In February of 2100, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain will once again host the PGA World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Located in Marana, Arizona (just north of Tucson), Dove Mountain is a master-planned golf resort community in a high Sonoran Desert setting. Both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are expected to play this year and will be battling top players like Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer for the top overall seed.
Even in Arizona, the cold winter months can cut down on the opportunity for golf. This doesn’t mean it’s time to become a couch potato. Instead, invest in a gym membership if you don’t already have one. General conditioning and weight training will improve you golf game and will also add to your flexibility. Or step up your workouts by hiring a personal trainer.
There are golf-specific exercises you can perform with a couple of pieces of modified equipment. There are also indoor golf training facilities located throughout the country. Do some research online or ask your local pro about facilities in your area.
Most of us will never get a chance to go up against the best in the game, but with Real Golf 2011 for the iPhone and iPod Touch you can take on top golfers like Camilo Villega, Natalie Gulbis and Anthony Kim on ten of the top golf courses from around the world. Realistically-rendered avatars and HD graphics combined with motion capture technology make every swing and putt look like the real thing. As you progress through each game, dynamic lighting recreates the progress of the sun across the sky.
Watch a clip from Real Golf 2011 on YouTube. You can learn more about Real Golf 2011 on the Gameloft website or buy it in the iTunes App Store.c
With the Santa Cantalina Mountains and the Sonoran desert forming a dramatic backdrop, Ventana Canyon Golf Club is one of the top Arizona golf courses. Rated number 7 on Golf Magazine’s list of the Top 10 U.S. Golf Courses, this Tucson area resort features two Tom Fazio designed 18-hole courses. The Mountain course provides changes in elevation. The Canyon Course, while more level, has its own set of unique challenges as it rolls through Esperro Canyon.
The resort also includes a world-class tennis program managed by Peter Burwash International, a fitness center and swimming facility and a full-service spa.
Log cabin homes are becoming increasingly popular in the White Mountains of Arizona, including the town of Show Low. Many homeowners choose to buy a log cabin kit and build their own log cabin. For those who don’t feel up to the task or who don’t have the time, there are also custom cabin builders who can build the log cabin of your dreams. By working from existing house plans or creating an individual design for your home, custom log cabin builders can complete construction of a log cabin in a matter of weeks.
If you find yourself having to lay off golf in the winter or take it easy because of an injury, it’s important to keep yourself in golf-readiness shape. One of the most important aspects of golf fitness is flexibility. The range of motion required for an effective golf swing demands that your joints and muscles stay as loose and flexible as possible.
For more information, check out this informative article on golf flexibility. It recommends that you perform golf flexibility exercises at least four times per week and describes suggested exercises.
You can also find golf exercise videos on the PGA Tour website, including videos related to golf flexibility.
Travelin’ Joe on Golf.com recently rated the Phoenix / Scottsdale area as one of America’s top golf destinations. It’s also his hometown, so he may be somewhat biased. All the same, we were happy to see some of our favorite Arizona golf course on his list of the best of the best. Travelin’ Joe’s list includes:
We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro – Walkable greens with extra wide fairways. Because this course is owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, it remains free from encroaching residential and commercial development.
Troon North Pinnacle – Best public course in Scottsdale. The Monument course is also available at Troon North.
Grayhawk Golf Club – This course literally rocks, with class rock piped through faux-rock speakers on the fairway
Longbow Golf Club – A hidden jewel located 15 miles east of the Chicago Cub’s spring training facility at HoHoKam Park.
Read more about these and other Arizona gold courses in the Phoenix / Scottsdale area on the Golf.com website.
We-Ko-Pa is one of the top golf courses in Arizona. Developed by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation (“We-Ko-Pa” means Four Peaks in Yavapai), this facility features two outstanding daily-fee courses. We-Ko-Pa is located in the Sonoran Desert east of Scottsdale and is surrounded by Red Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks and the Superstitions. The Yavapai Nation is committed to leaving the We-Ko-Pa free from residential and commercial development.
Unique topographic features of the We-Ko-Pa courses provide a challenge for every level of golfer. In addition of the championship courses. We-Ko-Pa offers a fully-equipped clubhouse and world-class practice facility.
This might not be a golf gadget for everyone, but we love the Golf Segway and just had to include it in our golf gadget series. The X2 model Segway has turf-friendly tires that allow it to be driven both on and off the greens. This special model Segway has an easy-access score card holder and hag carrier. The X2 Golf Segway is both convenient and fun, providing the ideal way to maneuver the golf course.
The Smart Stick is a swing training aid that uses high tech lasers to help golfers trace the ideal plane of a golf swing. The gadget consists of a bright orange stick that emits small laser beams at each end. By lining up the lasers with a line on ground, a golfer can practice keeping the golf swing on a single plane as described by Ben Hogan in his classic Five Lessons instruction book.
Read more about the Smart Stick on the official website. You can see how it works in this YouTube video:
