The Plantation Course at Kapalua

Since 1999, the Plantation Course has been home to the SBS Championship, formerly the Mercedes-Benz Championship. The natural beauty of the area and fantastic golf have made Kapalua a top golf resort and spa. Each January, Kapalua hosts the winner of the each of the previous year's tournaments, which makes for great golf. Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, course architects, helped Hawaii give the world a small glimpse into its sweeping natural beauty.

History of the Championship

The Plantation Course is the fourth PGA Tour venue for the SBS Championship, which, in those early years was called the Tournament of Champions. From 1953 to 1966, the tournament was held at Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas. That period crowned winners such as Art Wall, Gene Littler, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

In 1967 and 1968, the tournament remained in Las Vegas, but moved to the Stardust Country Club. Frank Beard and Don January were crowned champions in those two years.

In 1969, the Mercedes Championship tour venue saw itself transported further west to Carlsbad, California's La Costa Country Club. It remained at La Costa until moving to The Plantation Course. A notable example of the stellar career of Jack Nicklaus, he was crowned champion three more times while the tournament remained at La Costa, in addition to his two previous victories. Also winning during the La Costa period were a host of great names; Gary Player, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Paul Azinger, Davis Love, III, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, and Stuart Appleby, among other greats.

The Tournament of Champions became the Mony Tournament of Champions in 1975, the Infiniti Tournament of Champions in 1991 and the Mercedes Championships in 1994. The name changed slightly, to the Mercedes-Benz Championship, in 2007, before SBS (Seoul Broadcasting Systems) became the title sponsor for 2010.

The Plantation Course

By listening to some of the competitors in the Mercedes-Benz Championship, it would seem that the Plantation Course is one of the most difficult tracks on tour. The fact is, it ranks 50th out of 54 in terms of difficulty. Despite it's statistically "easy" ranking, there has been only one hole-in-one recorded in the 10 years it has been held in Kapalua; Lucas Glover's ace on the eighth hole in 2006.

Golfweek ranked The Plantation Course as No. 56 among its "America's Best Modern Courses" in 2007. The par-73 course opened in 1991 and was, as earlier mentioned, designed by architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. They designed a course that puts a great deal of importance on precision and shot-making over distance. Rolling terrain, a seaside location and lots of vegetation, not to mention 99 bunkers, lie in wait for errant shots.

Any person who has seen the course in person, or even watched the tournament on television, can attest to the secondary importance of course specifications. It's natural beauty is virtually unparalleled, not simply in golf, but in the world. Even casual nature lovers and golf fans will find themselves in awe of the views.

The PGA Tour has done an excellent job in keeping The Plantation Course on display as the season-opening Tour venue. It looks as if thanks are also in order to SBS for keeping the championship alive.

Resort Accomodations and Amenities

The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is just the beginning of the awesome accommodations you can find yea- round in this paradise. There's little doubt why Kapalua is a top golf resort. There are luxury villas and vacation homes with views that rival anywhere in the world. Richly appointed homes and guest suites will enhance the vacation stay of a lifetime.

Vacation Packages

It may be the vacation of a lifetime, but package deals can be relatively inexpensive. Golf and spa packages, with stays in two- and three-bedroom units, start at around $519 per night. Villa packages, for two- and three-bedroom units, begin at around $200 per night, with a minimum four-night stay. They also include $150 resort credit, which can be used for spa and other amenities.

Statistical Sources: PGATOUR (dot) com; Golfweek.

Improve Your Golf Game in Australia?

Yes, indeed!

If you have a few minutes, plan a quick trip to Runaway Bay, Queensland, Australia for the Sports Excellence 2009 conference, May 27 and 28. Too late to get the early bird special, so it'll set you back about $995 per person.

All kidding aside, if you're in that quadrant of the globe it would be a fantastic conference to attend. Your entire game will be improved; from the physical and emotional/mental game, to visualization and reaction training, and not just for golf.

Leading performance anxiety expert, Colin Cromack (Target Oriented Golf), as well as Anthony Kelly (the arrow catcher), international presenter and strength coach, Mark McKean, and Jeffrey Hodges (author of Sports Mind and Champion Thoughts, Champion Feelings) headline the conference.

Great chance to get the upper hand on your competition and visit Australia's Gold Coast, all in one vacation.

Top-10 Golf Instructors and Where to Find Them

Hundreds of dollars per hour may not be in your budget for golf instruction (it's not in mine, never will be, even if Hank Haney's the teacher), but most top-instructors have their own, or they're at least associated with, academies you can visit. You can learn from other pros at the academies and many even have nice packaged deals. It may not be a cheap vacation, but you'll get some top instruction.

With the assistance of GolfDigest.com, I've put together the top-10 instructors and where you can find them.

1. Butch Harmon - Butch Harmon School of Golf, Rio Secco G.C., Henderson, NV -ButchHarmon.com, 702-777-2444

2, David leadbetter - David Leadbetter Golf Academy at ChampionsGate, Orlando, FL -
Leadbetter.com, 407-787-3330

3. Hank Haney - Hank Haney Golf, Lewisville, TX - HankHaney.com, 800-642-5528

4. Jim Mclean - Jim McLean Golf School at Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, FL - JimMcLean.com, 305-591-6409

5. Jim Flick - TaylorMade Learning Center, Carlsbad, CA - JimFlick.com, 888-546-3542

6. Chuck Cook - Chuck Cook Golf Academy at Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, TX - BartonCreek.com, 800-336-6158

7. Jim Hardy - Jim Hardy Golf, Houston, TX - JimHardyGolf.com, 281-807-4176

8. Rick Smith - Rick Smith Golf Academy at Treetops Resort, Gaylord, MI - RickSmith.com,
989-732-6711

9. Stan Utley - Kostis McCord Learning Center at Grayhawk, Scottsdale, AZ - StanUtleyGolf.com, 888-988-8539

10. Mike Bender - Mike Bender Golf Academy, Lake Mary, FL - 407-321-0444

Source: GolfDigest.com, "America's Fifty Greatest Teachers."

A Five-Star Fuselage Suite and Rainforest Golf in Costa Rica

A few days ago I tweeted about the awesome 727 Fuselage Suite at the Hotel Costa Verde near Quepos, Costa Rica, the exterior is shown in the image at right. One of my Twitter.com friends replied with, "Cool, but is there a golf course nearby." I admit, I hadn’t previously looked too closely at Costa Rican golf. I hadn’t even heard of Quepos before running across the 727 Suite on Uncrate.com. I’m so glad I took a look.

Costa Rica appears to be a tropical paradise and one of the few places, from an avid golfer’s point of view, where the golf would be a mere footnote to any vacation. But, the golf course at the Manuel Antonio Park, which is situated near the Hotel Costa Verde, could provide a unique view into both the rainforest and coastline. Nestled alongside an exotic rainforest with breathtaking ocean views, this 18-hole, par-72 championship course offers not only a challenging Ted Robinson-designed layout, but also a spectacular gallery featuring friendly monkeys and brightly hued macaws. The course’s golf guides can point out all the features, monkeys and all, that each golfer should see. With claims of mesmerizing scenery, wildlife, rainforest, coastline, who could concentrate on golf.

Just so you know, Quepos, or Puerto Quepos, is located near the center of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast and drapes itself across a tropical inlet surrounded by primary rainforest. High season runs through the drier months of December to April, and particularly during the Festival del Mar, a month long party held each February that features concerts, sporting events, parades and a street carnival with dancers from across the Costa Rica.

The 727 Suite will cost you around $350 per night in the high season, around $300 during off-season. Not a bad price for a luxury hotel suite and luxury hotel. The other suites appear to be exquisitely appointed, as well.

Quite an enticing place. If I ever go, golf will be taking a backseat to the monkeys.

If you're interested planning a Costa Rica vacation, the people at AAA are always the best place to start.

Images courtesy Hotel Costa Verde.

Never Happen on a Guys Golf Trip

It's one of the funniest scenes of all-time, but relative to a guys golf trip, NEVER happen.



But, I think James Bond even said "Never say never."

Gorillapod Makes Camera Tripods a Thing of the Past

First off, I don't own one of these, yet. What a fantastic invention! It appears amateur vacation photography can now look a little more professional, without having to carry around a bulky tripod, thanks to the Gorillapod from Joby.

The model shown is Joby's Gorillapod SLR, which features sturdy, prehensile legs that help you get a steady shot in virtually any environment. Its compact size means it can go anywhere and everywhere, and the quick-release plate makes setup a snap. Whether you're shooting time-lapse photos with your SLR or capturing videos with your camcorder, according to Joby, the Gorillapod SLR is well-suited for the job.

There are several models of the Gorillapod, suited to everything from small, point-and-shoot cameras to larger professional video production.

I can't wait to try it. So, now I need to plan a new golf vacation and order the Gorillapod SLR.

Image courtesy of Joby.com

Source: Joby.com.

Sheter Cove, Hilton Head Island

Shelter Cove is a great little section of the island. Great food, lots of shops, a toy store and a playground for the kids, nightlife for the older kids, just a great atmosphere.

Speaking of children, however, our experience with the Kingfisher Seafood and Steakhouse taught us a lesson. Although the KSS was a bit dated, it has a great view of the cove and live entertainment. Not much for children though.

Food, which was great, took a loooong time to arrive. With no kid menus, 30 minutes seemed like two hours.

The food mitigated the impact of the long wait, a little bit.