From Ambush to overseas, Billy Andrade to Arnold Palmer, the economy and alternate shot, on Saturday I spoke again with "Let's Talk Travel" host, Sandy Fenton.

In a recent post (Let's Talk Travel Part 1), I told you about going, by way of train, to Harrisburg, Penn. for a radio interview to talk about my job, the culture of Golf Digest and some of my favorite courses I've played this year.

To get to the links to the five segments which aired last Saturday (and the Saturday before that) go to this page of WHP580's website, scroll down, and on the left side of the page, just below a bunch of pictures of Fenton with past guests, there's an option of "Listening To Past Shows:"

The show I just did is under the heading, "12/20/08 Part 2 with Matt Ginella from Golf Digest." Right below that are the links to the show that aired on 12/13/08.

--Matty G.


(photograph by Getty Images)

In the January issue of Golf Digest I wrote about a trip I took with some friends last March to Las Vegas to play golf by day, watch the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament by night. I'm not a big fan of Vegas, don't really do strip clubs (my mom reads this blog) and I don't even like staying on the strip. My new favorite place to stay if and when I go to Vegas is the Red Rock Casino, 20 miles from the airport, it has everything you need under one roof. It has a modern motif, several choices for food, gambling and a pool scene that you'll need to see for yourself. (When you do see it for yourself--no need to thank me.)

That being said, the week to go to Vegas, to stay on the strip and do what my friends and I do every year, is the first week of the NCAA tournament. It takes March Madness to a different level of social insanity. Lock it in for life. Play an early round of golf, get back to the casino for some food and settle into a big chair in front of a wall of flat screens, order drinks and let the drama unfold before your bloodshot eyes. This is one of those trips where you think about sleep and then remind yourself and your friends, "We'll get plenty of sleep when we die."

Sin City is not recession-proof. I received this information worth passing on about some potential deals out there:

Las Vegas has a reputation for being a very high-priced golf destination, but currently, due to the holidays and the economic crunch, there are deals available for tee times at Las Vegas golf courses or Las Vegas golf packages. And we're not talking savings on twilight rates for a few dollars, but tee times at peak times are currently available at huge savings, sometimes totaling hundreds of dollars per player or foursome.

You can go to the official websites of Las Vegas golf courses, or the websites of official partners of the Las Vegas golf courses. For example, GolfLasVegasNow.com links directly to the official websites where readers can make tee times or reserve golf packages.

One of the top deals available right now is you can play golf at three themed Las Vegas golf courses for just $125 each when you book all three. The courses are Royal Links (inspired by British Open courses) Bali Hai (tropical golf on the Las Vegas Strip), and Desert Pines (Carolina in the desert)--all recently ranked in the top 50 by readers of Golf World. Taking advantage of this deal can potentially save you more than $400 per player.

The Johnny Miller-designed Badlands Golf Club is offering a $59 green fee and a room at the Suncoast Hotel.

There is unlimited golf available at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort (three Pete Dye courses), where you pay $125 for all the holes you can play that day.

You should also look into the Golf Card. For $249 you get your first round free at TPC Las Vegas, Bear's Best Las Vegas or Rio Secco for free. With the Golf Card you get 20% off green fees for all three of those courses as well as Cascata.

Lake Las Vegas Resort is the home to both a Nicklaus resort course (Reflection Bay) and a Tom Weiskopf resort course (The Falls) and you can play either for just $125. Lake Las Vegas offers a true destination golf resort where the award-winning courses are located just steps from your room.

That's assuming you're actually in your room when you're in Vegas.

--Matty G.


(photograph by Getty Images)

I spent some more time cluttering up the airwaves (again) last weekend. I went on Sporting News Radio and specifically the show, Golf World On Air (Saturday: 7 AM--9 AM ET), hosted by Mark Wood, Tim Rosaforte and Randell Mell.

Wood is an instructor who's ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top teachers in the country. He works with Stewart Cink, Dudley Hart and Bo Van Pelt.

Mell's a senior writer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. I've never met him and he didn't say much during the interview but I'm sure he's a cool cat.

Rosaforte, of course, is the ultimate modern-day (golf) journalist. He's everywhere, blurring the boundaries of print, Internet and TV. Not only is he in the pages of Golf World and Golf Digest, he's all over golfdigest.com and espn.com, he's a regular on the Golf Channel as well as NBC throughout their major golf broadcasts. I might also mention he has been (one of many) valuable mentors and friends I've gathered as I've worked in golf at Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest.

Here's a link to the 10-minute segment in which we spoke about some of my favorite courses in the country, the Ambush, and how this economy will affect the game and the traveler in search of great golf. I also finally caught up with Boo Weekley for an upcoming travel Q&A. I give an anecdote or two from our conversation. It turns out Weekley's representation may have been running interference for him a few weeks ago but once I got to speak to Boo directly, he was nothing but, well, Boo.

--Matty G.

I just wrote a Frugal Golfer column for the February issue of Golf Digest about websites that can help you save some money on tee times to some of your favorite local courses.

Here's an e-mail I received about a website that can help you book a trip to stay and play golf in New Mexico. Which, if you haven't been, is worth looking into.

Golf The Santa Fe Trail, a cooperative group of eight world class courses in New Mexico, unveiled a new website. Most importantly golfonthesantafetrail.com offers the ability for golf travelers to create and plan their own customized golf vacation on-line.

"We're pleased to announce that the new site is now live," said Matt Molloy, General Manager for Sandia Golf Club and current Santa Fe Trail President. "Not only is the site more aesthetically pleasing, but it offers a number of functional features that are certain to be popular with traveling golfers looking for information on how to golf the Santa Fe Trail. Visitors can sign-up to receive the monthly newsletter and be automatically entered to win a golf vacation that is given away at random each month," added Molloy.

Golf The Santa Fe Trail features eight high desert golf courses that are nestled along a 100-mile swatch of the Rio Grande River Valley. It's a collection of New Mexico's premier and tournament level courses that are easily accessible between, or close to, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The list of courses are: Paa-Ko Ridge G.C., Santa Ana G.C., Twin Warriors G.C., Sandia G.C., UNM Championship Course, Isleta Eagle G.C., Black Mesa G.C. and Towa G.C.

I looked up each course rating in Golf Digest's Places to Play as well as some peak season green fees. Here's how they scored (out of a possible 5 stars):

-Paa-Ko Ridge G.C. (5 stars; Green fee: $79)

-Santa Ana G.C. (4.5 stars; Green fee: $45)

-Twin Warriors G.C. (4.5 stars; Green fee: $145)

-Sandia G.C. (4.5 stars; Green: $85)

-UNM Championship Course (4 stars; Green fee: $67)

-Black Mesa G.C. (4 stars; Green fee: $64)

-Isleta Eagle G.C. (3.5 stars for Lakes/Arroyo; Green fee: $55)

-Towa G.C. (No star rating yet; Green fee will be something close to $75 on weekdays and $90 on weekends.)

Santa Fe is one of my favorite cities in the country. The views of the red rocks, the food, the people and the golf all get high marks. Like Myrtle Beach or the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama, in New Mexico you're going to get good golf for great value. The peak season in New Mexico (give or take a week) is March through early November. According to weather.com, the forecast today for Santa Fe is not good; Mid-30's with some snow but going up to the low 50's by Christmas Day.

--Matty G.

Last week I jumped a train from New York City to Harrisburg, Penn. My apologies to Amtrak for not using their services more often for trips within a three to four hour radius of where I live. What's not to like about getting to the station 15 minutes before departure time as opposed to two hours? There's no need to strip down to your undergarments, you can carry on medium sized portions of a grooming liquid or just general refreshments, there's no middle seating, no cranky flight attendants, there are outlets for plugging in laptops or phone chargers, I never felt turbulence and didn't have to put seats forward or tray tables up on takeoff and landing. I started at Penn Station and the last stop was Harrisburg. The trip took just over three hours and the ticket cost me $45, one-way. Once I arrived at the station I was driven to Hershey, which is a growing town, that on a calm day, smells like chocolate. More on Hershey, the hotel, the golf courses, the "grand expansion," chocolate and some of the people I bumped into while I was there in a upcoming post.

The reason why I went to Harrisburg was to meet up with my new best friend, Sandy Fenton. Fenton, who could be the pace car for a race of Tasmanian Devils, has been talking travel on the radio for the past 15 years. She has more energy than General Electric and is an expert at getting to and from the best point B's in the business. Fenton hosts a talk show on Saturday afternoons on WHP580, "Let's Talk Travel," where she discusses just what she advertises with other frequent travelers. Today and next Saturday I spoke to Fenton about golf courses, resorts, restaurants and golf personalities. Both shows are an hour, so it's a commitment, but I wouldn't send you there unless there was some useful information about where I've been and who I've talked to so far as the Travel Editor at Golf Digest, as well as some behind-the-scenes of how I do my job and the culture of where I work.

To get to the links to the five segments which aired today, go to the this page of WHP580's website, scroll down, and on the left side of the page, just below a bunch of pictures of Fenton with past guests, there's an option of "Listening To Past Shows:"

The show I just did is under the heading, "12/13/08 The World's Greatest Resorts: Part 1 with Matt Ginella from Golf Digest & Golf World." Didn't get enough? There will be another one next week under 12/20/08.

This week we talked about, among other things: Pebble, Pinehurst, Sea Island, Bandon Dunes, the Hotel Hershey, the Greenbrier and playing golf with Phil Mickelson.

--Matty G.

Need last minute plans for the holidays? Let me invade my little brain and see if I can come up with some ideas. There's no way you could be pulling gap wedge on a windless day on the seventh, convincing yourself to release the club on your over-the-canyon-approach at eight, trying to chip-in from the thick rough just left of 17, or hitting it so hard and far off the tee at 18 you'd consider going for it in two at one of the most famous walks in all of golf. Pebble Beach is out of the question. Maybe, if you call today, you could wrestle a spot (one, not two) for a day in 2020. Pebble Beach has been sold out, as my friend Jack McCallum likes to say, since Christ was a sophomore. And, regardless of the state of the economic affairs, will be until further notice.

Wrong! Wrap your limbs around this information:

A Tournament Golf Experience at Pebble Beach to Celebrate the Season

For that special golfer on your gift list, consider a tournament package outing at Pebble Beach Resorts. Choose from two packages each with a challenging golf tournament, luxury overnight accommodations, special holiday rates, shopping and spa discounts. The New Year's package includes a New Year's Eve party.

PRE-CHRISTMAS

Pebble Beach Annual Team Championship Dec. 19-21 includes:

-    Accommodations for two nights at The Lodge at Pebble Beach or The Inn at Spanish Bay   
-    One championship round at Pebble Beach Golf Links   
-    One championship round at The Links at Spanish Bay.   
-    One complimentary practice round (either The Links at Spanish Bay or Del Monte Golf Course)   
-    Welcome reception  (golfer and one guest)   
-    Cocktail reception  (golfer and one guest)   
-    Tee gifts and awards   
-    20% retail shop discount   
-    10% discount at The Spa at Pebble Beach   
-    Package rates from  $1,350 per player includes all of the above

CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR

Pebble Beach New Year's Tournament Dec. 30-Jan. 1, 2009

-    Accommodations for two nights at The Inn at Spanish Bay   
-    One championship round at Pebble Beach Golf Links   
-    One championship round at The Links at Spanish Bay.   
-    One complimentary practice round at either The Links at Spanish Bay or Del Monte Golf Course.   
-    Reduced rate practice rounds at Spyglass Hill Golf Course ($200 per player) on space available basis.  -    Welcome reception  (golfer and one guest)   
-    Cocktail reception  (golfer and one guest)   
-    Tee gifts and awards   
-    10% discount at The Spa at Pebble Beach   
-    New Year's Eve Blast Party at The Inn at Spanish Bay December 31 (golfer and one guest)   
-    Package rates from  $1,550 per player includes all of the above

RESERVATIONS

Call Brittany Cooley 831-625-8575 or Margo Daniels 831-625-8556 at Pebble Beach Resorts.

So, what's the catch? You get tee times, lodging, receptions and reduced rates (by several hundreds of dollars) at the number one public course in the country. I called Pieter Ruig, Vice President of Murphy O'Brien (the PR firm that represents Pebble Beach) and asked him how long these deals have been going on and if offering these packages had anything to do the slumping economy. "Stay and play packages are completely normal at Pebble Beach," says Ruig. "It might be a better time now than a year ago to try and get a tee time but I still think the hardcore golfer, who has Pebble on the top of their list, is still coming out to play."

Ruig told me the New Years party was originally designed for their VIP guests, but this will be the third year it has been open to the public. This is the first year they've offered a pre-Christmas tournament. Ruig says the course is in good shape but that they're already making some adjustments in preparation for the 2010 U.S. Open.

If you're still searching for plans and have a little extra money in the mattress, Pebble isn't a bad option for a holiday bailout plan. Other than you and me, who's not taking advantage of one of those these days?

--Matty G.

I received an e-mail asking how Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. could get the word out that tickets are now available for the 2009 Walker Cup. The Walker Cup is an amateur version of the Ryder Cup where a team of U.S. amateurs play against a team of amateurs from England, Ireland and Wales and it's been held every two years dating back to 1921 (with a break during World War II). So, I'm blogging about it.

These matches have recently been as tight as Jesper Parnevik's pants. The last three Walker Cups have been decided by a point. U.S. won two out of those three, and leads the series 33-7-1.

The venue for this biennial tilt has never been exactly low-brow. This will be the first time the Walker Cup has been held at Merion but it has been to the Old Course of St. Andrews eight times, and courses like Pine Valley twice. Merion will be the site of the 2013 U.S. Open and was the setting for arguably the most famous golf picture--Hy Peskin's shot of Ben Hogan hitting a 1-iron approach shot to the 18th hole during the fourth round of the 1950 U.S. Open, which Hogan went on to win in a playoff.

This year's Walker Cup will be held on Sept. 12 and 13. Buddy Marucci, a Merion member, will captain the 2009 United States team, as he did for the winning 2007 U.S. team at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.

Some suggested lodging in the area: Radnor Hotel or the Philadelphia Marriott West.

The ticket information: Tickets can be purchased online with several combinations available. Tickets give the bearer and up to two children, under the age of 17, access to the event.

Daily grounds tickets for each of the two days of competition on Sept. 12 and 13 are priced at $40. Daily grounds tickets at $20 each are available for the practice round on Sept. 11. If you want to attend the entire event, you can purchase a three-day ticket for $90.

Merion is also offering a Season Trophy Club Ticket, which gives the bearer access to the grounds on all three days as well as access to the Trophy Club hospitality tent for all three days of the Walker Cup. The Trophy Club Ticket is priced at $225.

They say corporate hospitality tents are also available. My guess is every golf tournament for the foreseeable future has corporate hospitality tents available.

--Matty G.

I had to pass on the link to a Pinehurst holiday eCard.

It's an advent calendar with a mix of discounts, videos and factoids about the courses and the resort at Pinehurst.

Let me get you caught up:

Dec. 1: Online Store Discount

"20% discount on their PutterBoy golf apparel, gift items, spa accessories and more."

On Dec. 2: The North and South Amateur

"1901 marked the beginning of America's longest continuous running amateur championship, the North and South Amateur at Pinehurst. George C. Dutton won the first championship and over the next century, players like Francis Ouimet, Jack Nicklaus, Curtis Strange and Davis Love III would also claim victory."

On Dec. 3:  "A Legendary Resort"

A very short video with a classic deep-voice narration and some cool visuals of past champions and people responsible for the development and history of the resort.

I don't want to ruin the suspense for you, but the 14th and the 21st are covering up some decent deals.

Turn your volume up (or down) and be sure to click on Donald Ross, the rooftop, the golf bag and the medallions. If you're not on Facebook, your fantasy football or basketball league, it's a good way to kill a little time at your desk. And it could save you some money.

--Matty G.

The Castle Course, designed by the same guy who built Bandon Dunes in Oregon, David McLay Kidd, is the new seventh course at St. Andrews. They threw the cover off the Castle Course, which is located on eighth century hunting grounds just up the street from the Old Course, in late June of this year.

I haven't made it over there yet, but the feedback making its way to my Inbox--only our current President could relate to the approval rating.

One trusted reader, I'll call him B.Cooper, sent me this:

Matt--Concerning the Castle Course, the following was overheard during our peripatetic "peregrinations" over and around the site of the former Kinkell Castle:

"It's like playing in a wind tunnel with weeds."

"They (perpetrated an aggressive carnal act)-up a perfectly good potato farm."

"The greens are like blue runs at Big Sky."

"That sumbitch (Kidd) should be sentenced to playing this effing course every day for the rest of his natural life."

"Whodahelldoeshethinkweare, some kinda Ben By God Hogan?"

"If they forced prisoners to play 36 holes every day on this course, there wouldn't be a criminal in Scotland."

Other than that, it has spectacular vistas, is majestic, and is convenient to the "Auld Grey Toon," and it's a worthy experiment--in mega need of a serious makeover, especially some of the green complexes. Our concern is that it will not fulfill the Links Trust's stated purpose of relieving the congestion on the other courses by enticing locals and visitors to play the Castle as often as the other six. I want to play it on a more benign day (I know--"If it's nay wind, it's nay gawlf") with a mere zephyr of less than 60 mph this time, and maybe from a different set of tees. However comma I ain't paying $250 a pop too many times to be a lab rat in their little experiment.

So, there you have it--A slow swinging cowbell of a ringing endorsement. But it sounds like a stiff wind was a factor for Coop and his band of ballers. I remember playing Doonbeg in Ireland before it officially opened. It made Pebble Beach look like Peter Hay. Word was that Norman's first pass was so tough he was brought back to soften it some. The Castle Course is currently closed from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. Maybe they're making some necessary adjustments.

--Matty G.