Pacific Gales promises to be on par with Bandon

If you're a fan of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, then here's something that might excite you: There's more world-class golf being planned for the southern coast of Oregon. The new course is called Pacific Gales, which will be located on a portion of the privately-owned Knapp Ranch in Curry County, between Cape Blanco and the town of Port Orford, about 30 miles south of Bandon. If everything goes as planned, course construction for Pacific Gales...

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Shadow Creek 'definitely a bucket list course'

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. – As the director of golf at the exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Club, Mark Brenneman has plenty of stories about the famous crowd who love the game – Jordan, Clinton, Bush, Clooney. I heard a few of these tales during a recent visit to Shadow Creek, but I was asked not to share them. There aren’t many rules at this laid-back club, but the ‘What happens at Shadow Creek stays at Shadow Creek’ rule is a big one. In a town...

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Also playing

National Golf Club of Louisiana is one of two standout munis around Lake Charles.  There aren't enough golf courses in the Lake Charles area to call it a true "golf mecca," but there are a couple municipal courses worth a round if you want to expand your golf options beyond Contraband Bayou and Gray Plantation. In Westlake, The National Golf Club of Louisiana is the area's newest course (until the Golden Nugget's course opens). The...

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Where to golf in Lake Charles

Tom Fazio's Contraband Bayou winds around L'Auberge Resort in Lake Charles.  The golfing menu in Lake Charles begins at Contraband Bayou, the onsite championship course of L'Auberge, and was designed by Tom Fazio. Fazio is no stranger to high-end casino plays and its unique clientele of high-roller comps (including Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Edgewood Tahoe in Lake Tahoe, Fallen Oak in Biloxi). His layout here, which opened in 2004,...

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Lake Charles, Louisiana an indulgent golf and gaming destination

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Let's get one thing straight: I would never dissuade anyone from indulging in a beignet, or maybe two, first thing in the morning. These sugary, powered, soft donuts -- which are a specialty down on the Bayou -- are simply too appetizing to walk by when you see a tray full of them. Rather, I would merely suggest it be a piece (or two) of a balanced, nutritious breakfast, including a banana or a piece of toast to help...

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Brooklyn's Marine Park Golf Course enjoying a resurgence

As a lifelong New York City resident, Rich McDonough takes great pride in the recent resurgence of the Big Apple’s public golf scene. Donald Trump will open his Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Park in 2015. Closer to his heart, the Marine Park Golf Course in Brooklyn continues its rebirth under Michael and Adam Giordano, the father-son ownership team that took over in 2009. The duo has launched a long-term master plan to enhance the original...

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The 3rd hole at Sewailo Golf Club.

Sewailo is as much about the story it tries to tell as it is about the 7,400-yard championship layout. The Yaquis, who migrated from Mexico to Arizona more than 2,500 years ago, are said to have come from the "flower land," or Sewailo as it's known in their language. The course illustrates that history. It starts off lush and green with lakes that evolve into streams. In the second phase of the course, the desert re-emerges, then later,...

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Begay's Sewailo Golf Club brings a new look to Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The new Sewailo Golf Club is a championship test with a unique point of view -- one that, perhaps, could only be understood by a Native American who grew up so poor on the west side of Albuquerque that he once bought a pair of women's golf shoes in a yard sale so he could play golf in the summers. Co-designed by former PGA Tour player-turned Golf Channel commentator Notah Begay III with veteran architect Ty Butler, Sewailo...

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