ARIZONA GOLF AUTHORITY

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San Diego’s Grand Del Mar is a Wine Lover’s Delight

Grand Del Mar, San Diego, CA

Now that I’ve visited The Grand Del Mar, when I think of San Diego, images of delectable wines vie for prominence with those famous beaches.   Addison, Grand Del Mar’s signature restaurant, features a 3,300-label wine list which has earned the Wine Spectator Grand Award for several years. And no wonder.

Wine Director Jesse Rodriguez came from the Napa Valley’s French Laundry. Before that, he served as sommelier at Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician. Let’s just say, he knows his wines. And he loves to share his knowledge with interested patrons. Count me in!

Expect to find a diverse list, 60% international to 40% domestic, from prestigious producers to exciting limited production discoveries.   With our appetizers, Rodriguez poured a crisp Pinot Grigio from the small Scarpetta winery in Napa Valley, inspired by the white wines of Italy. Always seeking to increase customers’ enjoyment, he has expanded the selection of half bottles, enabling a couple to enjoy some diversity of wine choices with their gourmet meal.

I was impressed with the privately blended wines prepared especially for the hotel. We enjoyed an elegant Pinot Noir from Silacci Vineyard in Monterey County, California, which was bottled exclusively for Addison by Miura Vineyards.   I tasted vibrant currant and cranberry flavors, which beautifully complemented the rack of lamb entrée. The private bottling collection numbers close to 20 wines.

Did I mention that Addison is located in the clubhouse of The Grand Golf Club? Wow, what a clubhouse. Addison has its own circular driveway and entrance and includes a cozy library-type space, a piano bar and fabulous dining room overlooking the Tom Fazio-designed golf course. It’s a wonderful course with elevations that allow for far-reaching vistas. I fell in love with it and the demo driver I used all weekend. The driver came home with me. Unlike most vacation purchases, the novelty has not worn off. I hit it a mile.

In my book, the resort gets high marks for having a Wine Director who’s played St. Andrews! Add to that myriad other marks of excellence, and it’s easy to see why Grand Del Mar earned the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hotel rating for 2012, as well as the AAA Five Diamond Award. Visit www.thegranddelmar.com

Cori Brett is a Scottsdale-based golf travel and lifestyle writer. Visit www.coribrett.com

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Their all Arizona Golf Course Guide List Directory features an AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course review for every golf course in the State of Arizona, click on www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/.

February 19, 2012
Jim McLean Golf School Opens at SunRidge Canyon

Jim McLean Gof School – SunRidge Canyon Golf Course

Fountain Hills, Arizona – Greater Scottsdale’s list of Ivy League golf schools just became more prestigious with the debut of the Jim McLean Golf School at the Keith Foster-designed SunRidge Canyon Golf Club . The instruction facility is located on SunRidge Canyon’s practice facility with a permanent structure to be built in 2012 to house the school activities. McLean’s stable of instructors began teaching students in November 2011 with frequent visits from McLean as his calendar permits.

Jim McLean has long been recognized as one of the top golf instructors in the world, named 1994 PGA Teacher of The Year, and currently ranked No.3 by Golf Digest, among many other distinctions. Along with the world’s best database of golf swing clips and video content, Jim McLean has completed more than 35 years of research on the golf swing.

Using corridors of success and safety zones, Jim McLean’s teaching system can accommodate a variety of golf swings. Every student that attends a Jim McLean golf school or lesson will improve their game and leave with an organized plan for improvement. On average students improve their handicap by 4.6 strokes after taking a golf school program. Golf Schools feature The 8-Step Swing®, The Slot Swing™, X-Factor®, Y-Factor™, and Powerline.

Jim McLean & SunRidge Owners Don & Cindy Misheff

McLean’s stable of instructors teaches golfers how to improve their game with lessons ranging from a 30-minute “pre/post round” golf lesson to a one-day “ultimate” golf program, which includes seven hours of instruction, playtime and analysis.

In addition, the school offers two- and three-day programs that fully immerse students into McLean’s cutting-edge game-improvement methods.

Game improvement is available for everyone’s budget as prices range from $70 to $1,872. For more information, click on: http://sunridgegolf.com/jim-mclean-golf-school/

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for SunRidge Canyon, as well as every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

February 16, 2012
Talking Stick Golf Course To Host “Business Golf” Seminar

Talking Stick Golf Club

Scottsdale, Arizona – Golf For Cause, 85 Broads Phoenix and NAWMBA are hosting “Understanding Golf for Your Business,” a seminar for professional women who want to develop business relationships through golf.

The seminar includes a casual golf experience with a mentor in each foursome, designed especially for newer golfers to help them feel at ease on the tees, as well as a presentation on capitalizing on the business success to be had on the golf course

The event takes at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale on Thursday, March 29, 2012 from 3-5:30pm. There is also an optional skills clinic from 1:30 – 2:15pm. Seminar cost is $75 per person and an additional $15 if you take part in the skills clinic.

There are several ways to register, including:

On-line: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2946191137

By calling: 224-805-8962

Email: Kathy@thebreakawayteam.com

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory and read the AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for Talking Stick Golf Club. Enjoy “All Things Arizona Golf” presented by the Arizona Golf Authority.

February 16, 2012
Arizona Golf – The Boulders Waldorf Astoria Resort Offers “One for All” Package

Boulders Resort, Carefree, Arizona

Carefree, Arizona – The Boulders, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, is providing the perfect reason to wake up and smell the roses – or the fresh double-cut greens – as Scottsdale/Carefree welcomes world-class springtime golf.

The Resort’s One for All package lets you enjoy golf daily on the resort’s two award-winning, 18-hole golf courses designed by Jay Morrish. Nestled in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the demanding courses provide golfers with panoramic views of the breathtaking scenery unique to the greater Scottsdale area, including the 12 million-year-old granite boulders scattered about the Boulders desert setting.

In addition to unlimited golf, enjoy luxurious accommodations in one of several accommodation offerings, range privileges and unlimited access to tennis facilities, access to the spa facilities, and one 50-minute Golden Door massage per night.

If a beautiful and tranquil setting, amazing golf and lots of pampering sound like what you need, just telephone 888.579.2631 or visit www.theboulders.com.

Click Boulders North Course and Boulders South Course to visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

February 15, 2012
Antigua Official Apparel for RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup

PEORIA, ARIZ. – The Antigua Group, Inc.- one of the nation’s leading designers and marketers of genuine golf and sports apparel under the distinguished Antigua brand-has been named the official apparel of the 2nd Annual RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup.

Antigua Group

Antigua apparel and headwear will be used in all aspects of the 72-hole tournament, whose field of players will compete March 12-18 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Ariz.

Players in the Founders Cup will be competing for a $1.5 million dollar purse as well as a promise of $500,000 to be donated to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program.

“We are excited and honored by the chance to be an official supplier for the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup,” says Ron McPherson, President and CEO of Antigua. “The inaugural event was great, and the new 72-hole event for 2012 will be fantastic!”

About the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup

RR Donnelley, the LPGA and its players truly confirmed ’Why It’s Different Out Here’ in 2011, making golf history by not only remembering the women that made the LPGA a reality, but also by “paying-it-forward” and playing entirely for charity and the expansion of the Girls Golf program,” LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said. “Next season, with RR Donnelley’s vision, we will prove that the Founders Cup sequel is even better than the original.”

Tickets can be purchased online at www.LPGAFounders.com or by calling1-888-LPGATIX (574-2849). Children 17 and under will receive free tournament admission with a ticketed adult. Active military members and their immediate families can receive free tournament admission when showing a valid active military ID at the main admission gate.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

February 15, 2012
Stanley’s Big Comeback Wins WM Phoenix Open

Huff’s Stuff Arizona Golf Blog – Arizona Golf Authority

2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open

It took Kyle Stanley just one week – seven long days – to erase the darkest moment of his career with the brightest. His first-ever win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open didn’t come easy, but as the resilient Stanley can attest, they hardly ever do.

Or just look to Spencer Levin, the latest casualty of a major meltdown on Sunday. Unbelievably, while Stanley had blown a five-shot lead in the final round to lose the Farmers Insurance Open, Levin one-upped him this time around by tossing away a six-shot advantage at the TPC Scottsdale.

Welcome to the gut-wrenching world of the PGA Tour, where Stanley emerged from under a cactus and out of a party tent on his last two holes to record one of game’s great reversals of fortune.

“That’s golf. It’s a crazy game,” said the 24-year-old Stanley, a second-year pro from the small town of Gig Harbor, Wash., who came from eight shots off the pace to equal the third-largest comeback in Tour history.

“I think you need to accept the fact that there’s going to be highs and there’s going to be lows. I’m just fortunate I have such a great team around me, especially my mom and dad. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

Stanley grabbed the lead early on the back nine of this sunny Sunday, and ended up pouring in six birdies without a bogey for a 65 and winning total of 15-under par 269. Just as key, he made five straight pars to finish out his round and hold off a hard-charging Ben Crane, who ended up in second place, one shot back after a 66.

“I hit a couple of squirrel-ly tee shots, but my recovery shots were fantastic,” said Stanley, who miraculously chipped out from under a cactus and onto the green at No. 17, and then took a free drop before curling a pitching wedge onto the green at No. 18.

“I think the biggest challenge was seeing if I could put last week behind me, and I think I did.”

So did his moment in the sun erase the recent past? Stanley shook his head and said: “Not really. I’m never going to forget that, but I think it does make this one a lot sweeter.”

Thus the onus of the biggest demise of 2012 falls on Levin, a 27-year-old Californian who also was after his first victory in his third year on Tour. Unlike Stanley, who collapsed on the final hole at Torrey Pines with a triple bogey, Levin’s fall was slow and steady, as he birdied the third hole of the day to get to 1-under before three bogeys and a double spelled 75 and third place.

“You have a six-shot lead and lose, you gave it away. My hat’s off to Kyle, he played a great round,” conceded Levin, who followed up his 62 at Torrey Pines with a 63 in the second round at the TPC Scottsdale – the two best scores on Tour the past two weeks – but still couldn’t win.

Asked what he takes from the experience, both his and Stanley’s, Levin just shrugged in disbelief.

“That’s pretty awesome from what happened last week, to come back and win the very next week,” he said. “That shows he’s a hell of a player, obviously. “I guess it shows that you can recover from it. I think I will.”

Adding to the weirdness of the day, since the start of the 2010 season, no player has more rounds in the 60s on Tour than Levin, with 111. But when he needed one the most, the number was nowhere to be found.

But like Stanley said, it’s a crazy game.

Click on Huff’s Stuff Arizona Golf Blog for Bill Huffman’s complete blog archive at the Arizona Golf Authority.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List & AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

February 5, 2012
Arizona Golf’s Best Tour Pairing Grayhawk – TPC – Zona Hotel

ZONA Hotel & Suites Offers Arizona Golf “TOUR PACKAGE”

Home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open

Scottsdale Arizona – The golf planning professionals at Zona Hotel & Suites in Scottsdale know one round just isn’t enough. That’s why they have created the Zona Tour Package featuring two of Scottsdale’s best golf courses – Grayhawk and TPC Scottsdale.

The Tour Package includes four rounds of golf including one each on Grayhawk’s two great tracks, Raptor and Talon, as well as 18-hole loops at both the TPC Scottsdale Stadium and the TPC Champions course. Plus you’ll get to enjoy the great accommodations at Zona in a one-, two-, three- or four-bedroom suite.

Grayhawk Golf Club – Raptor Course

Should you have flexible travel plans, Zona will sweeten the deal by throwing in your fourth night accommodations at no charge if you arrive on Sunday. Pricing starts from $1,245 for single occupancy and $1,020 for double occupancy. For more information, call Tedd or Steve at 800-903-4057, or email golf@zonascottsdale.com

Visit http://www.zonascottsdale.com/scottsdale_golf/golf_packages.cfm for all the Tour Package details.

Enjoy “All Things Arizona Golf” presented by the Arizona Golf Authority.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for:

Grayhawk Golf Club Raptor Course

Grayhawk Golf Club Talon Course

TPC Scottsdale Champions Course

TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course

Zona Hotel’s TOUR PACKAGE lets avid amateurs play where the pros play and stay where the pros stay.

February 4, 2012
Charles Schwab Cup Moves to Desert Mountain in 2012

Champions Tour’s Finale To Be Contested at Cochise Course

From the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf News Desk

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Champions Tour and the Desert Mountain Club announced today that its season-ending event, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, will be hosted next year by the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Cochise Course, one of six at the facility designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, will be the venue for the championship.

The top-30 players on the Champions Tour money-list at the conclusion of the 2012 season are eligible to compete in the limited-field event, to be played October 29 – November 4, 2012.

“The Champions Tour has a lot of history at Desert Mountain and we want to continue making history by bringing one of our premier tournaments to this quality venue,” said Champions Tour President Mike Stevens. “Our players are enthusiastic to return.”

Built in 1987, the 7,019 yard Cochise Course was the host venue for The Tradition, one of five major championships on the Champions Tour, for 13 consecutive years from 1989 to 2001. During that period, the Cochise Course was voted by Champions Tour professionals as the “Best Maintained Golf Course” on Tour and was consistently ranked in the national golf magazines’ top-100 lists.

Cochise Course – Desert Mountain Golf Club

Desert Mountain offers its members six private Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses, the most in one location anywhere in the world. The Cochise Course features rolling fairways surrounded by water and desert rock outcroppings. The hallmark of the course is the par-3 seventh hole and par-5 fifteenth hole where the double green for these two holes sits on a picturesque island, approached from two different directions.

“Desert Mountain has such a strong history not only in club and residential golf but in tournament golf,” said Nicklaus, a four-time winner of The Tradition on the Cochise Course. “The years during which Desert Mountain hosted The Tradition are an important part of the club’s first 25 years and its legacy, and the opportunity to host such a significant event as the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship is an ideal way to celebrate the start of the next 25 years in the Desert Mountain story.”

“Cochise is a great example of the variety of golf the members at Desert Mountain get to enjoy and among the reasons the club is so unique. It was a challenge to do six different golf courses on six different properties, and I believe we did a good job in creating courses and golf experiences that play in diverse ways. Of the six distinctive design approaches, Geronimo and Cochise were meant to be golf parks, with the sportier course being Cochise. Variety is the beauty of the overall golf experience there. I have said before, you would be hard-pressed to find a better golf complex in the world than Desert Mountain.” Visit Nicklaus Design at www.nicklaus.com and read the Cochise Course Overview.

Bob Jones, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager for Desert Mountain Club, shares the Club’s excitement in hosting the prestigious Schwab Cup event: “The anticipation of the Champions Tour professionals returning to Desert Mountain is exciting for the Club’s members and the community. What a fantastic way for us to showcase our Club and begin celebrating our 25th anniversary.”

John Cook is the two-time defending champion of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, winning at Sonoma Golf Club in 2009 and TPC Harding Park last year. Cook is seeking to become the first player in Champions Tour history to win the event three consecutive years.

The complete Champions Tour schedule for the 2012 season is expected to be finalized later this year, visit www.pgatour.com.

December 19, 2011
Don Rea’s 100 Holes In 1 Day

From the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf News Desk

Don Rea – Augusta Ranch Golf Club – 100 Holes in 1 Day

Mesa AZ – Don Rea, General Manager at Augusta Ranch Golf Club, located in Mesa AZ, believes it’s important to give back to the game that has provided him with so much; and he turns that belief into action. “That’s why I’m an annual participant in the 100-Holes In 1 Day golf event”, Don shared.

The 100-Holes event benefits the Southwest Section PGA. Don recently completed the challenge and provided some interesting details about his day.

Don Rea’s 100-Holes in 1 Day Stats

Total Score: 354 – 15 over for the 100 holes

Course Played: Augusta Ranch Golf Club

Course Length: The 100 holes measured 21,032 yards, 11.95 miles

Temperature: 103 degrees Fahrenheit

Tee Time: Start 6:30am – Finish 7:02pm

Birdies: 10

Hole-in Ones: Don remains 0 for 44 (years); 2 near-misses today

Number of Flagsticks Hit: 1

Hydration: 288 ounces of PowerAde consumed during the round, some mixed with water

Swing Thought for the Day: Electrolytes

Fuel: Short break for breakfast and lunch

Pairing: Don’s friend, Doug Powell, came out and played alongside for 82 holes

Golf Coach: Wife and daughter both told him “you’re crazy”, and then supported him all day

Extended Family: Augusta Ranch staff members supported Don, dawn to dusk

Injuries: “The hip was hurting at the end, but my shoulder felt great.”

Donations: Don raised $3,450 for the SWPGA Foundation

Way to go, Don! Good cause, good job, good man.

Click Don Rea – Baseball’s Loss is Arizona Golf’s Gain for the complete story on Don’s major league baseball days, and his choice to accept the role of Managing Partner at the Augusta Ranch Golf Club, located in Mesa, Arizona.

It’s one of several entertaining Excellent Arizona Golf Adventures from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Be sure to read the Arizona Golf Authority Augusta Ranch Golf Club Course Review and then visit Augusta Ranch Golf Club for all the club info.

July 23, 2011