Scottsdale is overflowing with great golf courses. My favorite is the 36-holes at We-Ko-Pa

Here in the northeast we have already been belted with Old Man Winter, and it is just the middle of fall. New York City broke its all-time snowfall record for October, and overnight temperatures where I live have been consistently below freezing. That means it the time of year when my friends and long lost acquaintances starter emailing me and asking where they should plan their winter golf vacation.

In a word, Scottsdale.

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. There are any warm weather destinations I love for golf, mainly the Dominican Republic, both coasts of Mexico, Hawaii, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Vegas.

But I keep coming back to Scottsdale. No place, and I mean no place, has such a concentration of outstanding courses. There is plenty of golf in Myrtle Beach and Virginia Beach, but there is not world class golf, like in Scottsdale, which has more great courses than the entire State of Hawaii.

Consider:

It is super easy to get to, with non-stop flights form every major city in the country, and an airport that rarely experiences significant weather or delays, period.

It has plenty of great food, shopping, alternative activities, entertainment, and nightlife of every type.

It has alternatives in every price range, and while it has some of the most luxurious golf resorts in the world, and winter is high season, there are plenty of more modest hotels, along with lots of condo and suite hotel deals and brokers available.

Likewise it has golf courses for every style and budget, from totally private to very high end resort to great daily fee and even outstanding munis. Several of the best are operated by Native American tribes, and courses run the gamut from traditional parkland to pure desert target golf to everything in between.

But what really excites me about the greater Scottsdale region is how many great multiple course facilities there are. Elsewhere it is more the expectation than the rule that if you have more than one course they will all be good. More common is to have a great course anchoring a facility with a not so great overflow course. But in Scottsdale, excellent 36-hole facilities abound, and that means less moving around and more epic 36-hoel days. Specifically, I mean the following:

We-Ko-Pa: My favorite in Arizona, two absolutely brilliant strategic designs, operated by the Fort McDowell Indian nation and its adjacent casino, with deals and reasonably priced lodging onsite. Golf simply does not get much better than these two.

The Boulders: Two great classic examples of pure desert golf with the utmost attention to service and manicuring.

Troon North: The public facility that helped launch the whole “member for a day” high-end public craze and put public desert golf on the map.

Grayhawk: I am not as enamored of this 36 as some of my colleagues, but everyone I send loves it, and these are two very solid desert courses.

The Phoenician: Okay it is just 27-holes, but given the over the top opulence of the resort and the crowd they get, these three very distinct and interesting nines come as a hugely pleasant surprise.

The Arizona Biltmore: For those who want a break from desert golf, two of the oldest classics (1920s) in Phoenix predate water restrictions and are pure lush parkland layouts. Both were restored extensivly a few years ago.

TPC Scottsdale: Home to the most attended golf tournament on earth, the Phoenix Open (now Waste Management, formerly FBR), with two fun and scintillating stadium courses in an ultra-convenient setting with multiple hotels, including the wonderful Fairmont, onsite.

Talking Stick: Like We-Ko-Pa, another 36-hole Native American owned facility designed by Coore & Crenshaw.

See what I mean? Just this list gives enough to play 36 holes a day for over a week without a single weak link, and there are many more. There is just no equivalent to all these tremendous facilities in one setting this side of the British Isles and it is not exactly balmy there right now.

19-time winner Ben Crenshaw does not need his caddie's advice on where to eat barbecue!

When Ben Crenshaw returned to Augusta National after winning the Masters, his traditional honor as defending champion was a choice of what to have served at the pre-tournament Champion’s dinner.

His choice?

Barbecue from the Salt Lick, just outside Austin, TX, where he grew up and played college golf.

I just returned from the Salt Lick where owner Scott Roberts, himself a golf fanatic who has played everywhere from Pebble Beach to the ultra-private Kuki’o in Hawaii, regaled me with stories of shipping his brisket and ribs off to Augusta National, where needless to say, they were not very happy about food being sent in from outside, what with their staff army of chefs and all. No shocker to me that staff treated him very rudely, despite the fact that my many critical accounts, the Salt Lick is the finest barbecue joint in the country.

Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay called the Salt Lick's monster beef ribs "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."

Texans are passionate about BBQ, and trying to pin down the best cue is like trying to prove which is the best golf course – impossible. But the Salt Lick is right up there for sure, and was recently named the best barbecue in the nation by the Travel Channel. Chef and grilling expert Bobby Flay chose their beef ribs as the best thing he ever ate. I have been on a years long quest for great barbecue, and recently, thanks to the launch of my new food column, Great American Bites, for USA Today, I have been on a number of road trips to the hearts of barbecue country: Memphis, Kansas City, Texas, Mississippi, and the Carolinas. I can now safely say that the Salt Lick is currently tied for number one on my personal best list with Oklahoma Joe’s in Kansas City, and ahead of many other famed some places coast to coast.

Austin is the Mecca of Texas-style cue, with several word famous places in and around the city, and it is also famous for golfers. Bizarrely, I’ve recently played with two different Austonians who know a thing or two about golf and both professed their love of barbecue: PGA Tour player Tim Petrovic, and Champions Tour player and US Open champ Tom Kite.

My new theory is that eating barbecue makes you a better golfer, and after all the ribs and brisket I’ve been eating, I sure hope I’m right!

In any case, if you can get to the Salt Lick, I heartily recommend you do, but if not, the good news is that they deliver, and the stuff travels really, really well!

The Parmates caddies are just one of the minor differences between golf in Vegas and Scotland.

Well sort of.

The NFL legends part is accurate, more than 60 of them, including some not so legends, with the big names being Andre Rison, Ricky Watters, J.J. Stokes, Rodney Harrison, Billy Joe Tolliver and Ed “Too Tall” Jones.

The British Open holes refer to the recreations of these famed holes at Las Vegas’ Royal Links golf course. The course is pleasant and entertaining enough to play, even if the homages are not always accurate. My most distinct memory of playing it was saying to my partner “I don’t remember a water hazard on the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon.” Whatever. This is Vegas and it’s about entertainment and whatever deficiencies Royal Links may have in the accuracy department, it makes up for it with something you certainly won’t find in Scotland: hot caddies.

That’s right, the Parmates. As Brittani says right on the website “Forget everything you have heard about caddie services. The Parmates team is made up of beautiful girls…. Imagine a beautiful girl performing the role of an efficient caddie while also demonstrating a great outgoing personality and providing any encouragement you may need to improve your game.” You can learn more about the Parmate of the month (Casi right now), at the Royal Links website.

But I digress.

This tournament was just written up by my friend Brandon Tucker at Travelgolf.com. As Brandon points out, it is far less expensive than most PGA Tour pro-ams, which readers will know are a passion of mine I have written on several times (here, here, here and here). This event is a 4-day package that includes transfers, upscale lodging, and the golf is split between Royal Links and sibling course Desert Pines, both among the better layouts in Vegas and both written up in more detail through Brandon’s Travel piece. Just click here for the complete info.

Hurry, the event is June 2-6.

New fabrics will change the way you dress on the course. These ClimaCool shorts from Adidas retail for $70 and make your khaki shorts obsolete.

I’m surprised it has taken this long to happen.

Nearly a decade ago, the humble golf shirt was reinvented a miracle of technology. Borrowing heavily form the ski and endurance sports industry, golf clothes manufacturers began employing synthetic fabrics that were cooler in hot weather, warmer in cold weather, breathed better, wicked perspiration away and then allowed it to evaporate, and provided better sun protection. At the same time, these shirts were lighter, virtually impossible to crease and their soft silky drape looked good on golfers. They were perfect for golf travel because you could jam a lot of shirts into a small space while saving weight (now that airlines want to screw you at every turn!) and avoiding looking like something the cat dragged out of bed when you showed up hopelessly wrinkled at the first tee.

Finally this breakthrough has come to the lower body.

Replacing those worn khakis with synthetics makes even more sense than it did for shirts. Pants and shorts are heavier and take up more room in our precious luggage than shirts, and unlike shirts, you are likely to wear them more than once, making their much higher level of stain resistance and anti-microbial properties more important. Whether it is Arizona desert hot or coastal Scotland chilly and moist, you’ll appreciate the comfort these fabrics add over traditional cotton. Again, they won’t wrinkle, they are very durable, and you won’t notice those black streaks you get around the pockets of your khakis from stashing balls and tees over and over during the round.

All the leading manufacturers offer these models now. Adidas has its ClimaCool, Nike its Dri-FIT, Greg Norman Collection has Play Dry, and so on.

These ClimaCool pants from Addidas run $80 and will outlast two or three pairs of cotton ones.

I personally have been wearing the 21st century shirts since the 20th century, but only this year made the switch to high tech pants and shorts. I wish I’d made it years ago!

Can the winner of the 2010 PGA Championship nab another Major at the Masters this weekend? Yup!

As loyal readers know, I was the first pundit this side of Germany to recognize the greatness that was Martin Kaymer, heralding his ascent and predicting he would finally step into that huge void the media has been harping about the last several years, the role of “the next Tiger.” While I doubt anyone will accomplish what the phenomenal Mr. Woods has done to date (with more to come I hope!), Kaymer is the best non-Tiger player in the world today, and has shown incredible mental toughness and the ability to finish begin Majors. It is no surpise that he very quickly became World Number One in both rankings, an incredible feat to accomplish so fast, whereas most famous golfers playing today have never been number one.

So without further adieu, I am letting you know that I just turned in my Masters pool entry, and I have picked Martin Kaymer to win it all, and as a tie breaker, selected his final score at 273.

I won’t be watching any of the Masters for a variety of reasons, the biggest being that I am not a big fan of long term welfare programs, they don’t give people a hand up, but rather stop them form helping themselves, and this is the case with Augusta National. As long as the public will carry all the costs of running their club and course through TV rights and merchandise, they will never have an incentive to behave rationally, and while there are plenty of ultra-private rich men’s clubs I have no problem with, the others are not hypocritical in taking that snooty position while relying entirely on the American public to pay for their playground. I can’t be part of that, would rather make my charitable contributions elsewhere, and thus, won’t be tuning in and generating ad revenues for the folks in green jackets.

So I will have to wait till Monday and read in the paper how my top three fared:

Martin Kaymer
Tiger Wood
Padraig Harrington

Read all of the great stories on The Masters by TheAPosition.com writers, we’ve created a directory to all of them here!

Head to the Pub! There's a new Guinness in town!

As loyal readers know, I love Ireland, golf in Ireland, and am a member of a club in Ireland, Ballyliffin.

Readers paying attention also know that I love Guinness Stout, which is about as Irish as you get, an unlike Ireland’s great golf, something they actually invented. I wrote the book Getting Into Guinness, about the history of the Guinness World Records book, which was stared by the brewery, then the world’s largest, and I heartily recommend the very cool and extensive tour of the original St. James Gate distillery in Dublin, officially known as the Guinness Storehouse, to any visitor to Dublin.

So when it comes to breaking Guinness news, no one is as interested as me.

Here’s the Scoop:

When my grandfather drank Guinness here in the States, it was not the same stuff we get today, and I am not talking about just an earlier version of the can and bottle without the cool nitrogen capsule. I’m talking a completely different kind of Guinness – Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, foreign presumably because it was shipped overseas. This version of Guinness was pulled from the market during Prohibition and never returned – until now (it has long been sold in other countries). After Prohibition was wisely repealed, they started sending their main product, Guinness Stout, the thing we are familiar with, here and in Ireland (where I actually prefer Guinness Extra Cold).

About two months ago, Guinness once again started producing Foreign Extra Stout for the US market, selling it in 4-bottle packages (About $10). The difference? For one thing, it is much stronger. Guinness has long been both weaker and lower in carbs and calories, despite its heavy taste and appearance, then regular beer, at about 4.2% alcohol by volume. The Foreign stuff really is “extra stout” at a whopping 7.5% ABV, nearly twice as strong. It is also hoppier and traditionally carbonated, without the added nitrogen.

GFES is not a substitute for the original, as it is stronger and bolder, but an alternative. It actually shines with food, whereas I like the good old fashioned Guinness Stout for leisurely sipping over good pub craic.

Your's truly takes a Guinness pouring lesson at the Dublin factory.

For those of you who are really, really interested, here is the offical release info straight from the horses mouth, Guinness:

Taste Profile: Big, full-bodied flavor with enormous complexity and character. Strong, roasted aromas followed by a unique bittersweet taste

Appearance: Deep Brown

Ingredients: Malt, Roast Barley, Hops, Yeast, Water
Tasting Notes: The sensation of GUINNESS Foreign Extra Stout astonishes and activates the palate with the taste buds immediately ignited by a deep, rich sweetness of the malted barley. The strong caramel, coffee-like character of the roasted barley and the calm impact of the fragrant hops give an aromatic and sensual effect. The finish is perhaps the most important part of the GUINNESS taste experience ensuring these distinct sensations

History: Brewed for more than two centuries, GUINNESS FES dates back to 1801. Known as West India Porter until the mid nineteenth century, FES was an export beer brewed with extra hops, giving the beer a more intense flavor and higher alcohol strength. The extra hops also acts as a natural preservative for beer, allowing it to survive long journeys overseas.

GUINNESS FES was exported to the U.S. beginning in 1817, but was discontinued in 1920 due to prohibition. The specialty stout will make its return to the U.S. market in October 2010.

Don't settle for just one - drive all four of these German beauties at high speeds!

Sorry Henry Ford. Seems the most valid claim for the invention of the automobile lies across the sea with the Benz Patent Motor Car, introduced in 1886.

That makes 2011 the 125th birthday of the car, and a good excuse to check out a new package offered by a Bavarian tourism promotion conglomerate, including the cities of Stuttgart and Munich (yep, where I recently wrote about and posted fun photos of the 200th Oktoberfest!) and carmakers BMW, Audi, Mercedes Benz and Porsche.

The 8-day Premium Cars of Southern Germany Tour combines stays in 4 and 5-star hotels with exhilarating drives through the Bavarian forests and countryside and ain the “any speed is too slow” passing lanes of the Autobahn. Behind the wheel of a 5-series, E-Class, Panamera and some (?) Audi. Each 2-day segment includes a choice of several optional day tours, which can be a driving experience (AMG Experience, BMW Safe Driver Training, etc) or a castle, vineyard or city tour, or yes, even a round of golf at the Ingolstadt Golf Club. Along the way there are private auto-related visits and tours.

Basic packages are 8-days and start and end in Munich, but can be extended or customized. Save your beer drinking by the liter at famed Bavarian beer halls like the Hofbrauhaus until after you have turned the keys back in.

A great holiday gift I guarantee your golf pals do not already have!

Buying presents for golfers is not easy. Clubs are too personalized to just pick one for someone, as I recently posted, stupid golf gimmicks are just plain stupid, and a dozen golf balls, while always needed, just doesn’t exactly say I love you. A gift certificate for a lesson is a great idea, but you have to be careful about bruised egos since it can send the wrong message.

So what to get the traveling golfer? I usually recommend a book that will help plan dream trips, since this is something a lot of golfers don’t have, but first, special for this season, I have a gift that I guarantee your intended recipient does not have. If they do, my guarantee means I will eat my hat (preferably one with a prominent golf logo).

The item at question is a DVD of a new documentary, Scotland’s Caddies. The title is sort of self-explanatory as to the “plot.” Award-winning director Ron Colby interviewed loopers at St. Andrews, Turnberry, Gleneagles, Prestwick, Dornoch, Troon and more far flung locales, like Brora and Royal Aberdeen, then edited them a 69-minute film.

More good news: This also fits into the category of bargain gifts at just $19.99 plus shipping.

Let’s face it: Scotland is number one on every golfer’s dream list, and playing with a caddie is an integral part of the experience. I love playing with caddies, and have done it countless times around the world, but I am always surprised at how those how haven’t are often intimidated by the idea. After all the caddie works for you. So whether your intended is a student of the game who loves all things golf related or actually planning a trip and needs the icebreaker in the to the world of caddies, this is it. While the film is entirely based on Scotland, most of the practical caddie stuff applies equally well to that other dream destination, Ireland.

Among the film’s highlights are the caddies themselves telling stories about “being on the bag,” as we say, for a host of celebrity golfers like His Airness Michael Jordan, the only James Bond ever to play golf in one of the 007 movies, Sir Sean Connery, and leaders of the free world for every political bent, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

More practical advice includes the caddies’ priceless and strongly felt opinions on tipping habits and personalities of golfers from around the word and from different parts of America and the world.
Besides the history and practical parts, the footage itself is great, almost all either shot on one of these unbelievably desirable and stunning links courses or in an equally desirable and stunning pub over pints – a caddie stereotype mainly because it is true.

Want a preview? Depending on your attention span, 30 and 60-second clips are currently posted on YouTube.
This is a great gift for any golf travel fan, but especially for one who is actually planning or contemplating a trip to the Old Sod. In that case, you can make it even more deluxe by wrapping it together with the absolute best book to read on the airplane en route to such a journey, Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens: A Golfer’s Pilgrimage to the Courses of Scotland by one of history’s greatest golf scribes, James Finegan.

Where are two other book ideas that it is highly unlikely your golfer already owns:

The Most Expensive Golf Book Ever Published

A New and Helpful Guide to the Best Golf Courses in Nearly Every Nation on Earth

Happy Holidays!

Like making an eagle in golf, skiing deep, fresh powder is as good as it gets!

Many golfers ski and many skiers golf, and both travel for their favorite sports.

I am one of those, and for about fifteen years I have been writing frequently on golf and ski travel all over the globe. Skiing is a little bit easier to get a handle on, since there are a lot less top ski resorts than there are golf courses and resorts around the globe.

I did a couple of ski pieces last winter for fun, but this year I have added a Ski Travel tab to this page, Larry Golfs The World, which you can think of as a mini-site for Larry Skis the World!

I will be bringing you the same, fresh, honest, irreverent and helpful content you can use to plan ski vacations that I have long brought you for golf.

If you have any doubt about the connection between of the two sports, stay tuned as I demonstrate how many ski and golf resorts are one in the same, including Top 100 and courses and PGA Tour venues. In several cases the top ski resorts are the top golf resorts, and vice versa, but in both cases, the best of each tend to be fun and beautiful places.

With Labor Day weekend just around the corner, the weather still says golf in most parts of the country, but in many, ski season is coming sooner than you might expect, so look for me to mix in the occasional ski coverage with plenty of golf stuff as the months get colder – and starting tomorrow!

Vail's excellent Ski School is world class - but so is every other aspect of the resort. Courtesy of: Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts

Because I write about travel – especially ski travel – for a living, people constantly ask me for vacation advice. I love to help, but it takes time, so sometimes I cheat. When they ask, “What’s the best place to go skiing?” I usually just say “Vail.”

Vail is the straight-A student of ski resorts. With the possible exception of its excellent ski school, it’s not the very best at any one subject, be it food, lodging, or expert terrain, but across the board, Vail is very good at everything. In the High School Yearbook it would be voted “Most Likely to Please.”

It’s also huge, with several base areas and terrain so vast it can overwhelm. There are 31 lifts, 193 trails, and nearly 5,300-acres of skiing, including seven enormous bowls. To make Vail simple, here is everything you need to know.

Town: Vail is linear, stretching along the “front” side of the ski mountain. From east to west there’s Golden Peak, the simplest base area; Vail Village, the original faux-Swiss Alpine streetscape; Lionshead, which recently underwent a massive expansion and is the new center of the action; and sleepy West Vail, home to the large Vail Cascade Resort. Vail Village and Lionshead are the best locations, with tons of shopping and dining, but also the priciest, with lodging getting cheaper towards the periphery. All have lifts, and a free bus system links everything.

The all-new Lionshead base area and the Arrabelle Hotel (tower) are the current epicenter of Vail life. Courtesy of: Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts

Lodging: There are endless choices and a new luxury Four Seasons opening December 11. To date, the best luxury options are the boutique and expensive Arrabelle, anchoring Lionshead, and the wonderful Sonnenalp in Vail Village. One price point down is the charming 28-room Vail Mountain Lodge and the resort’s two biggest hotels, the Marriott in Lionshead and the Vail Cascade. For more budget conscious folks, especially families, the best buys are myriad condos around all the base areas, which also have kitchens to save on breakfast (these can be most simply found through the resort’s central reservation service, Vail.com).

Dining: Vail has great and not so great food at every price range. For fine dining, the very best is Kelly Liken. The eponymous chef uses local farm fresh ingredients, but while this is a ubiquitous trend, she does it absolutely right. Close seconds include Larkspur, whose signature croutons of pan-fried mashed potato cubes are to die for, and the Game Creek restaurant, open only for dinner atop the gondola. My hidden gem is La Bottega, a traditional enoteca serving wines by the glass and delicious Italian small plates. For a burger or casual fare, hit Bart & Yeti’s in Lionshead. Next to the Arrabelle is a welcome addition, a gourmet gelato shop.

Skiing: The mountain is big and confusing, so try not to move around too much. Instead, break your visit into chunks, as each section has great terrain for multiple abilities. There is so much the website gives a detailed 4-day itinerary to see it all! The Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin take several lifts to reach, so go for at least a few hours. If it’s a powder day, locals will go first thing, and so should you. On the front, Game Creek Bowl is a concise area with intermediate and advanced runs. In the center, just below Mid-Vail, are easy to reach double-blacks, with more good expert runs off the Northwoods Express Chair. There’s a good intermediate stash off the Mountaintop Express Lift and plenty of greens and blues at either end, far skier’s left or right. To help get your feet wet, there are guided mountain tours for all abilities, Blue Sky Basin Tours for intermediate and advanced skiers, and a 50+ Tour, all free daily. You can save cash with the EPIC Season Pass, cheaper than 10 days of tickets and also valid at nearby resorts including Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone, or for shorter trips, the EPIC 7-Pack.

Vail has the most skiable terrain of any single mountain in the US - but it is the famed seven huge bowls that avid skiers come for. Courtesy of: Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts

New This Winter: The most exciting addition is Cinebistro, a movie theater serving snacks like a popcorn bucket of fried calamari!  On the mountain, new Chair 5 replaces the antiquated High Noon lift, a weak link that always caused bottlenecks accessing Vail’s bowls on powder days. At twice the speed and twice the capacity, it will improve traffic flow mountain-wide. Ski school adds “Adventure Sessions,” whose tagline is, “If ski school had recess, this would be it.” For advanced skiers who find the breadth of the mountain daunting, it reduces instruction to on-the-go pointers and adds tour guide and lift line cutting aspects to produce a best-of-the-mountain, best-of-conditions ski day with some learning at affordable group prices ($129 per person for no more than 5 skiers).