the extras, including LSV (low speed vehicle) safety features like seat belts, turn signals and headlights, that allow the carts to drive on streets with speed limits of 25 mph or lower. The carts also have LED lighting under the roof and the underside for better visibility and safety. Peel added that he doesn’t expect to expand the cart business much beyond the region. “Service is a big deal for us,” he added. “We want to take care of our customers.” Peel’s charitable heart — gifted to him out of a tragic circumstance 40 years ago — came into play in late April when Outlaw Carts opened a location in their hometown of Olathe, a Kansas City suburb. Peel raffled off a $20,000 cart with the money distributed to local Kansas City charities. His generosity will also extend to a Friends of James Beard Benefits all-star chef dinner at Hallbrook Country Club in Leawood, Kan., this September. See outlawgolfcarts.com to see their amazing inventory and services.

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CALIFORNIA

Wonderful

Desert Willow California Firecliff Course • Hole 1

Thirty-six holes of pure Coachella Valley bliss awaits in Palm Desert

hether you live in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest or New England, there is little debate that, come fall and winter, few spots in North America offer more great golf than the Greater Palm Springs area. There are so many courses in the valley you could have chosen, but a perennial favorite of Destination Golfer readers is Desert Willow, the 36-hole, KemperSports-managed, Palm Desert municipal that opened in 1997 and is a treat to play. As gorgeous as the courses are and even in times where it could not be more popular, the facility is always improving. One of two courses – Firecliff – was closed between the middle of May and middle of September for a fairly major renovation which saw tee boxes leveled, a new elevated tee built at the long par-4 10th, and all 18 greens resurfaced. While nothing has actually been scheduled or approved yet, there have been discussions with the City of Palm Desert about a similar project for the Mountain View Course, according to General Manager Derek White.

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BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

Dr. Michael Hurdzan, who designed both courses alongside his then-partner Dana Fry, was heavily involved in the recent project. “My job was to write the RFP (request for proposals), hire the local architectural firm to do the work (Palm Desert-based Hermann Design Group), and consult with them as needed,” Hurdzan says. “I then marked out what we wanted the new green shapes to be, wrote the technical specifications, and reviewed the construction drawings before going out there a couple of times to observe construction.” At 27, Firecliff was beginning to show signs of aging. It wasn’t anything serious – to most, it’s still as beautiful and popular as ever – just the slow creep of greens getting slightly smaller and changing shape over time, and tees not looking their pristine best. Plus, replacing the existing turf on the greens with MiniVerde made a lot of sense. “Firecliff’s greens had shrunk from normal mowing and lost some of their shape and key hole locations,” says Hurdzan. “The original 328 Bermudagrass turf had become contaminated and was an old turfgrass.

It was reliable and had served Desert Willow well, but MiniVerde offers superior playing conditions.” The bermudagrass variety was developed in the late 1990s, has continued to evolve and improve since then, and was first used at a high-end golf course in the Coachella Valley in 2011. It is stoloniferous, which means it grows underground stems that produce new plants leading to greater density. It has an attractive dark green color, and can tolerate frequent, close mowing so Firecliff’s greens will be consistently smooth and quick. MiniVerde is a relatively hardy grass that resists disease and copes well with high-traffic areas which is obviously what you want at a course that sees so many golfers. “It’s ideal for the Coachella Valley,” says Hurdzan. “It thrives there and is also easier to maintain.” The Firecliff Course certainly wasn’t the only part of Desert Willow Golf Resort that saw changes over the summer as the 33,000 square foot clubhouse and Terrace Restaurant got a new roof. “The City of Palm Desert does an incredible job of

helping keep our resources and amenities best in class,” says Brian Simpson, Sales and Marketing Director. You’ll be uncovered though for the series of culinary events the resort is calling ‘Music and Dining Under the Stars’ which it describes as “Unforgettable evenings of live music and gourmet alfresco dining.” The entertainment will include jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, or acoustic music. Executive Chef Francois Gaertner and his talented team will do the cooking. “There will be six themed events (Italian, Seafood and Steakhouse among them) on Thursday evenings between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.,” says Simpson, “and all of them are expected to sell out.” Something else expected to sell out (it’s likely it already has, in fact, given its popularity every year, but do look to see if it’s still available) is the resort’s Platinum Club Card which gives you significant savings on green fees (25-30 percent), discounted green fees when you take up to three guests for a round, discounts on lessons, apparel, accessories and restaurant fare. It also enables you to make tee times up to 60 days in advance – a big deal with so many golfers wanting to play the course(s). Steve Mullin already has his. The President of the Washington Roundtable, Mullin splits his time between Seattle — where he played at Jackson Park as a kid, went to Roosevelt High and is now a member at Broadmoor GC — and Palm Desert where he and his wife have had a place for three years. He’s been coming to Desert Willow since about 2015 and, now that he lives in the Coachella Valley for half the year, is there a lot. “If I’m down there and working remotely during the week, I tend to play nine holes late in the afternoon,” he says. “It’s very relaxing to play as the sun is setting against the mountains.” Mullin will occasionally play other courses in the area, but says he plays the vast majority of his golf at Desert Willow. “The resident discount and Platinum Card are factors, certainly,” he adds, “but the real reason I spend so much time there is that I love playing both courses. They’re so well maintained and the setting is unbeatable. Plus the golf and restaurant staff are truly fantastic.” It's no surprise Mullin says he feels very much at home at Desert Willow. In 2025, he will be stepping down from his position at the nonprofit organization that seeks to “bring positive change to public policies affecting the State’s economic wellbeing,” and play even more golf at Desert Willow. “I think one round a day will be plenty,” he says. “But there could be days when I need more.” Visit desertwillow.com for information and tools to book an experience.

Firecliff Course • Hole 9

Firecliff Course • Hole 18

Firecliff Course • Hole 8 Firecliff Course • Hole 13

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HAWAII

G OLF AT TH E

Edge of the

Earth

Hawaii Volcano Golf Course • Volcano, HI

Volcano Golf Course is a hidden gem on the Big Island BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

On May 15, 2018, it’s likely your eyes widened, your heart stopped beating for a moment, and you mouthed the words “What the…” when you saw an incredible photograph somewhere on the internet of a man hitting a golf shot with a volcano erupting behind him. The gentleman was dressed in dark grey shorts and an orange polo shirt, and was wearing an orange baseball cap. He’d just hit his ball and was posing nonchalantly at the end of his follow-through assessing its flight. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the huge plume of smoke and ash billowing 30,000 feet into the sky just a mile or so away. The image was taken at the appropriately named Volcano Golf Course in the southeast of Hawaii’s Big Island, just the other side of the Mamalahoa Highway from the Kilauea Crater and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. At the time, the course was known as Volcano Golf and Country Club, but it closed for two years following Covid and the expiration of the owners’ lease before re-opening in March 2022 simply as Volcano Golf Course. 44 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

Now owned by non-profit Kamehameha Schools and operated by Indigo Sports, part of Troon — the world’s largest golf management company — Volcano GC first opened in 1921 with three holes “built” by eager locals. A year later, there were nine holes with small, round, sand greens and actual cups to putt into (the locals had aimed at wooden stakes originally.) When Kilauea erupted in 1925, the course was covered in ash, which proved beneficial for the Manienie turf, so the sand greens were replaced by grass surfaces. In 1939, it was discovered three of the nine holes were within the boundaries of the national park which had opened in 1916. Because that was illegal, the course lost that part of the property, but Laura Kennedy, the wife of a wealthy, local businessman, had it rebuilt and added nine more holes which, because of WWII, didn’t open for play until 1946. Twenty-two years later, the course’s then owner — C. Brewer & Co., one of Hawaii’s so-called ‘Big Five’ companies, which handled 25 percent of the state’s sugar production — hired course architect Jack Snyder to update it. Snyder had moved to Hawaii from Arizona in 1965 and spent three years as the superintendent at Ka’anapali (where the University of Oklahoma won its fifth Ka’anapali Classic, and third in a row, in November) on the island of Maui where he developed his own variety of Bermuda grass. A one-time superintendent at Oakmont CC in Pittsburgh, Snyder had evolved into a course architect in the late 1950s and would design six courses in Hawaii, playing a big part in establishing it as a golf destination. Forrest Richardson, Snyder’s associate for many years and a former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, has been a frequent visitor to Volcano since the 1980s, last visiting in 2023. Talk to him about the course and it quickly becomes apparent he’s smitten with the place. “There aren’t really any hidden gems anymore because of the internet,” he says. “But Volcano is probably as close as you get these days. I love it there.” Because of its remote location on the opposite side of the island to the west’s more famous courses (public and private) — Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani, Waikoloa, Hapuna, Hualalei, Makalei, Makani, Hokulia, and Nanea — Volcano can get overlooked at times. But a visit to the national park — a World Heritage site that 2.6 million people take in every year, is a must and a trip round this century-old layout a wonderful addition especially if you appreciate courses with a bit of history, where 18 holes cost half the price of a round on the Kailua-Kona Coast, and if you like to tee it up at courses whose nearby landmarks include places with names like “Lava Tree Molds,” “Steaming Bluff,” and “Sulphur Banks.”

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Play Volcano as part of a stay-and-play package after booking into the delightful Kilauea Lodge. Granted, the words ‘lava’, ‘steaming’, and ‘sulphur’ are apt to put some people off which is probably fair enough — you shouldn’t really take volcanoes lightly, especially those listed among the world’s most active. But they didn’t prevent Laura Kennedy from rebuilding the course, C. Brewer & Co. from buying it, or Jack Snyder from redesigning it. They didn’t dissuade Indigo from getting involved either, and nor do they prevent thousands of golfers from playing it every year (Volcano records roughly 20,000 rounds annually). Richardson has never heard of anything harmful or unpleasant happening and says the U.S. Geological Survey’s volcano-watching is so advanced these days it would be able to provide plenty of warning if any activity was picked up. “It’s really just part of Hawaii life,” he says, suggesting that while it may be a big deal to some, it really isn’t to others. “My take is it’s like playing golf at the edge of the Earth. It absolutely is a one-of-akind golf experience, and I think it would be a shame to pass it up.” More likely to keep you away than an erupting volcano or air pollution is the rain — Volcano GC gets over 53 inches a year according to weatherspark.com. It’s at its heaviest in April (7.2 inches) after which it drops off rapidly with June receiving about two inches. Strangely, some parts of the course get very different amounts to others. “On one side, it could be raining cats and dogs while on the other there’s just a gentle mist,” says Richardson. Don’t let rain or ash or lava or air quality or anything like that keep you away, though. Playing Volcano is a once-in-a-lifetime thing you’ll be glad to have experienced. It’s not particularly fancy, doesn’t have the architectural bones of somewhere like the Seth Raynor-designed Waialae on Oahu (venue for the Sony Open each year), and doesn’t boast Augusta National-like playing surfaces. But it is one of those courses you’ll remember and talk about for the rest of your life. “It just has so much potential,” says Richardson. “I know Jack was always proud of what he accomplished there, and I’d love to see it become a graceful, old-school, Hawaii layout, something along the lines of Waialae or Maui Country Club. Who wouldn’t want to be an overseas or mainland member of a course like that?” Play Volcano as part of a stay-and-play package after booking into the delightful Kilauea Lodge.

Links to the Links • VolcanoGC.com • KilaueaLodge.com • Hawaii-Guide.com

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Getaway to OUTRIGGER Kā‘anapali Beach Resort and Kā‘anapali Golf Courses, Maui OUTRIGGER Kā‘anapali Beach Resort is located on a three-mile stretch of the award-winning Kā‘anapali Beach, beloved for its pristine white sand and crystal blue waters along the sunny western shores of Maui. The resort provides an ideal setting for a relaxing tropical vacation with an authentic Hawaiian cultural experience. Immerse yourself in the vibrant traditions and customs of the islands as our full-time Hawaiian cultural specialists guide you through daily activities, captivating Hawaiian entertainment and insightful programs. Our commitment to preserving and sharing the Hawaiian culture is evident in every aspect of the resort, from the décor by Hawaiian artisans to the daily cultural experiences. Located in the heart of the Kaanapali Resort, conveniently between Black Rock and the Whalers Village shopping center and adjacent to Kā‘anapali Golf Courses.

@outriggerkaanapalibeach

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Royal treatmentHawaii

Ka’anapali Golf Courses • Lahaina, Hawaii

Ocean Course at Hokuala • Lihue

Ka’anapali and Hokuala welcome all to Hawaii

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

ount Mary Lou Mulflur as a big fan of the Robert Trent Jones-designed Royal Ka’anapali course. The longtime coach of the University of Washington women’s golf team (she’ll be retiring at the end of this season after 42 years in Seattle, highlighted by a national championship in 2016) celebrated the Huskies’ win at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational there in March, when her players recorded a convincing 11-stroke win over Sacramento State. “We very much enjoyed the golf course,” Mulflur told us. “It’s user-friendly with lots of beautiful views. Challenging for good players but an enjoyable layout for anyone … from the correct set of tees. It was the first time I or a women’s UW team had played here, but we would return in a heartbeat. I can’t think of a better place to celebrate a win.” UW sophomore Vivial Lu finished as a co-medalist, and like her coach, left Ka’anapali with fond memories. “This is a really special course and it was a very special week that I’ll cherish for a long time,” she said.

Jon Tempest, teaching instructor at the Ka’anapali Resort, would no doubt have been impressed with Lu and her teammates’ play. Coach of the First Tee — Hawaii and Lahainaluna High School golf teams, Tempest has been at Ka’anapali since last Fall. He offers a number of instructional programs including customized lesson programs for all ages and abilities. Speaking of instructional programs, guests playing at the incredible Jack Nicklaus-designed Hokuala on the island of Kauai should take advantage of the free clinic that takes place on Sunday mornings (11 a.m.-noon) at the resort’s Performance Center. PGA teaching professionals Cort Walter and Juan Carlos Gonzalez provide local insights, a warm Hawaiian welcome, and expert tuition, using a Trackman simulator which tells golfers everything they need to know about how they’re striking the ball. This year, guests should also be aware of Hokuala’s Malama Program (in Hawaiian, “Malama” means “to take the best care of ”). For $150, the program offers a green fee rate of $175, which gives a $124 savings off the standard rate. Do it twice and you’re playing with house money!

Ka’anapali Golf Courses • Lahaina

Ocean Course at Hokuala • Lihue

48 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R Ka’anapali Golf Courses • Lahaina

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UTAH

Desert

delights

Utah

Green Spring Golf Course • Washington, Utah

Greater Zion courses rise to all expectations

nce you visit the Greater Zion website under the golf portion of the page, we’re sure after you watch the dynamic drone videos of Sand Hollow and Sunbrook golf courses, you’ll soon begin figuring out how soon you can get there and how long you will be able to stay. Suffice to say, it’s quite an introduction, and the videos are incredibly effective at making you want to be there … right now. You could start your trip at one of the courses in the videos, or any of the other 11 within a 20-mile radius of St. George, the southern Utah town which has become one of America’s best golf destinations this century. We’re going to assume that — unless you’re among the luckiest people alive — you won’t have time to play all 14 courses in the area on the same trip. So, you’ll need to create an itinerary that suits your schedule, budget, preferences, etc. You can’t really go wrong with any of them to be honest, but of course, there are a handful of courses among the 14 you really won’t want to miss. The one you’ll probably remember best is Black Desert, the venue for last October’s Black Desert Championship won by Matt McCarty, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory with an impressive 261 (-23). The LPGA Tour arrives for its own similarly named event in May, when once again, we’ll be able to see Tom Weiskopf’s incredible design among the ancient black lava fields of Ivins. a fast-growing suburb of St. George, founded as a tiny farming com-

50 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

munity 100 years ago. The golf course (part of the 630-acre, $2 billion Black Desert Resort) not only winds in and out of the fingers of lava, it’s surrounded by the magnificent red rocks of the Red Cliffs National Conservation area, about 40 miles west of Zion National Park. With the Mojave Desert part of the picture as well, the photo opportunites are endless. Similarly stunning is the John Fought and Andy Staples-designed Sand Hollow, roughly 45 minutes due east of Ivins. Ever since the course opened in 2008, images of its par-4 12th hole running along the edge of a cliff, with an awesome view west to Signal Peak and the Pine Valley Mountains, have graced the internet. They have no doubt been chosen by countless golfers for their lock screens, desktop panoramas, and social media backgrounds. The short par-4 13th and other-worldly par-3 15th also have many fans, and though the course’s other holes will never attract the same level of interest or provoke the same stunned expressions, they’re really good, too, and would probably be a number of other courses’ signature holes. The nine-hole Links Course is definitely worth a game, too, and an extremely enjoyable addition to the Championship Course. Vacation rentals make a few days’ golf at Sand Hollow, a sublime and peaceful experience, one that’s very hard to leave. It's just a short drive east to Copper Rock where a number of fairway-adjacent homes have been built since the course opened in 2019. This is not a jammed-

in homogenous community, you understand. It’s a thrilling course that Epson Tour players get to enjoy every May, and which will host the LPGA Senior Championship, as Angela Stanford looks to win a title for the third year in a row. Even though you’ve played three (maybe four) courses by now, you’re really only getting warmed up. Within easy distance of everything else is the lovely Sky Mountain course, designed by Jeff Hardin, and opened in 1994. Gene Bates’s excellent Green Spring, now 35 years old, has a couple of never-forget holes. In April of 2022, David McLay-Kidd completed his $7 million renovation of Entrada at Snow Canyon, turning Johnny Miller’s challenging original into a playable and totally engaging adventure. The charming, nine-hole Dixie Red Hills is the area’s oldest course and might just be the most fun you have in St. George. Keith Foster’s superb Coral Canyon was considered the best course in these parts before Sand Hollow, Black Desert, Copper Rock, and the new Entrada showed up. Bloomington is a lovely game. The Ledges is another red rock beauty you’ll want to squeeze into your schedule. Plus, there’s Southgate, Sunriver, St. George, and Sunbrook. Now that’s a lot of really good golf (in a relatively small area), perfect for a trip you’ll probably want to repeat again and again. Check out greaterzion.com for those glorious flyovers and complete information on your upcoming sojourn there.

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IDAHO

Top shelf

Idaho

Circling Raven Golf Club • Worley, Idaho

Circling Raven is a dream destination in stunning Idaho

BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

s destinations go, the town of Worley (pop. 253) is a dot on the map in western Idaho, USA. As a destination for golf — and casino play and resort lodging and fine dining — Worley is a whole lot more. And there’s this: You can get there from here — and there, and there, and pretty much everywhere. Don Rasmussen, general manager at Circling Raven Golf Course, part of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort in Worley, said he entertained a group of golf and travel writers from around the country last year. “One of the things they were very impressed with was that they could fly into Spokane,” he said, “and we were 45 minutes from the airport.” Establish a beachhead at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, and by all means play a round or two at Circling Raven but know there is plenty of other golf in Spokane and its Idaho environs, known worldwide as the Inland Empire. “You can get here and play this great golf course,” Rasmussen said, “but you can play tag with a lot of other great golf courses in our community because our public golf courses, our county and city golf courses (in the Spokane area), are so good, and especially for the dollar.” The Coeur d’Alene Resort Course and its famous island green are a straight shot north on Highway 95, just 25 minutes away. In the other direction, south from Worley on 95, Pullman, Wash., and its Palouse Ridge course on the campus of Washington State University is just an hour and a quarter away. Spokane, whether you play on the front or back end of your golf trip in the Empire, is renowned for the quality and affordability of its public courses — such as Indian Canyon, The

52 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

Creek at Qualchan, and Meadowwood — and it’s just that pretty 45 minutes away from Circling Raven over the East Palouse Highway (WA-27). “So,” Rasmussen said, “accessibility here is really pretty good any way you spin it.” Whenever and however traveling golfers find their way to Circling Raven, Rasmussen is proud of the golf experience to be found here on a course widely considered the best in the Inland Empire for its challenge and scenery and consistently among the top-rated courses in the Pacific Northwest. The challenge is real. The course stretches to 7,189 yards from the tips, with a slope/course rating of 74.1/144. Raven is way more playable from the white tees (6,108 yards) and the reds (4,708 yards). Players hoping to step up to the task will benefit from practice facilities considered by Rasmussen to be the best among public and resort courses in the region, boasting a 12,000-square-foot practice putting green and a 25,000-square-foot wedge green. “It's huge,” Rasmussen said. “It's just an incredible short game practice facility.” The desert vistas and the sheer scope of the property, which uses only 110 of its 650 acres for golf play, will resonate with golfers long after they’ve finished a round here. Circling Raven Indoor Golf Suites opened in late November 2024 with three golf simulators in a 1,200 square-foot space in the adjacent Coeur d’Alene Resort Casino. The simulator room aims to fill a cold-weather niche for Rasmussen and scratches an itch for golfers denied wintertime play on most Inland Empire courses. Rasmussen said the autumn introduction of the simulators was a little late to fully build competitive winter simulator leagues, but he was encouraged by the simulator-room crowds from holiday corporate parties and family gatherings that could play not just golf on the three simulator screens, but

skee-ball, or football, or soccer, or Texas Hold’em, or Cornhole, or any number of other games. For now, though, Circling Raven is real 18hole golf, on grass, on a course now approaching its full springtime prime. Rasmussen said course superintendent Cal Zaranec has the course in fabulous shape, and Mother Nature helped. “He said he's never seen the grass come out of the winter as well as it did this year,” Rasmussen said. “I said, ‘Man, we've got to get some flyover pictures going, because this place is amazing.’” It’s all here, very near downtown Worley (pop. 253). It’s easy to find. And you can find them at cdacasino.com/golf/ on the web just as easy.

Circling Raven’s recent accolade

The ratings are in and expert panelists for Golf Magazine (golf.com) rank Circling Raven Golf Club as Idaho’s top public course. The bestin-kind accolade comes via the recently released “Best Golf Courses by State, 2024-25” compilation. Of the five Idaho courses cited for this distinction, Circling Raven was the only publicaccess venue to be included. Golf Magazines’s choice of Circling Raven means that the Gene Bates-designed course holds the No. 1 public course distinction in three U.S. golf publications (the other two being Golfweek, Golf Digest). “We work tirelessly to ensure that Circling Raven is an exceptional amenity of Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, and we are constantly enhancing the course and golf club,” said resort CEO Laura Penney, MBA. “This honor from Golf Magazine reinforces that our efforts to present a premier golf club and experience to our guests are on point, something we are committed to maintaining.”

Voted Idaho’s #1 Golf Course

TEE OFF IN

Paradise

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D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 53

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WASHINGTON

Spotlight

Spokane

Washington Kalispel Golf and Country Club • Spokane, Wash.

Kalispel Golf and Country Club and Northern Quest Resort & Casino are Inland Empire top spots

he Kalispel Golf and Country Club offers an exceptional golfing experience, especially when paired with the luxurious amenities of Northern Quest Resort & Casino. For avid golfers and casino travelers, this Spokane-area destination presents a blend of challenging golf, high-end accommodations, and a variety of dining options, making it a top choice for a memorable stay-and-play experience. Originally established in 1898, the Kalispel Golf and Country Club is one of the oldest and most revered golf courses in the Pacific Northwest. The course was acquired by the Kalispel Tribe in 2015 and has since undergone significant enhancements to restore and preserve its history while incorporating modern amenities. The 18-hole, par-72 course stretches to more than 6,600 yards, featuring manicured fairways and greens that meander through the Little Spokane River Valley. The combination of natural beauty and thoughtfully designed holes ensures a rewarding experience for golfers of all skill levels. Among the many standout holes is the long par-4 4th at 466 yards, known for its partially hidden bunker on the right and a sunken green guarded by bunkers on left and right. Another highlight is the par-5 16th hole, which features an elevated tee and a sharp dogleg right, with out-of-bounds running tee to green on the right. No. 5, a 407-yard par 4, calls for 3-wood to lay up in front of a grass trough 260 yards off the tee. Or go bombs away, if you can, to clear the trough and shorten your approach.

54 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

The 413-yard, par-4 14th offers a chance for long hitters to grip and rip it. Stay along the right side for the best access to the green. No. 7 is a fascinating par 3 at 194 yards. Aim clear of a greenside bunker left of the green and a hazard further left. For those looking to improve their game, the club provides a state-of-the-art practice facility, complete with a driving range, putting greens, and professional instruction. The golf course and Northern Quest Resort & Casino offer stay-and-play packages tailored to meet the needs of golf enthusiasts. The hotel Stay and Play Package, starting at $185 per person (based on double occupancy), includes a round of golf for two with GPS-enabled cart rental; a night’s stay in a luxury room at Northern Quest Resort & Casino; 10 percent off dining and $2 off drinks at both 1898 Public House and the members-only Kalispel Grill (both located at Kalispel Golf and Country Club); and up to 20 percent off golf shop purchases. After your day on the links, head to Northern Quest for all the Vegas-style action you can handle. Take your pick of more than 1,500 slot machines, take a seat at any of the 37 live table games, or lay down bets on your favorite teams at Turf Club Sports Book. The Northwest’s largest casino resort also hosts year-round live entertainment and boasts an impressive array of dining options. For a casual bite, guests can visit EPIC, a sports bar offering classic American fare, craft beers, and a lively atmosphere with giant screens.

Northern Quest Resort & Casino

For a more refined experience, Masselow's Steakhouse stands out as the resort's signature restaurant. Named after Chief Masselow, a revered leader of the Kalispel Tribe, this fine dining establishment specializes in premium steaks, fresh seafood, and an extensive wine list. The Kalispel Tribe, a federally recognized tribe, has a history dating back thousands of years in the Pacific Northwest. Traditionally known for their fishing, hunting, and gathering lifestyle, the Kalispel people have maintained a deep connection to the land and its natural resources. In recent years, the tribe has made strides in economic development, including acquisition of the golf course and establishment of Northern Quest Resort & Casino. These ventures not only provide economic benefits but also serve to preserve and promote the tribe's cultural heritage. Kalispel Golf and Country Club and Northern Quest Resort & Casino offer a premier destination for those who appreciate the finer things in life – exceptional golf, luxurious accommodations, and exquisite dining. Whether you’re an avid golfer looking for a challenging course or a casino enthusiast seeking a vibrant entertainment experience, this destination has something for everyone.

WASHINGTON

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‘The greatest amount of good’

Washington Salish Cliffs Golf Course • Shelton, Wash.

Upgrades abound in the Pacific Northwest at Salish Cliffs

characteristic common to everything that’s great in the world is that, whatever it is, it’s always trying to get better. Motivational speaker and best-selling author John Addison, says “You’re either green and growing or you’re ripe and rotting.” Put simply: you snooze, you lose. Golfers have become very familiar with the concept in recent years as countless clubs have renovated their aging courses, renewing playing surfaces and getting rid of dead wood (and, in many cases, live wood). The fear of falling behind the club across the road which is improving itself and stands to benefit from its investment is a very potent motivator that keeps courses fresh and attractive. And in today’s ultra-competitive golf resort market, where publicaccess courses vie for coverage and attention, any hint of frayed corners, deterioration, or looking a little worn out invariably spells disaster. Last year, we wrote about the superb Salish Cliffs course on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, saying how designer Gene Bates, a former associate of Jack Nicklaus who has worked with Johnny Miller and Fred Couples and has numerous highly ranked solo efforts to his credit, had cleverly routed the course to disguise the many elevation changes. We also mentioned how it had revived all 63 of its bunkers by relining them using the Better Billy Bunker system and replacing the existing sand — a project Bates oversaw. The course was only 13 years old at the time — young to be getting its first significant renovation.

56 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR But Pacific Northwest weather will usually take its pound of flesh, so to speak, and, like we say, standing still in this business or allowing any wound, no matter how small, to fester will quickly lead to a regrettable drop in return business. The reaction to the new bunkers from Salish Cliffs’ regular and devoted clientele was extremely positive with several players telling us the course looked fresh and like new again. This year, the adjoining hotel at the Little Creek Casino Resort is enjoying a renovation of its own. One of the upgrades is a new administrative wing which will provide a more centralized space for admin offices — a project whose ultimate goal is to improve hotel operations while fitting in seamlessly with the architecture and feel of the property. New administrative wings probably won’t get the typical hotel guest too excited, but news of refurbished rooms certainly will. “Besides the new office space, we’re also working through Tower 2, remodeling all the guest rooms,” says Tyler Brown, Salish Cliffs’ Head Golf Professional. “This is not a tear-down and rebuild but a remodel of all the interior design themes, furnishings, and bathrooms.” The new-look Tower 2 guest rooms come 12 years after the 5,212 square foot addition to the casino’s gaming space, three years after four new dining outlets were added to the Boardwalk — Legends Cheesesteak, Red Cedar Espresso, Kamilche Brick Over Pizza, and Creekside Sweets, and two years after the complete renovation of the Starlight Lounge

which saw it become a restaurant, sports bar, and nightclub. These are the sort of expansions and developments that keep a place in the news, and they’ve had as profound an effect on the health and vitality of the casino-resort as the bunker work had on the golf course. Over 90 percent of Golfpass users recommend playing Salish Cliffs and it invariably appears in top 10 lists in Washington State. The casino-resort has plenty of five-star ratings on various review websites, so a stay-and-play package is highly recommended. Prices start at $399 and include a room at the hotel, two rounds of golf (one for each person based on double occupancy), a gift item, a food credit, and some free play in the casino. Be checking your calendars now for some free days when you can slip away to Shelton and Little Creek/Salish Cliffs. In booking a round on the course and a night in the hotel, it’s possible you’ll receive some correspondence from the resort and the Squaxin Island which ends with the line “The Little Creek vision is to create the greatest amount of good for our Team, our Tribe, and our Community.” That’s a wonderful sentiment, though it’s not exactly clear who “the Community” is or how far it extends. But it surely includes all Pacific Northwest golfers who are very fortunate to be able to play Salish Cliffs regularly and for whom a considerable amount of good has been created. Visit salishcliffs.com to book a true Northwest golfing and gaming experience.

LOCALLY & NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED GOLF DESTINATION

STAY PLAY ESCAPE

YOUR SUMMER GOLF GETAWAY AWAITS

SUMMER STAY & PLAY SPECIAL (PACKAGES STARTING AT $440) • • • • •

One-night stay at Little Creek Casino Resort 2 rounds of golf at Salish Cliffs Golf Club (1 round per player) Complimentary range balls & GPS-enabled cart ($20 Food and Beverage + $20 Gaming) for dining and casino fun Complimentary keepsake gift for two

Please call to book and mention CASCADE SUMMER STAY & PLAY

WASHINGTON

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New Scarecrow

stands tall above the Columbia River

Washington Gamble Sands • Brewster, Wash.

Gamble Sands debuts stellar new course in August

n Aug. 1, Washington’s Gamble Sands will become one of the most talked about golf resorts in the country, if it isn’t already. It will still have a way to go to match Bandon Dunes or Pinehurst for attention, but the opening of a second 18-hole course will launch it into a whole new stratosphere of popularity, demand, coverage and interest. Of course, that can really only happen if the designer(s) did as good a job with the second 18 as they did with the Sands Course, designed by David McLay-Kidd, which opened in 2014. While that’s certainly easier said than done, early reports suggest that not only is it the equal of the original, it might be even better. Named “Scarecrow,” as it sits on old arable land belonging to the fruit-growing (apples, cherries) Gebbers family, the new course covers roughly 300 acres, which would be considered expansive virtually anywhere else but does make it compact compared to its predecessor. Although McLay-Kidd was heavily involved in the project (and will officially be recognized as the architect), it was his design partner, Nick Schaan, who made most of the important decisions. Schaan began his design career with John Harbottle in 2003, but joined Kidd three years later, eventually becoming a partner. He is every bit as important to Kidd’s firm as Jim Wagner is to Gil Hanse’s or Bruce Charlton was to Robert Trent Jones Jr’s.

58 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

Despite the assumption that the parcel of land on which Scarecrow now sits (and where the Gebbers once grew corn) could never be as dramatic as the site for the Sands Course, closer inspection revealed it actually shared many of the same features – ridges, gulches, exposed sand, significant elevation changes, etc. While that was certainly a positive, Schaan and Kidd were careful to make the new course distinct from its older sibling. The size of the site helped with that effort, as did its superior views of the Columbia River. But the design team decided to make the greens a little smaller on average, and says Schaan, “break the areas of exposed sand into chunks with smaller pieces and compositions of clusters.” Where the courses are very similar, however, is in the area of playability. Scarecrow’s fairways are as generous as those on Sands, and there’s little or no long rough. It spoils resort golfers’ days, and there isn’t any need for it anyway. The greens are surrounded by the short-cropped turf that makes shortgame shots so interesting and enjoyable. So, while the 18-handicapper will get around just fine and is unlikely to lose many balls, the golfer looking to match or beat par will find all the challenge they need among the course’s ridges bumps, troughs, sizeable bunkers, and significant green contours. Indeed, Kidd says Scarecrow might play two or three shots tougher. Not surprisingly, there are numerous highlights. The round opens with a fabulous mid-short par 4

where positioning off the tee is crucial if you want to get off to a fast start, alongside the location where 40 new guest rooms have been built. Then comes a wonderful mid-iron par 3 to a narrow green. The par-4 5th is an excellent cape hole that features a long, diagonal bunker down the right side (carry as much as you dare to leave yourself an easier approach), and the 9th is a par 3 with some huge bunkers plus an infinity green. While the front nine has a handful of truly remarkable holes, the back is just one great moment after another. The 10th is an unforgettable, longish par 4 that sweeps right to a green high above the river. The 11th is a beautiful short hole that plays directly toward it. The 12th is a remarkable three-shotter that skirts a barranca. The 14th, 15th and 16th may be the greatest three-hole stretch you ever play, assuming you never make it to Amen Corner at Augusta National or the closing trio at TPC Sawgrass. The 17th features a superbly-contoured green, and the home hole is a short par 4 where you might drive the green if you’re swinging it nicely — or struggle to a six if you’re not — and have trouble negotiating sand or a tricky lie in the fairway. Whatever you shoot, Scarecrow is going to hold your attention from first to last, and the discussion about which of Gamble Sands’ two courses is better (not forgetting the 14-hole QuickSands par-3 course or Cascades Putting Course) could last long into the night.

AWARD-WINNING GOLF • RIVER-VIEW ACCOMMODATIONS • 2 RESTAURANTS

Extraordinary. Gamble Sands 2025

OUR MOST EXCITING SEASON EVER!

Pure Modern Links Golf from the Mind of David McLay Kidd Play Gamble Sands + Quicksands Today New Scarecrow Course Opens 8/1 Now Accepting 2026 Stay & Play Reservations 200 Sands Trail Road • Brewster, Washington • (509) 436-8323 • GambleSands.com • Troon Golf

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WASHINGTON

Tour

Tri-Cities Washington Horn Rapids Golf Course • Richland, Wash.

Photo by Rob Perry

HORN RAPIDS GC, countless golfing options, wineries and lodging make this growing area one of the most well-rounded destinations in the Pacific Northwest

BY BOB SHERWIN • DG STAFF WRITER

s a 15-year-old, working carts and

Bob Soushek, a businessman from Maple Valley, Wash., owned

caddy duties at Horn Rapids Golf

and operated the course. However, Soushek was over his head and

Course, Josh Garza feared that the course was not destined for

under water in this desert layout.

success. The Richland, Wash., links-style course, which opened

“Bob kept it afloat as long as he could without putting a lot of

in 1994, was barely hanging on. There was hardly enough equip-

overhead into it. It was always playable, but when you don’t have

ment to maintain the terrain. The irrigation system was breaking

the right fertilization program, Mother Nature does its own work,”

down. Fertilization was haphazard. Golfers were pulling for the

said Garza, now Horn Rapids’ head golf professional.

course’s survival.

Soushek finally sold the property in 2018 to Brad Rew for $1.5

“I saw the potential of this place. I also saw not enough money

million. Rew, who owns Gale-Rew Construction in Richland, im-

was coming in,” Garza said. “Why was no one playing here, but

mediately dealt with a list of projects. The first major issue was

golf was very popular in the Tri-Cities?”

forced upon the new owner — fixing a broken water pump in mid-

It did have potential. Noted architect Keith Foster, who designed dozens of courses throughout the U.S. (including Druids Glen in Kent), had shaped a challenging layout, the first links course in the area and still one of the very few in the state. 60 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

summer 2019. Garza said, “we were without water for a week and a half in July. We were drier than the Sahara Desert.” It was fixed within a few weeks, but the course had wilted. That didn’t help player retention. One and done.

Teeing it up in Kennewick, Pasco and Richland LINKS TO THE LINKS

In addition to Horn Rapids, consider these courses, complexes and indoor golf locales for your initial and return trips to Tri-Cities.

Then the Covid pandemic rocked the globe in 2020 as just about everyone sheltered. Rew admitted to Garza, “it was the worst time to purchase anything.” Fortunately, golf was viewed as a safe activity, and within a short time, Horn Rapids (along with other golf courses throughout the country) began to draw folks, old and new. “Golf was the only thing you could possibly do, instead of staying home,” Garza said. “It definitely changed the Horn Rapids environment.” Various rate options helped attract the onetimers, including a $36-for-36-holes special that Garza, looking back, jokes about when considering the measures the course had to take. All along, Rew’s team handled project after project. That included tearing down the original clubhouse for a new pro shop and restaurant (Rewsters Craft Bar & Grill), with an outdoor patio for music entertainment. New equipment was purchased. Surfaces were leveled. Sand was injected into the greens. More homes were built around the course, now more than 1,400 with 300 homesites remaining. “We have not had a full year of ownership without an issue. Good things don’t happen fast. I’ve been here 15 years, and the last four-year period is the best this course has ever been,” Garza said. “We’re still not done with our vision, what it will be. Every year we pick a new project. “This past year, we kind of got the Tri-Cities back and the love for Horn Rapids again,” added Garza. He says, unlike other courses in the area, it “has a destination feel to it.”

Canyon Lakes Golf Course • Kennewick, Wash.

Buckskin Golf Club BuckskinGolfClub.com

Improve your skills at Buckskin Golf Club’s driving range and practice putting green or make your way to the nine-hole course for a quick trip. For 20 years, golfers have been enjoying the easy 90-minute trek around the layout.

Canyon Lakes Golf Course CanyonLakesGolfCourse.com

Rated among the best golf courses in Tri-Cities over a decade in a row. Additionally, check out their 18-hole putting course to improve your stroke. Canyon Lakes offers 20 different membership options including four-day memberships, ideal for those visiting the area.

Columbia Park Golf Tri-Plex PlayColumbiaPark.com

The Columbia Park Golf Tri-Plex is a family-friendly facility with an 18-hole golf course. Guests can golf either nine or 18 holes or enjoy a game of disc and/ or foot golf.

Columbia Point Golf Course PlayColumbiaPoint.com

Columbia Point Golf Course is an upscale, daily fee facility with a challenging course for all levels of linksters. Amenities include a golf shop, cafe, covered patio, driving range and clubhouse. The James J. Engh 18-hole design is 6,100 yards and is a par-72 test. Columbia Point chose a fresh approach that offers vertical elevation to a relatively flat surface while creating moderately challenging greens. It’s walking distance to great lodging options and one of the most popular courses in the state by rounds played.

Divots Golf DivotsIndoorGolf.com

This cutting-edge indoor golf simulator offers players a fully immersive experience with more than 100 worldwide courses to play and nearly a dozen games. Great post-round spot or evening hangout.

Pasco Golfland PascoGolfLand.com

Located just one mile from Pasco Airport, Golfland is one of a few ninehole courses in the area. Popular for local league play and game improvement, it also has a nice local pro shop. No hole over 175 yards makes this a super emergency nine locale.

Sun Willows Golf Course PlaySunWillows.com

Sun Willows Golf Course is a Robert Muir Graves design with 18 holes playing to a par of 72. It opened in 1960 and was redesigned in 1980. The club features a pro shop, driving range, tiptop staff and restaurant. From the back tees the course plays 6,715 yards, has 32 bunkers and five lakes to contend with.

West Richland Golf Course WestRichlandGolf.com

Created in 1953, West Richland Golf Course features a local vibe with large trees and abundant wildlife. The Army Corps of Engineers’ vision 50 years ago was to make this an inviting place for all players and the 18-hole layout is one of the most beloved in Richland.

X-Golf Kennewick PlayXGolf.com/Locations/Kennewick

X-Golf has it all for an indoor experience. Their bar, shareable appetizers, and virtual courses are designed for all ages and levels.

Zintel Creek Golf Club ZintelCreekGolfClub.com

Golfers seeking beautiful scenery should make their way to Zintel Creek Golf Club. The 18-hole course features tree-lined narrow fairways and great bunkering. Great food and drink as well as a golf simulator make this a sure-fire choice.

How was your Trip?

We would love to read about and see your 2025 trips Show us your D ES T Ito N Tri-Cities. AT I O N GO LFER 61 golf, wine and recreation memories — feel free to send them to us and post your photos on our regional Cascade Golfer Facebook page.

WASHINGTON

A Tri-Cities hotel and hub to consider —

The Lodge at Columbia Point There’s an array of great accommodations all over Tri-Cities. The previously mentioned Lodge at Columbia Point was Destination Golfer’s home away from home during our coverage there. We found it warm and welcoming, and its timeless look, service and aura hit the spot. Guests enjoy vistas of the water and we saw other sojourners around the patio fire pits in the evening sipping regional wines and also in the cocktail bar just off the lobby living room. Drumheller’s Food and Drink located in the lodge featured local cuts, chops and produce selections and their pairings from the local AVAs and vineyards rounded out a personal culinary experience. Pro tip: the pool and hot tub there will bring you back into form for golf the next day — handy in-room robes added to the respite. Visit LodgeAtColumbiaPoint.com for more information and reservations. Additionally, VisitTri-Cities.com for a complete look at the region, recreation, entertainment and accommodation options.

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GO WEST

Horn Rapids Golf Course • Richland, Wash.

“(Now) how do we get the travel golfers back?” One way has been what the Tri-Cities does best — wines. The area is known as “The Heart of Washington Wine Country.” Golf-and-wine packages are popular for folks traveling from Seattle, Spokane, and Portland. Garza said Rewster’s promotes nearby wineries from Ste. Michelle, Goose Ridge, Willows Run, and Brainstorm Cellars. Frequently found on tap at Rewster’s are selections from Bombing Range and White Bluffs, two breweries located within a mile of the course. “We have more than 200 wineries within a 50-mile radius of the Tri-Cities,” said Julie Woodward, Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services for Visit Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick). The area produces award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Not far from Horn Rapids is Columbia Point, with four quality restaurants overlooking the river. It’s also home to one of the popular hotels in the area, The Lodge at Columbia Point. Also close by is Tulip Lane, where there are three urban wineries. J. Bookwalter, Barnard Griffin, and Tagaris, all offer wine tastings and food. Also consider Goose Ridge in Richland, where the wine tasting is right on the beautiful vineyard grounds there. Some of the greatest growing conditions anywhere in the world are located in The Heart of Washington Wine Country. The Tri-Cities population is around 310,000, so the roads don’t jam up like the big cities. It takes just about 15 to 20 minutes to get anywhere. That includes most of the wineries and established golf courses such as Canyon Lakes, Columbia Point, Buckskin, Sun Willows, Zintel Creek and West Richland, among others (see full list in this issue). They are all within a 20-mile radius of each other. Canyon Lakes in Kennewick opened in 1981 and is considered one of the mainstays of TriCities courses. It’s received accolades for over a dozen years as a must-play. Mike Lundgren had owned and operated the John Steidel-designed 7,026-yard layout for 33 years before selling it last August to Tri-Cities businessmen Craig Eerkes, his son Chris Eerkes, and Scott Mitchell. Horn Rapids, 6,990 yards (5,783 yards women’s tee), is similar length to Canyon Lakes, but is the only course in the area built on sand. Even though Horn Rapids opened 31 years ago, it’s virtually the new kid on the block because, over the years, there weren’t enough resources to promote or market the course. “We were overlooked by not being able to get our name out there. We’re trying to get people to try us again,” said Garza, who is doing the golf show circuit to promote the course in Seattle and Portland — their exhibit was popular at the two expos this February. “Word of mouth is huge as well. It helps when a guy plays here, then goes back and tells his gang how fun it is and how different it is.” “The course is hard enough not to end it on a sour note,” Garza said. He shared that the accommodating par-5, 497-yard 18th hole is a fan favorite. Folks there have a good chance at a birdie, giving them a good feeling about their round, “and maybe feeling good about returning.” It’s a must play, stands behind its incredible story and welcomes Puget Sound and Portlandia golfers warmly this spring, summer and fall. Visit HornRapidsGolfCourse.com to book tee times and perhaps serve as your anchor for this year’s Tri-Cities golf journey.

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WASHINGTON

GO WEST

The Heart of Washington Wine Country TR -CITIES is an outdoor paradise, nirvana for wine-lovers, and offers endless sunshine

lan your getaway to the Tri-Cities and experience the perfect blend of worldclass golf, exceptional wines, and outdoor adventure. Your next memorable

escape awaits in this sun-drenched haven of natural beauty and hospitality. Nestled at the confluence of the Snake, Yakima and Columbia Rivers, the Tri-

Cities has long been an outdoor enthusiast’s best-kept secret. Today, this vibrant region is emerging as a premier destination in southeastern Washington, renowned for its stunning natural landscapes and an array of recreational opportunities. With hundreds of days of sunshine, endless open spaces, and an inviting climate, the TriCities offers visitors a perfect blend of adventure and relaxation. Whether you’re into water sports like sailing, power and pleasure boating, waterskiing, or paddleboarding, the region’s meandering waterways and riverfront trails provide an aquatic playground second to none. For those who prefer to tee off rather than paddle, the Tri-Cities boasts a selection of exceptional golf courses that promise year-round play. The region’s ideal weather and meticulously maintained courses make it a haven for golf enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking to challenge yourself with a deep drive down a fairway or simply enjoy a leisurely round under the sun, you’ll find a course that suits your style. 64 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

There are over 200 wineries within a 50-miles radius of the Tri-Cities.

Wine lovers will find the Tri-Cities to be the ultimate destination. Known as “The Heart of Washington Wine Country,” the area is home to over 200 wineries within a 50-mile radius, offering a diverse range of varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Here, you can savor award-winning wines directly from the source — often poured by the very hands of the winemakers themselves. Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur seeking a comprehensive food and wine experience or a newcomer looking for a relaxed and inviting atmosphere, the Tri-Cities caters to every taste. Many visitors choose to base themselves in the Tri-Cities and set out on wine tours across renowned regions such as Yakima Valley, Prosser, Red Mountain, and even Walla Walla, all while enjoying the convenience of a single, comfortable accommodation. Accommodations and dining further elevate the Tri-Cities experience. Visitors can choose from an array of lodging options, ranging from the elegance of luxury riverfront hotels and spas to the affordability of pet-friendly motels, RV parks, and cozy bed-and-breakfasts. Each option is designed to provide the utmost comfort while offering easy access to the region’s natural and cultural attractions. After a day of adventure on the golf course or the vineyard, indulge in the culinary delights that the Tri-Cities has to offer. The local dining scene is as diverse as it is delicious, featuring everything from gourmet restaurants that pair award-winning wines with innovative cuisine to casual taco trucks and vibrant food markets. Master chefs in the region are known for incorporating the best of local and seasonal produce into their menus. In the heart of Washington agriculture — the Columbia Basin — more than 200 varieties of fruits, grains, vegetables, and crops are grown, and these fresh ingredients are a staple in the culinary creations found here. From fine dining establishments and artisan dessert shops to lively coffee houses, microbreweries, and cocktail bars, there’s something to satisfy every palate. Even those who prefer non-alcoholic options will appreciate the thoughtfully crafted mocktails and nonalcoholic wines available at many venues. The Tri-Cities truly offers a full spectrum of experiences. Whether you’re challenging your skills on the golf course, exploring its scenic waterways, savoring the flavors of its celebrated wineries, or enjoying the comforts of its diverse accommodations and dining options, there’s always something exciting waiting to be discovered. This region is not just a destination — it’s a vibrant community that invites you to explore, relax and indulge in some of the best that southeastern Washington has to offer. VisitTri-Cities.com is an excellent resource to explore and craft your journey to Richland, Pasco, Kennewick and the spots nearby. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 65

DISCOVER WHAT’S IN YOU Visit the Tri-Cities for an immersive golf experience. Toast the wineries, savor the food, let the friendliness of our people move you, and allow the spirit of exploration expand your horizons.

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NEW ENGLAND

Iconic

Cape Cod A guide to some of the finest holes on memorable courses along this New England dreamscape

BY CHRIS KAZARIAN SPECIAL TO DG

f golf is on your vacation agenda, you’ve scored a hole in one on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod. With 27 public courses and 15 private ones, you'll have plenty of opportunities to perfect your swing. “With so many courses in a concentrated area, you can get a taste of everything out here,” says Shayne Sakson, the director of golf at Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club in Brewster, Mass. “The Cape is a great golf destination for people to come and play. And we’ve got great weather through different parts of the spring, summer and fall.” With so many options — historic courses dating back more than 130 years and one-of-a-kind designs created by renowned golf architects — each round offers a unique opportunity to play storied holes that embody the natural beauty of Cape Cod. Here are a few well-reviewed holes — a routing that showcases the Cape in a world-class sense. 74 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

Massachusetts The Ridge Club • Sandwich

Bayberry Hills Golf Course Hole 4 — Yarmouth

The Captains Golf Course Hole 2 — Brewster

Bayberry offers two options for golfers: the 18-hole Championship Course and the 9-hole Links Course that recently underwent a $3 million renovation. The most difficult hole on the championship course, this 416-yard par 4 is also its most scenic and the only one with water. A pond in front of the green and a pond to the right add to the beauty and challenge. “It’s a difficult hole, but has a great look to it, especially when you’re looking over the pond and have to hit your tee shot over water,” says Head Golf Professional Dennis Hoye, who also oversees the town-owned Bass River Golf Course, situated on the Bass River in South Yarmouth.

The only public golf facility on the Cape that features 36 holes, The Captains offers two 18-hole options – the Starboard Course, which includes eight of the original holes from The Captains’ opening in 1985, and the Port Course. Considered by many to be the signature hole of the Captains course, No. 2 is a scenic par-3 (162 yards) with a green framed by four bunkers. The Port Course, constructed in 1999 by leading architect Brian Silva, is the slightly more challenging of the two. Its signature hole, the par-5 8th hole, has a pond guarding an elevated green.

Blue Rock Golf Course Hole 9 — South Yarmouth

The Club at New Seabury Hole 2 — Mashpee

Consistently ranked one of the best golf courses in the region, and in the top 10 for all par-3 golf courses in the nation by the editors at GolfSpan.com, Blue Rock stands out on the Cape. Part of its popularity lies in holes like No. 9, which at 169 yards is deceptively challenging because “you’re driving from high above and you have to drive over water,” says Matt Pitta, Director of Communications at The Davenport Companies, which operates the course. “It’s one of the most picturesque holes on the Cape.” Blue Rock, the cover image of this issue, is quintessential Cape golf.

This private club’s Ocean Course is aptly named, particularly with its front nine set against the stunning backdrop of Nantucket Sound and a nearby marsh. You won’t have to play long to take in the beauty of the Cape and this course with its par-3 No. 2. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more scenic hole until you get to the next one, because No. 3 is equally impressive. There’s a reason New Seabury has been dubbed the “Pebble Beach of the East.” But don’t be fooled by its beauty. These first holes are among the most difficult, especially because you’ll be hitting into the prevailing ocean winds.

D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 75

Cranberry Valley Golf Course Hole 18 — Harwich

Dennis Highlands Golf Course Hole 16 — Dennis

There’s a reason so many flock to Cranberry Valley, the 8th-ranked public course in Massachusetts by Golfweek. Designed by noted architects Geoffrey Cornish and William Robinson, the layout is relatively flat with a healthy mix of doglegs (and a few double doglegs) to keep play interesting. With two doglegs, the par-5 18th hole fits that criterion. Shaped like a horseshoe, it’s one of the more challenging holes on the Cape, playing 521 yards from the back tees and 350 yards from the forward tees.

Having celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, Dennis Highlands has long been a fixture on the Cape, offering open-wide fairways and undulated doubletiered greens that are protected by bunkers on most holes. The par-3 hole 16 happens to be one of Assistant Director of Golf Michael Holzworth’s favorites. “It’s very challenging,” he says. “There’s a large bunker in front that guards the hole, and there’s trouble with woods in the back so you have to hit a good shot.”

Falmouth Country Club Hole 10 — Falmouth With two courses – the 9-hole Talon Course and the 18-hole Osprey Course – Falmouth Country Club offers an abundance of riches when it comes to the sport. It should come as no surprise that a pair of ospreys overlook its trademark hole from a nest above a picturesque pond. The birds add life to hole 10, which is a long par 5 (516 yards). “The osprey come back every year,” says PGA General Manager and Director of Golf Matthew Burgess. “You can hear them mating, their babies chirping, and see them diving for fish. It’s pretty neat. There is water on the hole. Off the tee to the right is a little pond, which adds to the challenge.”

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LINKS TO THE LINKS The golf courses in the 15 towns on Cape Cod

Bass River GC

hollyridgegolf.com

Bayberry Hills GC

Hyannis GC

West Yarmouth golfyarmouth.com/ bayberry-hills-championship

Blue Rock GC

South Yarmouth bluerockgolfcourse.com

Highland Links Hole 6 — Truro At the outer edge of the Cape sits one of the region’s oldest and most scenic courses. Founded in 1892, the 9-hole Highland Links is a must-play for any visitor, with its sweeping views of the Atlantic. While every hole on the course is a treat, the 464-yard 6th may be the most spectacular. With the ocean at your back, you’ll be hitting on a clifftop toward Highland Light on this dogleg left. You’ll end your round on the Scottish links-style 9-holer with a much shorter hole at 136 yards; national publications have hailed No. 9 as one of the world’s greatest par-3s.

Cape Cod CC

East Falmouth capecodcountryclub.com

The Captains GC Starboard & Port courses Brewster captainsgolfcourse.com

The Cape Club

Falmouth capeclubresort.com

Chatham Seaside Links Chatham chathamseasidelinks.com

Chequessett Yacht & CC Wellfleet cycc.net

Cranberry Valley GC Harwich cranberryvalley.golf

Dennis Highlands GC

Hyannis Golf Club Hole 18 — Barnstable Prior to the town of Barnstable purchasing the course in 2005, it was called Iyanough Hills for good reason. “We have a lot of hills, lots of elevated tee boxes and elevated greens,” says Head Golf Professional Thomas Rourke. “The layout is hilly and has lots of character to it. Some courses on the Cape are flat and you feel like you’re playing the same hole over and over again. Here, each hole is unique.” None more so than the 18th, Hyannis’ signature hole, which requires a shot off an elevated tee box down a hill. The approach onto the green goes up a hill toward the clubhouse. “It’s a great finishing hole,” Rourke says. “You have to hit two good golf shots – the first with the driver off the tee. And the second, even if you’re on the green, you need to be precise with your approach shot.”

Holly Ridge GC Sandwich

South Yarmouth golfyarmouth.com/bass-river

Dennis dennisgolf.com

Eastward Ho!

Chatham eastwardho.org

Hyannis barnstable.golf

The Club At New Seabury Mashpee newseabury.com

Ocean Edge Resort & GC Brewster oceanedge.com

Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds GC Barnstable barnstable.golf

Paul Harney GC

East Farmouth paulharneygolfcourse.com

Quashnet Valley CC Mashpee quashnetvalley.com

The Ridge Club

Sandwich ridgeclubcapecod.com

Sacconnessett GC

East Falmouth sacconnessetgolf.com

Sandwich Hollows GC East Sandwich sandwichhollows.com

Twin Brooks GC

Hyannis theemeraldresort.com/ twin-brooks-golf-course

Falmouth Country Club

Wequassett Resort & GC/ Cape Cod National GC

Highland Links

Willowbend CC

East Falmouth falmouthcountryclub.com

North Truro highlandlinkscapecod.com

Harwich wequassett.com

Mashpee willowbendcapecod.com D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 77

NEW ENGLAND

HEAD EAST

Iconic

Cape Cod

Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club Hole 8 — Brewster Cape Cod’s only Nicklaus Design course is a combination of scenic beauty and challenging play. “Jack (Nicklaus) hasn’t done any other courses here on the Cape,” says Director of Golf Shayne Sakson, who will be entering his fifth season at Ocean Edge. “It’s a great layout and playable for every level of golfer.” As for his favorite hole, Sakson wavers between Nos. 8 and 17. It’s the 8th, the more scenic of the two, which Ocean Edge uses for marketing. The par-3 hole has a pond along the right, just short of the green. There’s also a beautiful rock wall that encases the end of the pond up to the green, which is surrounded by a bunker to the right. The 17th is a par-5 dogleg left where you’ll be hitting from elevated tees. At 600 yards, it’s a minimum three shots to the elevated green, making it a difficult but aesthetically pleasing hole.

Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club • Brewster

The Ridge Club • Sandwich

The Ridge Club Hole 17 — Sandwich Designed by Robert von Hagge, a titan of golf architecture, The Ridge Club offers a challenging layout set against a stunning backdrop of seaside landscapes. With an island green, the 17th hole is the crown jewel of this Sandwich course. The final par-3 of the course is short (150 yards from the back tee; 124 from the front), but with water almost everywhere, it will test the accuracy of even the most accomplished golfers.

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Wicked good Cape Cod respites, lodging and food faves

Red Jacket Beach Resort

BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER Reference works will tell you Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts. Besides being a region thick with golf courses, an insane number of eateries (fine dining and casual), and classic hotels and inns, what is Cape Cod? Did you know: Cape Cod extends from Provincetown in the northeast to Woods Hole in the southwest and borders historic Plymouth on the northwest. Fifteen towns divvy up the 340 square miles of the Cape. To know Cape Cod is to love it, says Amanda Catania, a lifelong resident who is Director of Tourism Sales for the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. “I feel like everyone has their own relation to the Cape and why they love it,” says Catania. “It feels nostalgic, and yet still it's new and exciting.” If golf is your reason for visiting, the Cape boasts 27 public golf courses and 15 private courses. Many of them are open 365 days a year. You active souls on vacation on Cape Cod — golfers, of course, but also runners, bicyclists, and foodies — will need a place to lay your head. Catania could recommend just about every business on the Cape but named a couple that offer fine base camps for a day (or week) of play. The Red Jacket Beach Resort in South Yarmouth (redjacketresorts.com) is situated by the banks of Parker's River, with Atlantic Ocean views, a full-service spa, and a range of dining options, from very casual to very fine. The Red Jacket is near mini-golf and several regular courses. The Bayside Resort (baysideresort.com; 225 Route 28 in West Yarmouth) is not oceanfront but has marsh views in the back and a beautiful pool that overlooks the marsh. The Bayside’s affordability is a plus, and it’s affiliated with Cape Cod Golf Vacation (capecodgolfvacation.com) where you can book tee times or stay-and-play packages at virtually every course on the Cape. Shoreway Acres Inn (shorewayacresinn.com; 59 Shore St. in Falmouth) is a family-run inn which has maintained its original ownership. It’s a short walk to the beach, boasts an indoor and outdoor pool, and is very near Falmouth golf courses. Dining on the Cape is rich, plentiful and diverse. Catania called out a couple places to consider. Anejo Mexican Bistro (anaejo.com; found on Main Street in Falmouth, Hyannis and Plymouth) is reasonably high-end Mexi fare, but more than reasonably excellent. Locals say to try the Pescado Encorneflecado (corn flake encrusted local cod, fire roasted corn, cilantro-lime rice, house verde sauce, and cotija cheese). “Wicked good” is a New England expression that gets tossed around a lot, but Cape Cod locals — and the newly converted — mean it when they say it about family-run Mom & Pop’s Burgers (603 Main St. in Chatham). What’s in Pop’s burger sauce? What’s in Mom’s? Visit the website (momandpopschatham. com) to learn more, though some ingredients will remain forever secret. For a full scope of lodging and dining, visit the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce online at capecodchamber.org and craft your own experience.

The Bayside Resort

Shoreway Acres Inn

Anejo Mexican Bistro

D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 79

HEAD EAST

NEW ENGLAND

The American Dream – realized

Chris Cote and his family grow a one-of-a-kind regional golf business in Connecticut based on values and vision

BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

hris Cote’s Golf Shop is an American success story, built on golf, family and the mysterious workings of the human brain. The guy who knew after a year of higher education that he wasn’t college material also knew he knew golf. He knew it well enough, eventually, to go from a garage business buying and selling golf clubs on eBay to today’s retail empire in west central Connecticut. It’s a good story, how Chris Cote got from there — leaving Central Connecticut State University and its golf team after a year — to here, today, with two Chris Cote’s Golf Shops (chriscotegolf.com), two Toptracer Ranges, Chris Cote’s School of Golf and 16 Trackman simulators spread among the properties. Be assured Cote didn’t get any of it out of a book. “In college, I'd read a book and 10 minutes later, A.D.D. would kick in and I wouldn't even remember what I read,” he says. Who knows why, then (his “A.D.D.” is self-diagnosed), he can remember every

80 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R

detail of a club-fitting transaction from years ago? He likens it to the waiter at a restaurant who takes seven orders at a table, doesn’t write anything on his notepad, and gets it all right, down to who gets baked potato with their steak and who gets the fries and who wants their salad dressing on the side. “So, I'm the same way in golf. Like I can remember people and what I fit them for, even to the shaft, to the grip, everything.” Cote, 55, is a hands-on entrepreneur. He’s not the picture of the stuffed shirt golf professional. “I'd call myself a blue-collar operator,” he says. “You'll see me mowing and jeans on and dirty.” He leaves the financial side of the business to his wife, Donna Cote, a CPA. Which gets around to another lesson he didn’t learn out of a book: Keep your family close, and if possible, in business with you. After he left CCSU, he went to work at Golfers Warehouse stores in Connecticut. And he learned —

club repair and fitting, retail operations, staffing, customer service. “I just wanted to learn it all,” he says, “not knowing I was going into business one day.” Chris, originally from North Kingstown, R.I., and Donna, from Hauppauge on Long Island, N.Y., met in a Hartford bar called Boppers. They’ve been married 31 years. By the late 1990s, Chris and Donna had three young kids in daycare. He’d started experimenting with eBay and was making some money — buying clubs low and selling them high. “My wife said, ‘You know, you're not making a ton of money at Golfers Warehouse. Why don't you stay home and basically be daddy daycare and do eBay?’ So that's what we started doing.” When the golf clubs in the garage overflowed into the dining room of the house, they rented a 1,500-square-foot storefront in nearby Portland. Soon, they were selling new clubs by TaylorMade, and Callaway soon followed. Eventually, the other big clubmakers signed on, and the business, now far

beyond buying and selling used clubs on eBay, grew and expanded steadily. Along the way, Cote says, the couple has learned a lot about their own working partnership: what Chris can’t do, Donna can, and vice versa; Donna the voice of financial reason vs. Chris the visionary. Today, two of the three young kids staying home with Dad in the Nineties are working in the family business. Daughter Danielle Cote, 28, went to James Madison University in Virginia and got degrees in web design and public relations. She had no plans to move back to Connecticut. “And, you know, the universe just kind of took control,” says Danielle. After college, she took an internship at Ping Golf in Phoenix doing web design. That was the fall of 2019, and the golf industry was heating up. “We were expanding quite a bit,” says Chris, “and we made her an offer she couldn't refuse to manage our Portland store.” Grudgingly, she said OK. “And thank God I did,” Danielle says, “because Covid hit a couple of months later and I was already at home. I was able to be at home through Covid and the golf shop was closed.” Says Chris: “One thing I would tell you, I'm a big believer in fate and that things happen for a reason. And it was just meant to be, like she was supposed to be one of our managers.” Danielle now runs the Portland store. “She's doing a great job,” her father says. “She’s talented on social media — runs a nice tight ship, and customers like her. She's in the right position for sure.” The youngest Cote child, 24-year-old Bryce, works in the Southington store as an assistant manager, and does basically whatever the business needs of him. Bryce went to Coastal Carolina University … for one semester. “But he came home for Christmas break and said, ‘Dad, if I want to work in the family business, do I have to go to college?’ My wife and I were like, hmm, let’s run some numbers. “And we're like, nope, you don't have to go to college. And kind of like me, he learned all the stuff through what we do. He's learned the whole industry.

He's like a mini-Chris Cote, basically.” The Cotes are admired and respected dearly by the biz of golf. “His family values and the teamwork that modestly is on display for the customers and industry to see each day is what the Cote family is known for from coast-to-coast — it’s their hallmark,” says Producer of the Connecticut Golf Show Dick Stephens, which has known Chris and his family for a decade. “Donna, their talented children, and Chris are like working side-by-side with family — it’s felt that way to me since the first meeting I had with them in their little location where the dream began 10 years ago,” says Stephens. “Everyone I know cares and pulls for their business and them as people. They walk the walk — examples through and through on how to live, laugh and love.” Family, to Chris, is supreme. Basically, he says, it’s all you’ve got. “I mean, at the end of the day, I would say, is money important? Of course, money is important. You want to do well, but at the end of the day, when life is over with, that's what you got, right? That's what you have.” The Covid pandemic, disastrous in many ways for many people, gave the golf industry a shot it needed, Cote says. “I've been in the industry since I was 17 years old, and I'm 55. It’s the best I’ve ever seen it, right now as we speak.” When he looks up and down the tee line of a golf range, Cote says, “you see juniors, you see women, you see men, you see 10-year-olds, you see 80-yearolds, you see all different types of people, and it’s great to see.” For Chris Cote, his company is thriving as the golf industry booms. His wife and two of his children are nearby, right there, working in the family business, each in their own ways. Life, it seems, is pretty good. And he doesn’t need to read a book to tell him so. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 81

SHOWCASE

LONGVIEW RV

Golf on the go! Long View's exhibit at the Connecticut Golf Show was one of the most popular interactive zones at the expo this March.

Golf travel with Long View RV: It just makes sense BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

here may be no such thing, officially, as a “golf RV.” That said, 23-year-old Lexi Roberts — already a veteran of the recreational vehicle industry — knows golf travel is gaining steam among her clientele. The goal, in her capacity as dealership coordinator at Long View RV SuperStores in Windsor Locks, Conn., is to make it work for them. “Yeah, we’re definitely hearing it more,” she said of golf travel by RV. “It gives golfers the flexibility to kind of bounce around and go wherever they want, and you still have that comfort of home that a hotel's not really going to give you. “So, you've got your kitchen, you can kind of park and stop wherever on the road, and it's not as structured as if you're flying somewhere. You can kind of make decisions on the fly and make a turn and go west or east to whatever course you want.” The family-owned Long View is exclusively a dealer for products of Forest River RV of Elkhart, Ind., offering everything from little pop-up trailers to big diesel motorhomes. The (Hartford) Connecticut Golf Show in March gave Roberts and Long View a chance to present the product line and talk a little golf travel. Roberts brought a 34-foot super-diesel Class C motorhome to the golf show. ”I showed everyone the compartments,” she said. “I'm like, you could easily fit four sets of golf clubs

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just in the compartments out on the exterior. And there are a few more compartments inside.” The demographic of RV customers is split between traditional older people and younger families that will travel together, Roberts said. As a whole, the industry is skewing slightly younger. “Which is good,” Roberts said. “I'm a younger person, and I look at my friends and they're not outdoors people, but I'm like, you don't really need to be an outdoors person to be an RV person. “I say you get to be one with nature, but if you're not a big outdoors person, you can hide inside with the AC and the TV on, too. So, you're kind of in an outdoors environment, but you're still, you know, you've got all of those luxuries in it.” The average person, perhaps especially younger people, might not know how cool an RV can be. “I had some friends stop by the store the other day, actually, and I showed them one of our units. There's a fireplace. There are four TVs in it. You've got a TV under the awning outside. It's something. They're like, ‘Wow, this is like a one-bedroom apartment. This is nice.’” Marketing RVs is an interesting challenge on the internet and social media environment of today. “I feel like we've got to be in all the different social medias, even like TikTok,” she said. “I kind of just started that, so I'm not that good at it yet. I need

to be friends with an influencer or something to figure out their special sauce and figure out how to do it.” Facebook is still a good bet. “We have like 13,000 followers. I would say our target buyer is on Facebook and not necessarily on all the other ones.” Some of the marketing is pretty old school: “We sponsor a lot of golf tournaments.” Roberts’ grandfather started the Long View business in 1959. “There was a tower in Massachusetts up the Mohawk Trail,” Roberts said, “and it had a three-state view, and you could pay whatever, 25 cents, to go to the top of the tower and look at the three-state view. That's the ‘long view,’ and it's in our logo.” The goal is the same today for the company as it was when it launched more than six decades ago. “You want to make sure everyone's having that good experience, so then they love it,” Roberts said. “They love the lifestyle, and then you want their kids to come back and do it with their kids.” If there’s no such thing as an official golf RV, golf travel by RV is definitely a real thing. It just makes sense. Visit longviewrv.com to check out their inventory and consider setting an appointment. And, if you are not in New England, imagine flying into Hartford’s Bradley International Airport, taking the five-minute drive to Long View and driving your new RV home this summer — with your clubs of course.

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SHOWCASE

MGI GOLF CARTS

The ultimate caddie

MGI and Epson Tour leading powered trolley pack with a perfect pairing BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

f you’re new to powered trolleys and haven’t heard much about them, you might be surprised to learn there are articles online listing the top 10 trolleys for 2025. Who knew there were enough manufacturers and models to make such a list? The powered trolley market in America has taken a long time to get going, and is several years behind places like the U.K., where they have been commonplace for 30-plus years, and Australia, where they are similarly popular. There are a handful of highly-regarded trolley makers, but perhaps the most prominent of them right now — and the one whose products are most eagerly-awaited — is Motorized Golf International, or MGI. Born in Victoria, Australia, in 1993, MGI began life as Caddymatic Australia — provider of Cad-

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dymatic trolleys and the Australian distributor of British brands Powakaddy, Lectronic Kaddy, Foissy and Hill Billy. In 2006, the company made its first shipment to America. In 2007, MGI began adding a GPS function to its Navigator series and eventually purchased SureShotGPS. It exhibited at the PGA Show in Orlando for the first time in 2014, and introduced the threewheel, one-piece foldaway Zip series in 2017, with each trolley taking up 25 percent less space (when folded) than competitors’ models. MGI’s U.S. headquarters opened in Las Vegas four years ago, and the first North American warehouse opened in Ontario, Canada, in 2023. Currently, there are two models that stand out as being the most popular in the U.S. There’s the hardy, four-wheeled Zip Navigator AT (All-Terrain),

a sleek, black remote-control trolley with patented Electronic Gyroscope, allowing it to maintain a straight course no matter the terrain. There’s also the AI Navigator GPS+, which can be controlled remotely up to 100 meters, and has a GPS function with a high-resolution, four-inch, full-color touchscreen display connecting you to over 40,000 courses worldwide. Connect the MGI app to Bluetooth and get notifications from your phone displayed on the trolley. Yes, it’s a golf trolley that shows you your emails, texts, calls, etc. This year, MGI became the official motorized trolley of the Epson Tour, which is the road to the LPGA. William Holbrook, the company’s vice president of U.S. sales, says he has been inundated with interest from players who are permitted to use a motorized trolley in Tour events — in lieu of a

regular caddie — which might get expensive. Of the 40 or so who have expressed an interest, MGI will be partnering with five. This group includes Australia’s Su Oh, who has signed with MGI for the rest of the year. “I'm really looking forward to using MGI,” says Oh. who will get around the course with the help of the Zip Navigator AT. “On the Epson Tour, many players push trolleys themselves or have parents or friends carry their bag, as not many can afford to pay a regular, professional caddie. So far, I've only used the MGI for one week in Florida as a trial, but I'll be using it starting in April at the Beaumont California tournament, and I’ll have it at every event from then on.” Born in Korea, Oh moved to Australia at the age of eight, and first qualified for her first LPGA Tour

event in 2016 at just 19 years old. Since then, she has earned over $2.5 million. While she has yet to win in America, she has recorded 16 top-10 finishes and 50 top-25s. A disappointing season in 2024 sees her on this year’s Epson Tour, but she obviously hopes to rebound and get back to where she most certainly belongs. “I think the Zip Navigator AT will be a great benefit,” she says. “To not be physically pushing the buggy every day of tournament week (practice plus competition) will help conserve a lot of energy, which is so important.” View and shop at MGIGolf.com — or visit PuetzGolf.com in the Far West, ProAmGolfUSA. com in the Midwest or ChrisCoteGolf.com in New England — and buy yours today through these trusted retailers. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 89

SHOWCASE

CLEVELAND

Dunlop’s triple threat

BY TONY DEAR • DG EDITOR

Dunlop Sport’s trio of brands — XXIO, Srixon, and Cleveland — are making some of the finest, most popular clubs in the game XXIO Prime Driver

XIO is the brand for golfers who are losing distance and require lightweight components — the new Prime driver is just 257 grams total (10-15 percent less than a typical driver) — to generate a little more clubhead speed. They are also somewhat pricey, with the Prime Driver weighing in at $900, while the., while the standard XXIO 13 runs just $700. XXIO was founded in 2000 and has its U.S. headquarters in Huntington Beach, Calif. The company introduces club families in numerical order, though its Prime line is an additional (even higher end) range that is somehow even lighter than its standard offerings. As you’d expect of a club designed for golfers who have trouble turning the clubhead over and imparting right-to-left sidespin, the Prime driver is designed to prevent a slice. The Super-TIX 51AF titanium (like everything else here, the titanium is very light but strong) face uses Bulge and Roll design to bring off-center strikes back into the fairway. When the clubhead rotates fractionally due to a poor strike, the head moves around the center of gravity (CG) imparting the sidespin necessary to curve the ball back towards the short grass. Activewing, a now-familiar XXIO (and Cleveland) technology that positions a wing-shaped feature at the heel-end of the crown, is designed to keep the clubhead stable on the downswing, helping golfers deliver a square clubface at impact. The BiFlex face makes certain areas of the clubface thicker, and stiffer than others, which helps to protect ball speed on off-center strikes.

Srixon ZXi Irons

he ZXi irons build on the success of last year’s ZX MKii which saw Srixon’s star rise again, a trend that has been developing for a decade or more. Staff players such as Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry, and Brooks Koepka have used them to win prestigious titles around the world. The iForged Construction (also known as Condensed Forging) adds another step to the process, which increases the clubhead’s strength in vital areas. Condensed Forging essentially prevents metal from being lost when the head is pressed into shape, repositioning it in the neck and heel, and optimizing the position of the Center of Gravity (CG) in every club. This allows engineers to use softer metals such as 1015 Carbon Steel (S15C) in the ZXi7, so the clubhead is not only stronger, but feels better, too. Srixon’s Pureframe Technology, used in the ZXi7 (also the Z Forged II muscle back which is made with 1020 Carbon Steel), positions mass directly behind the strike zone, which also helps to improve feel. Meanwhile, the Mainframe Technology — used in both the ZXi5 and the hollow-body ZXi4 — improves the clubhead’s stability and is geared towards golfers who don’t make consistently solid contact. The company’s popular and Tour-proven VT Sole is common to all three models. The ZXi7, not surprisingly, has the thinnest top line of the three as well as the narrowest sole. The ZXiU utility irons (2, 3, 4-iron lofts) feature the VT sole, and a mirror finish to give the clubhead the compact look better players prefer.

Cleveland RTZ Wedge

he RTZ wedge from perhaps the game’s most storied wedge maker (not forgetting Titleist’s Bob Vokey, of course), utilizes a new, softer, rustresistant steel formulation called Z-Alloy, which improves feel while remaining durable. HydraZip is a series of face-blasts and laser-milled lines between the sharper, deeper, UltiZip grooves that enable the golfer to generate more spin out of wet rough. Configuring HydraZip by loft groupings allows spin remains stable across the various lofts (46 to 64 degrees). ZipCore is a tried and tested Cleveland Technology that places a lightweight, low-density material in the heel and neck of the club, helping to position the sweet spot directly behind the strike zone, which makes impact feel a little more solid. There are four sole grinds available — FULL, the roundest leading edge which prevents chunking on steeper swings; the slightly less-rounded MID which enables a variety of short-game shots; LOW, which offers the sharpest leading edge for relatively shallow swings, and the all-new ADAPT which has a similar roundness to the MID Grind and features clubs with full-face grooves and extended toe sections, making them ideal for players who like to open the face and get creative around the green. In addition to the four sole grinds, the RTZ comes in nine lofts from 48- to 64-degrees (each model moving down two ticks). Additionally, the wedges come in four bounce degree choices (6, 8, 10 and 12). Lastly, choose from three finishes — Tour Satin, Black Satin, and Tour Rack (Raw).

Visit your local retailer PuetzGolf.com in the Northwest, ProAmGolfUSA.com in the Midwest or ChrisCoteGolf.com in the East. D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 91

SHOWCASE

SWING SPORTS

Products by women, for women

Paras Gore

North Carolina visionary is building a brand with purpose and personality BY LILY STEPHENS • SPECIAL TO DG

orth Carolina’s Paras Gore was initially not an avid golfer. “I couldn’t find anything that was stylish and upscale, that really spoke to me.” One afternoon Gore went to the local golf superstore with her husband to pick up a few new products. She wandered around looking for the women’s section and found a single rack of options. Nothing on the rack piqued her interest. It was either too short, tight, or in a wild loud pattern. Totally not her style. Seeing the hole in the market, Gore decided she would create what she felt was missing. The Charlotte-based entrepreneur had a vision to bring, “quiet, elegant and sophisticated styles that you can live in everyday and products you can use on and off the course.” Swing Sports now follows through on the vision, aiming to elevate and redefine the women’s game. Their apparel and accessories are unique, luxe and multifunctional. Perhaps most importantly, Swing Sports products are designed by women, for women. This not a women’s line, but a brand for women. “We’ve spent about two and a half years doing market research, speaking to women in golf, and women who want to pick up the game of golf and learn it,” Gore shared on the main stage at the Kansas City Golf Show’s Women’s Day this past February. She heard over and over “we want accessories that speak to our unique style – to our function, that are

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also not just for the golf course, but items we can live in every day.” Gore created a first of its kind golf headcover, which also doubles as a handbag. Allowing the user to keep their personal belongings accessible, club head protected, and add a personalized look to their bag of clubs. The bags feature a dual compartment to separate the golf head from the functional purse portion of the product. The headcover portion uses Velcro at the base to ensure a secure fit around the club shaft. After your round is over, simply detach the bag from your club. Easy to throw over your shoulder for a trip to the pro shop and chic enough to accompany you to a post-round meal. Each handbag style – The Anni, The Brooke, The Karrie and The Lexi – come in five colors. Black, grass green, dusty light blue, lilac, and fuchsia pink. The trendy bags have mini versions too, in the form of matching divot tools and ball markers. The innovation does not stop with fashionable accessories. Gore created the Golf Mount Pro, a solution for keeping your smartphone accessible and out of your pocket while on the course. The Golf Mount Pro easily attaches to motorized or push golf carts with a clamp to hold your phone securely in place. It also features an umbrella to shield your phone from the sun’s glare and heat.

Swing Sports also carries a chipping net for only $25. Light, easy to carry and set up. You can pop it up in your backyard or bring it with you to the course. The net has five compartments. Three stacked nets, perfect to practice your aim and two larger nets on the sides to catch any strays. The net also comes with two ground stakes to keep the product where you want it. Since creating her brand Gore is more confident than ever on the course. Her journey with the sport started with humility. At her first lesson with a PGA pro she said, “teach me how to swing. I had never even hit a ball before.” At Women’s Day in Kansas City, she encouraged women to lean on fellow golfers during their first round. If you’re unafraid to ask questions, people will help you through the process. “Speak up and say, ‘I’m not a pro, I don’t know how to do it, but I want to be here.’” She now plays better than her husband. Don’t tell him we told you. Gore is a customer focused business owner, “we are really listening to what women want and trying to bring that to you.” She wants to bring more women into the game through providing products that work for women. You can purchase Swing Sports products on their website swngsports.com and they will ship direct to the consumer.

The Swing Sports nationwide golf expo showcase

Paras Gore took her Swing Sports store on the road to golf expos from coast-to-coast in 2025.

D ES T I N AT I O N GO LFER 93

SHOWCASE

SHAPE AND SWELTER

Keep your lid lookin’ good Hats off to a new product that keeps your cap crisp

s much as we might scoff at it, most of us golfers draw upon luck to play an occasional role in our rounds. Aces, eagles, chip-ins and fairways hit after bouncing off a car in the parking lot can’t be accomplished by skill alone. Something else must be in play. Perhaps it was what you wore that day, lucky socks, a lucky shirt or a lucky hat? Research may not verify it, but we know. Unfortunately, in our array of lucky apparel, hats are the most perishable. That $80 hat you might have bought at Pebble or Torrey Pines or a Major doesn’t really last all summer. Unsightly salt stains invariably surround the hat’s rim, and washing it makes it wonky and sadly ineffectual. “Old hats like that have to be thrown away,” said Rob Snyder, who has developed a solution. Snyder, who grew up in the Northwest, is marketing an environmentally friendly, reusable, absorbent pad to insert inside the forehead sweatband. The pads provide a new life for your hats to endure endless summers. “I used to ruin my (favorite) hats like that,” Snyder said. “And the inside always looked nasty.” Snyder studied other products on the market that

Summer Classic

prevent sweat from spoiling apparel, but said they are limited to one-time usage. He developed a pad that’s held comfortably in place in front by EV foam that has resistant and absorbent properties. After a round — or a day in the garden, hiking or biking — the pad can be taken out, cleaned, dried, reinserted and ready for fortune to shine again the next day. “You don’t have to buy a new pad every day,” Snyder said. He added that his product comes in a three-pad pack ($29.99) and can be cut to fit various hats sizes and types. Snyder said his product was developed primarily for golfers, and that he has attended various golf shows throughout the country to promote it. However, he also gets requests from folks who use the inserts for work in restaurant kitchens and casinos. The inventor markets the product through his website, shapeandswelter.com, and also sells through Amazon. “We have a phone number on our website and have never had a complaint,” he added. It is currently the highest rated product on Amazon in the Hat Sweatliner category and has under a 2 percent return rate. Hats off to this product and inventor.

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19TH HOLE

WOODFORD RESERVE

The Wood Dog Brown-Forman’s tasty nod to Augusta blossoms BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

n springtime, a sports fan’s thoughts turn to golf. At Brown-Forman Corporation, the oldest liquor supplier in the U.S., a sports fan’s bourbon is Woodford Reserve. It’s only natural, for this spring, that we tap Woodford (Brown-Forman’s premium bourbon) as the base for the featured B-F golf cocktail in this edition of Destination Golfer. A little back story: Based in Louisville, Ky., Brown-Forman launched America’s first bottled bourbon (Old Forester) in 1870. The company is still family owned, more than 15 decades later. Robin Thompson is Brown-Forman’s marketing manager for Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and eight other states (plus Puerto Rico). Robin points out that Woodford Reserve has a long-standing place at major U.S. sporting events. It is, for instance, the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. This year, as every year, thousands upon thousands of mint juleps were sold on Derby Day in early May with Woodford as their bourbon base. However, for many sports fans, the most important spring event above all others is the Masters, the traditional opening of the for-real golf season at the storied Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia. As much as the iconic pimento and cheese sandwich is the foodstuff of choice at the Masters, the signature cocktail at the sport’s first major is The Azalea. It’s a vodka-based drink, with fruit juice in the mix. For our purposes, it’s adaptable to new colors and flavors. Hence: The Wood Dog cocktail, which nods to the blossoms of the omnipresent dogwood trees at Augusta. Changing out vodka for the smooth Woodford Reserve lends our new concoction a more robust taste, and somewhat darkens the pink of the traditional Azalea. See the Wood Dog recipe below. A word about Woodford: First and foremost, Woodford invented the art of making fine bourbon, distilling its trademark expression on the site of the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Ky. (a National Historic Landmark), beginning in 1812. Besides its straight bourbon whiskey, Woodford produces a double-oaked bourbon, a rye whiskey, a malt whiskey, a wheat whiskey, and several smallbatch collections. Thompson took the time to talk about some of

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Brown-Forman’s other brands, equally versatile and adaptable, and representing nearly every segment of the spirits industry: • Continuing in the sports vein, fans and the venues that sell to fans have embraced B-F’s readyto-drink (RTD) cocktails in a can, made with Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey. Varieties include Jack and Coke, Jack and ginger ale, Tennessee Honey Lemonade, and the newest, Jack and Cherry Coke. • Elsewhere in the fast-growing RTD segment, the New Mix group is among the first tequila-based RTDs, made with el Jimador. Examples include the Paloma, the Vampiro, and the Cantarito. • Jack Daniels in a bottle, of course, remains a Brown-Forman stalwart, from Old No. 7 to the Single Barrel Selects, and the Bonded Series, which includes a bonded rye and a triple mash (a combination of the regular bonded and the rye). • B-F’s other American whiskeys include the original, Old Forester, and Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve bourbon. • The Glenglassaugh line of Highland single malt Scotch includes the Sandend expression, which was named Whisky of the Year for 2023 by Whisky Advocate. • Irish whiskey is represented by Slane, a triple-casked blend from virgin, seasoned, and sherry casks. • New to Brown-Forman recently are Diplomatico, a premium rum made in Venezuela, and Gin Mare, a distinctive gin made in the Mediterranean region. • Herradura, a super-premium tequila, is a go-to selection especially with people that aren't whiskey drinkers, according to Thompson. “This is one you can drink straight, but it also makes a really great cocktail.” • One of Thompson’s favorites is Ford’s Gin, a London dry, which was created by Simon Ford, wellknown in the spirits industry as a bartender and mixologist. Thompson: “It’s a hardworking gin, made by a bartender for bartenders.” • Brown-Forman’s diverse portfolio of quality spirit brands places it squarely among the leaders in the liquor industry. The Wood Dog cocktail, fresh to the game, is the new leader in the clubhouse.

At Home Bar Mixology with Brown-Forman

The Wood Dog By Brown-Forman

INGREDIENTS • 1.5 ounces Woodford Reserve bourbon • 2 ounces lemonade (or to taste) • .5-ounce grenadine • Pour ingredients over ice in a glass • Garnish with a cherry and orange

wheel slice

INSTRUCTIONS • Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice. • Shake lightly to mix. • Pour into rocks glass or vessel

of your choosing.

• Add garnish and serve.

19TH HOLE

TITO’S HANDMADE VODKA

Tee it up with

Tito’s The Transfusion cocktail is becoming a go-to at the turn and after a round

The Tito's 19th Hole at the Kansas City Golf Show.

At Home Bar Mixology with Tito’s BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

he people who make and sell Tito’s Handmade Vodka aren’t saying it’s the official Vodka of Golf. But they’re not saying it isn’t, either. And they call the Tito’s Transfusion, the brand’s signature summer refresher, “The official cocktail of the green.” (See recipe below) Golf and the golfers who drink Tito’s are critical to the branding of one of the spirits industry’s blockbuster brands. “Golf is definitely a focus area for us,” said Matt Crittendon, Tito’s sales manager for the states of Washington and Alaska. Of course, it’s not just golfers drinking Tito’s Handmade, and not just golf-course bars selling it. As recently as 2023, Tito’s was the best-selling vodka in the U.S., according to Liquor.com. In 2025, Tito’s is No. 2 in U.S. vodka sales, per WikiLiq, only one percent behind No. 1 and 39 percent ahead of No. 3 and the rest of the top 10. “Growth has been huge for us, especially over the last couple of years,” Crittendon said, “and still growing. Even in this time of uncertainty, we're still going strong out there.” Tito’s, produced in Austin, Texas, was introduced to the drinking public in 1997. The growth since then has been “pretty massive,” said Crittendon. “We’ve scaled up a lot since then.” A little history (from Liquor.com):

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The Transfusion

By Tito’s Handmade Vodka In 1995, Bert Butler “Tito” Beveridge secured a permit to distill in his home state of Texas. Two years later, Texas’ first legal distillery started production of Tito’s. Four years after it launched, in 2001, Tito’s earned Double Gold for best vodka at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which helped bump the brand toward its current success. In naming Tito’s one of the five best vodkas it taste-tested, The New York Times Wirecutter wrote: “Tito’s Handmade Vodka will not disappear easily when mixed. Its honey-like sweetness remains potent, and its medium body holds, even when diluted.” Tito’s own catchphrase is: “Smooth, I mean really smooth.” Crittendon said, “It's mixable with anything that's refreshing. I mean, you're probably going out on a hot day when you're golfing. It fits into a lot of the classic golf cocktails, like, you know, the Transfusion.” The Tito’s merch page on its site has a heavy golf focus, with swag like Tito’s logo golf balls by Titleist and apparel in partnership with companies like William Murray. “I think it's ultimately meeting our customers where they're at,” Crittendon said, “and they’re at the golf course. As an organization, yeah, we're big into golf.” Visit titosvodka.com to learn more and delve into their amazing product and culture.

INGREDIENTS • 2 ounces Tito’s Handmade Vodka • 2 ounces ginger ale • 1-ounce grape juice • .25-ounce lime juice • Add all ingredients into a glass with ice • Garnish with a lime slice

INSTRUCTIONS • Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice. • Shake lightly to mix. • Pour into tall Collins-like glass or vessel

of your choosing.

• Add garnish and serve.

Quality starts

19TH HOLE

SUNTORY GLOBAL SPIRITS

‘For relaxing times, make it Suntory time’

Suntory Global Spirits brings golfers endless options

BY BART POTTER • DG STAFF WRITER

imes change, and so have the habits of drinkers. Suntory Global Spirits Inc. (formerly known as Beam Suntory), a top three company in worldwide liquor sales, is meeting the needs of liquor consumers, who are sophisticated like never before. The new spirits drinker is curious about the craft and science of liquor production and appreciative of the broadening range of premium and super-premium brands on the market. The company has also jumped into the fast-expanding market for RTD (ready to drink) cocktails, easy to serve by golf course bars and easy to drink by golfers, on or off the course. Whisk(e)y is known as the “first pillar” of Suntory, and no other segment is represented as widely in the company’s portfolio of brands. Among bourbons, the old-guard Jim Beam, the largest-selling bourbon in the world, is proudly middlebrow, and the list only gets more premium from there: Jim Beam Black, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Baker’s, and Booker’s. Maker’s Mark is introducing (May 2025) the super-premium Star Hill Farm Whisky, the distillery’s first wheat whiskey and first new mashbill (mixture of grains) in its 70-year history. New Suntory addition Jim Beam Pineapple lends a sweet tropical twist to Beam’s original oak-andcaramel blend. Legent, a Kentucky bourbon partially finished in wine and sherry casks, is distilled by Fred Noe, seventh-generation master distiller of Jim Beam, and blended by Shinji Fukuyo, fifth-ever Chief Blender of Suntory, the founding house of Japanese whisky. The Yamazaki Whisky is Suntory’s top Japanese single malt. Hibiki, since its introduction in 1989,

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has become Japan’s most-awarded blended whisky. Kakubin, a blend, was created by Suntory’s founder Shinjiro Torii in 1937. Many Americans were introduced to the Suntory brand by Bill Murray when he starred as a Suntory pitch man in the movie “Lost in Translation,” when he delivered the famous slogan “for relaxing times, make it Suntory time.” Suntory World Whisky Ao is a blend of five whiskies from Suntory-owned distilleries in each of the five major whisk(e)y regions — Japan, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the U.S. Fine Scotch whisky is represented at Suntory by the single malts Laphroaig, Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Ardmore; and the blended whiskies Ardray and Teacher’s. Irish whiskies in the portfolio include Kilbeggan, from the oldest continuously licensed distillery in Ireland, founded in 1757; Connemara, Ireland’s only peated single malt; and the double-distilled single malt Tyrconnell. The second pillar of Suntory is tequila. Hornitos, which has been around for more than 75 years, remains a top choice for mixing in drinks such as margaritas and Palomas. Note to consumers: Hornitos is good in straight shots, too. The company’s tequila portfolio doesn’t stop with Hornitos. The premium Sauza is a bar staple, and the super-premiums are represented by El Tesoro, Tres Generaciones, and 100 Anos. For gin, the company can offer up Suntory’s Roku (meaning “six” in Japanese), a premium craft gin made with six Japanese botanicals and eight traditional gin botanicals; Sipsmith, a handcrafted, small-batch London dry gin; and Larios, the best-

selling gin in Spain. Suntory’s one and only cognac offering is the one and only Courvoisier, born in France more than 200 years ago. A strong vodka segment is anchored by Effen, which means “smooth, even and balanced” in Dutch. Pinnacle is the most-awarded French vodka, available in a variety of flavors. Haku, from Suntory Japan, is made with 100 percent Japanese white rice. The third pillar of the Suntory model is the array of ready-to-drink cocktails. The On the Rocks brand was an instant success for the company, featuring the top-selling Strawberry Daiquiri, Cosmopolitan, and Manhattan. On the Rocks’ newest all-in concoction: the Lemon Drop Martini. And a new hit, -196 (minus one nine six) Vodka Seltzers use “freeze-crush infusion” technology to create the fruity boldness in four flavors: lemon, strawberry, peach and grapefruit. Nectar Collective uses real honey and agave in its trio of cocktails-in-a-can: Lemon Lavender Tequila, Peach Orange Blossom Bourbon and Raspberry Basil Vodka. Innovation across the range of the Suntory family of products responds to a change in the liquor industry — a move by alcohol consumers toward quality over quantity — reflected in their growing interest in knowing more about liquor and the differences in techniques and ingredients that distinguish one maker from another. The quality and breadth of Suntory Global’s portfolio of brands offers curious drinkers plenty of opportunity to test and investigate — and taste — some of the finest spirits in the world.

19TH HOLE

TOP AMERICAN IPAS

Beer excellence

Brett Hollander shares his passion for brewing and offers five of his favorites for 2025 BY LILY STEPHENS • SPECIAL TO DG

hree generations of Hollander family members have owned and operated Hartford Distributors, Inc. (HDI) — in the beer wholesaler world, this family is legendary from coast-to-coast. In 1963, Jules Hollander purchased the AnheuserBusch distributorship in downtown Hartford, Conn., along with his sons Ross and Bob. After graduating high school in 1991, Brett Hollander, Ross’ son, started in the family business part-time: sweeping floors, managing recycling and helping sell bar snacks. After graduating from Clemson University (now a proud alum who frequents Death Valley on home football weekends), Brett returned to HDI and has worked with his father ever since. Ross is now the CEO and Brett is the craft brand sales manager and a certified cicerone. While many Hollanders have been

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involved in the family business over the course of their 62-year history, Brett likes to joke, “I was the first Hollander who liked beer.” As Brett’s interest grew and HDI began to carry more craft products, he decided to learn more about beer and the history of brewing. He began his research with resources from Samuel Adams and Goose Island, home to some of the most influential craft beers ever brewed in the United States. Then, in 2012, Brett took a trip to Belgium, which has one of the richest brewing histories on the world — it introduced Brett to beer traditions dating back to the 12th century. He tasted beers fermented in 300-year-old barrels, produced via brewing methods created by monks. Every beer he tried was poured into a glass made for that brew. Belgium introduced Brett

to “what proper really means for serving a beer … I had never seen anything like it in the United States.” He took his new knowledge and expertise back to New England. You can feel his passion, immense knowledge and love he has for the industry. HDI now distributes 28 craft brands, including craft cocktails and THC beverages. Outside of his day-to-day work at HDI, Brett also hosts beer dinners and showcases his Cicerone Certification through food pairings — sharing his insights with the guests. “Beer has a bigger world of pairing opportunities than any other beverage,” he says. Destination Golfer asked Brett to share five of his favorite beers and recommended pairings with us. EDITOR’S NOTE: ABV references to the right mean Alcohol by Volume.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Original Stout — ABV 14.7% VARIES BY YEAR Sierra Nevada Pale Ale — ABV 5.6% Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a favorite of many brewers and cicerones. It’s a classic for a reason — Sierra Nevada helped set the standard for American Pale Ales. Brett says he loves how the beer “balances between the malt and the hops, but still has a bitey backbone.” He recommends pairing this classic with chicken wings on game day.

Counter Weight Headway IPA— ABV 6.5% Another New England favorite is the Counter Weight Brewing Co. Headway IPA brewed with four varieties of American hops. The beer is described as “bright and expressive” and is one of their four core brands. Our expert said this beer is one of the most popular in his craft portfolio. Counter Weight brings food trucks to their brewery and Brett likes to stop by when they feature German cuisine.

Brett Hollander Hartford Distributors, Inc.

First brewed in 1992 as a celebration for the 1,000th batch of beer brewed at Goose Island, Bourbon County Brand Original Stout now has a cult following – and Brett is a member. Aged in bourbon barrels from Kentucky's bourbon trail for 12 months, it gives the beer whiskey-like characteristics, plus notes of caramel, vanilla bean and chocolate. “This is a dessert beer. Pair it with something creamy, something with chocolate or nuts,” Brett said. He suggested a peanut butter mousse or your favorite chocolate cake for a spot-on plate mate.

Rodenbach Classic Flemish Red-Brown Ale— ABV 5.2%

Lawson’s Sip Of Sunshine IPA — ABV 8%

Partially matured in oak casks, Rodenbach Classic uses traditional Belgian brewing methods. The aged beer is blended with young beer before it’s bottled to create its unique flavor profile, which is sweet with a sour fruitiness. Brett recommends pairing the Flemish-style ale with a juicy steak or a savory protein dish of your choosing.

Sip of Sunshine is Lawson’s Finest Liquids flagship IPA. Brewed in Stratford, Conn., at Two Roads Brewing, it’s one of Brett’s local Northeastern favorites. Juicy, bright and floral, pair Sip of Sunshine with fatty dishes like spareribs or barbecue pork … the perfect selection for a backyard party this summer.

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