Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course Tour

Arcadia Bluffs is a course located in Michigan. Undoubtedly, this is a modern golf course which was opened in the late '90s. This golf course is located on bluffs above the shores of Lake Michigan. As such, this is a golf course which has plenty of lake frontage and elevation. The course has been included in Golf Digest's top 50 U.S. public golf courses, and if you can reach it is certainly worth noting. Below is an Arcadia Bluffs video tour.

Golf Courses in Sugarland, Texas

Texas, the US State that is home to cowboys, cattle ranchers and golf courses! Sugarland, Texas, has five golf clubs, with nine golf courses, which should provide enough to satisfy most golfers of various levels. There are a number of courses a few miles further afield, but these are the courses exactly within the Sugarland area.

Let us first look at the public Greatwood Golf Club. It is an 18 hole regulation golf course of approx. 6,836 yards in length. With four tee boxes it can cater for a diverse group of golfers, and has green fees ranging from $28-$55 dollars. Being an open to all course, it is one that really should be sought out by all golfers in the Sugarland area.

The Riverbend Country Club is a private club, with a private course. Still, if that is what you want the course will provide an 18 hole par 72, with a yardage of about 6,600 yards. The eigth hole is especially tricky, with water from the tee to the green. Green fees are up to about $65 dollars.

If it's a nine-hole course you want, then you really should pay a visit to the Sugar Creek Country Club. For the club has three nine-hole courses for you to take on! The Trent Course, Robert Course and the Jones Course all provide 36 par, nine-hole courses between 3,100- 3,400 yards in length. The slope rating of these courses is not yet clearly specified.

Sweetwater Country Club has two 18 hole golf courses, which makes for a 36 hole golf club. The Pecan Course has the highest of slope ratings of the aforementioned courses, with a 74 course rating. It has a championship layout, but with four tees can provide a suitable course for other golfers. An 18 hole, par 72 it boasts a yardage of 7,145, making it the largest in the area.

And the second course at the same club is the Cypress Course. This has 18 holes and a par of 71. With a course rating of 72.6, it is the easier of the two courses. Likewise, it also has a smaller yardage of 6,728. Further more, it is the cheaper of the two courses available at the Sweetwater Country Club.

So, golf in Sugarland is catered for with largely private clubs with courses of variable length. From 3,200 yard nine-hole courses, to 7,145 yard 18 hole championship courses. Most of them have variable tee boxes, however, allowing for the selection of different starting positions to make the distance more or less. As such, the courses in Sugarland offer flexibility and value to golfers. How sweet!

Pine Valley Golf Course Tour

Pine Valley is one of the more famous U.S. golf courses. Even though it has not hosted many big golf championships, it has remained among the highest ranked golf courses in the states. The course is approximately 7,000 yards long, and has a great collection of par-5 holes and big bunkers which align the fairways and greens. Below I have included a simulated tour of the Pine Valley course.

Team Golf

Most of the golf championships may be singles, but there is such a thing as team based golf. The Ryder Cup is one such example in which the U.S. and EU teams play for the Ryder Cup trophy. This is a match-play championships, but there are various formats for team golf rounds. With a group of four these team golf scoring formats are worth noting.

For example, there is best ball. This is actually quite simple, each player finishes a hole, and then each team records their best single score for the hole. Best ball becomes Four Ball with the match-play format. Then the team with the lowest score for the hole wins the hole.

Scramble is another alternative. With scramble everybody tees off, but then only one spot where the team's balls have landed is selected for the next. The others pick up their balls, and then play from within one club length of their team's selected ball. Then it's the same again until both teams have holed out.

Those are two of the more widespread team scoring formats for championships, but you can always set up your own customized team formats for your own rounds. For example, why not consider combining everybody's scoring for a single hole? As such, in doubles two scores would be added for each team. That's one way, or you could take it in turns to play through holes instead so that only one from a team plays a hole. This would be a quicker team golf format than some of the others.

So overall, there's a few team golf formats. Best ball is probably the most straightforward, and in that respect is the format of choice for many.

Video Golf Course Tours

Where can you find video tours of famous golf courses? Well, you can at Amateur Golfer. Here are the links to eight of the previous golf course tour posts on this blog:

• Bethpage Black Golf Course
• Pacific Dunes Golf Course
• Troon North Golf Club
• The Ocean Course
• Pebble Beach Golf Links
• Cypress Point
• St Andrews Old Course
• Augusta

Stay posted, as their could be more to come!

Bethpage Course Tour

Bethpage Black Golf Course, at Long Island, is one of the few public courses which has hosted the U.S. Open. This is a renowned championship golf course which is some 7, 468 yards. Check out the latest addition to AG's golf course tours, the Bethpage Black video. 

Brief Guide to Golf Clubs

On the golf course, you can use up to 14 clubs. Any variety of clubs is allowed here, giving golfers some scope for selection. There are a few different types of club that golfers can select from.

The Woods

The Woods are clubs that can be used off the fairway and the tee. From the 1 wood to the 7 wood, they can have slightly variable design. As with other clubs, the lower numbered woods are the longest clubs used for the longest shots off the tee with most distance, which can be between 300-400 yards. Higher numbered woods can be used in longer grass, or off the fairway with greater loft. Equally, the lower numbered woods have the least loft. Generally, they have graphite or steel shafts and some have titanium club heads.

The Irons

The irons are the most flexible clubs. They can be used off the fairway the tee or even for shorter play with chip shots. Ranging from the two irons to the nine irons, there are longer and shorter irons for selection. Considering the range, the two, three and four are longer distance; with the five, six or seven irons more 100-175 yards and then the eight or nine irons the shortest irons for distance. The overall loft is also lowest for the two iron and then increases towards the nine iron. For short play, you can also use the irons like the nine, eight and seven for chip shots onto the green.

The Wedges

The wedges, are those clubs with the greatest loft, not usually used off the tee but available for short play. The sand wedge is a club used for bunker play and bunker shots from greenside or fairway bunkers. This is one of the most lofted wedges available. These clubs are also best used for pitch shots, which require greater loft and little roll. They can also be used for shorter chip shots onto the green.

The Putter

The putter is a club that is used for short play and putts on the green. Overall, this covers a good number of shots and is most often used for one or more putts on the green. However, it can also be used to putt onto the green. Putter designs can actually be quite variable, but like all clubs must be accepted for the market.

Overall, these golf clubs make a standard set of 14. Usually, seven or eight golf clubs will do. With multiple irons, woods then a few wedges and a putter to complete the set. While golf club design can vary, they must be approved beforehand.

Top 10 Best Golf Courses in the United States

I know I've included similar top 10 lists before, but those were just lists! Now I've found a classy video of 10 of the best courses in the United States. Check it out below.

Desert Golf Courses

The Sonoran Desert includes a
few Arizona golf courses

There are a variety of desert golf courses. Courses that are not only in the deserts of America, but merge some desert elements into the courses. And they are also sweltering during the summer. These are a few desert courses that are worth noting.

Remember the Monument Course? If not check out a previous blog post on this blog which includes a Monument Course video. This course includes saguaros and paloverdes, set alongside the deserts of Arizona. 

The Mountain Course at La Quinta is another worth noting. This course is carved into desert mountains, and even though it is a desert course also includes plenty of water. Check out the 16th hole which has an island green. 

The Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club is at Sandia Park. At approximately 7,500 yards, this desert course has plenty of distance. Its holes include ponderosa, pine and juniper plants, and the course is surrounded by mountain ranges.

Or you could visit the Desert Course at Prim Valley Golf Club. This is a Fazio golf course that is approximately 7,100 yards. The course mixes palms, plateaus and cacti alongside its native grasses.

Pay a visit to the Raven Golf Club at Sabino Springs, in Tucson, Arizona. This golf course is a Trent Jones course, and has a yardage of 6,776 yards. The course combines the desert and surrounding mountains, with steep slopes and saguaros scattered around it.

Those are just five desert golf courses in the United States. However, there are plenty of other desert courses. They can be played both in the summer and winter, although some may be closed during the winter period. Check with their golf clubs for further details on when the courses are open.