SPRING BREAK ROAD TRIP?

Heading south for Spring Break? Give the kids a break from the backseat with a stop at one of the 18 Kentucky State Park golf courses.  Kentucky is situated in a swath of territory under a weather pattern that allows golf year ‘round.  Sure, in March you may need a jacket, but the scenery alone is worth it. Six courses offer rounds of nine holes.  Daily rates and golf packages at great prices. Check it out: www.parks.ky.gov/golf. Chip Shot packages at Mineral Mound, double occupancy, $59 each through March 31 includes one overnight, 18 holes of golf and golf cart.  Ditto for Kentucky Dam.  Prices are subject to change. For more about Kentucky tourism options, www.kentuckytourism.com. Photos: Above top, Mineral Mound State Park. Above, Kentucky Dam Village Golf.

CANCUN CALLING

Have sand on beach and golf course: Only 7 miles from the airport, the IBEROSTAR CANCUN GOLF CLUB at the IBEROSTAR CANCUN all-inclusive beachfront resort is the only property in the hotel district with a par-72 championship golf course. On Nichupte Bay, the 150-acre site is all tropical distraction as mangroves and wildlife share the fairways with Mayan history. Wildlife? Native birds, iguanas and the occasional sunning crocodile.  GOLF: One free round of golf is included with stay.  Tees:  Black/6734 and Red/5029. Greens fees vary by season and time of day. TREAT YOURSELF: Just off the lobby, follow the grand hall and descend the stairs to the private Spa Sensation area. Check the spa menu and book yourself some downtime. Relax in the outdoor Jacuzzi or experience a water massage designed for feet. From the lobby, follow any walkway to one of 7 swimming pools, a palapa or beach bed. DINE: With two buffets and four a la carte restaurants, it’s not an easy choice.   Café con leche, anyone? Best coffee at the resort is brewed in the lobby bar.   SHOP: Check with the concierge for transportation to the traditional Mexican market in town. At the Pro Shop, succumb to the temptation of new club covers, like the smiling, plushy crocodile heads. 

CHECK IT OUT: www.iberostar.com and click through to Cancun. 

MAKE YOUR OWN GOLF HISTORY IN WILLIAMSBURG

Create an historic getaway. PLAY & STAY: Stay at Greensprings Vacation Resort and play at the Robert Trent Jones-designed Gold Course at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.  Next day, play the Green Course, which hosted the 2004 U.S Women’s Public Links Championship. It was designed by his son, Rees. On day three, drive to another Rees Jones-designed club at nearby Viniterra. PLAN AHEAD & SAVE: In the spring, two nights in a 4-bedroom/2-bath condo and three rounds start at $279 per person. Good news for niners. Jones Sr. designed the nine-hole Spotswood at the Golden Horseshoe. DINE: At Market Square, relax with a cup of custom blended coffee and a peppermint chocolate brownie at Aromas Specialty Coffees and Gourmet Bakery. Dine out at The Fat Canary; it specializes in a seasonal menu.  SHOP: Find national brands like Williams-Sonoma and new ones, like Closet Envy. Nearby Williamsburg Premium Outlets offers 135 stores. SPA: Designed after Poland’s famous salt caves, the Williamsburg Salt Spa is the first salt spa on the east coast. 

CHECK IT OUT:

Jones Collection of golf packages, 1-877-806-8163 or

http://search.guestdesk.com/reservations/virginiagolfvacations/search/13283

Greensprings Vacation Resort, www.greenspringsvacationresort.com

Aromas Specialty Coffees and Gourmet Bakery, www.aromasworld.com

The Fat Canary, www.fatcanarywilliamsburg.com

Closet Envy, www.shopclosetenvy.com

Williams-Sonoma, www.williamssonoma.com

Williamsburg Premium Outlets, www.premiumoutlets.com/williamsburg

Williamsburg Salt Spa, williamsburgsaltspa.com

NOT too good to be true

NOT too good to be true is a service to girlfriendsthatgolf.com followers about golf travel specials that we receive at our media desk. If you and your golfing girlfriends dream about golfing in Ireland, check this out. Hubbies? Husbands are always welcome. ;)
Aer Lingus Vacation Store offers championship golf packages at some of Ireland’s most legendary courses, including Lough Erne, the U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy’s home course. All include round-trip airfare, accommodations and rounds of golf. Check it out: www.aerlingusvacationstore.com and click through to Golf Packages, Play Golf in Ireland. Or call 800-495-1632 to speak with one of Aer Lingus Vacation's Golf Travel Professionals.

Follow the leader at the Majors

Congratulations to Stacy Lewis, 2011 Kraft Nabisco Champion. Lewis scored 66-69-71-6 or 275 (-13) at Mission Hills Country Club's Par 72, 6,702 yard course in Rancho Mirage, California. One Women’s Golf Major Championship down and three to go in great places to plan a four-day getaway. Here are the dates and web sites. Stay tuned. We’ll be back with ideas on what to do when you are not following the leader.

JUNE 23-26: The Wegmans LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. Purse? $2,500,000, www.wegmanslpga.org/default.aspx

JULY 7-10: U.S. Women’s Open conducted by the USGA at The Broadmoor, East Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Purse? $3,250,000, www.2011uswomensopen.com

JULY 28-31: RICOH Women’s British Open, Carnoustie Golf Links, Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Purse: $2,500,000, subject to fluctuation in rate exchange, www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com/Home.aspx

Scottsdale, AZ calling

Love the Sonoran desert: Women who left golf because of starting a family, a career or a litany of other reasons often have trouble making time to return to the game they love. Enter the surging interest in playing 9 holes. GOLF: On a girlfriends getaway at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, the yearn to return is made easier with the opening of Monument Express, an executive 9-hole golf course at Troon North Golf Club. HOT: Designed within the layout of Troon North’s spectacular Monument course, ME measures 1,500 yards and offers two PAR options, based on the skill level of the player. Play 9 on arrival day—the course opens at 3:30 pm—and 18 on day two. TREAT YOURSELF: Take a Yoga for Golf class at the Four Seasons Scottsdale Resort Spa. It is designed to get you into a positive frame of mind before stepping onto the first tee. Après golf? Let a massage therapist lead you in stretches before your massage. Then settle in at the salon for a mani-pedi-tini. Choose your nail color, then your martini flavor; your tini will be delivered to your nail station. DINE: On-site restaurants feature southwestern yet contemporary cuisine. More casual dining is found poolside at Saguaro Blossom and the weekend breakfast buffet is at Crescent Moon. Dress for Talavera where the ambience rivals the menu. SHOP: If there's a knitter in the group, then a run into town is in order to visit Arizona Knitting and Needlepoint Shop on Goldwater. CHECK IT OUT: www.scottsdalecvb.com, www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale. www.arizonaknittingandneedlepoint.com

Toronto loves golfers

Blogging from Toronto: For a girlfriends golf getaway, Toronto rocks. Sure, it’ll be a couple of months before the grass is really green around here but planning in March gets you teed up for May. GOLF: This city loves golfers. Toronto has the highest ratio of golf courses per capita on the continent. There are more than 100 courses within an hour’s drive of downtown. Lots are public courses and those that dreams are made of like Glen Abbey Golf Club, which hosted the Canadian Open 25 times. HOT: Toronto Highlands Golf Trail organizes hotel and golf packages like “Golf and the City” for women. SHOP: Swoon over the shopping in the Bloor-Yorkville neighborhood, at quirky Kensington Market or at Toronto Eaton Centre. There is a museum here that is dedicated to shoes, the Bata Shoe Museum. TREAT YOURSELF: Day spas, like Shizen at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, provide tranquil respites in the thick of downtown. Great wine bar at the hotel, too. Pair a glass of Canadian wine with tofu popcorn or prosciutto-wrapped figs. Add golf? It doesn’t get much better. Check it out.
www.SeeTorontoNow.com, www.ontariotravel.net, www.torontohighlands.com