In the March issue I wrote about noseeums--the flesh-penetrating, bloodsucking pains in the pores that I ran into in South Carolina late last year. But there are other things that get under my skin.

1. I hate it when the guy who mows the tee box sets up the markers so that you're aimed right of the trees on the right of the fairway. It's no excuse for a bad shot, but it's lame and lazy.

2. My biggest pet peeve is courses that have a blanket rule of NO FIVESOMES. It makes NO SENSE. If it isn't crowded of course you should be able to play a fivesome. If the course is crowded, warn the people in the group that if they don't keep up with the group in front of them, they'll be asked to leave. Get them to agree that they understand. Go as far as asking them to sign something if it makes you feel better.  Let people go off as a sixsome as long as they're committed to playing fast.

I've played in two sixsomes that I can recall. Both times I was a guest of my "Uncle" Al Souza at Waialae in Honolulu, home of the Sony Open. I have three blood uncles. Uncle Tony's the one who taught me how to play golf. Then I have 15 to 20 very good friends of the family I refer to as an uncle: Uncle Paul, Uncle Bill, Uncle Sam, to name a few. My family's not in the mob—or maybe we are, and I've just not been privy to the secret, but sometimes some of them act like we are. A big family gathering certainly looks like a scene from the Sopranos.

Uncle Al played baseball in college. I use the word "very" a lot when I describe him. He's a very good athlete, a very good golfer, a very cool cat, very successful and very connected. He's a great friend of June Jones, now the ex-football coach at the University of Hawaii. The year before Jones got there, the team went 0-12. Last year the Warriors were 12-0 before losing to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The two men are so close that Uncle Al knew Jones probably wasn't going to be back at Hawaii even before the team left for New Orleans. The athletic director at Hawaii was a weak stick. So weak that no one had faith he could get Jones the deal he deserved. Jones went to SMU for five years at just under $2 million per year. The A.D. at Hawaii was fired the day after Jones' new deal was announced.

The first time we played as a sixsome at Waialae, we played the best ball of three twosomes. We played in less than four hours. The last time was in December, when we played the best two balls of two threesomes in just over four hours. Waialae can tip out at 7,125 yards and has a 72.1 rating, and we played it two weeks before the Sony. The fairways were narrow, the rough was long and the greens were fast. Allowing sixsomes is only one of the things they do right at Waialae.

Now I just wish one of my uncles would put a hit out on the no-fivesome rule.

Caption: The par-3 8th hole at Waialea is the signature hole. They switch the nines for the Sony--the pros play it as the 17th hole from 189 yards.

I was in Scottsdale in January. I played The Pinnacle Course at Troon North (Tom Weiskopf design). I remember the course was good, a 6 on my scale of 1-10. I didn't love being surrounded by houses, but most of all I didn't like the price, $245 during the week and $295 on the weekend (includes a cart). Welcome to Arizona, where golf isn't cheap. If I'm paying close to $300 for 18 holes, a lot of them need to be memorable. I want to get home and at least look on my Digest ranking of America's 100 Greatest and hope I made progress in filling out the peg-board. A travel company like Golfpac (which got a great review from my recent Ambush subjects) can help you get package deals.  You tell them a price and preference and they develop a plan for you/your group.

A few submissions to the new feature in the magazine, Travel Trouble, have asked about Arizona golf. This is one I received from Steve Jones of Fairfax, VA.

"I am headed to Scottsdale for a couple of days over Easter weekend and was wondering what courses you would recommend that offer pretty good rates. I'm playing the Stadium course as we are there for a conference and realize that alone is $260 a round. Your thoughts would be welcomed, as I'm sure there are few diamonds in the rough that don't necessarily stretch the wallet to the extreme. Thanks and I saw you had El Tamarindo in this months mag, I honeymooned in that area Nov. 2006 and was able to play twice.  What an incredible experience and extremely tough course."

Steve, I checked around and asked some colleagues for good deals and not too far from the airport.

I played 18 of the 27 holes at the Phoenician--the Desert and the Canyon ($200 all week, includes cart).  The Desert nine is closer to the base of Camelback Mountain than the Canyon and Oasis. I liked it better than Canyon and I hear the Oasis is the hardest nine. I've been told the Arizona Grand Golf Course (formerly The Phantom) is "visually impressive," ASU Karsten Course is close to the airport and "a good venue". A fellow editor told me, "I like the Raven at South Mountain a lot."  Whirlwind at Wild Horse Pass was mentioned. Another editor said, "We-Ko-Pa is excellent."

"We-Ko-Pa, We-Ko-Pa, We-Ko-Pa"...I've been hearing it mentioned every time golf and Arizona is discussed. I went out there over the weekend and I played the Cholla course. I was "ambushing" so I didn't have time to play the new 18, the Saguaro course (Core/Crenshaw), which opened in 2006. The Cholla is fantastic.  Designed by Scott Miller, and opened in 2001, it's a must the next time you're in town.  You will not be disappointed. Their current rate is all day, 7 days a week, $210 for out of state and $120 for Arizona residents, which includes a cart. Owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, there isn't a single house or a slab of commercial real estate disrupting your views of good golf holes or the surrounding mountains. The sun was going down towards the end of the round and the sunset was more like a light show. I liked every hole. The clubhouse is as good a design as the golf course. It's 25 minutes from Scottsdale, about the same from the airport, next door to Fountain Hills. It's three par 5s from the Radisson Resort and Casino if you care to "wash some quarters"—a term my mom uses to describe playing slot machines.

If the Pinnacle at Troon North can get you for $295 on a weekend, $210 at We-Ko-Pa is like stealing something.  That's 340 extra quarters for your trip to the cleaners and it's memorable golf.

--Matty G.

Captions (from top to bottom): The par-5 8th hole at We-Ko-Pa's Cholla Course; The par-4 18th hole of the Cholla; The Clubhouse at We-Ko-Pa.

Given the value of the U.S. dollar, for me to recommend/inspire you to go to Europe on anything but business is teetering on irresponsible. That being said, golf in Ireland and Scotland can't be ignored. Not everyone is pinching pennies. The public relations email of the week--the golf package worth blogging about--came from Eire Golf Tours Ireland & Scotland. If I could only play one course for the rest of my life I would select Turnberry (pictured). Lahinch would be high on the list. I do not like the 18th hole at Ballybunion. It's a horrible hole.  Uphill, par 4, blind approach shot to a narrow green. I prefer Tralee, but that's just me. Doonbeg gets better with age. The last time I went there I liked it much better than the first time, which was before it opened. Norman's original design was so tough they called him back in to make it more playable for the masses. I'll speak on behalf of the masses. Thank you, Shark. Here's the PR post:

WEST COAST to WEST COAST: A simply inspirational golf tour staying four nights on the West coast of Ireland and three nights on the West coast of Scotland (optional). The combined tour will include flights from Shannon Airport to Glasgow Prestwick Airport. (Doonbeg 45 minutes from Shannon Airport and Prestwick Airport 30 minutes from Turnberry). Doonbeg and Turnberry, both 5* luxury destinations, that enjoy spectacular coastal settings with breathtaking views surrounded by the most beautiful scenery. Play the three famous southwest Irish links courses of Ballybunion, Lahinch and Doonbeg together with two Scottish links courses of Turnberry (venue for the Open Championship 2009) and Prestwick one of Scotland's oldest links.

Tour Itinerary:

-Ireland: $2,096.00 per person (4 Nights/3 rounds)

-Ireland & Scotland (optional): $3,979.00 pp (7 Nights/5 rounds)

IRELAND

Day 1--Arrive Shannon Airport, overnight at The Lodge, Doonbeg, Co. Clare
Day 2--Play LAHINCH OLD COURSE, overnight at The Lodge, Doonbeg
Day 3--Play DOONBEG GOLF LINKS, overnight at The Lodge, Doonbeg
Day 4--Play BALLYBUNION OLD COURSE, overnight at The Lodge, Doonbeg
Day 5--Depart Shannon Airport to Glasgow Prestwick Airport or return flight to USA

SCOTLAND (optional)

Day 5--Arrive Glasgow Prestwick Airport, overnight The Turnberry Hotel, Ayrshire
Day 6--Play PRESTWICK OLD LINKS, overnight The Turnberry Hotel
Day 7--Play TURNBERRY AILSA, overnight The Turnberry Hotel
Day 8--Depart Glasgow International Airport for return to U.S.

Price to include: Full Irish & Scottish breakfast each morning and rental car. It's based on a party of four, double/twin occupancy staying in Courtyard Suites at Doonbeg and Classic rooms at Turnberry. The Scotland option: Flights Shannon to Glasgow Prestwick included in price. Traveling May through to September 2008, subject to availability.

Here's the link for more info:  www.eiregolftours.com/southwest-3-course.asp

--Matty G.

My grandfather passed away when I was 3 years old. I remember my family explaining that he had gone to heaven. So when my oldest brother went away to Chaminade University when he was 18 and I was 5, I assumed college was like heaven and that my brother Sean would not be coming back. I remember crying a lot at the airport as we said goodbye.

It turns out he went somewhere close to heaven and barely came back. Chaminade is in Hawaii, and Sean took to Hawaii like Tiger took to golf.

Sean graduated and is now raising a family on the North Shore of Oahu. He did a few cool things in between then and now, but the way his life affects me the most (and you, for that matter) is that he lives right down the road from Turtle Bay Resort--home of the Champions Tour event won by Jerry Pate in January and the LPGA tournament won by Annika Sorenstam last weekend.

A couple of months ago I flew from New York to Hawaii for my sixth straight Hawaiian Christmas/New Year's with the family. Sean's wife, Melissa, is one of the cooler people on the planet, and their kids, 15, 13 and 10, are my little buddies. Surf, jet ski, sun, miles of white sandy beaches and we shoot each other with air-soft guns. Can you say welts? For some reason it's fun. We also play golf. I buy them clubs. They use them while I'm there and with various degrees of success, and then they go back to surfing, the jet ski and all the other toys they have at their disposal.

My brother, not unlike his kids, becomes more interested in golf when I'm in town. I appreciate it. We play the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay a lot. Sean's a dangerous 25-handicap. He makes anywhere from a birdie to a 9 on any given hole.

The Palmer Course is special. It's where Hale Irwin won six times and five in a row. It's where eight-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater is a member. I was watching the TV show "Lost" last week. The 17th fairway is where Sayid shot the guy on the golf course. Terry O'Quinn, who plays John Locke in "Lost," plays out there almost every day when he's in town. Locals say he shows up at 4 p.m. and often walks nine holes by himself. Locals also say he's a great guy. I met him briefly, and he seemed nice to me. The wind is a factor at Turtle Bay. It sits on the point of the North Shore. It's consistently a two- to three-club wind. You get used to it. Or, I should say, you get used to scrambling.

My brother, nephews, niece and I played the George Fazio Course--the "other 18" at the resort. It's a much better track for the sort of group we had that day. Kayla, who's 10, drove the cart. Which reminded me of driving the cart for my dad when I was her age. I thought I was so cool. It's a great introduction to being in control. You don't get that very often when you're a kid. Maybe that's why I liked it so much.

There weren't many birdies that day, but we had a great time. Scores don't seem to matter as much in Hawaii. Especially at Christmas and when you're with family. Because after the round you go back to the sun, surfing and the jet ski. Back to being pretty close to heaven.

--Matty G

CAPTIONS (From top to bottom): 1) Jerry Pate teeing off at Turtle Bay. 2) Annika wins for the first time since 2006 at the Palmer Course. 3) Terry O'Quinn (and a great excuse to show Evangeline Lilly) of the TV show Lost. 4) My brother Sean, John (white shirt), Noa (green shirt) and Kayla.

The word is (getting) out. I'm the new travel editor at Golf Digest. The word is also out about the Ambush. My Inbox is being peppered with a combination of e-mails from PR people pitching me on press junkets or story ideas, buddy-trip itineraries from next week through December (there have been 116 Ambush submission as of February 15th) and the occasional note from friends and family telling me they haven't had a chance to read this Where's Matty G? blog yet, but they will (if they love me). Keep 'em all coming.

I've spent the last few days reviewing the Ambush entries and selecting a few to consider for the May issue. The first group I ambushed, 16 guys in Georgia, was a huge hit. Their story will appear in the April issue. I've also been working on the two-minute video of the Ambush--which will appear on golfdigest.com at the same time the April issue hits the newsstand (first week in March).

The entries are fun to read. Some of you get very serious about a golf trip. That's exactly what this concept is designed to celebrate. I gravitate toward the submissions that take a few sentences to explain some of the more interesting trip traditions, give colorful descriptions of the players involved or the prizes that go to the winners. I can't believe how many of you have your own tournament website.

Ray Gondola's group will be in Arizona in March. They start their trip on a Monday. They're relying on me to show up because they expect to "run out of golf balls by Tuesday!".  Ray says he's completely deaf allowing him to bug his playing partners "all day long and they can't do a damn thing about it, except take my money."

Pat Shevlin's group from Georgia doesn't look like a bad candidate. The "No Wives Golf Classic" has a website (hasn't been updated in awhile). They have five sets of former college roommates, three sets of brothers, eight guys who used to live in the same neighborhood, a father/son-in-law duo and "one of the best margarita makers in the world (Vinnie Bugge)." They represent 10 different states, some guys wear knickers and if you make a hole-in-one your trip is free.

The Ambush is quickly becoming my favorite part of an incredible job. Thank you for sharing your trips with us. I am wishing we could do more than 12 a year.

As for all of those PR pitches I've been receiving, I've selected what appears to be the best of the week. I haven't visited this place and don't necessarily endorse it. I'm just passing it along, and you can do with it as you please.

Rosewood Mayakoba (pictured) looks pretty strong and looked like it was worth sharing. If you've been there, or go anytime soon, please let me know about it. Here's what the folks at Rosewood Mayakoba say about it:

Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico (30 minutes south of Cancun):

The hotel is now open and we think it would be a good match for Golf Digest readers. There is a stunning 18-hole Greg Norman course at Mayakobá, which hosted the first PGA Tour event in Mexico last year. The tournament returns for Year 2 next week. Rosewood Mayakobá offers guests a beautiful, more intimate, luxe option for those interested in playing golf along the Riviera Maya. A lancha (sleek, canvas-covered boat), will take guests from their private dock to the first tee, through the winding lagoons on the property.

--Matty G

I told you about Jim Mahoney in my previous post.  The other very cool cat I met on my recent trip to LaQuinta Resort and Club is Artie McNickle.

McNickle is Jim McLean's Premium Lead Master Instructor at PGA West. A formal way of saying he knows a lot about the golf swing. He played the Tour from 1972-'84. He never won, but he did finish second three times, played in the Masters twice and qualified for the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open in the same year.

McNickle (top right) is smooth on and off the golf course. Off the course, he has cougar-taming talents that would draw the envy of the likes of Clooney and Clinton. On the course McNickle wears a Fedora and pulls it off. He's in his mid-60s and still plays to a scratch handicap. I played with him at the Jack Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West. There are five public/resort courses at La Quinta Resort/PGA West and three private courses (Nicklaus, Palmer and Weiskopf).  I tend to like Jack Nicklaus courses. I usually know I'm playing one when I get to a very short but very difficult par 4. This is one of the better Nicklaus courses I've played. It's well manicured, greens are hard and fast and there are several scenic/memorable holes.
 
Early in the round I had about 230 yards left after a tee shot on a par 5. I usually go for it in two but I was trying to "play smart"--a club I rarely carry. I hit a 5-iron, then a wedge and two-putted for par. After I hit the 5-iron, McNickle, my cart partner, told me to remind him to tell me a story about Tom Watson and par 5s later in the round.

Curious, I reminded him on the next hole to tell me the Watson story.

Watson and McNickle were in contention for the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in 1978. They were paired together on Saturday and Sunday. On the par-5 17th hole, McNickle laid up on his second shot each day and birdied it twice. Watson went for it both days, hit it in the water both days and made a pair of bogeys. Watson finished four back of winner Andy North and in a tie for sixth. 

"After the tournament I saw Tom," said McNickle, who finished in a tie for 16th. "I told him that I noticed if he had gone 4-4 on the 17th, like I did, he would have been in a playoff. Without any pause Watson fired back, 'If I had gone eagle-eagle I would've won by two.' I'll never forget that," McNickle said. "The way a champion thinks on a golf course. As long as it's within reason always go for it in two on a par 5."

It makes me feel a lot better having made all the 8s I've made over the years going for par 5s in two.  I wasn't being an idiot--I was thinking like a champion.

--Matty G

Where am I?

For the purpose of this entry I'm in Palm Springs. I'm not really there as I type, but I was there the first week on the job, detailed in my boss' letter from the editor.

I unpacked my luggage at LaQuinta Resort and Club for a few days. This is my first Away Game. The idea being, each month I'll find a new destination. I'll parachute in (figuratively) and play golf, eat, drink, test the spa and sleep (optional) and then tell you whether it's worth your time, and more important, your money. (I hope you know, that I know, that you know, that I know, that this job is ridiculous.)

As you'll read in the March issue of Golf Digest, I loved LaQuinta. I played PGA West Stadium Course, the Mountain and the Dunes. I also played a round on what the locals call the Nick-Private (the Jack Nicklaus-designed private course).

I played the Dunes with Jim Mahoney. Big hat, bigger cigar and he wore green and yellow garb. Just shy of 80 years of age and playing off a 10-handicap, he seemed like a perfect partner. Our opponents were Tom Fazio's son Austin who's in town working at the ultra-private Madison Club, and Dillon Dougherty, who finished second at the U.S. Amateur in 2005. He is working with Jim McLean's Director of Instruction, Denny Gray, while trying to get his tour card. A solid foursome. On the second tee I asked Mahoney what he did for a living.

"P.R.," he said. 

"People, places or things?" I asked. 

"Gable, Sinatra, Carson, the Stones and U2 are some of the ones I worked with.''

"Impressive [understatement]. If they got in trouble, you'd help them out?"

"If they got in trouble, I knew it before they did," he said.

"Who was the best to deal with?"

"Sinatra."

"Who was the worst to deal with?"

"Steve McQueen [mugshot]. He wouldn't get into a limo if it wasn't a stretch, white and the current year."

Mahoney (top left with Sinatra) lives in LaQuinta and is shopping a book he's just finishing about his life and the people he worked with. Based on the stories he disseminated throughout the round it should be worth a read. Mahoney's favorite course is the Mountain--a unique golf experience. The better test of golf is the Stadium. Play them both if you're in town.

Mahoney/Ginella win, 1 up. Bet: $10 closeout. Amount collected: $0.

"Did you notice they never paid up?" Mahoney asked as we were headed for the parking lot.

"I did."

--Matty G

You want me to do what? Travel the world and tell Golf Digest readers where to play, where to stay, where to eat and the best way to get there? (Cue the sound of the door hitting me in the travel bag on my way out of the office.)

I've had the privilege of working for Golf Digest and Golf World for the past six years producing photo shoots as the Director of Photography. I have worked with the best. The best photographers, writers and editors. Oh yeah, and the players themselves. I have found myself picking out shirts in Tiger's house, exchanging e-mails with Annika, hanging out with Sergio in Spain, talking pink with Paula, sitting at Jack's desk and sharing a sandwich with Ernie in his office just outside of London. I was lucky enough to get to play a round of golf with Phil. He's not the only guy I know who goes for the green from the tee on a 325-yard par 4. He's just the only one who hits the first attempt out-of-bounds, re-tees, hits the green and then makes the 20-foot putt. I think I said something like, "Nice par."

I've covered the last 11 Masters, 10 U.S. Opens and every Ryder Cup since 1997. My top five favorite courses are Turnberry, Pebble, Pine Valley, Tralee and Lahinch. My favorite you've never heard of is arguably the toughest 5,900 yard course in America, tucked into the redwoods in Arcata, Calif.--Baywood Golf and Country Club. I've gone there every year since high school to play in a pro-am with my uncles and some of my best friends. The pros are a group you've never heard of and yet they are pros. They make a living playing and/or teaching the game. A good chunk of them can't break 80 at Baywood. Neither can I, but I'll go back every year and keep trying.

The top five courses I haven't played but are on my priority list: Augusta, Cypress, Shinnecock, Sand Hills and the Olympic Club (I'm a Bay Area guy).

Wondering where to go on your next buddies golf trip? Looking for a good place to take your kids? Curious about where you'll find the best values in golf travel today? I'll aim to answer all your questions, and many more, in the pages of Golf Digest and on golfdigest.com.

I've been on the road enough to know that travel isn't always easy. If you have a travel frustration, let me know about it and hopefully we can solve the problem. Bug bites, the airline lost your clubs, an expensive course refuses to give a rain check on a day a duck might drown . . . these sorts of problems are what I will be addressing in the monthly feature we call Travel Trouble. Click here to share your travel frustrations.

What I'll be doing is hardly work. A better term might be hustle. I remember getting a trophy one year from a Little League baseball coach. The bottom of the trophy read: Matt Ginella--"Charlie Hustle." I figured that was a courtesy award. Something they come up with because everyone gets a trophy at those awards banquets. Now I'm on your team and I'll be acting as Charlie Hustle on your behalf.

Matt Ginella
Senior Editor, Travel