pga

A Golfer's Fantasy: The Tour Club

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

The idea of trumpeting golf as a corporate perk seems as dated as the oversize shirts so many Tour pros (including Tiger Woods) somehow saw fit to wear not that long ago. But even in these chastened economic times, it's hard to ignore the game's effectiveness as a business tool. Which explains the recent announcement of the Tour Club, a fantasy-like club that offers, among other amenities, access to a network of private and resort courses, lodging at luxury golf residences, and VIP access to PGA tournaments and other sporting events.

The Tour Club bills itself as the first national sports entertainment club. Membership is open to families and individuals as well as to businesses, but it's conceived primarily for corporate entertaining. The portfolio of residences--the Tour Club has the same parent company as the destination club Quintess--includes retreats in places such as Pinehurst, N.C.; Bend, Ore. (see Pronghorn, above); and Los Cabos, Mexico. The list of golf clubs consists mainly of Tournament Players Clubs (TPC)--many of them well-regarded, some, like the remodeled TPC Boston, outstanding, all of them high-end.

Gallery: The Tour Club

Tags: golf, pga, Quintess, Tour Club, TourClub

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Travel + Leisure Lists The Best Golf Wines

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

I've written up a lot of the celebrity wines as they have come up but I have never seen a tasting of golf wines before. Unlike some celebs who randomly attach their names to anything for a little cash, the golfers on the whole seem to be pretty involved in the winemaking process (the jury is still out on John Daly's wine project). Ray Isle from Travel + Leisure took on the task of tasting the wines associated with golfers and with the PGA tour. The best of the batch according to Isle is the Greg Norman Estates Reserve Shiraz 2000 which received 93 points for its rich blackberry flavors.

15 BEST WINES FROM THE PRO GOLF WORLD
1) Greg Norman Estates Reserve Shiraz 2000; Padthaway, Australia
2) Ernie Els Bourdeaux-style blend 2003; Stellenbosch, South Africa
3) Mike Weir Estate Icewine Vidal 2005; Niagara Peninsula, Canada
4) Nick Faldo Shiraz 2003; Coonawarra, Australia
5) Commissioners Private Reserve* Cabernet Sauvignon 2003; Dry Creek Valley, California
6) Champions Select* Zinfandel 2004; Dry Creek Valley, California
7) Greg Norman Estates Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Noir (nonvintage); Australia
8) Commissioners Private Reserve* Cabernet Sauvignon 2002; Napa Valley, California
9) David Frost Wines Par Excellence Meritage 2002; Paarl, South Africa
10) Commissioners Private Reserve* Chardonnay 2004; Sonoma County, California
11) Mike Weir Estate Chardonnay 2005; Niagara Peninsula, Canada
12) Greg Norman Chardonnay 2004; Victoria, Australia
13) Champions Select* Cabernet Sauvignon 2004; Alexander Valley, California
14) Greg Norman Pinot Noir 2004; Santa Barbara, California
15) Arnold Palmer Chardonnay 2004; California

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Tags: david frost, ernie els, greg norman, GregNorman, mike weir, nick faldo, pga, wine

PuttLab, Your New Friend For Better Golf

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to improve your golf game then we may have the gadget for you. The SAM PuttLab Device hooks up to the USB port on your laptop. You clip on a small transmitter onto your putter it sends out a signal that is recorded. The end result is 28 parameters of your putting stroke compared to the characteristics of PGA tour pros. The SAM PuttLab uses ultrasound technology to capture all the details of your golf swing that can't really be captured by the naked eye alone. Ten minutes of putting reveals a series of stats complete with graphs to show you all the places that your swing and the pro swing aren't matching up. Then you can work with a pro or on your own to carefully correct everything that has gone wrong. And, since golfing is far, far from an exact science you can start the whole process over again. The home device is $5,700 and the pro device is $9895.

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Tags: gadgets, golf, pga, SAM puttlab, SamPuttlab

The Posh Tents at the PGA Championship

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The last time I checked out a VIP tent at a PGA event, it was pretty standard affair, nothing like the tents that are being erected at the Medinah Golf Course in Chicago for the 88th PGA Championship. The tents are known as chalets and have flooring, power, air-conditioning, plasma TVs and a lounge-like atmosphere. The chalets are hosted by companies and can cost up to $160,000 for seven days at the PGA Championship. The luxury chalets will be torn down after the tournament. You can see video of the fancy tents at CBS News.

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Tags: chicago, golf, medinah, pga