My month is made up of an Ambush and an Away Game.  The most common question I'm getting after all I've seen in a fairly short amount of time: "What do you suggest for our next buddies trip?"

From the places I've been so far as the Golf Digest Travel Editor, below I've listed my top-five mancation destinations. I have not yet been to Myrtle, Kiawah or ventured down the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama. I haven't done Wisconsin or Northern Michigan, but I've been to northern Minnesota, Mexico, California, Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, Arizona and Washington. I'll count 'em down:

No. 5: La Quinta Resort and Club. With a new focus on catering to the sort of golf trips you're trying to plan, you'll be impressed by the lodging options, food and great golf. If three courses by Pete Dye, a Greg Norman and a Jack Nicklaus don't move you--you might need to take up tennis (there's plenty of that at La Quinta as well). On July 15, La Quinta broke ground on the new PGA West Stadium Clubhouse. It will feature a mini golf Hall of Fame, a sports bar and a cafe/market. The clubhouse should be finished by the start of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (end of January, 2009).

No. 4: Pebble Beach/Santa Cruz. With such a high price tag for golf come high expectations. Pebble and Spyglass do not disappoint, but they leave a significant dent in your savings. Throw in Pasatiempo, Pacific Grove and the two courses at what used to be Fort Ord (the Bayonet and Black Horse courses will be done by the end of the year) for some added value.

No. 3: Pinehurst. So much good golf in the area, so much tradition and Southern hospitality. Although you'll still be required to swing the club, make putts and lift the drink off the table, just get yourself there and the staff takes care of the rest. Make sure your itinerary includes courses Nos. 2, 4 and 8 and Pine Needles, which is just down the street.

No. 2: Bandon Dunes. The dollar is weak, so if you want an Ireland/Scotland golf trip, go to Oregon and immerse yourself in all things Bandon Dunes. Play the three courses twice and take note of one of my favorite deals in golf, especially if you have a sturdy caddie and a padded pair of feet: Pay $265 for the first round (May through October), $105 for a replay rate and any more golf you play that day is free! Fifty-four of those holes for $370 can only be described as stealing.

No. 1: Sea Island. The Lodge is so strong, the service is the best I've experienced and Seaside anchors the three good golf courses. Unlike a round at Pebble or Spyglass, golf at Sea Island is still played in less than four hours. The minute you leave Sea Island, your only concern is how quickly you can justify a trip back. Don't forget to spend time at the shooting school. Look into off-peak rates and summer golf packages to avoid breaking the buddies trip budget.

On the subject of Pinehurst, buddies trips and budgets, this was an e-mail worth passing on:

"PINEHURST'S BUDDY TRIP OF A LIFETIME TAKES GOLF TRAVEL TO NEW LEVELS"

For those who believe there are few things more important than a golf trip with close friends, Pinehurst Resort has launched a unique experience that includes the opportunity to win a signature trophy on one of golf's most revered layouts--and a schedule packed with perks.

The Buddy Trip of a Lifetime at Pinehurst is loaded with extras that take an average golf trip to the next level--from a steak and lobster dinner with a private chef in your own villa to a round on No. 2 with caddies wearing your name. And one member of your group will be awarded a PutterBoy Trophy. You choose the game, Pinehurst will hand out the trophy and, with it, a year's worth of bragging rights.

The three-day, two-night Buddy Trip of a Lifetime is available for groups of four or more and carries an all-inclusive price of $2,300 per person double occupancy or $2,800 single occupancy. 

COMPLETE COMPONENT LIST:
-    3 days / 2 nights in our luxurious Villa* accommodations--four guest rooms connected to a central gathering parlor
-    Villa parlor wet bar stocked with beverages of your choice (wine and beer) & snacks for your stay
-    Unlimited golf
-    Round on No. 2 with single caddies who wear your name and their bibs
-    Private tip session with a Pinehurst pro on how to play No. 2
-    On-course surprise, activated by your group's planner
-    Breakfast and dinner daily
-    Exclusive Steak & Lobster dinner with your own private chef in Villa
-    Unlimited steam/sauna/whirlpool access at The Spa
-    Group photo at 1st tee of No. 2
-    Acura courtesy car available throughout your stay
-    VIP Concierge access throughout your stay
-    Surprise welcome/departure gifts
-    $50 gift card per person
-    Pinehurst Putterboy Trophy for group's contest of choice--you make the bets, we provide the prize

Do you have a favorite buddies trip destination? Share the details by clicking on "comments."

--Matty G.

Last month I Ambushed Tom Messmer, Tim O'Neill and Mike Cornelius at Pinehurst as they celebrated their 40th birthdays. They submitted an itinerary that earned the envy of, well, a Golf Digest travel editor. And then they helped me Ambush Peggy Kirk Bell, legendary instructor and owner of Pine Needles in Pinehurst, N.C. Bell turns 87 later this year, but she is still as sharp as a new tee. She had lunch with us, gave us a free lesson that you can see in the latest Ambush video and told us she thought Annika is the best female to ever play the game. Then she walked down and watched us tee off, granting a mulligan to Tim O'Neill. Their story appears in the current issue of the magazine and on golfdigest.com.

I have this month's Ambush down to the following five finalists. Let me know your thoughts on which one I should meet up with by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of this entry.

From Courtney Joyner of Chicago, Ill.:

"Honey, we need to move the baptism. I'll be at the Meetings that weekend." True story. No, it's not a gathering of Buffett, Gates, Pickens, and others in Davos, Switzerland. It's people like Salty Dog, Taylor, Jones, The Brothers Herrmann, and The Overcusser. The Meetings began in 2000 as a long weekend with seven guys getting away for a "man conference." It is now a five day trip (three days of golf) with a new location every year (determined by planning committee). The membership is now sixteen strong and there is a waiting list to join. If you can't make it one year, you better have a good reason or you drop to the bottom of the list. The only person to miss and be back the next year was Brent Douglass, due to open-heart surgery. It has not been determined if he thinks all the baboon-heart jokes were worth coming back for. Besides bragging rights and having an incredible time, the players compete for two trophies: The Cup and the Shane Sullivan Award for Individual Achievement. The Cup was upgraded in 2007 to a 3-foot trophy complete with Stanley Cup type carrying case. The Sully is decided on by the namesake and is not necessarily given out every year. Day one is the four-man scramble and Day two is a four-man modified shamble. On one of the practice days, a 9 hole round, is added and includes a different challenge on each hole (ex: teeing off with a putter, playing the hole with one club, etc.) Please tell Walter Iooss, Jr. to bring Vendela, Stacy Williams, and the Matty G. arrow for the Ambush photo op. Itinerary: In Chicago, Illinois. Evening activities will consist of poker and beverage consumption. Thursday, August 7th: Harborside - Port Course. Friday, August 8th: Pine Meadow. Saturday, August 9th: Cantigny.

From Leonard D'Angelo in South Lyon, Mich.:

Garland Resort in Lewiston, Mich. (Aug. 1-4). The Mid-Michigan Golf Invitational (MMGI) has been a Michigan golf tradition for the past 16 years. The event always takes place in the state of Michigan, and traditionally in the beauty of Northern Michigan, which has some of the best golf in the nation as far as we are concerned! The usual attendance is 16 guys, with at least six of those being core members that have been around since day one. Others come and go as their wives allow (which we all refer to as "the scheduling department"), and others have been lost to unfortunate tragedies (cancer, car accidents). But as with many men, the simple act of getting together for a long weekend of golf once a year helps heal the pain of the loss, and also helps to keep their legacy alive and honor their memory. Every year the field is handicapped by a nonsensical formula derived by Tony Kornaga, the founding member. His unique ability to botch even the most simplistic math, when it comes to handicapping as well as to the cost of the annual event or especially keeping his own score, has become lovingly known as "Kornagian mathematics," and is the source of much ribbing year after year. For one long weekend, as long as the "scheduling department" clears it, forget about your worries and your strife, let it all hang out and relish the fact you'll be made fun of for years to come. And should something terrible happen, God forbid, you'll be remembered forever, once a-year, as a fun loving goof. I'm relatively new to this thing, but I can tell you this is one heck of a group of guys who are every bit deserving of being honored in Golf Digest.

From Hunter Williams in Atlanta, Ga.:

This is a trip that has been going on for about 15 years. It's known as Cattail, named after one guy tried to hit out of a particularly bad lie and only came back with six cattails, which he promptly stuck in his golf bag like clubs! The trip is anywhere from 12 to 24 guys and takes place the last of July in Myrtle Beach (OK, it's cheaper that time of year and all of the guys like to "hydrate" all day). We are mostly in our mid-forties and know each other from college, hometowns or this trip. Richie Harris is the guy who puts it together each year and does a great job. Below is the itinerary and a sampling of the flavor of the trip from one of his e-mails. We've all played the Dunes once before and it is a great old classic course. The last time we played we went out after a storm and no one else was on the course but our group. It was heaven! Here's the e-mail: "Hey boys, Just about Cat-time! Only five weeks away. Thurs: 1:42 p.m. at Kings North, Fri: 8:41 a.m. at Grande Dunes, Sat: Noon at The Dunes --can sleep a little, who knows maybe we will have a Bloody Mary brunch. We are at 20 with several people wanting in. I'm sure we can talk Joe Nicks, Tommy Ray, or someone else into making us 24. Sorry to hear Eric M. can't make it this year, and of course Ricky D. got the "pink slip" for breaking the rules. [No Pain Allowed; It's about Me] I will be sending out requests for handicaps in a couple of weeks, and we all know what fun that leads to. Plus, I will just assign you what I want anyway."

From Chuck Young in Pensacola, Fla.:

We have a group of 72 guys, who every year for the past seven years, gets together on the Robert Trent Jones Trail for two days of Ryder Cup style competition. We call it the RTJ Cup. There are two teams of 36. Nearly all of the 72 have a connection to Pensacola, Florida. The first three years of the event it was played at various sites along the Trail, but for the past four years it has stayed at Capitol Hill. (Driving between days became cumbersome.) Everyone travels on Thursday (most play a practice round). Friday morning is two-man scramble, afternoon is a two-man best ball. Saturday is alternate shot and Saturday evening is singles. Everyone stays on site. We rent out two villas--one for each team. It's an amazing trip. Included in this year's price of $550 per player: Three nights at the Marriott, four rounds of golf (typically the Senator for two, the Judge and the Legislator), pizza Thursday night, dinner Saturday night, and adult beverages at the villas Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This has traditionally been an all guys event, no wives or girlfriends; with the exception being 2006 when one guy came back from Iraq and used some of his time to come play in the event. The organizers rented an on-site cabin for him and his wife. It's by handicap (that's were the stories really begin and end) so the playing field is level (like a carrier on the open sea). One player won the American Amateur Classic while others have trouble carrying enough balls to get through 18 holes. This will be my fifth year and I don't think I have ever had this much fun playing golf.

From Dirk Smith in Scottsdale, Ariz.:

Our foursome's annual pilgrimage is golf in its purest form--90 holes in two and a half days, grinding it out amid the 100-plus degree dog days of summer. This is our fourth annual guy's only trip. The amount of abuse we put on each other is topped only by the sweat we lose. The most eclectic guy in the group, a diabetic, always conveniently gets "fuzzy" in the heat when his scores start to rise. I'm a professional meeting planner so the role of scheduling this trip falls on me, and believe me when I share, the invasion of Normandy was likely easier to plan than getting all of these guys organized. I would love you to Ambush them! Itinerary--Palm Springs area on Saturday at La Quinta Resort (Dunes 7:15am), (Mountain at 1:15pm), Sunday at PGA WEST (Stadium Course at 7:15am), (Nicklaus Tournament Course at 1:15pm) and Monday at PGA WEST (Greg Norman Course at 8:37am).

Do you have a group (or know of a group) worthy of an Ambush? Tell us about it. You may be next.

--Matty G.

Anytime you pack a tent and use it before you get to the campground, you're having first-degree travel troubles. I read an article on nytimes.com by Sharon McDonnell about sleeping in an airport. The article, and the image, is worth passing on. Here's a clip:

Sleeping at an airport overnight, once almost a sport for the young and short of cash, has become a lot more common lately, affecting even older and professional travelers. And a big reason is that airlines are no longer as free with complimentary hotel vouchers as they once were.

"Belt tightening by airlines over the last 18 months, and more so this year," is how Randy Petersen, editor of the online magazine InsideFlyer and the frequent-flier Web site FlyerTalk.com, explains it.

"They have to look at everything they spend a penny on," Mr. Petersen said. And because flights are fuller, he added, "they're not just dealing with a few passengers."

Bob Harrell, founder of Harrell Associates, an airline consultant, agreed. "If they're charging for extra bags, food and water, then the flip side is the airlines are going to go out of their way to minimize expenses on one side, while maximizing on the other," he said.

I almost had to sleep in the Los Angeles airport a few months ago. I missed my connection to Reno, and there were no more flights until the next morning. I debated driving--which was a no because it was too far. I saw people in a similar situation who opted to lay their heads on a metal armrest of a dirty chair. Passed on that idea as well. The thought of putting my mouth remotely close to the floor of an airport was so wrong, I was definitely going to a hotel.

The airline--I don't remember which one--handed me a phone number. It was a booking agency that would get me a decent rate at an airport hotel that had two things: availability and some sort of deal with the agency I was calling. The rate was roughly $110 and the hotel was a Holiday Inn. I took the shuttle to the Marriott and paid $150 for a room. I passed on the savings because I wanted the Marriott points.

It's no secret. The act of traveling is currently INSANE. I combat travel anxiety by getting to the airport with more than enough time to catch my plane (always at least two hours before flight time). I'm a member of American Airlines' Admiral's Club ($350 per year) to escape the general clutter of the terminal. This is where I get free Internet access, a TV, reading material, snacks, coffee, juice and water. Some even have a shower, but I wouldn't go there unless I smelled like a petting zoo.

I was just talking with some colleagues--not only is traveling tough on the consumer, but you may have noticed, morale of airline employees is dragging along the bottom of the sea. I can tune out the occasional impolite flight attendant because I have noise-reduction headphones and a power cord to my computer that plugs into the seat of the plane. I can lose myself in music, work or a DVD. Not to mention, we have such little contact with attendants now; they won't help with luggage and I don't want to buy the giant blue tube of the chips they're selling.

I do hope the maintenance crews and the pilots are paid properly. They're the critical pieces of the travel operation, and I feel safer thinking they're happy and enthusiastic about their jobs.

If I were in charge I would eliminate middle seats. They're a flawed concept, and no matter who sits in them, there's an unhappy traveler. I'd like to see only rows of two, TVs on the back of every seat--not just on JetBlue. This way you don't have to pray the pilot is a golf fan in order to get an update during the Monday playoff of the U.S. Open between Tiger and Rocco.

My favorite airports are the ones that get your bags to the baggage claim before you get there to claim them. Airports in Savannah, Ga. and Wilmington, N.C. are good at this. JFK is not. I've waited as long as an hour before the little red siren went off, indicating the bags were on their way. My internal red light was going off after 20 minutes.

Any airport where you don't have to take a shuttle from the baggage claim to the rental-car facility gets a huge plus in my book (Avis is across the street from baggage claim at Orlando's airport).

You've gotta love the Jacksonville airport for its putting green, a great place to settle some bets (putters and balls are provided).

If I'm traveling to the Bay Area, it's Oakland or San Jose--and no more San Francisco, which is one of my least favorite airports. SFO has a rail system to get you to your rental car, which is fine, but you need a mule and a sherpa to get you and your luggage to the train from the baggage claim, and another 30 minutes to get to the Avis counter.

I hate the inconsistency that comes with travel. In most airports, you're required to check in 30 minutes before your domestic flight. If you happen to be running late in Miami, you should know their cutoff time is 45 minutes. I learned the hard way.

Here's a list of the best airports by worldairportawards.com (based on 8.2 million questionnaires completed by passengers over a 10-month time period from 2007 to 2008).Hong Kong has won seven out of the last 10 years. San Francisco, Denver, Dallas and Atlanta were in the top 25, but no U.S.-based airport was in the top 10.

I'll leave the terminal tent concept to the weary traveler in the picture above. I don't like to camp, and I don't sleep in airports.

--Matty G.

(Post your favorite and least favorite airports in the comments box.)

When I'm asked about my favorite spot for a pure golf experience in the United States, I say Bandon Dunes. There are no carts, which means there are no cartpaths. There are no fancy restaurants, but plenty of places with good food. There is no row of stores, but there are efficient golf shops that sell all you need to prove you've been there (a hat, a shirt and a ball marker). There's a useful practice facility and a fun par-3 course if you need an emergency nine holes to work on your short game. There's no spa, but at the end of your trip, after several long walks with your putter, your feet will need a rubdown. Consider sore dogs a badge of golf's finest honor. You had a good trip.

I've played 36 on each of the three courses. I rank them in this order: Pacific Dunes (Tom Doak), Bandon Dunes (David McLay Kidd) followed by Bandon Trails (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore). But ranking those three is a silly game. If you go and don't play them all, that's the only way to mess up your itinerary. (No course should be left behind.)

The fact that Bandon Dunes is hard to get to, in my opinion, adds to the experience. I received this information from the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport about easier access to Bandon Dunes. It was worth passing on. It's good news (I guess):

Groundbreaking Direct Flight Service to Arrive at New Terminal on Oregon's Southern Coast

Southwest Oregon Regional Airport to offer twice-daily direct flights between San Francisco and Coos Bay on SkyWest United Express

The South Coast Development Council (SCDC), along with the Coos County Airport District, announced that starting July 7, 2008, SkyWest United Express would begin flying two direct flights per day between the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH) in North Bend, Ore. and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

The new SkyWest United Express service eases travel time to Oregon's southern coast, eliminates the need for visitors and residents drive to Portland, Ore., or Eugene, Ore., and enables convenient connections to cities across the U.S. and throughout the world. Previously, visitors to the Coos Bay area had only one carrier option for air travel by way of Portland, Ore.

"We are thrilled to announce a new transportation option to and from Oregon's southern coast," said Ron Opitz, executive director of the SCDC. "This service will not only be incredibly convenient for recreational travelers coming to experience all that the area has to offer, but also for local residents and business travelers wanting an easier departure point to visit San Francisco and beyond."

Coinciding with the launch of SkyWest United Express flight service is the opening of a new state-of-the-art terminal at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, which serves as the only commercial airport on the Oregon coast.

The real reason why we care about this release: Bandon Dunes is only 26 miles from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport.

In related news, the fourth public course and Doak's second at Bandon Dunes will be called Old Macdonald. Named and designed in honor of the first U.S. Amateur champion and legendary architect, Charles Blair Macdonald, it's scheduled to open in 2010.

--Matty G.

(photo credit: Wood Sabold)

When you send in a Travel Trouble, it hits my e-mail inbox. I try to answer as many as I can. Here's a selection of recent exchanges:

From Nick Layman, Republic, Mo.: How do you become a Golf Digest course rater? I play a lot of golf during the year, at a lot of different courses, and I've always wondered who the lucky people are who get to rate courses. How can I get started rating golf courses?

Nick: Although I've played a lot of the top 100 this year, Golf Digest editors are not part of the Course Rating Panel that evaluates courses for our rankings. I asked Topsy Siderowf, our rankings editor who manages the 800 or so golfers who make up our panel, how we find our panelists. Here's what she says:

Golf course raters are low-handicap golfers, single-digit required, but five or less is ideal. They have to be interested in golf course design and willing to travel at their own expense to evaluate courses--a minimum of five per year. Panelists must be computer savvy, we communicate by e-mail. They must also be willing to attend an educational summit to make sure they are knowledgeable about our survey process. They evaluate courses for our rankings of Best New Courses, Best in State and America's 100 Greatest Courses.

We have a sufficient number of panelists in Florida and California, but we're always looking for them in states such as North and South Dakota, Maine, Wyoming, West Virginia, Alaska and Delaware. We also have panelists from Canada and are in the process of building an international panel.

Prospective candidates can e-mail (through Travel Trouble), and we'll take them into consideration.

From Jeff Brune, Cape Girardeau, Mo.: Like most sons, my lifelong dream has been to surprise my dad with a golf trip to one of THE top golf courses in the world. I'm sure it's no surprise, but like most dads he introduced me to the game, taught me to respect every aspect of it and to think of the swing as a spiritual experience. I've been wanting to do a trip like this as long as I can remember, and I always thought we'd go to The Old Course at St. Andrews, but I just read the excerpt of the Jim Nantz book in Golf Digest, and I've decided that I want to take Dad to Pebble. I just want to call my dad a week before the trip and say, "I need you to go to the range for a few days, then clean and pack your clubs, oh, and a suitcase, and I'll pick you up on Saturday." I don't know what he'll think, but it sure won't be, My son has paid for us to go play Pebble Beach. I just want to know if there's a way to do a Pebble trip without totally blowing a ton of money. Sure, it's a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but I don't want to break the bank. Should we stay off-site? Is there a preferred place to fly into? What time of year is best?

Jeff: Thank you for writing. Unfortunately, I don't have much good news when it comes to cost. Read what my colleague John Hawkins wrote about Pebble earlier this year.

I'm just back from Pebble Beach. Believe me, I get it. The course is on a spectacular piece of property. Holes 6-10, 17 and 18 are some of the best in the world. The day I went, I didn't have the perfect golf experience, even though I had perfect weather. The greens had been punched (no break on the green fee--still $495, and no mention of it before I arrived). My caddie double-bagged and he could barely carry one. You have to stay at the Lodge, Casa Palmero or the Inn at Spanish Bay to get a tee time, (minimum $580 a night), but they're top-shelf resorts. If you stay off-site (there are plenty of good hotels in the area), you can try to get on as a single, but it's difficult to guarantee that you and your dad will be able to play together. Your best bet is to arrive at the crack of dawn.

The only way to do what you want to do with your dad is to plan well in advance and pay large sums of money. Pebble is the No. 1-ranked public course in the country and neighboring Spyglass Hill is No. 11. They get a lot of money from us because they can.

Spyglass isn't a horrible deal at $330. I'm still debating which is the better golf course from start to finish--Pebble or Spy. If you do the hole-by-hole match-play game, I keep coming up with an even score. I give Spyglass holes 1, 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16. I give Pebble Nos. 2, 6-10, 17 and 18. Holes 5 and 14 are a tie. It's a fun discussion.

Just about an hour north, in Santa Cruz, is Pasatiempo, No. 30 on our list of best public golf. Green fees are $200 for the first 18 and a $100 replay rate. It's a 1929 Alister Mackenzie design (he also designed a couple of others you might've heard of: Cypress Point and Augusta National). All things considered, Pasatiempo is my favorite public course I've played as the travel editor.

If you go--go big. Cash in your 401K and play Pebble, Spyglass and Pasatiempo and call it the trip of a lifetime. My Away Game about my trip will appear in the September issue of Golf Digest, which hits newsstands in early August.

From Steve Pitrowski, Boston: Me and five of my buddies are heading to Long Island, N.Y., to play golf. Problem is, only three of the six have an invite to play at Shinnecock Hills. I assume you have enough clout to get out at Shinnecock. Any chance you'd be around and willing to play with three single-digit handicappers? We'd be very appreciative. I'm sure you'd enjoy our company and we could have a fun match with the other four-ball. If you aren't able to help us, but have suggestions for us to try, that would also be appreciated. I enjoy reading Golf Digest and your articles and thought it couldn't hurt to ask.

Steve: Thanks for your support, but you grossly overestimate me.

Not only have I never played Shinnecock, I'm not sure I will. Shinnecock and Augusta is my 7-10 split. Every time I try to pick them up, my bowling ball goes down the middle of the lane. I've been to 11 Masters and an Open at Shinnecock. That may be as close as I get. Sorry I can't help. I hope you guys have a great trip. The threesome that can't get on should consider a drive to the end of the island and play a great public course--Montauk Downs. It's about 45 minutes from the entrance to Shinnecock, off the Montauk Highway. I played it for the first time a few weeks ago. Be prepared for a slow round, but like Bethpage Black, it's owned by the N.Y. State Parks Department and for N.Y. state residents on weekends it's $41 ($82 for out-of-state residents). The "Downs" is a bargain.

--Matty G.

Last week I ambushed the Baroo Cup. Named for the putter Judge Smails uses to make a long putt at the end of Caddyshack, 20 guys fought it out for three days in a 10-on-10 modified Ryder Cup format at the two courses at Wild Dunes near Charleston, S.C. You can read their story in the September issue of Golf Digest, which comes out the first week of August. Their Ambush video will appear on golfdigest.com.

Next year they are looking into Torrey Pines. For groups over 16, you get a personal tournament specialist to help plan and customize your outing. You can book your trip 18 months in advance. On this trip to Wild Dunes, they preferred the Links course to the Harbor course.

The only thing wild about Wild Dunes, a tranquil resort in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, is it lost 300 yards of their par 5 finishing hole of the Links course to the Atlantic Ocean in October of 2007. The dogleg right lost its leg. It's now being played as a par 3.

Mother Nature took it--man, machine and money put it back. It only took an earth moving company 30 days to transplant 900,000 cubic-yards of sand from two-and-a half miles off the coast by way of large pipes running along the bottom of the ocean. The "nourishment project" cost the city and the resort a combined $9 million--they finished the new beach last week. It's two miles long, 150-yards wide, and part of it will be used as the base of the new 18th hole. The course is one of Tom Fazio's first solo designs, built in 1979. The designer sent his team to South Carolina last Thursday to talk about options with Jeff Minton, Director of Golf and Sports at Wild Dunes.

"We'll start construction on the hole in mid-July," said Minton. "And if everything goes as planned, we will be playing the new par 5, which will only have slight tweaks to the original design, by late fall or early winter." Until then, it will stay a par 3.

--Matty G.

I'm getting press releases about resorts and golf courses on a regular basis. Flooded by them, actually. I received this one via e-mail today. I forward it to you with some observations on Trump-like spin:

Montgomerie Links Debuts Practice Facility

A prelude to Central Vietnam's first true golf experience, coming Aug. 1

QUANG NAM, Vietnam (2 July 2008)--Forty-two years after Billy Casper blasted sand shots into tractor tires on China Beach, golf balls are again being struck along Vietnam's Central Coast.

The practice facility at Montgomerie Links Vietnam opened yesterday with 30 covered hitting bays, a 300-meter-long driving range, a 450-square-meter putting and chipping area, a fully stocked pro shop and a chic cafe--a far cry from what Casper, the two-time U.S. Open champion, had to work with in 1966, when he and a U.S. combat colonel played to makeshift targets in this region during a morale-building tour of the country.

OK, OK -- morale is low boys. Set up some makeshift targets and have Billy Casper hit to them with a combat colonel. If that doesn't lift spirits . . .

"Proper golf has been a long time coming here," said Jon Tomlinson, general manager of Montgomerie Links Vietnam, which is scheduled to open nine of the planned 18 holes for public play on Aug. 1. "From bunker-guarded greens on the range to a creatively imagined short-game area, the facility has everything a player could want in order to get ready for the soft opening."

Wait, bunker-guarded greens AND creatively imagined short-game area??? That IS everything a player could  want in order to prepare for a soft opening.

Designed by eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, (but non-winner of a major or a tournament on American soil) the course moves over a striking landscape of wispy casuarina pines and sand dunes. Massive greens and rippled fairways are among the layout's Old World features, while lakes and Paspalum--elements missing from classic links courses--provide a touch of modernity.

You mean to tell me, if I'm in Vietnam, playing golf, I'll be treated to striking landscape of wispy casuarina (???) and sand dunes, massive greens, rippled fairways, lakes and Paspalum grass? Book it. But if there aren't rippled fairways I'll be furious.

The facility will also include a teaching academy led by certified PGA professionals, capable of training all levels of players through expert one-on-one instruction and video swing analysis techniques. The full program will be implemented by next spring, but components--such as special clinics for groups--are already available.

What a cool component. A special clinic for a group.

"Our goal wasn't just to have the first golf club in Central Vietnam, it was to set a new benchmark for world-class golf in Southeast Asia," said Peter Ryder, CEO of Indochina Capital, the project's developer. "With this caliber of practice facility as harbinger, we think it will be that--even before all 18 holes are ready next spring."

What's that say about Southeast Asia if a driving range, even before the course is open, is the benchmark for world-class golf?

Indochina Capital has committed $45 million to the Montgomerie Links Vietnam project, breaking new leisure ground in the most promising resort region yet developed in Vietnam.

"Committed" -- a better word than dumped. I also love this spin: "The most promising resort region yet . . ."

Keep those press releases coming. They lift my morale.

--Matty G.