Myrtle Beach: Ultimate Family Golf Getaway

Looking for a really great family golf travel idea?  It’s not too early to start thinking about great spring and summer opportunities . . . mull them over during the holidays and then get those reservations confirmed!  (Tip:  

Travel insurance is a good idea to in case you have to change them.)

What could be better for family ties than combining adult golf with mini-golf for the kids?  For family fun, golf, and mini-golf, you can’t beat coastal South Carolina.  Just head to Myrtle Beach, especially to the area known as the Grand Strand.  Your kids will be thrilled at the sandcastles, ice cream, and fun.  

A jaunt down U.S. 17 will have them hanging out the windows betting to stop at gargantuan mini-golf courses with pirate ships and mythical creatures.  TheHawaiian Rumble, home of the pro mini golf master’s tournament, features a volcano that gushes steam and flames though the five courses at Captain Hook’s generally rates higher with visitors.  You can choose from Jurassic, safari, and other themes that will delight the kids.

Of course there is more than golf in Myrtle Beach.  There’s the beach of course, and other family attractions such as Ripley’s Aquarium, where you can get close up and personal with stingrays and sharks, and Brookgreen Gardens, with its trails, gator tours, and regional zoo.

After you’ve thrilled them with mini-golf, why not introduce them to real golf. In Myrtle Beach you’ll find great golf schools, including ones that will take parents and children.  The Classic Swing, for example, has been repeatedly recommended by Golf Magazine for its excellent instruction.  

If you can fit some time in for grown-up golf, the choices are too numerous to mention, and range from highly ranked public courses to award-winning landscaped layouts.  Traditional folks love the Legends at Heathland, for a taste of Scotland, while others discover the challenge of several great courses rolled into one at the World Tour Golf Links.

 You’ll find lodging to fit all family budgets, from economy to luxury.  A good golf trip planner can help you find the golf package that meets your needs, from the kids to the adults.

Who knows?  By spending quality time with the family this way, you might even turn some of those little putters into great golfing buddies for more serious 

golf vacations.

Gift Books for Golfers: The Wonderful World of Golf

 As the holiday season nears, what can you give the golfer on your list.  When golf trips are not in your shopping budget, consider a great book on golf travel around the world.  When golfers aren't playing golf, they love watching it and reading about it! 

Here are some books to stir the imagination of the golfing enthusiasts you know.  List prices are noted, but you can find some significant discounts.  Check out your local bookstores as well as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powell's for gorgeous coffee table golf books that even non-golfers would be tempted to leaf through. 

THE TRADITIONAL GOLFER.  For the more traditional golfer, the one who loves a bit of history, who thinks that links courses are the real golf, we recommend these: 

The Spirit of St. Andrews by Alister MacKenzie and Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. (Foreword)

Hardcover, 29.95 

True Links by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell Hardcover, 40.00 

Another Journey through the Links by David Worley and Peter Thomson

Hardcover, 65.00

 THE VANGUARD GOLFER.  Is your golfer the cutting-edge type, always looking for what is new or exciting,  imagining what the "best course ever" might look like? Try these: 

Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes, Revised and Expanded by Stephen Goodwin. Hardcover, 24.95 

Golf's Dream 18s: Fantasy Courses Comprised of Over 300 Holes from Around the World by David Barrett

THE ADVENTURE GOLFER.  Perhaps your golf fanatic is dreaming of swinging clubs in all 50 states or on distant shores--if so, these could get him or her planning the next 10 years of golf vacations!

                                              

Planet Golf USA: The Definitive Reference to Great Golf Courses in America  by Darius Oliver (Author) and Ben Crenshaw (Foreword)

Hardcover, 60.00

 

Planet Golf: The Definitive Reference to Great Golf Courses Outside the United States of America  by Darius Oliver (Author) and David Scaletti (Photographer)

60.00, hardcover

 

World Atlas of Golf: The Greatest Courses and How They Are Played by Mark Rowlinson (Editor)

Hardcover, 39.95

 

Who knows?  Even if you are not a golfer, taking time to look at some of these classy, well photographed and expertly written golf books could change your mind--and you'll be asking Santa for your own set of clubs and planning your own golf trips!