Every month, one worldly golf destination shines above the rest and is THE place to swing the sticks. So based on my experiences, I’ve put together a golf destination calendar: a destination for every month. Click here for the TravelGolf.com column on Your 2010 Golf Destination Calendar. This column features only destinations I’ve been to (and contrary to some popular belief, I haven’t visited EVERY single golf destination in the world yet), so there are some destinations that are probably worthy of a mention here, like Monterey, Cabo San Lucas, Upstate New York and Canada’s east coast, etc… Some of these ...

Now that we’re in the same decade, it’s time to pay close attention to who receives Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup Matches. Great Britain and Ireland will in all likelihood not host the event that year, having hosted the matches every year except the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama in the Costa Del Sol, Spain. One of our WorldGolf.com readers is among those curious of the possibilities: I know it’s light years away, but which country would you choose for next European venue and why? Queries on GB & I “hogging” it, should the venue be influenced by the nationality of ...

A WorldGolf.com reader has written in with a Scotland golf question regarding national memberships: I saw your article on Craigielaw Golf Club near Gullane, Scotland in July 2009. I’m trying to find a birthday present for a 4-handicap golfer. It’s either a “country membership” to Craigielaw which is 100 miles from us and accessible or Dornoch which is 200 miles and not very accessible. Would be grateful for your thoughts. - Liz Now, Craigielaw vs. Royal Dornoch from a traveling golfer’s perspective is a no-brainer. Royal Dornoch is a superior, 19th century links club and one of my favorite in the ...

WorldGolf.com reader Bud has written in asking about where he can take a group to golf in New York City. Well Bud, you’ve picked a doozy of a destination - though not necessarily the most logistically good one for golf. There’s plenty of off-course stuff to do, so if you’re looking for an action-packed trip, you’ve picked your city, so long as you’re able to deal with some traffic “challenges” getting out to the courses. Truth is, New York could have been America’s best golf destination. Unfortunately, most of the top courses are very, very private. Click here for my ...

The golf boom in Asia, and specifically China has been well documented in recent years. But it’s still a golf destination with a lot to be uncovered. China is so big, so foreign and so rapidly developing, it can be a humbling trip to plan even for experienced travelers. Though golf courses are popping up just about everywhere in the country, one smaller destination worth keeping an eye on is Hainan Island. About the size of Belgium, it’s a tropical island in the South China Sea with clean air, lush mountain beauty and is well on the way to becoming ...

Lets consider for a minute that back as a youngster in Michigan, I passed up golf and pursued my ice hockey career a little more vigilantly, I had a little more talent and hit puberty just a little earlier… That might just mean I could be suiting up next month as Team USA’s starting ice hockey goaltender in the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver - and not living out the dream in Texas men’s leagues. And lets consider a little further that during the Olympic Games I put on my best Jim Craig impression and led Team USA to gold with a ...

I thought we were done with all of the baggage fee hikes on airlines, but it looks like they still lack creativity in coming up with new revenue streams and would rather unfairly nail sports and family travelers who usually bring more luggage along with them during travel. Today Delta Air Lines announced they are raising their current bag fees by $8 for the first bag and $7 for the second. This means they’re now $23 for the first bag and $32. I guarantee that within six months, they’ll round both these surcharges up to an even $10 for a ...

Stories like what was revealed today make me wonder how any Western couple could take a pleasure trip to Dubai, where everything is available - yet seemingly illegal. The United Kingdom press is understandably livid after it was revealed a British woman was raped in a Dubai restaurant bathroom by a waiter - and SHE was jailed the next morning. Articles are popping up all over the place today, here’s an account from The Guardian. And one from the Herald Sun. The summary is that a man took his girlfriend to Dubai on a New Year’s trip and proposed to her ...

The PGA Tour kicked off its 2010 season Thursday in Maui, and it comes with a slight sigh of relief, as SBS stepped in for Mercedes as the title sponsor of the Kapalua Resort’s invitational of last year’s event winners. But while many of last year’s cancelled events on the tour schedule have been replaced in some way, even commissioner Tim Finchem has admitted it’s likely the tour may see some holes in future schedules as corporations trim down their title sponsorships. I’m not convinced this is all that much of a bad thing for the tour. Sure, some money ...

WorldGolf.com reader Alan has written in to us with this golf travel question: “Mr. Tucker, I enjoy reading your articles. I cannot afford some of the greens fees that are mentioned. Unfortunately, I have champagne taste and a beer budget. Is there a best time to visit Hawaii, for example? I also am interested in Michigan as I used to summer in Northport.” Alan goes on to write his golf budget is about $50-75 per course, while hoping to find competitive golf package deals that keep the total stay-and-play bill under $100. Hawaii’s courses don’t have much of a seasonal ...

Every man needs a vacation once in awhile - whether it’s a bachelor party ala “The Hangover” or just to get away from work for a long weekend with good buddies. While “The Hangover” took the popular mancation premise and shredded it with a lot of stereotypes, kicks to the groin and useless, good-luck-getting-on-the-Caesar’s-Palace-roof-or-partying-with-Mike-Tyson moments, it showed that Las Vegas and buddy trips are still a lightning rod for attraction. One other complaint about the movie is the foursome didn’t touch a golf club, which is a major party foul, considering there’s few things better in life than ripping on ...

While fired up about a number of Tiger Woods issues debated in the media this afternoon, especially the clubbed-to-death notion that “golf can’t survive without Tiger Woods,” I’ve been crunching some numbers. And I’ve found a statistic worth mentioning regarding PGA Tour purse sizes that is even surprising to me. For years, we’ve been told that since the debut of Tiger Woods professionally, purse sizes have skyrocketed. It’s true, but not abnormal on a percentage scale looking back at the last several decades. Check this out: Tiger Woods turned professional in 1996. From 1996-2006, the purse for the PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP ...

It seems just about everyone wants to take their crack - or profit off of Tiger Woods’ recent downfall. Here is a tacky, distasteful press release that came across the wires today courtesy of Southern Wales Tourism, who apparently are out for any opportunity to promote an unremarkable parkland golf club in lieu of the 2010 Ryder Cup Matches: Your chance to drive like Tiger A new target has become a smash hit for golfers using the practice range at Dewstow Golf Club. The latest addition gives members and visitors a chance to bash a banger – and prove that Tiger ...

Tiger Woods is the Athlete of the Decade, according to the Associated Press. Is it deserved? Sure, Tiger has done some incredible things, but he hasn’t set the records of the following three athletes: Roger Federer comes to mind first. While Tiger Woods is on track to beat Jack Nicklaus’ majors record (assuming he returns to golf by the Masters like he should), Federer has already captured the record: 15 from Pete Sampras. Those might note that while Federer has won the majors record, he’s not as inspirational as Woods. For that, we’d have to turn to Lance Armstrong, who ...

I’m detecting a two trends with President Barack Obama’s golf habit. 1. If possible, play golf in Hawaii. 2. If not in Hawaii, play golf course that feels closest to Hawaii. I’m convinced we won’t be seeing much of Obama in Ireland, gutting out the wind and rain of Ballybunion Golf Club’s Old Course like President Clinton did back in 1998. Early indications are that Obama is more of a resort-type, sunshine golfer. The newest island-style course endorsement of Obama comes from Golf Digest’s latest issue, chronicling the President’s golf history. And it appears that when he was in Las ...