PING, a family-owned Arizona golf equipment company, makes some of the finest golf clubs in the world. Started as a garage business in 1959 by Karsten Solheim, PING was reportedly named for the sound Solheim heard when a club made contact with a ball. Solheim, who died in 2000, was a mechanical engineer who retired from a career in the aerospace industry to purse his passion for designing the perfect putter. He is the only golf manufacturer to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

To see what PING golf clubs are capable of in the hands of a pro, see this YouTube video about how Hunter Mahan uses the contents of his golf bag.

Learn more about PING on the official company website.

Arizona is a great place to vacation (see our Top Reasons why), but it does heat up in the summer. This can be a boon for travelers because innkeepers tend to turn up the heat on promotions. Case in point is the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa.  This 125-acre desert resort, located in Scottsdale at the foot of Mummy Mountain is offering special “Linger Longer” weekend packages with extended check-in and check-out times, as well as a $50 credit per day for golf, dining or spa services. Camelback Golf Club, located 3 miles from the resort, features 36 rounds of championship golf.

Find out about all the summer vacation packages on the Camelback Inn website.

Golf in the beautiful Sonoran Desert of Arizona is in a class by itself.  Besides over 300 days of sunshine per year, there are so many golf courses that every golfer is sure to find the perfect challenge.  Here are our Top Reasons to plan a golf vacation in Arizona.

Read more about Arizona golf vacations on the official Arizona Visitor’s Guide website.

Besides a plethora of public golf courses, Arizona is home to scores of private courses and golf clubs. One if these is Blackstone Country Club, located in the rolling hills of Peoria about an hour from downtown Phoenix. Named for the area’s indigenous volcanic rock, Blackstone features a 30,000 square foot clubhouse and a private, walkable 18-hole championship golf course. The club is family-friendly and located adjacent to a peaceful gated community named Vistancia.

With the housing market still down, many out-of-towners are buying second homes in Blackstone’s gated community. Read about Canadians who have discovered Blackstone Country Club in this Edmonton Times article.