Genv Garvban's Ffi OLF ETTER
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Genv GarvBAN's ffi OLF ETTER THE INSIDE REPORT ON WORLD GOLF NUMBER 209 OUR 19rrt YEAR SEPTEMBER 2OO8 Dear Subscriber: 2008 Value for Money Tnp GI-osar- TpN of these properties because hotel operators have finally learned ($442) Now that it costs €295 that that is the most important to play Old Head, a courseonce TnB LorcB AT SEAIsr-aNo factor in determining whether Sea Island, Georgia describedby a clever man as a you will return for another visit - wonderful place to walk your SscoNn and maybe bring some friends dog, and $10for a cup of coffee TuRNsBnRvRBsonr with you. in Moscow, we thought it appro- Ayrshire.Scotlanc priate to make Value Money So that leaves cost. It is no for - Third - this year's primary criterion for news that the weakness of the BeNooN DulqBs ranking the best golf hotels in the dollar has contorted things Bandon, Oregon world. overseas.Green fees at the Old Fourth Course for2009 are f,130 ($250) In previous years' rankings, we C,q,s.q.on Cerrrpo in high season; Lahinch runs have disregardedthe cost of stay- La Romana, Dominican Republic €180 ($270).And it may also not ing at thesefabulous places.The Fifth _ be a news flash that two-night best was simply the best regard- minimums and green fee sur- lessof cost.To now suggestthat Gr-eNeecr-ns Auchterarder, Scotland charges at many championship there is a threshold of value in Sixth venues run all-in costs to well paying $1,000a day to sleepand over a day before much THB Looce ATPEBBLE Bencn $1,000 play golf may seemaffected, but of anything is PebbleBeach, California eaten or anyone at some point a line gets drawn. massaged, libated, flown, limou- When $2,000+minimums appear Seventh sined, or caddied. not oncebut at three destinations PrNBHuRsrRpsonr for playing U.S. Open courses, Pinehurst,North Carolina Sometimes a glass of cham- there is a corner in a rational mind pagne is worth $45, but not usu- "It that asks, was wonderful. I will Glspenrr-r-RIlw & Crus ally and not often. Such extrava- treasurethe memories,but do I re- Boca Grande, Florida gance demands a sense of place ally need to do that again?" and a special occasion. - Ninth- High cost slow play, and pre- THeBouloens Moving regularly at the high- tentious exclusion suck the joy out Carefree.Arizona est level of golf travel, those spe- of golf. The hotels listed here re- cial occasions become more and move the pretenseof exclusion in THe MnnclrFFE HorEL & Spn more elusive. Indeed, the most that anyone with enough dough Aberdeen, Scotland stunning moments often come at is welcome. The almighty dollar the other end of the spectrum - at becomesthe social filter. which places like Machrie, Shetland, has its own ramifications for dress The Island, or Boca Grande. Per- and manners/as we regularly note. haps becauseof golf's Scotchorigiry golfers basically prefer value to waste, speedto lethargy, and the exhila- Speed of play is monitored and moved along at most ration of more Spartan conditions to over-complicated Published Monthly . Subscription Rate US $88 Per Year www.thegolfletter.com opulence. Uncluttered simplicity is at the heart of U.S. Open courses. The reservations desks were kind golf's best experiences. enougt! however, to offer that if we wanted to play Pebble Beach or the South Course twice in two days the challenge to the op- If you accept that premise, we could book two rooms. InThe U.S. Open Effectbox hotels of the world is to present erators of the great golf on the next page, we display those calculations. elegant simplicity at their opulent properties. o With regard to three properties, Casa de Campo, past 18 global rank- As has been the case with our The Boulders, and Kauri Cliffs, the mid September final decision for which property falls where ings, the date was adjusted to reflect a more comfortable and down to our sub- in this year's Gr,osal TeN still comes appropriate time to visit. jective and informed opinion. What constitutes value for money is an endless debate which, for this month r Most properties offer golf packages, and we used at leasf we have the temerity to decide by balancing those rates to lower the costs. what we feel are the qualities of the golf and hotel ex- . Where green fee surcharges appeared for play- periences against the cost of purchasing them. ing the hotel's top ranked course - at Pebble Beach, There are no longer any secrets in the world of great Pinehurst, Torrey Pines, Sea Island, and Kiawah - we golf courses. The day of Bernard Darwin describing the applied those. Our opinion is that readers of Tne Golp allure of Frilford Heattu Mildenhall, or the Gog-Magog LnrreR do not travel to play second tier courses. hills to an ignorant public is long gone. This is true not . We chose the least expensive room offered and only because Mr. Darwin died in1961but also because added no meals. Some properties include breakfast every travel write4, broadcaste{, and notable player has and some include breakfast and dinner. We balanced writter; yammered or stammered about their person- ally discovered hidden gem. -BBsr We all have our favorite places, and many of those Uxnnn$1.000 may not appear on this list because there is not an per night, bed and golf attendant great hotel. For that you may be grateful. Another year passes and your favorite slips under THB Looce Ar SEAIsr-aNo the radar. When Mr. Darwin was asked the dreaded, SeaIsland, Georgia www.seaisland.com repeated question of what was his favorite course, the answer was Aberdovey in Wales. His childhood mem- BlNooN DuNes likelihood, you ories were there, as was his heart. In all Bandon,Oregon have played most of the courses on this list, and they www.bandondunesgolf.com hold beautiful memories for you. Howeveq. your fond- est reflections may have come unexpectedly from late Casa op Cnvrpo afternoon rounds at The Cascades or tyall, Hirono or La Romana, Dominican Republic Deal. www.casadecampo.com.do Wherever your memories lie and from wherever Tup GaspaRrLLAINN & Cr-ue thev mav come in the future, the value of the moment Boca Grande, Florida www.the-gasparilla-inn.com wili play a part. That $45 glass of champagne will not be forgotten. Tse Bour-oens Carefree,Arizona www.theboulders.com The data for determin;;;", it costs to stay and play at these great hotels was gathered from the prop- TuB Mancr-rpreHorel & Spa erties'websites and from calling them directly. Aberdeen, Scotland www.marcliffe.com o We used a mid September date to inquire about the cost of two people sharing one room with each Trm BnoepMooR guest playing one round of golf on the property's pre- Colorado Springs, Colorado 'mier www.broadmoor.com course. r Many of the properties with more notable courses Oln CounsE HorEL have two-night minimums, which we applied and then St. Andrews, Scotland http://oldcoursehotel.kohler.com/ divided by two in order to reach a nightly cost. Those include Pebble Beach, Pinehurst Torrey Pines, Sea Is- THe ArasRrcAN CLUB land, Kiawah, Gleneagles, and Cordevalle. The lodges Kohler, Wisconsin at Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines require a two-night wlrw.destinationkohler.com minimum stay in order to play just one round on their Tnn Gor-r Lrrrnn@ www.thegolfletter.com ranking, an Open venue trumps a Curtis Cup/Mid- - Bpsr Ovnn$1,000 Amateur site. per night, bed and golf r Four destinations with superb but not champion- ship caliber courses made our list: Casa de Campo, TURNSBRRyRpsonr The Boulders, The Ayrshire,Scotland Gasparilla Inn, and Kauri Cliffs. We www.turnberry.co.uk argue that the golf experiences produced by these des- tinations rivaf in their special ways, those found any GI-eNe.q.cLes where among THr Grosar TrN. Elegant simplicity and Auchterarder, Scotland solitude are increasingly rare. www.gleneagles.com Tse Loocn AT PEBBLEBBecn Pebble Beach, California Three of the first rr", ;;, hst come from the www.pebblebeach.com. Under $1,000/Day category. Included in that group are a British Open site, two Mid-Amateur venues and PrNBHuRsrRpsonr & CoutqrnvCLus the undisputed best golf course in the Caribbean. Six Pinehurst, Norlh Carolina of the ten also come from the under-$L,000, which may wwwpinehurst.com betray our prejudice this year for getting more for your money. THp Lonce ar Tonnsy PrNes La Jolla, Califomia The Lodge at Sea Island came first in value because www.lodgetorreypines.com of the quality of their facilities, the golf courses and instruction centel, the setting, and the service. In the THE LODGE AT KAURI CI-Tpps Matauri Bay, New Zealand thin air of the properties that comprise Tun Gronal TrN, www.kauricliffs.com a dollar here goes farther toward a memorable experi- ence than any other golf destination in the world. You Tun SANcTuARYAr KmweH Isr,A,Nn will find everything here from the simplest and most Kiawah Island, South Carolina precious elements of service to the most Lucullan of cu- www.kiawahresort.com./accommodations/the_sanctuary linary and wine selections - not to mention the design and agronomic excellence of the two golf courses over Tue Looce Rr Conoevllr-e which numerous national and international competi- San Martin, California www.cordevalle.com tions have been played. Vrr-r-,q.n'Esre Cemobbio, Italy TrrEU.S. OpnuErrrcr www.villadeste.it It is exciting to play a U.S. Open golf course,and the costsare equally breathtaking. Pricesshown here are for two guestsstaying and playing one round each those values in making our final ranking.