Inside the Ropes: Dufner hopes to avoid sleepy Sundays

Inside the Ropes: Dufner hopes to avoid sleepy Sundays










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange May 20, 2013 1:30 AMThe SportsXchange


Unfortunately for Jason Dufner, the most excitement he's caused this year came from what has become known as "Dufnering."

Dufner, who had a breakthrough season last year on the PGA Tour at the age of 35, was making an appearance at youth community center in Dallas in late March when a staffer took a picture of him seemingly zoned out while sitting on the floor during a relaxation period.

The staffer posted the picture on the Internet, and it went viral.

"What can I say, I was tired, my back hurt from sitting on the floor, and we were talking about relaxation and focusing," Dufner said. "Just caught me at a perfect time. The funny thing about it is the photo taken represents how I act all the time. It was a sheer moment of Jason Dufner by whoever captured the moment for the 30 seconds I checked out."

Since then, PGA Tour pros including Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Brandt Snedeker have posted pictures of themselves "Dufnering," and fans have done so, too.

You can find them all on Twitter.

Dufner said the best one he has seen is of "a guy who was on a transport plane in the military and they dropped the bottom part (of the plane) out and they were about 20,000 feet in the air and he was doing it right on the back end of the plane."

After losing in a playoff to Bradley in the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, Dufner shed his journeyman status and became a star last year, starting when he captured the Zurich Classic of New Orleans by beating Ernie Els in a playoff.

Then, after getting married, he came back a few weeks later to win the Byron Nelson Championship and seemed to be headed to another victory in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial before shooting 74 in the final round and finishing second behind Zach Johnson. He returns to the Fort Worth, Texas, event this week.

Dufner capped his year by playing in the Ryder Cup, posting a 3-1 record, including a 4-and-2 victory over Peter Hanson of Sweden, one of only three United States victories in singles as the Europeans retained the trophy at Medinah.

"I think a couple things happened," said Dufner, who is back at Colonial this week. "I was close to winning a major, the PGA, lost that in the playoff. After that, that gave me a lot of confidence to go out and play well no matter what the events were, if they were majors or global events or just PGA Tour events.

"From a physical standpoint, I feel like I've really worked hard on my golf game. I've been very consistent with my practice, same focus on what I'm trying to get better at now for about 4 1/2 years. Same with the preparation. I'm diligent about having the same routine for about four years now.

"And being consistent with that practice and that preparation has given me a lot of confidence that when I show up at events, I feel like I'm going to play good week in and week out no matter where I might be playing that week."

Although Dufner has played well at times this year, his best golf came when he tied for ninth in both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on the Middle East Swing of the European Tour in January.

Dufner doesn't believe it's because he's trying to live up to expectations, his own or those of others, after last season.

"I'm not sure," said Dufner, whose best finish on the PGA Tour this season is a tie for 12th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. "I'm kind of going through it right now. Not much experience with it. I don't know. I don't feel like I've added any pressure on myself.

"I've had some opportunities to play overseas. That put me a little bit behind because that cut my schedule here on the PGA Tour. I played in a lot of bad weather, wind. Got into a position where I wasn't really happy with where my golf swing was.


"But I think I've turned the page and kind of going in the right direction."

Dufner tied for 20th in the Masters and seemed headed toward a high finish at the Players Championship before shooting 80 in the final round to slide 49 spots to a tie for 62nd.

Actually, that's been the story of his season, the Sunday blues. Dufner has been in position to contend or even win more than a few times before finishing badly.

His final-round scoring average is 72.56, and he hasn't broken 70 on Sunday in eight tries on the PGA Tour this season.

"I played pretty decent golf," said Dufner, who admits that putting is his least favorite part of the game, and it shows. He is averaging 29.46 putts per round. "I haven't had a realistic chance to win in any of the events I played this year.

"Just one round kind of slips away shooting 74, 75, that kind of gets you behind the eight ball. But I've had a lot of good play. I feel like my game's coming around. I'm just trying to figure out how to put four good rounds together to score a good score for the week."

Possibly all he needs is a little less "Dufnering" on Sundays.



COMING UP

PGA TOUR: Crowne Plaza Invitation at Colonial at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on CBS.

LAST YEAR: Zach Johnson holed a five-foot putt for par to give him what appeared to be a three-stroke victory over Jason Dufner for his second title at Colonial in three years. However, Johnson forgot to re-mark his ball after moving it because his coin was in Dufner's line, and he was assessed a two-stroke penalty, leaving him with a one-stroke victory after a closing even-par 70. Johnson also won the John Deere Classic in July, giving him two victories in a season for the third time in his PGA Tour career. Dufner, a 35-year-old journeyman who had never won on the circuit before 2012, seemed to be headed for this third victory in four tournaments by opening with scores of 65-64-66 before closing with a 74 that included a double bogey and a triple bogey.



CHAMPIONS TOUR: 74th Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, noon-3 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.

LAST YEAR: Roger Chapman of England built a nine-stroke lead early in the final round and held on to claim his first victory on the Champions Tour by two shots over John Cook at Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Mich. The 53-year-old Chapman, who had only three professional victories previously, added the U.S. Senior Open less than a month later. In the Senior PGA, he built a five-stroke lead after 54 holes with rounds of 68-67-64 before closing with a 1-over-par 72, carding bogeys on three of the last five holes. Kenny Perry posted a tournament-record 62 in the final round, but all it got him was a tie for ninth, five strokes behind Chapman.



LPGA TOUR: Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic at Ocean Club Golf Course in Paradise Island, Bahamas, Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: This is the inaugural tournament and the first time an LPGA Tour event will be played in the Bahamas.

Golf notebook: Faldo will play when Open returns to Muirfield

Golf notebook: Faldo will play when Open returns to Muirfield










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange May 20, 2013 1:30 AMThe SportsXchange


--Sir Nick Faldo announced that he will play in the 153rd Open Championship in July at Muirfield, where he won the oldest tournament in the world in 1987 and 1992.

The 55-year-old Faldo, a six-time major champion, will play in the Open for the first time since 2010. That year, he missed the cut on the Old Course at St. Andrews, where he claimed a third Claret Jug in 1990. He has missed the cut in his last four appearances in the Open.

"I've been fighting it for years," said Faldo, who is the lead golf analyst for CBS Sports. "I was in the gym on Monday, and it suddenly just hit me. I thought, 'Come on, this is one more walk, and I'll probably never (again) get a chance to walk at Muirfield.'

"If I can just get over the hurdle and say to myself, 'What will be, will be' ... I can't be any fitter. If I can just hit a few solid long irons, who knows what could happen? I could just go play and enjoy the shot.

"I've got just over two months to go to get myself to pretend that I'm a golfer."

Faldo chose his son, Matthew, to be his caddie for the week at Muirfield, saying he is playing in the tournament primarily to allow his family to experience the event.

--The World Cup of Golf will be played Nov. 21-24 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the International Federation of PGA Tours announced.

Royal Melbourne, which hosted the Presidents Cup in 2011, will host back-to-back events in November, with Masters champion Adam Scott defending his title on the course in the Australian Masters a week earlier.

"We're thrilled that the World Cup will return to Australia, bringing this historic event to a venue, city and country that have hosted the biggest and best international sporting events for many years," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said.

"The Presidents Cup 2011 was the best in event history, thanks in no small part to the welcome provided to us by the incredible Australian sports fans, the Victorian government and the Victorian Major Events Company.

"With all of those ingredients still in place, and added to them Adam Scott's win at the Masters Tournament in April, there is tremendous momentum and excitement for the World Cup 2013."

The World Cup has been played three previous times in Australia, each time at Royal Melbourne. The event was last played in Australia in 1988 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebrations, and Ben Crenshaw and Mark McCumber of the United States beat out Masashi (Jumbo) Ozaki and Tateo Ozaki of Japan.

The World Cup of Golf boasts an $8 million total purse and returns to an individual, stroke-play competition for $7 million, with a team component (adding the total scores of two-man teams) for $1 million.

The qualification system for the event is similar to that which will be used in the Olympic Games, when golf returns to the program in 2016. The field will include 60 players, with eligibility taken from the Official World Golf Rankings.

Up to four players can qualify per country, if they are in the top 15 of the rankings. Beyond No. 15, up to a maximum of two players per country can qualify.

The World Cup of Golf was first played in 1953, with Roberto De Vicenzo and Antonio Cerda of Argentina winning at Beaconsfield Golf and Country Club in Montreal.

The event was played annually until becoming a biennial event in 2011, when Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland of the U.S. claimed the title on the Blackstone Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in Hainan, China.

The U.S. has dominated the event with 34 titles, followed by South Africa with five. Spain and Australia are tied with four championships.

--Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, has been selected as the venue for the 2019 Walker Cup matches, the United States Golf Association announced.

The 47th edition of the biennial matches that pit the best amateur golfers of Great Britain and Ireland against those from the United States will be played in September 2019 as Royal Liverpool celebrates the 150th anniversary of its foundation.

"The Walker Cup is one of the most historic and prestigious events in golf," said Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, executive director of championships for the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. "We are delighted to be taking the match back to Royal Liverpool in its 150th year. Hoylake will provide an outstanding challenge for both teams. It is one of the finest tests of links golf to be found anywhere and has hosted many successful championships over the years."

Hoylake was the venue for a 1921 match between amateurs from the U.S. and Great Britain that led to the Walker Cup matches being established. The first official Walker Cup was played at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y., in 1922.

The Walker Cup was held at Hoylake in 1983, when the U.S., led by captain Jay Sigel, beat Charlie Green's team from Great Britain and Ireland, 13 1/2-10 1/2.

The Open Championship will return to Hoylake, where Tiger Woods claimed the title in 2006, for the 12th time next year.

In 2012, Royal Liverpool hosted the Ricoh Women's British Open won by Jiyai Shin of South Korea, and the course has been the site of the British Amateur Championship on 18 occasions in addition to the 1992 Curtis Cup, the event that matches the top women amateurs from Great Britain against those from the United States.

This year's Walker Cup will be played at the National Golf Links of America on Sept. 7-8.

The 2015 event will be played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, and the 2017 venue will be Los Angeles Country Club.

The Walker Cup is contested between teams of 10 players from Great Britain and Ireland and the United States. It is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches.

Great Britain and Ireland holds the Walker Cup after defeating the U.S., 14-12, at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in 2011, but the Americans hold a commanding 34-8-1 lead in the series.

--Ken Venturi teamed with Pat Summerall to form one of the most respected broadcast teams in sports in the 18th hole tower for CBS Sports at PGA Tour events for more than a decade in the 1980s and '90s.

Venturi, who impacted the game of golf on the course and in the broadcast booth, died last week at the age of 82 in Ranch Mirage, Calif., only 11 days after he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

His death came a month and a day after the death of Summerall, also at the age of 82.

Venturi, who won the 1964 U.S. Open and later became one of the best commentators in the game for CBS over 35 years until 2002, had been hospitalized for two months because of a spinal infection, pneumonia and an intestinal infection.

"He was a deeply principled man with a dynamic presence; he just exuded class," said Jim Nantz, his partner in the CBS booth for several years after taking over for Summerall. "Through his competitive days and unequalled broadcasting career, Kenny became a human bridge connecting everyone from Sarazen, Nelson and Hogan to the greatest players of today's generation.

"Kenny faced many adversities in his life and always found a way to win."

Venturi's greatest moment as a golfer came when he captured the 1964 Open at Congressional, despite nearly collapsing because of exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke in temperatures that surpassed 100 degrees.

It was the last time the national championship was determined by a 36-hole marathon Sunday, and a doctor told Venturi between rounds that he was putting his life in danger, but Venturi went back out anyway and came from two strokes back to win his only major title with scores of 66-70.


"I dropped my putter and I raised my arms up to the sky," said Venturi, who was so weak that playing partner Raymond Floyd had to retrieve his ball from the hole after his final putt. "I said, 'My God, I've won the Open.' The applause was deafening. It was like thunder coming out there.

"I felt this hand on me, and it was Raymond Floyd handing me the ball. I looked at him, and he had tears streaming down his face."

Sports Illustrated selected Venturi as Sportsman of the Year in 1964.

Venturi, who graduated from San Jose State and spent part of his U.S. Army stint in Korea, was born in San Francisco and turned to golf at 13 because it was a solitary sport after a teacher told his mother that his case of stammering was incurable.

Following a brilliant amateur career, which included California Amateur Championships in 1951 and 1956 plus three San Francisco Amateur Championships, he turned pro in 1956. He also posted the highest finish in the Masters by an amateur, losing a four-stroke lead by shooting a closing 80 in windy conditions to wind up second behind Jack Burke Jr. in 1956.

Venturi claimed the first of his 14 PGA Tour victories in the 1957 St. Paul Invitational and his last in the 1966 Lucky International at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, where he learned to play the game.

Forced to retire in 1967 after he was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists, Venturi forged a distinguished career in the broadcast booth.

Venturi is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and two sons, Matthew and Tim, who represented him at his Hall of Fame induction.

--The European Tour, which lost several events in Europe in recent years during the worldwide economic downturn, announced that the Made in Denmark tournament will be played for the first time on Aug. 14-17, 2014, at Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort in Farso, Denmark.

"It's fantastic news for the tour and the country that we're having a new tournament in Denmark next year," said Danish golf star Thomas Bjorn, who has won 13 times on the European Tour. "I think Himmerland will be a perfect venue, and I hope the Danish golf fans will come along and support the tournament in good numbers.

"With Thorbjorn (Olesen) playing so well and a lot good young amateurs coming through the ranks, it's a good time for Danish golf, and having a European Tour event in Denmark can only help grow the game even more.

"My first win as a professional was the Himmerland Open on the Challenge Tour in 1995, so in many ways that's where it all began for me."

Ian Poulter of England claimed the only previous Euro Tour event in Denmark, beating Colin Montgomerie of Scotland by one stroke in the 2003 Nordic Open at Simon's Golf Club in Humlebaek, near the capital city of Copenhagen.

The new tournament will be played on the Backtee New Course at Himmerland, which measures 7,382 yards and plays to a par of 72.

The Backtee New Course re-opened at the start of the year after a 2 million pound renovation program that included the re-sodding of all 18 greens and the re-shaping of every bunker.

"This dream opportunity has now become a reality," said Lars Larsen, co-founder and owner of Himmerland. "Made in Denmark will focus partly on Danish golf, but also focus on Denmark as a golfing destination.

"By working with a number of sponsors, Sport Event Denmark and other organizations across the North Jutland region, we will ensure that Danish design and innovation are both integral to the event marketing."

Himmerland is Northern Europe's largest golf resort, offering two 18-hole courses, a nine-hole course and extensive practice facilities in the Nike Performance Centre.

--Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium arrived in Kavarna, Bulgaria, last week all set to defend his title in the Volvo World Match Play Championship at a new venue, the Thracian Cliffs Golf and Beach Resort on the Black Sea.

However, his clubs and the rest of his luggage didn't make it.

Colsaerts was caught up in a strike at Brussels Airport, and apparently his luggage never got off the ground, so in desperation he turned to Twitter.

"Does somebody know someone from Brussels Airport or SN Brussels Airlines to make possible that my people would have access to the luggage and take them back," he tweeted. "Somebody would then travel from Paris or Amsterdam to bring them to me! How can you be unlucky defending a world title."

As a backup, he arranged for his mother to travel from Paris to Bulgaria with another set of clubs and some clothing.

Colsaerts was on hand at the beginning of the week, but he was unable to get a head start on seeing the new venue for the tournament that might have given him an advantage over 11 players who arrived from Florida on a chartered jet after playing in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

That group included Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Geoff Ogilvy, Carl Pettersson, Bo Van Pelt and Henrik Stenson.

Colsaerts' clubs were finally found in the Brussels airport, and his father, Patrick, brought them to Bulgaria on a private plane that arrived late Tuesday night, giving Colsaerts a chance to play the course with them the day before the tournament started.

In his title defense, Colsaerts reached the quarterfinals before being ousted by eventual champion McDowell, 2 and 1, despite making a remarkable up-an-down for par on the 10th hole after his ball wound up in an open restroom near the green.

--The Class of 2013 had barely been inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame when commissioner Tim Finchem of the PGA Tour said there might be some changes with several parts of the process.

Finchem has no direct influence of the day-to-day operation of the Hall of Fame. However, he has a seat on the board of the World Golf Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame.

"I think it's timely to take a look at everything we're doing and take a fresh look," Finchem said. "We haven't done that in several years. The World Golf Foundation board is very open to change, and has indicated to the (Hall of Fame) staff that we want to."

The induction ceremonies at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., originally were held in the fall, but they were moved to May to coincide with the Players Championship, a short drive away at TPC Sawgrass.

At the start of this year's ceremony, Hall of Fame members in attendance were introduced, but it was embarrassing that only eight were on hand, all of them women.

The only male golfers in the audience were Blaine McCallister and John Cook, who both play on the Champions Tour.

"Getting players to come back has always been a bit of a challenge over the years," Finchem said. "It does raise a question in my mind about whether this is the best time of the year to do it.

"It was phenomenal ceremony, a compelling night. But if you do it this week or the week of a really big tournament, the golf interest is kind of split. There are three or four things we're looking at, and that's one of them."

Finchem had to be persuaded to move the Hall of Fame induction ceremony to the week of the Players Championship because he feared it would take away from the tournament, but it appears the opposite has happened.

There also was controversy this year over the inductions of Colin Montgomerie of Scotland, who never won a major championship, and Fred Couples, whose only major title came in the 1992 Masters.

Finchem said the idea of having two voting ballots, one for PGA Tour players and one for international players, might be outdated. In addition, the minimum age of 40 years will be re-examined, he said.

Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh have been inducted in recent years after turning 40 while continuing to play on the PGA Tour, another aspect of the Hall that has been questioned.

The LPGA Tour has its own criteria, based on a point system, for players qualifying for the Hall of Fame.

Course Source: Bell Bay Golf Club, World Golf Village

Course Source: Bell Bay Golf Club, World Golf Village










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange May 20, 2013 1:31 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada.

THE LAYOUT: Thomas McBroom, one of Canada's most noted designers, crafted 18 exceptional holes on Cape Breton Island with sweeping views of the Bras d'or Lake -- North America's majestic inland sea.

Also in view across Bell Bay is Beinn Bhreagh (Gaelic for Beautiful Mountain), the estate of Alexander Graham Bell, where the inventor of the telephone spent the latter part of his life and died in 1922.

The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site houses the largest collection of Bell artifacts and archives in the world.

Bell Bay Golf Club, which plays to 7,037 yards from the back tees, has a course rating of 74.3 and a slope of 136. However, Bell Bay is eminently playable for all golfers, with a rating of 69.9 and a slope of 125 from the white tees.

The season at opens in May and runs through October, weather permitting, at Bell Bay, which was voted best new course in Canada in 1998 and hosted the 2005 Canadian Amateur Championship in addition to the 2006 Canadian Club Champions Championship.

GENERAL MANAGER: Michael Gillan.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Bell Bay Golf Club received international recognition in 2001, when the Wayne Gretzky and Friends Invitational was held there and televised on the Golf Channel. NHL stars Gretzky, Brett Hull and Joe Sakic played a match against Mike Weir, the left-hander who won the 2003 Masters and is considered the best Canadian golfer of all-time.

Every hole at Bell Bay is named for a ship that sailed the Seven Seas from Baddeck, which was settled by Scottish shipbuilders. The course starts with three strong par 4s, measuring 407, 415 and 433 yards from the back tees.

The best of the opening threesome is No. 3, a 433-yard hole named for Scrapper, a legendary craft built at Bell's laboratories at Beinn Bhreagh. The hole gets its difficulty from the second shot, which is uphill from between 135 to 175 yards into the prevailing wind.

No. 6 is the most challenging of the par 3s at 227 yards from the tips to a green guarded by seven bunkers. The hole is named for Typhoon, a 45-foot ketch that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a then-record 15 days in 1920. The voyage was made even more remarkable because it was accomplished entirely under sail after the engine failed two hours into the trip.

When you make the turn at Bell Bay, the best is yet to come, especially what the locals call "The Final Four." But before the golfer gets there, he must navigate No. 13, a 508-yard par 5 named for the brig Challenger, which was built in Baddeck in 1848 and lost at sea the following year on a journey from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Boston. Like the ship, many golf balls find a watery grave in the lake that runs nearly the last half of the hole and guards the left side of the green.

The last four holes are considered one of the best windups in Canadian golf.

No. 15 is Perseverance, a daunting 463-yard par-4 with one of the smaller greens on the course. The hole was named for a brigantine built in 1845 that was later re-rigged as a schooner.

The 16th hole is Argyle, named for a brig built in Baddeck that was given the name of a town in Scotland. This is the shortest par 4 on the course, at 365 yards, but perhaps most scenic, routed through a densely wooded corridor of trees that is especially impressive when the fall colors are in their glory.

But the best at Bell Bay is saved for the absolute last. No. 17 is the signature hole, while No. 18 has the signature view.

On the 182-yard, par-3 17th, called Banshee, the tee boxes are perched on a hillside and the shot must carry a spectacularly wooded ravine. Banshee was a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose wailing warned the clan of danger. The cry is similar to that heard from golfers as their tee shots disappear into the ravine.

The 18th hole is named for Bradalbane, a 101-foot barque that is believed to be the largest and best vessel built at Baddeck. It was instrumental in Rev. Norman MacLeod's expedition to New Zealand in 1857. There is a spectacular panoramic view overlooking the Bras d'or from the tee box on the 566-yard par-5 hole, and the prevailing wind from behind the golfer allows him to let out the sails with the driver.

OTHERS COURSES IN THE AREA: For the perfect golf doubleheader, play Bell Bay and Highland Links in Ingonish Beach, a classic Stanley Thompson layout on the edge of Cape Breton Highland National Park. Highland Links was selected as the No. 1 course in Canada in 2000 by Score Golf magazine and has been rated one of the top 100 courses in the world several times by Golf magazine.

Also worth the trip are Dundee Resort and Golf Course in West Bay, Le Portage Golf Club on the banks of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Cabot Trail in Cheticamp, Passchendaele Golf Club in Reserve Mines, Lingan Golf and Country Club (established in 1895) in Sydney and Seaview Golf and Country Club in North Sydney.

WHERE TO STAY: The Inverary Resort in Baddeck, known for its Celtic charm and lakeside boardwalk, offers stay-and-play packages for Bell Bay Golf Club, as do Glenghorm Beach Resort in Ingonish and Ceilidh Country Lodge in Baddeck.

First-class lodging also can be found at Dundee Resort in West Bay, Castle Moffett in Baddeck, the Maritime Inn in Port Hawkesbury, Chanterelle Country Inn in Baddeck and Haddon Hall Resort Inn in Chester -- Nova Scotia's version of the French Riviera near Halifax, where many of the Titanic victims are buried.

ON THE WEB: www.bellbaygolfclub.com



THE LAST RESORT: World Golf Village, which features the King and Bear Course, and the Slammer and Squire Course, in St. Augustine, Fla.

THE LAYOUT: At the top of the list for any golf vacation to Florida has to be the World Golf Village and Hall of Fame, located in St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.

Not only can golf fans browse through artifacts the greats of the game utilized in their diverse roads to glory, they also can play the two world-class courses on the property, named after four of those all-timers.

The King and Bear Course, about three miles from the Hall of Fame, but still on land owned by the World Golf Village, is the only collaboration in golf course design by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, opening in 2000.

Palmer and Nicklaus played a match that was televised for Shell's Wonderful World of Golf to mark the opening of the course, which also hosted the Champions Tour for the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in 2001 and 2002.


The Slammer and Squire, named for Sam Snead and Gene Sazarzen, was designed by Bobby Weed, although he received input from those great champions, who were still alive when the course opened in 1998.

The original course on the property, located a short walk from the Hall of Fame and the hotels on the property, the Slammer and Squire hosted the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in 1999, and also has been the venue for PGA Tour Qualifying School and Champions Tour Qualifying School.

DIRECTOR OF GOLF: Jeff Hartman.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The King and Bear is the more challenging of the two courses, playing to 7,279 yards and a par of 72 from the back tees, with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope of 122.

It is what the British would call a parkland course, with wide fairways (for which Nicklaus designs are known) on the front nine lined by loblolly trees. The more winding fairways on the back side are framed by 200-year-old live oaks.

The 17 lakes that dot the King and Bear are lined by coquina rocks.

"Arnold and I have varying styles on how we do golf courses," Nicklaus said. "(The King and Bear) reflects both of our styles."

The course opens with two strong par-4s, measuring 426 and 435 yards respectively, but there are five sets of tees and plenty of room in the driving areas.

Stay well clear of the water and sand all down the right side at No. 1, where the green is guarded by a large bunker complex. The water on the tee box at No. 2 should not come into play, and the shot to a green protected by three bunkers on the left is slightly uphill.

The best par-5 on the course probably is No. 7, at dogleg that swings left and measures 573 yards, with a large lake on the left to deal with on the layup and the shot to the green.

The front nine finishes with two more challenging par 4s, No. 3 and 1 in difficulty on that side, at 462 and 448 yards from the back, respectively. The eighth has water on both sides of the fairway and the ninth features a large lake all the way to the green.

Palmer included No. 12, a 412-yard par 4, as one of his "Dream 18" in a Sports Illustrated article in 2006. Considered the signature hole on the King and Bear, it winds around a lake to the left to a green sitting on a small peninsula.

No. 14 is a 200-yard par 3 with water and sand on the right, although there is bail-out room on the left, and it leads to a strong finish.

Following three more exceptional par 4s at 360, 467 and 427 yards, the King and Bear finishes with a 563-yard par 5 devoid of water, although there are wetlands to swallow any shot that goes left of the bunker that runs the length of the hole on the left side.

The par-72 Slammer and Squire Course, more of a user-friendly resort course even though both are eminently playable for golfers of all abilities, measures 6,939 from the tips, with a rating of 73.8 and a slope of 135.

The course plays through native wetlands, hardwood hammock trees and old-growth pine trees.

After a relatively straightforward start, the golfer reaches the No. 1-handicap hole on the course, with No. 4 a par 5 that measures 522 yards from the back tees. Water and sand run down the right side off the tee before the hole doglegs dramatically to the left to a green protected by water on three sides.

The seventh is a 178-yard par 3 on which the water on the left must be carried from the back tees, with bunkers guarding both sides of an elevated green that requires an extra club.

The front nine concludes with a 401-yard par 4 that plays back toward the Trophy Tower that sits atop the Hall of Fame, and although there is no water on the hole, there are eight bunkers to deal with from tee to green.

The best hole on the back nine probably is the par-4, 442-yard 12th, which has a water hazard that cannot be seen from the fairway about 120 yards from the green. Collection areas on three sides of the green make it difficult to get up and down for par if you miss the putting surface.

The finish is challenging, starting with the 576-yard, par-5 16th, the longest hole on the course with sand and water to deal with all the way to the green.

The Slammer and Squire finishes with par 4s measuring 459 and 425 yards, respectively, both bending to the left. The penultimate hole has water on both sides as you approach the green, and the final green has a spectacular view of the Hall of Fame across the water.

The fun isn't over when your round ends at the World Golf Village, because there are hands-on exhibits in the Hall of Fame, which features "Shanks for the Memories," an exhibition dedicated to comedian Bob Hope's career and love of golf.

In addition to the largest PGA Tour merchandise shop in the world, on the property is Caddyshack Restaurant, owned by the Murray brothers, which is a tribute to Bill Murray's role of assistant course superintendent Carl Spackler in the movie "Caddyshack."

If you don't have time for a round of golf, you can still play the 18-hole natural grass putting course, take a shot to an island green on the 132-yard Challenge Hole reminiscent of No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass or watch a movie in the IMAX Theatre.

As Gary Player, World Golf Hall of Fame Global Ambassador, says in TV commercials for the Hall: "For the love of golf, go."

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: The World Golf Village and Hall of Fame are only about a 20-minute drive from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, home of the PGA, Champions and Nationwide tours. On the property are Pete Dye's Valley Course and the Stadium Course, with its infamous island 17th green, site of the Players Championship every May.

Also in the area are Royal St. Augustine Golf and Country Club, St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, the Golf Club at South Hampton in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at Sawgrass, St. John's Golf and Country Club in St. Augustine, the Ocean Course designed by Jack Nicklaus at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club in Jacksonville, Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club in Green Cove Springs, and Eagle Harbor Golf Club in Orange Park.

About an hour's drive south on Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach is LPGA International, home of the LPGA Tour, with the Legends Course, designed by Arthur Hills, and the Champions Course, designed by Rees Jones.

WHERE TO STAY: Stay on the grounds of the World Golf Village at the Renaissance Resort, the Comfort Suites, Laterra Resort and Spa or the Grande Villas, which all offer golf packages for the Slammer and the Squire, and the King and the Bear.

Historic St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in the United States, first visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513, and there are numerous hotels and B&Bs in and around the city. Among the best are the Bayfront Marin House, the Casablanca Inn on the Bay, Casa Monica Hotel, the Bayfront Westcott House, St. George Inn, Our House Bed and Breakfast, Alexander Homestead Bed and Breakfast, the Pirate Haus Inn and the Carriage Way B&B.

In Ponte Vedra Beach are the Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Beach Club, Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, the Lodge and Club at Ponte Vedra Beach, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Fig Tree Inn B&B.

Golf resorts in the area include the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast and Amelia Island Plantation.

ON THE WEB: www.golfwgv.com