I'm in San Diego visiting some family. On the Delta flight here, when we landed, the flight attendant asked that everyone stay seated. "We have 11 service men and women in uniform and on board," she said. We all applauded. Then she asked that when we pull up to the gate, that we all stay seated and let the members of the military get off the plane first so they can get to their families a little quicker. Another round of applause. And chills.

I'm ranking my favorite holidays: #5 Labor Day; #4 Memorial Day; #3 Easter; #2 Christmas; #1 Thanksgiving.

I received this Thanksgiving e-mail today. I wanted to pass it on.

A game warden was driving down the road when he came upon a young boy carrying a wild turkey under his arm.

He stopped and asked the boy, "Where did you get that turkey?"

The boy replied, "What turkey?"

The game warden said, "That turkey you're carrying under your arm."

The boy looks down and said, "Well, lookee here, a turkey done roosted under my arm!"

The game warden said, "Now look, you know turkey season is closed, so whatever you do to that turkey, I'm going to do to you.

"If you break his leg, I'm gonna break your leg. If you break his wing, I'll break your arm. Whatever you do to him, I'll do to you. So, what are you gonna do with him?"

The little boy said, "I guess I'll just kiss his butt and let him go!"

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

--Matty G.

At LaGuardia Airport in New York, if you fly on a commuter Delta jet, sometimes they bus you out to your airplane. I was on my way to Savannah, Ga. and the bus driver dropped me and the rest of the passengers off in a freezing 30 mph windstorm. Another passenger and I ducked behind the front of a bus for protection and I thought, hey, this guy looks like Ben Affleck. He was about 6'3", had an old carry bag over his shoulder and didn't act famous (whatever that means). We stayed out of the wind until the rest of the passengers boarded the plane and then took our seats next to each other in the exit row. He had the window, I had the aisle.

Sure enough, it was Ben Affleck. I'm allergic to conversations with strangers on planes (and I'm sure he is too) so I put on my noise-reduction headphones and did a little "work" on my computer. As we landed and were taxiing to the terminal, I couldn't resist.

I asked him if he was a golfer. He said no. I explained I was a travel writer for Golf Digest and I do a Q&A with an athlete, celebrity or tour player every month and we talk golf and travel. It was clear he would not be a worthy subject because he didn't play golf.

He told me he was on his way home and that he and his wife (actress Jennifer Garner) had a house in Savannah. He was coming back from Rwanda, where he's working on a documentary.

What golf and travel we could discuss, Affleck said he thinks foreign travel is actually easier than domestic travel. He thinks airlines and airports outside the United States have passed us by in terms of security scanning, quality of restaurants in the airports and general efficiency.

I'd have to agree. I just had two bottles of wine confiscated because I didn't want to pack them in my checked luggage. I treated some lucky security guy to two expensive bottles of grape juice.

They take my wine, and any other sharp objects such as a fingernail clipper, but in business and first class on American Airlines they give the passengers metal forks and serrated knives. It makes so much sense. 

As for golf, Affleck says he couldn't fit another new thing on his plate. He says his friends started awhile ago and that if he started now, "They'd be quite a ways down the track and I'd still be back at the starting line."

I told him he probably has a lot better things to do with six hours of his life than get frustrated trying to learn how to play golf. He laughed and said, "A round of golf would take me eight hours."

As I was wheeling my bags towards the rental car counter I thought it was remarkably normal that Garner and their daughter, Violet, were there to pick him up.

--Matty G.

I frequently get asked about the best way to ship golf clubs. I've maintained that I still like to keep my clubs close to me and on the same plane that I'm on. After a year of travel, I lost only one set. [Moment of silence . . .] 

Airlines are now charging as much as $50 for a second checked bag (even more for a third bag), so it would seem shipping your clubs, especially if you're willing to have it take five business days on both ends of your trip, might be worth looking into, and may even be cost effective. Or is it?

I called FedEx and got a price quote for a 35-pound golf bag going from my apartment in New York City to the Olympic Club near San Francisco. I picked the Olympic Club because it's a golf course close to a big city. I asked for two-day delivery going there and ground delivery (five business days) coming home. I asked for $1,000 worth of insurance and for door-to-door service. They quoted me $301.68 going out, $70.52 coming back for a total of $372.20.

Then I called The Luggage Club and asked for a quote using the same conditions. The only difference, The Luggage Club told me it would take six business days coming home. Their price was $263.29.

Here's a press release (not an endorsement) about the LPGA picking The Luggage Club as its bag carrier and details about a discount if you use them too. (In an effort to illustrate this blog, I deemed it a good excuse to post another picture of the LPGA's version of a Bond girl, Natalie Gulbis, and a good view of her clubs.)

LPGA joins forces with The Luggage Club 

The LPGA last week announced a new partnership with The Luggage Club that will offer reliable and secure shipping of luggage and clubs for LPGA members and fans alike. The Luggage Club (TLC) specializes in door-to-door pick-up and delivery service of luggage, golf clubs, skis, mobility-impaired equipment and business goods.

As part of its partnership with the LPGA, TLC will offer LPGA members, staff and fans a 15-percent discounted rate on all services. This will provide for a safe, reliable method of shipping their luggage, golf clubs and other packages around the world.  TLC has the capabilities and experience to accommodate door-to-door luggage and goods delivery to more than 220 countries and territories located throughout North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Given the global nature of the LPGA membership and schedule, this provides a seamless and easy option for transporting luggage and golf clubs for members' multi-week and sometimes multi-month trips.
          
Members and fans can take advantage of the 15-percent discount by logging on to LPGA.com and clicking on The Luggage Club ad on the homepage.

If you take 15 percent off 263.29, you get the price down to $223.80. You get the benefit of not having to lug your luggage, but it's still $123.80 more than you'd pay for the plane you're on to carry your clubs, and you don't have the combined seven- or eight-day delay.

As for Natalie, I know you have the new deal with The Luggage Club, but if you need your bags picked up and delivered to and from your door, I'd give you what's left of my significantly depleted 401k to be your personal cabana-bag boy. I don't have much else to offer.

--Matty G.

On the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama there are 11 sites and 26 courses to choose from. I just received this e-mail offer:

Now through December 31st you can pay your regular green fee rate and bring a friend along for free. Just print this voucher and present it at one of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail sites Monday through Thursday for a buy one, get one free green fee (cart fee and tax not included).

Plus, if you don't currently have a 2008 Trail Card, you can redeem the voucher for a free Trail Card and use it right away to save on golf now through December 31, 2008. Enjoy benefits including lower rates on green fees and 15% off on merchandise (just in time for Christmas shopping.)

--Matty G.

As you might know, this week Pete Dye was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Dye has built--don't you dare use the term designed--"about 100 to 120 courses in six countries," according to his wife, Alice. His highest-ranking course on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest is the Straits course (No. 24) at Whistling Straits, which will host another PGA Championship in 2010. Dye has built nine of the top 100 on our list.

In a Q&A I did in May with Herb Kohler, owner of Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run and the American Club in Kohler, Wis., I asked him what he loves about Pete Dye. Kohler's response:

"To my knowledge, he's the only designer in golf who is a consummate artist. He doesn't own a computer, doesn't even own a cell phone. [Laughs.] He walks the land four or five times. Then he takes a topo map and puts a dot for a tee, a dot for a landing area and a dot for a green. He has a routing and then connects the dots. That's the last time, and the only time, a pencil touches paper.

"And then everything is accomplished by Pete Dye working with a project manager, who he's probably worked with for 20 years. Mind you, he has about a dozen of these fellows, but he'll come to that site every seven to 10 days. He goes over the details with the project manager, who knows all of Pete's likes and dislikes, and they make adjustments, and they lay out another 10 days' worth of work, and away he goes. It's absolutely natural--it's Pete's hands--and he's such an artist with a great feel for the game.

"One important aspect is that he always builds five tees. And those forward tees are often very considerate of the amateur, but the back tees will screw with the mind of the pro, or the 3-handicap or less, in such a way that it'll cause them fits. Pete's always screwing around with the mind of the professional, and he does it in an amazing way. Those are some of the reasons that attracted us to him, and we've stuck with him ever since.

"In my mind he's clearly the strongest living designer. Tom Doak is a pupil of Pete Dye, and he's building some fantastic courses."

I spoke to Tom Doak today for an upcoming travel Q&A. I asked Doak to name his three favorite Pete Dye courses (in no particular order):

"The Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio, which I haven't been to in ages, but I just love it. The Golf Club, minus the railroad ties, is actually a minimalist golf course, believe it or not.

"Long Cove, on Hilton Head Island, which is the first place I worked for him in construction and kind of a little bit of a reaction to the TPC. He had just finished doing Sawgrass, and it was his next course, one of the few courses in that period of his career that he wasn't designing with the idea that there were going to be a whole host of tour pros there next week.

"And Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, which, when I worked for Pete, bar none, that was his favorite of all the courses he had done. He might be more political about it now, but back then, there was no comparison. It's the best site he ever had to work on."

My favorite public Pete Dye courses that I've played so far--both Stadium courses at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (No. 13 on Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses), and PGA West (No. 89) in La Quinta, Calif.

Adds Alice: "Pete's favorite thing to do is build a course that's open to the public." The Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind., opens in the spring.

--Matty G.

For the December issue I Ambushed at Hawks Ridge in Ball Ground, Ga. While I was there I was told Jerome Bettis had just joined the club and was playing the back nine. The Bus was a perfect candidate for a Q&A in the travel section of the magazine.

After I explained the Q&A to Bettis, how much time I'd need, that I could do the interview by phone at his convenience and that I'd be happy to go through his agent to get a date to talk, would you believe Bettis said, "Here's my number. Just call me directly when it's good for you."

Cue the parting of the clouds, a ray of light and gospel music.

I'd have an easier time trying to get 10 minutes with President-Elect Obama than I'd have trying to get time with a tour player these days. And I'm only asking for 15 to 20 minutes over the phone.

YOU KNOW IT'S BAD WHEN: I just had Boo Weekley's agent tell me the best way to do the interview is via e-mail. "He feels more comfortable doing it that way," was what I was told.

Really? I can't talk to Boo directly? My thought being, if Annika, Elway, Greg Maddux and Molly Sims can give me some time over the phone, surely I shouldn't have to fight for real time with Boo.

Arnold Palmer, who hasn't needed a minute of press since the '70s, still signs autographs for an hour every day. Not only that, the living legend spends thousands of dollars every year paying for the postage to get the items he signs back to the people who sent the stuff in. The man, who earned the nickname The King, not only gets "it"--he invented "it." Which explains why Palmer, 30 years removed from competitive golf, still annually earns $29.5 million.

These modern-day golfers getting big paychecks for finishing in the top 100, better be investing wisely. Tour purses look good for the first part of 2009, but my guess is, they won't stay that way. A big portion of tour sponsorship comes from car companies and financial institutions. Last I looked . . .well, back to The Bus.

Bettis is fifth on the list of the NFL's all-time leading rushers. He's behind Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin. He's just ahead of Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, Jim Brown, Marcus Allen and Franco Harris. Not bad company.

Here's a link to my entire conversation about golf, travel and food with a guy not afraid to give out his digits. I liked the part when Bettis talked about beating Michael Jordan:

You played in the celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe this past summer. You beat Emmitt Smith, Michael Jordan and Lou Holtz. Who did you take more satisfaction from beating?
Michael Jordan, because when I was first starting to play, I'll never forget it. I was playing at the Mario Lemieux event and they had a dinner the first night. Michael called me over. He immediately looked at the sheet to see what I shot that day and I'll never forget, I shot a 95, and he said, "You're not ready yet." Basically he told me to come back when I'm ready. So for me to beat him in Tahoe, that was pretty cool.

Arnold Palmer was kind enough to give me 15 minutes over the phone a few weeks ago. You'll be able to read about his thoughts on golf and travel in the January issue of Golf Digest.

--Matty G.

When you send in a Travel Trouble, I try to answer as many as I can by way of a personal e-mail, in the magazine or on this blog. Here's one from from Dan Miller of Ludlow, Ky.:

Matt, my name is Dan and on Jan.16, I will turn 50 years old. My only brother, Garry, turned 52 in May. We are very close and have been golfing together for years. This past summer we attended a cookout. My daughters, for some reason, wanted me and my brother sitting together at the picnic table. To my surprise my wife Shelly and daughters Kamryn, Brittany and Kelsey brought out a cake and card. I opened the card and to my surprise, it was the ultimate golf package to Pebble Beach. Not soon after that, Garry's wife, Susan, and their kids, Katie, Lorie, Christy and Scott brought him out a cake and a card with the same gift. We will be staying at the Lodge and playing Pebble Beach, Spyglass and The Links at Spanish Bay. Neither of us has been to California before, or played on such courses. We have some extra time out there and would like to play some other courses as well. I have thought about Half Moon Bay. Any other suggestions? We want this to be a trip that we will never forget, which I'm sure it will be.

Dear Dan, Wow! Your story almost makes me want to get married, have kids and turn 50 (emphasis on "almost"). That's a very sweet and selfless gift. Bring a camera, a sweater and good rain gear (just in case). Eat at least one lunch at the snack shack at Spyglass. That place gives great burger.

I wrote an Away Game about Pebble Beach and the surrounding area in the September issue.

I can't say enough about Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz. Give yourself a little over an hour to get there. I'd suggest 36 holes in one day. (The first round will cost you $200. The replay rate is $100.) Take a caddie (need to reserve 24 hours in advance of your tee time), ask about Alister Mackenzie and get a drink in the Hollins House after the day of golf.

The most recent news out of the Pebble Beach area is the reopening of all 36 holes at Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club in December. Both courses have four-and-a-half star ratings in Digest's Places To Play and both will cost $160 for the peak weekend tee times. ($140 during the week, includes golf cart and a bucket of range balls. Prices go down after 1:00 pm. Juniors, 17 and under, play with an adult for $35, seven days a week. The weekday replay rate is $80 and $90 on the weekends.) Here's a clip from the press release I received from their PR firm:

About Bayonet Golf Course

Bayonet, named after the Army's 7th Infantry Division, opened in 1954 on the site formerly occupied by Fort Ord. The course was originally designed by General Robert B. McClure, a left-handed golfer with a severe slice, who laid out the course to suit his game. This is best demonstrated by holes 11-15, famously dubbed "Combat Corner," a series of sharp dogleg-lefts wrapped around an uphill, 215-yard par 3. Known for its narrow playing corridors and steep, penal bunkering, the par-72, nearly 7,100-yard Bayonet has long been considered the most difficult test of golf on the Monterey Peninsula.

About Black Horse Golf Course

Black Horse features sweeping vistas of the Pacific and was originally designed by Generals McClure and Edwin Carnes in 1967. Rolling fairways, bunkers with distinctive, serrated edges and slickly-contoured greens highlight the 7,000-yard-plus, par-72, layout. The par-3 15th, created during the recent renovation by award-winning golf course architect Gene Bates, faces the bay and is sure to emerge as one of the great holes on the Peninsula.

I've never been to Half Moon Bay. Craig Bestrom is the Features Editor at Digest and is from Northern Cal. He tells me it's a haul to get there from Pebble (another 50 miles farther than Pasatiempo). He says the Ritz at Half Moon Bay is spectacular and the Ocean course, which gets four stars, has a good set of finishing holes. He agrees the Old course deserves the half-star higher rating than the Ocean because "the design is more interesting." Both courses will cost you $195.

Pacific Grove is a local legend for some of the views it offers on the back nine, but especially for its location and the value. It's only $45 and is 10 minutes from Pebble Beach. It gets a four-star rating and Bestrom says, "It's a muny, so it's a little rough around the edges, but it's pretty cool."

Del Monte is another four-star course, $110 to play, and is worth a mention.

Pajaro gets only three stars and the $70 rate is now sounding a little high, but if you're still looking to fill out that already dream itinerary, it might be worth considering.

Last and, in this case, the least: A couple of guys with some wedges, a putter and a few cold ones tucked under each arm could have a lot of fun for $25 and all the golf you can play at Peter Hay--the par 3 course across the street from Pebble Beach.

Happy Birthday. When you get back, be sure to send pictures and a report on what you thought of all that good golf.

--Matty G.

I'm back from the 10th Golf Digest Ambush where I met up with Jay Roberson, Jay Walker and some of their friends in Birmingham, Ala. In the January issue you'll read about a rain-out, a football game, nightclubs and "Mama's" ribs at one of the biggest tailgates in the country. I had my first police escort behind a team bus, worked as a spotter in an ESPN broadcast booth; I met famous deejays and ate more ribs at an iconic restaurant of the South. Oh, by the way, we played golf. The Robert Trent Jones Trail is loaded with good golf for not a lot of money (11 sites, 26 courses and 468 holes, to be exact).

Roberson, who's the associate athletic director at Samford University in Birmingham, looks a little like Tiger Woods.

"I remember going out to the Bruno's Memorial Classic back in 1996 and having kids think they recognized me," says Roberson. "At the time I was 25 years old and really skinny. Parents would come up to me and explain that they knew I wasn't Tiger, but if I could just sign a hat for their kids they'd really appreciate it."

Roberson said he went to his first Masters this year. "I flew into the same airport in Augusta that everyone flies into. I overheard bag guys say, 'There's Tiger.' As I walked around the golf course, people were giving me double takes. It was hilarious. It's been going on for 12 years."

Other than a slight similarity in looks, he can't seem to find anything else he has in common with the 14-time major-championship winner. "I'm about a hundred pounds heavier than he is, and I don't have his swing or his money."

I asked him what he signed on the hats for the kids. "Good luck and best in the future--Tiger Woods."

--Matty G.