Pinehurst Resort

PINEHURST, N.C. -- They weren't kidding with the names. Once you get in the vicinity of Pinehurst and Southern Pines, you start noticing the trees. Lots of pine trees. Farm stands sell pine needles from flatbed trucks. Old pickups chug down Highway 1 loaded with tilting bales of them. Although the trees come in many varieties, longleaf pines, with clusters like green fireworks, hold center stage. But over the past century they've lost ground, literally, to a local obsession -- golf.

If you’re a New England golfer, late March can be a cruel time. You’ve been watching tournaments televised from Hawaii, California, Arizona, and Florida since January. Yet local courses are often snowbound or muddy, weeks from true playability. Instead of waiting to get in those first swings of the season, head south or west. Here are five destinations where some of the country’s top courses beckon with varied topography, picturesque backdrops, and reminders of the sport’s storied past.

It's officially fall, and time to face facts. Despite recent balmy signs to the contrary, golf season is slipping away. If you haven't had enough of the game to sustain you through winter, there is hope. If, on the contrary, you're prepared to stow the clubs, think again. You could soon be wishing you hadn't been so hasty after you realize that the PGA Tour has seven tournaments scheduled after its recent "season-ending" playoffs. Either way, if you want to ensure one last big hurrah, the Pinehurst Resort is here for you. The North Carolina retreat, which was just chosen the No. 1 golf...

Dan Fitzpatrick of Worldwide Golf Vacations in Reading, which sells golf packages for about 120 resorts, has seen a downturn in business this year. “It’s all based on how customers perceive the economic climate,’’ Fitzpatrick said. “People have to feel confident about making the investment in their health and well-being by taking a golf vacation.’’ Fitzpatrick also said that the resorts his company works with are less likely to discount rates than they are to add value, by offering daily breakfast or unlimited golf.

I mulled my choice of courses: Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, or the TPC at Sawgrass . Perhaps the lush Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui, or the desert setting of Troon North in Arizona. I have had the good fortune to play three of these five courses , but now I was on my sun porch on a wintry evening, scrolling through these options -- and many others -- from a dropdown menu on my computer. The courses are realistically depicted in a PC game called "Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf," and after picking a course, I was able to hit real golf shots and watch how they played out...

Dan Fitzpatrick of Worldwide Golf Vacations in Reading, which sells golf packages for about 120 resorts, has seen a downturn in business this year. “It’s all based on how customers perceive the economic climate,’’ Fitzpatrick said. “People have to feel confident about making the investment in their health and well-being by taking a golf vacation.’’ Fitzpatrick also said that the resorts his company works with are less likely to discount rates than they are to add value, by offering daily breakfast or unlimited golf.

If you’re a New England golfer, late March can be a cruel time. You’ve been watching tournaments televised from Hawaii, California, Arizona, and Florida since January. Yet local courses are often snowbound or muddy, weeks from true playability. Instead of waiting to get in those first swings of the season, head south or west. Here are five destinations where some of the country’s top courses beckon with varied topography, picturesque backdrops, and reminders of the sport’s storied past.

SEPT. 2-5 PINEHURST, N.C. Pinehurst Food & Wine Festival: This wine-oriented fest at Pinehurst Resort, often called the cradle of American professional golf, concentrates less on lauding already-celebrated labels and more on serious wine education. Festivalgoers can learn the ins and outs of the blind tasting process, for example, explore the characteristics of different clones of a grape variety, or sample the new organic wines of South Africa. Among the guest chefs is Robert Sisca of Boston's Bistro du Midi.

The new year is more than two months away, but 2005 travel catalogs are streaming in, presenting trips that aren't always inexpensive but provide a lot of material to dream upon. Here are some offerings: Abercrombie & Kent's "Africa & Egypt" looks more like an elegant magazine than a sales pitch. Prices range from $2,525 for a nine-night "Highlights of Egypt" tour to $8,455 for a 12-night "Best of South Africa" excursion. Air fare is extra. The company notes that it has its own travel offices around the world and provides a high level of...

It's officially fall, and time to face facts. Despite recent balmy signs to the contrary, golf season is slipping away. If you haven't had enough of the game to sustain you through winter, there is hope. If, on the contrary, you're prepared to stow the clubs, think again. You could soon be wishing you hadn't been so hasty after you realize that the PGA Tour has seven tournaments scheduled after its recent "season-ending" playoffs. Either way, if you want to ensure one last big hurrah, the Pinehurst Resort is here for you. The North Carolina retreat, which was just chosen the No. 1 golf...

I mulled my choice of courses: Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, or the TPC at Sawgrass . Perhaps the lush Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui, or the desert setting of Troon North in Arizona. I have had the good fortune to play three of these five courses , but now I was on my sun porch on a wintry evening, scrolling through these options -- and many others -- from a dropdown menu on my computer. The courses are realistically depicted in a PC game called "Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf," and after picking a course, I was able to hit real golf...

PINEHURST, N.C. -- They weren't kidding with the names. Once you get in the vicinity of Pinehurst and Southern Pines, you start noticing the trees. Lots of pine trees. Farm stands sell pine needles from flatbed trucks. Old pickups chug down Highway 1 loaded with tilting bales of them. Although the trees come in many varieties, longleaf pines, with clusters like green fireworks, hold center stage. But over the past century they've lost ground, literally, to a local obsession -- golf.