Great Winter Golf Destinations

In some parts it rains and snows during the winter. As such, the golf season very much ‘drizzles’ out, or if snow falls golf courses are snowed out. But there are still some locations which have a suitable golfing climate during the winter months.

Barbados & Caribbean 

The subtropical Caribbean would seem an ideal destination for some winter golf. Be it Jamaica, Barbados or the Bahamas there’s some great golf resorts there with PGA Tour venues included. For example, among some of the top ranked golf resorts in North America is that of Sandy Lane in Barbados.

That resort includes some famed courses such as the first Old Nine, a nine-hole golf course with small tree-lined fairways and greens. Alongside that there are 18 – hole courses such as the Green Monkey, a 7, 343 yard course with some holes that eclipse the 600 hundred mark. Located beside the Caribbean Sea is that of the Country Club, a championship calibre course which has a variety of lakes. With a winter more similar to spring in parts of the USA there probably won’t be too much rain and snow at the Barbados’ Sandy Lane resort in January.

Alabama

If you’re searching for a golfing destination in the USA Alabama is one to consider. With mild winters, take a trip to the Trent Jones Golf Trail which has some hot golf courses. This trail consists of eleven golf clubs, and that amounts to approximately 26 golf courses. Check out club’s such as Oxmoor Valley, which has three 18-hole golf courses that play alongside scenic forests and a variety of creeks. Others, such as Magnolia Grove, include a combination of par-3 courses and larger golf courses. The Silver Lakes club has a variety of scenic 9-hole courses to play at.

San Diego

San Diego is another America’s sunshine hot spots. Average precipitation in this U.S. state is somewhat less than others. So, why not check out some of its winter golf courses? Barona Creek Golf Club and La Costa Resort & Spa are two golfing resorts that have extensive courses that eclipse the 7,000 yard mark. But it’s the Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) that is the largest at some 7,607 yards. This is a championship golf course that hosted the 2008 U.S. Open.

Sonoran Desert Golf Trail and Other Desert Courses 

A desert is the driest of landscapes you will find. That is not suggesting that you book your golfing vacation in Sahara; there aren’t many courses there! However, some desert locations do have some notable golf courses/resorts. Consider the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Here you can play the Sonoran Desert Golf Trail which include six desert golf courses alongside the McDowell Mountains and Tonto National Forest.

The Mountain Course is another with saguaros and paloverdes set alongside the deserts of Arizona. In Las Vegas there is Prim Valley’s Desert Course. This 7,100 yard course includes notable desert landscaping with colorful cactus and desert wildflowers. It also includes some water on a few of its holes.

These are just a few notable destinations for golf during the winter. The Caribbean, Alabama, San Diego, Arizona and Las Vegas have some great courses and suitable winter climates for golf. There the golfing season continues with winter golf championships such as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Great Championship Golf Courses in Europe

Europe has some great championship golf courses that have hosted a number of great championships. Countries such as Scotland, Spain, England and Wales have some fine championship golf courses. These are a few of the great championship golf courses in Europe.

St Andrews Old Course

Undoubtedly, St Andrews Old Course is the most famous championship golf course in Europe. The Old Course is one of the oldest courses, and has staged a number of UK Open championships. In fact, it has hosted no fewer than 28 UK Opens in its history dating back to the 19th century. As such, many great golfers have played at hallowed course of St Andrews Old Course. The course itself is approximately 6,387 yards in length, and is a par 72. It is famous for its unique double greens, with many holes sharing the same greens. In addition, St Andrews also has some very deep bunkers such as the Road Hole bunker at the 17th Road Hole. As a result, the Old Course is considered one of the sport’s finest courses.

The Belfry 

The Belfry’s championship course is one of England’s finest championship golf courses. The Belfry has hosted four Ryder Cups dating back to 1985, and numerous other European Tour events such as the Benson & Hedges International Open. The finest European and American golfers have played at the Belfry’s championship course. The Belfry is a 7,000 yard golf course which has large bunkers and lakes scattered around its 18 holes.

Valderrama

Valderrama is perhaps the most famous golf course and resort in Spain, and one of Europe’s great championship golf courses. This Trent Jones course is considered to be one of the best courses in Europe. Valderrama was the first golf course to host a Ryder Cup in continental Europe, and has also hosted other European Tour golf championships such as the Volvo Masters and the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The course itself is approximately 6,300 yards long, and has some famous holes such as the par 4, which has a small green located above a small waterfall.

The Twenty Ten Golf Course – Celtic Manor Resort

The Twenty Ten course at the Celtic Manor Resort staged the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales; the first course in Wales to host the event. The course is especially notable for its watery pit-fulls, which are included on half the course’s holes. At 7,400 yards from the blue tees the course also has a good amount of distance, and some long holes such as its great finishing hole which is 575 yards long.

These are a few of the great championship golf courses in Europe. They include the famous St Andrews Old Course, the Belfry championship course, Valderrama and the new Twenty Ten course at the Celtic Manor Resort. These golf courses have hosted a number of Ryder Cups, UK Open championships and other European Tour events and are among Europe’s top courses.

Turnberry Ailsa Course

The Turnberry Ailsa Course in Scotland is one of the more famous championship golf courses which has been ranked eighth in Golf Digest's Best Golf Courses Outside the U.S. rankings. The 7,211 yard golf course has hosted the U.K. Open Championship four times. Turnberry Ailsa is a coastal golf course which has a lighthouse that overlooks the sea. This video includes some great footage of the Turnberry Ailsa Course.

Barbados Polo Vacation

For many people, life was not started in Barbados, but it was perfected there. You can experience fine living and choose the island as a vacation destination that will rival any festival, sports event, performing arts, or culinary shows as they are all offered in Barbados. Unforgettable experiences and exciting opportunities will make your vacation one of the best that you have ever taken.

One of the best ways to spend your time in Barbados is to take a Barbados Polo vacation Polo is widely played on the island. They have four fields, Lion Castle, Holders, Clifton, and Waterhall. These are places matches are regularly kept. Polo matches attract many international teams from around the world, as many teams are eager to compete against the Barbadians on their home turf.

Whether or not you are a polo player should not be a deterrent for you to visit the island for a polo vacation. The residents of Barbados, (Bajans), are sports-oriented and this is not shocking as they experience a tropical climate the year round. There are different variations of polo that have been played for many years and the Bajans have continued to play since then.

The beginnings of polo matches in Barbados go way back to the Garrison Savannah and ended at the Holder’s Polo Club. They host an annual battle-of-the-sexes match, which attracts a lot of spectators and supporters each year. This has added to the popularity of the sport. Tourists, locals, and visitors alike, look forward to spending their time watching and cheering at these matches when they take their Barbados vacations.

The game is well suited to the Barbadian lifestyle as it includes a lot of sun and horses, which forms a part of their everyday lives. It was formerly restricted to wealthy plantation owners, but was later made available to people in the lower echelons of society.

Polo has evolved on the island since then as many people now try to be a part of it and enjoy watching the game. Several times per year, visitors and teams from different countries all over the world challenge the Barbadian team when it is polo season. The season begins in January and ends in May of each year. There are currently two types of polo, field polo and arena polo. Both are very popular on the island.

Sports tourism has taken off because of this sport. As a result, even Prince Charles has been on the list of visitors to the island for their Polo games. Professional bodies and families like to partake in the activities that surround the game of polo when they visit Barbados.

Large crowds are drawn to matches and children delight in the festivities and activities. Who would have thought that the skilled riders who ride the horses on the field, trying to get a ball into a goal with a mallet, would attract so many supporters? But it continues to do so, even today.

Barbados Villa Services can let you enjoy your Barbados polo vacation with their wide selection of villas to rent along with places where you can stay while you are in Barbados. Visit their site and choose the date of the polo match or matches and choose a villa that is in the same vicinity of them. Make your vacation one to remember.

About the author:

Shadow writes for http://www.barbadosvillaservices.com/.

Add a Golf Theme to the Firefox Browser

The Firefox browser has a variety of add-ons. Among them is a golf theme that you can to the browser. You'll need to have Firefox 3.6 or above to add it. The theme gives you some of the following:

• Access to Golf Directory
• A Golf Game
• Sign up for tee times

It also adds a golf course background to the browser as in the shot below. To add the theme to Firefox, check out this page.

New 2014 Golf Clubs to Watch out for

There are a few golf clubs that will take the game by storm in 2014. Both Nike and TaylorMade have some of the most exciting clubs which could give you an extra edge on the golf course. These are a few to note.

TaylorMade Ghost Putters - These are already on the PGA Tour, but 2014 should bring new styles. They are expected to have several of the following models: Daytona 12, Daytona 62, Fontana 72, Maranello 81, Monte Carlo 12, Sebring 62 and Corza 72. The putters have a  80/20 Pure Roll insert comprising 20 percent aluminium and 80 percent Surlyn.

Nike Method Putters - Nike's flagship putter will have a notable update in 2014.The putters include polymer-aluminium inserts and tour weighting. Models could include blade putters, steel-shafted putter heads and other classic designs.

Nike Covert 2.0 - This driver is becoming one of the clubs of choice on the PGA Tour. The club (in image below) is among the first high speed cavity back 1-woods with weight distributed to the club head's perimeter. The updated 2014 version should further promote higher distance numbers.

TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons - These are distance oriented irons. The clubs include a handlebar-shaped Speed Pocket slot in the sole. A TaylorMade director stated, “The Speed Pocket helps you launch those low-impact shots on a consistently higher, longer-carrying and softer-landing flight.”

Those are a few of the 2014 golf clubs that could have some impact on the PGA Tour. They should be a great addition to any golf bag.

Pikewood National Golf Course Video

One of the most exciting new U.S. golf courses is the Pikewood National Golf Course. This is a 7,588 yard golf course set within a forest landscape. The golf course is now ranked at 45 in Golf Digest's top 100 rankings. Check out this video tour: