DREAMSCAPES FALL 2017
30
MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI
After giving us a spirited pep talk, Jesse, our
starter at The Preserve Golf Club in Van-
cleave, Mississippi, looked down the
fairway and then in an accent that was
soaked in molasses, said, "Okay Bubba, I
think you're good to go." Now I've been
called many things in my time but never
Bubba and I kind of liked it. There is a
friendliness and inclusiveness about the
name that matched the warm Mississippi
sun. We spent most of the week around
Biloxi, enjoying the beaches, casinos and
good golf courses. Favourites included the
Grand Bear, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course,
and Fallen Oaks by Tom Fazio.
DESERT GLORY
The Valley of the Sun (made up mostly by
Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa) is sprinkled
with over 200 desert courses. My favourite
in the area is the Boulders Resort & Spa in
Carefree. The two Jay Morrish-designed
courses are lined with brown boulders the
size of bungalows, each balanced on top of
each other, as if some prehistoric giant had
been tinkering with a Stone-Age Lego set.
While the golf in the Valley is terrific, it
is also loaded with other big-league fun,
especially in Scottsdale. Each March, 15
major league teams have spring training in
the area. Scottsdale also features more than
600 restaurants and a weekly ArtWalk
where local galleries along Main Street
extend their hours and show off work by
some of the southwest's top artists.
While in Arizona, don't forget about
Tucson, which is only a two-hour drive
south of Phoenix. It is home to some terrific
layouts including the Mountain Course at
the Lodge at Ventana Canyon. Its third hole
boasts one of the most photographed greens
in America. The short par 3 is wedged into a
seam of unforgiving rock and crosses a
canyon spiked with cacti. From the front tee,
you can peer out to the Santa Catalina Moun-
tains and the Sonoran Desert. On a good day,
you can see all the way to Mexico.
T R A V E L P L A N N E R
For more information on top warm-weather golf courses in the United States
and stay-and-play packages, try the following sites:
ALABAMA:
Robert Trent Jones Trail: rtjgolf.com
ARIZONA:
Scottsdale Tourism: experiencescottsdale.com
The Boulders Resort & Spa: theboulders.com
The Lodge at Ventana Canyon: thelodgeatventanacanyon.com
BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI AREA:
Fallen Oak: beaurivage.com
Grand Bear: grandbeargolfcourse.com
The Preserve: preservegc.com
SAN DIEGO AREA:
Balboa Park: balboapark.org/recreation/golf-course
Temecula Creek Inn: temeculacreekinn.com
Torrey Pines: torreypinesgolfcourse.com
TAMPA AREA:
Innisbrook Resort: innisbrookgolfresort.com
Saddlebrook Resort: saddlebrook.com
Streamsong Resort: streamsongresort.com
World Woods: worldwoods.com
DS
LEFT: World-class golf and dramatic boulder
formations await duffers at The Boulders
Resort & Spa in Carefree, Arizona.
Boulders Resort
