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ZealousGolfer.com Travel: Turtle Bay Resort, Hawaii

For my previous travel articles, I have covered several European destinations. Now I would like to turn back to what is perhaps the most exotic vacation spot in the United States: Hawaii.

The last time I looked at golf in Hawaii, I took a look at the Kapalua Resort. Of course, considering that the PGA Tour devotes the first weeks of every season to golfing on the islands, it is clear that there are a multitude of other phenomenal options available when a zealous golfer makes his/her way to Hawaii.

A personal favorite for me (which in my opinion is a must-play for any one interested in Hawaii golf) is the Turtle Bay Resort.

You are probably already familiar with the resort from the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. This resort provided the setting for the film, but its two premier golf courses are also easily recognizable for playing host to professional golf tournaments.

Only 50 minutes from Honolulu, Turtle Bay is the only major golf resort on the North Shore.

The Golf:

Turtle Bay boasts two championship golf courses. One was designed by the King himself, Arnold Palmer. The other is a George Fazio design.

Each course is named after its world-famous architect.

The Palmer Course is notable in its use of a Scottish links-style layout similar to many of Palmer's original courses.

The Fazio Course preceded the Palmer and has played host to the Senior Skins game and an LPGA event. While shorter in length than the Palmer (at 6,500 yards maximum), the Fazio provides players of all varieties a challenge with enormous, sculpted greens.

The price for a tee time ranges from $90-180 during the year at both courses. Like most resorts, staying on-site has the added benefit of less expensive golf during your stay. While the Fazio and Palmer designs certainly are elite golf courses, junior golfers may play for only $30 at both.

Conclusion:

The Turtle Bay Resort is a phenomenal representation of the best Hawaiian golf has to offer. With many courses to offer, fantastic golf resources (for instance, a teaching academy and state of the art driving range on-site), and an unparalleled resort on-site, Turtle Bay is hard to match in quality.

If you are planning your golf trip, make sure to check out Hawaii golf courses here.

Turtle Bay certainly earns the ZealousGolfer.com seal of approval for its commitment to a great golf and vacation experience.

Schedule a Golf Vacation!

on January 4, 2009 3:32 PM , in Endorsements , Golf Courses , Hawaii , 0 Comments

As the weather turns cold and blustery here in the north, one need no look no further than a cruise line for a welcome respite from the weather and the engaging activity of golf. Cruise lines seem to be embracing golf, adding onboard features, as well on-land excursions.

Newer ships offer video simulartors and miniature golf courses. Many lines have full-time golf pros.

Here's a breakdown of some of what's out there:

Carnival Cruise lines has golf simulars abord several ships which allows golfers to "play" some top courses. Golf pros are avilable for instruction and during golf excursions. You can rent clubs by the day. Putting contests are held onboard.

Celebrity Cruise lines offers a golf concierge service on cruises in the Caribbean, Baja Mexico and the Mexican Rivera. Golf fitness workshops are offered onboard.

Crystal Cruises has a TaylorMade golf program. They have both right and left handed clubs available for men and women. They have PGA golf pros, a putting green, a practice cage and golf driving ranges about the ships. They also offer group clinics for free to passengers.

Disney Cruise Lines have no programs or onboard facility for passesengers. Shore excursions are available.

Golf Cruises with Peter Deilman offers luxury river and ocean cruises with exotic destinations such as the Canary Islands, Dubai, Rome, Spain, Provence and Greenland. For 2009, there are 7 ocean cruises scheduled with golf destinations and include free airfare from 16 US cities. Price wise, these are top end cruises.

Norwegian Cruise lines has four packages available on its Bermuda bound ships. The Pride of America has an extensive golf program which offers trips to championship courses on all four mail islands in Hawaii. Pride of America has a full golf shop and has equipment rental available.

Royal Caribbean offers Golf Ahoy! with both eastern and western Caribbean initeraries.

Seabourn Cruise lines offers 100 different options in 90 ports of call .. ports include Cairns .. Bordeaux and Buenos Aires. They have partnered with Elite Golf Cruises to secure tee times. There is an onboard storage facility for golfers who bring their own clubs.

Choi Takes Sony Open

on January 14, 2008 7:08 PM , in Hawaii , PGA Tour 2008 , 0 Comments

Hawaii's Sony Open, which, in recently, has relied on gimmicks for popularity, allowed K.J. Choi to show his mettle against a talented field this year. Choi, who had a four stroke lead on Sunday, struggled through his final 18, posting a score over par.

However, Choi's tough final round was still good enough for the win, as he did lead runner up Rory Sabbatini by a healthy three strokes. So, even with a Sunday 71, Choi took home $954,000.

While Michelle Wie did not play this year (as she had in past seasons), last year's hero, Tadd Fujikawa, did not find a repeat performance. Last year, Fujikawa made the cut as a 16 year old amateur, which led to widespread support. However, since then, Fujikawa has turned professional and not found the same success. Tadd struggled with an opening 36 of 74 and 70, which left him well outside the tournament's cutline.

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