Travel trend: Golf destinations and resorts open wallets to renovations

Seems a good number of golf destinations and resort hotels have been renovating, refurbishing, remodeling (or whatever you want to call it) their properties lately. Which could be a hopeful economic indicator for the industry and the travelers they want to attract.

I’m headed this week to Callaway Gardens Golf Resort, a property in Pine Mountain, Ga., that has been rejuvenated. They’ve got two courses, the Lake View and Mountain View layouts, a spa and all the amenities.

The storied Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida recently announced it has completed a $220 million refurbishment. It also has two layouts, the Resort Course and Country Club Course, and boasts the world-class Spa Palazzo. It’s also home to the Dave Pelz Short Game Golf School and has its own golf academy.

The 1,047-room resort destination, built in 1926 by architect Addison Mizner, is scheduled to join the Waldorf Astoria Collection later this year.

Hmmm. Seems like a tough time to throw all that money around. Wonder if all this spending means some parts of the travel business expect a turnaround sooner than later.