Where to for the weekend

[Nick Pozaric]

Michael Moss' Bandon post got me thinking about weekend Getaways.  What are some places you have taken weekend golf getaways to?  What are some Resorts or other areas that would make a fun weekend trip?  Not interested in driving but rather flying so the final destination should be relatively close to an airport.

[Bill_McBride]

Bermuda is the obvious answer!  A couple of rounds at Mid Ocean, good dining, and a chance to kill yourself (like I almost did) riding one of those scooters around the island, on the wrong side of the road, after several Rum Swizzles!  It really is a magic place!  

[cary lichtenstein]

Depends on the time of year, but right now:

Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic
White Witch in Jamacia
Green Monkey in Barbados
Dorado Beach

[Nick Pozaric]

how about in the US, what about Kiawah?

[PThomas]

Ocean course is faubulous, but also fabulously difficult...don't know about the winter there though, only been there in the summer

[Jfaspen]

i am headed down to myrtle beach this saturday.. staying longer than a weekend, until thursday... golf every day

[SPDB]

I like to look to the offseason, or borderline seasons. A great winter weekend trip (that can really be done during the winter)  is in and around the Charleston area - Kiawah Ocean and CC of C on Sat., Yeamans (2x) on Sun.  The weather can be a bit dodgy, but if you hit it right, you'll nail these courses on perfect weather days (IMO) and they are usually super firm.

[Mike Nuzzo]

My last playing trip was to Lubbock, and well worth the time.

[Jason Topp]

I always am trying to come up with the next golf trip in the winter.  

I think the key factors for choosing a destination are (in order):
 

1.  Weather (as in days you can play)
2.   Ease of travel
3.   Food - needs to be adequate (whatever that means for your group)
4.  Quality of courses (people will be more unhappy about bad food than bad courses)
5.  Natural Beauty
6.  Something interesting about the location

Cost - fits in there somewhere depending on your group.  


My take on several destinations:

Southwest

Tucson - great weather - almost guaranteed to play, beautiful setting, varied prices

Phoenix - better weather, expensive

San Diego - wet this year, didn't get to play

San Antonio - decent courses, fun city, usually good weather

Amarillo - flat

Southeast

Fort Myers - private - Fiddlesticks is wonderful, public looks pretty sparse.  Verandah is adequate.

Tampa - World Woods (great course - good prices)

Lake Oconee - weather is shaky before April, nice area, haven't played enough courses

Hilton Head/Charlston/Savannah - beautiful in April.  Harbor Town is great fun.  I would like to try more courses.

RTJ Trail - quirky courses, great prices, nothing to eat or do unless you are near a bigger city.   Check the average rainfall amounts in deciding whether to go.


West

Denver - terrific climate, great number of courses

Monterrey - go there once

Pasatiempo - go there multiple times, especially in summer when it is firmer

Midwest

Des Moines - Low priced, The Harvester is worth the trip and play Wakonda (private - Langford),

Chicago - I've only played Cog Hill and really haven't wanted to play elsewhere.

Brainerd - some flights available.  Play the Classic and fill with one or two other courses.

Duluth - Northland/Giant's Ridge, beautiful setting, warm for about 10 weeks

I really have enjoyed doing a combined sports event/golf trip.

A couple of years ago we combined seeing the local NBA team play in San Antonio with a golf trip.  It added a nice diversion in the middle of the trip.  

Perfect March trips include going to the 1st weekend of the NCAA tournament (I've done this in Tucson) or spring training baseball.  

[Bill_McBride]

Jason, my wife and I and another couple went to Tucson late January last year.  It was chilly, low 50's the whole time we were there.  It was mid 60s on the Gulf Coast while we were gone.  I'm not sure how you can count on warm weather south of Phoenix, and maybe not in Phoenix either.  Hawaii, Miami, maybe the only sure things in January.

[Brent Hutto]

Ocean course is faubulous, but also fabulously difficult...don't know about the winter there though, only been there in the summer

I don't know about summer at the Ocean Course but I've been there in the winter. It is fabulous. The Paspalum greens are golden brown and absolutely pure. They aren't nearly as hard and bouncy as would be normal during the summer but they putt very fast and the banks and collars are very conducive to running and bouncing the ball (although of the course the rather extreme contours in places make that difficult.

The fairways were in perfect condition when I was there, probably becuase they don't get many rounds in December and January. The only thing that suffers in the winter is probably the bunkers and waste areas which were pretty hard (not hardpan but very, very firm sand). Personally, I prefer firm sand to soft but most people would probably like them fluffy.

According to my caddy you get more variety of winds in the winter. During good weather in the summer there is a totally predictable daily pattern of wind direction but in the winter it varies from day to day and week to week all over the compass. Finally, the Ocean Course is about 1/3 cheaper in greens fees in the winter and because it's not crowded the pace of play is much better.

[Brian_Gracely]

Nick,

Asheville, NC is a great weekend getaway, especially in the fall.  It's a little more than an hour drive from Charlotte and the colors in the fall are nearly as good as those in New England.  Golfwise, Asheville has a number of excellent courses (Grove Park Inn, Asheville CC, Biltmore Forest CC) as well as a number of excellent ones within an hour in Linville.  

[A_Clay_Man]

ABQ/Santa Fe, You can't beat the value, and they speaka da same language. The courses are not crowded, mostly firm, and a lovely shade of dormant brown, befitting the native surrounds.

ABQ airport is one of the smallest, therfore intimate routings from gate to baggage claim.

Add to that the snow capped peaks of the surrounding mountains, and not only will your physical self be transported, there's a good chance your mind will follow.