Devil's Thumb Golf Club in Delta, Colo., a Phelps Golf Design project located along Colorado¹s Western Slope, was recently named among Golf Magazine's 50 best U.S. courses with greens fees of $50 or less.

The Golf Coaches Association of America and the National Golf Coaches Association announce the fields for the 2004 Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship that will be held Nov. 14-16 at Mission Inn Resort at Howey-in-the Hills, Fla. NCAA champion California and defending tournament champion Florida headline the men's field.

TheGripMasterUSA announces the availability of its unique slip-on, pre-wrapped leather golf grips in the United States and Canada.

The Junior Golf Scoreboard reports that in July, the site attracted a record number of unique users and topped its own mark for page views -- more than 111,000 unique sessions along with almost 594,000 page views.

The SofTrak Synthetic Putting Green will be featured at The Esquire House Los Angeles, Esquire magazine's $11 million, 11,000-square-foot "Ultimate Bachelor Pad" in Beverly Hills, Calif.

By Judi Janofsky
wheretogonext.com

I don't write much about golf resorts anymore. I guess if you basically stop playing, you tend to stop focusing on where to stay and play. At least I did until I took a look at a new book called "Golf Hideaways: The Best Courses and Resorts." Then I started to dream a bit about places like Pebble Beach in California and Princeville in Hawaii. And so I read more.

The book is written by David Chmiel, former editor-in chief of Senior Golfer Magazine, and covers lodgings and amenities of 36 top-rated golf courses in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. He starts with the premise that Americans work so much now they have little time for long vacations. Therefore, we should concentrate on long weekend getaways. Particularly ones that focus on golf. Even better if they also have other outdoor activities and a spa.

Within the 208-pages of Chmiel's coffee table book are beautiful course and resort photos, accompanied by descriptions that include designer, yardage, fees and a summary of the resort and course. Whether you get "Golf Hideaways" to relive places you've been or those to which you dream of going, the book is informative, pretty and full of personal anecdotes that make it fun to read. And to make it easier to match the resorts with your personality type or course style preference, Chmiel classifies them as "Old School," "Opulent" and "Off the Beaten Path." (Me? I'm "off the beaten path.")

Of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon, Chmeil says: "This is the place where you prove how much you want to visit. You've got to take the 'planes, trains, and automobiles' route, but it's more than worth it to reach what has quickly become hallowed golf soil in the United States. Bandon Dunes is the kind of resort that inspires golfers to get all misty-eyed and wax poetic about the game's restorative power."

Sounds like Chmiel is waxing poetic. It's almost enough to make me take up golf again. Now if only I could find the time.

"Golf Hideaways: The Best Courses and Resort," by David Chmiel. Rizzoli International Publications. $39.95 U.S., $60 Canada. Available at bookstores everywhere.