Ask Travelin Joe: Phoenix, Palm Springs and Miami

If you want to ask Travelin' Joe a question, e-mail him at askjoe@golf.com.

Dear Joe,
We're coming down to the Phoenix area to catch the FBR Open, and we're staying to play golf for a week. My group is mostly low handicappers, between 3 and 10, and we've got a few top courses lined up. We've got one free day and would like to fill it with one more round. Do you have one hidden gem -- quality and price -- that you can recommend?
Sandy Laird
Englewood, Colorado

The best new course you can play in Phoenix isn't new -- but it is newly public. Southern Dunes Golf Club (480-367-8949, golfsoutherndunes.com; $49-$119) in Maricopa, 25 minutes south of Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport was a private men's club for its first six years of existence, where members included major championship winners Mark Calcavecchia and Steve Jones.

Unfortunately, it's an hour from Scottsdale, on the "wrong" side of town, so the business model didn't hold up -- but the course sure did. This big, bold layout might be the very best work that Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley have done, with broad, sweeping, fescue-framed fairways, deep, artfully contoured and strategically placed bunkers and masterfully crafted undulating greens.

Toss in unobstructed mountain and desert vistas, Troon Golf management and a green fee that's less than half of some of Scottsdale's trophy courses, and you have what I consider to be Arizona's best value.

Hello Joe,
I live in the Seattle area and I am planning a trip at the end of January. I'm kicking around Palm Springs or the Dallas area. Is there something in either of those areas that is both nice and economical? We're a group of six and looking for a package similar to what you would find at the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama. We did that last year but ran into some unfriendly weather. However the tracks and unlimited golf were incredible. We're all low handicappers and looking for a challenge if there is one. I'm also considering Horseshoe Bay in the Austin area.
Jeff Jones
Seattle, Washington

Intriguing options, indeed, but let's break it down. First, you won't find anything remotely resembling the Trent Jones Trail anywhere -- it's one of a kind, even among other Trails. Now, if weather is an issue and you guys are good golfers, I'd forego Dallas and Austin this time around and stick with Palm Springs.

You'll find plenty of affordable, quality public golf in both Texas destinations, but in late January, you're looking at average daytime highs in the upper 50s in Dallas, lower 60s in Austin. Pay the freight and enjoy the 70- to 75-degree sunshine that Palm Springs has to offer.

One option is the Golf Package at Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas and Spa (760-341-1000, grandchampions.hyatt.com), which includes golf at Indian Wells Golf Resort, lodging, full breakfast, a sleeve of logo balls and yes -- a GOLF Magazine subscription. Both Indian Wells courses are once and future Skins Game hosts, and you can't go wrong picking either the Clive Clark-designed Celebrity Course or the John Fought-crafted Players Course, each a sturdy, gorgeous test. Package prices start at $331 per person, per night, through February 28th.   

Dear Joe:
We are going to Miami in March. Where would you recommend we play? We played Doral Blue last time.
Chris Kennedy
Omaha, Nebraska

Nothing like starting at the top and working your way down. Fortunately, it's not much of a stumble. Doral's Gold course (800-713-6725, doralresort.com; $175) features strategic bunkering, flat fairways with landing zones shrunk by March winds and water on 16 holes -- in other words, a similar experience to the Blue -- for roughly half the price.

For the ultimate in pampering, check out Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club's Soffer course (305-932-6200, fairmont.com/turnberryisle; $250), complete with waterfalls, tropical vegetation and forecaddies, but you've got to stay there to play there.

For something new, try Normandy Shores Golf Club (305-868-6502, normandyshoresgolfclub.com; $90-$160), a 68-year-old muni in Miami Beach basking in a 2008 Arthur Hills extreme makeover. A great location, risk/reward holes and Sunshine State scenery adds up to pure fun. 

Ask Travelin' Joe: Las Vegas, Alabama and Scottsdale

If you want to ask Travelin' Joe a question, e-mail him at askjoe@golf.com.

Travelin' Joe,
I'm headed to Vegas with friends for a quick weekend golf trip in December. We're scheduled to play at Revere and Badlands. We'll try to get in 36 in a day. Any thoughts on these courses?
Thomas Jones, Esq.
Washington, D.C.

Counselor, I'm advising that you sample those two venues on different days. Sunrise in Las Vegas on say, December 10, is 6:41 a.m., sunset at 4:26 p.m. and the two courses are a good half-hour apart, so it's not going to be easy doubling up. If you stay at the same property, different story. The Revere Golf Club has two Billy Casper/Greg Nash courses, the Lexington and the Concord, the latter the newer and less expensive of the two. Lexington is the slightly stronger product, but they're both good plays. I wrote about Badlands ($70-$150; 702-363-0754, badlandsgc.com) in this spot a couple of weeks back, calling it "a 27-hole Johnny Miller desert target design that has plenty of quirky touches and a nice 'wow' factor." I haven't changed my mind.

Dear Joe,
I'm looking at property at Kiva Dunes, Alabama. I found a great value down there. I'm attracted because of its location and its challenging golf course. Can you tell me where does Kiva Dunes Golf Club rank in 2008?
Michelle Murray
Atlanta, Ga.

Kiva Dunes Golf Club ($72-$92; 251-540-7000, kivadunes.com) is a 1995 Jerry Pate design in Gulf Shores, 45 miles west of Pensacola that darts through wind-sculpted dunes along the Gulf of Mexico. It rates among the best in the state from every publication that ranks courses. At GOLF Magazine, it charted as the third-best public course in Alabama in our 2008 rankings that were published in September. Best reason to buy? Property owners pay only $50-$55 to play.

Hey Joe,
My family is taking a trip to see friends in Scottsdale over Christmas. I am planning on playing a couple of times. I'm looking for a couple of somewhat affordable courses and one high-end course. Are there some lower priced courses that you would recommend in the general vicinity, and if you could pick only one course to play out there, what would it be? Thanks for the info.
Matt Moore
Stillwater, N.Y.

Scottsdale is a legitimate golf mecca, but not for bargain hunters. Remember, too, that rates rise after the first of the year at many area courses, so try to tee off before the calendar changes.

That said, since you've come from New York, you should get a taste of desert golf. Start at Mountain Shadows Golf Club ($25-$49; mountainshadowsgolfclub.com, 480-905-8999), a lush, tight, par-56 executive track that's under $30 to ride most afternoons and features in-your-face views of Camelback Mountain.

Head next to the Sanctuary Golf Course at WestWorld ($71-$99; sanctuarygolf.com, 480-502-8200), an Audubon-certified desert target design from Randy Heckenkemper that juniors can walk for $31. You can ride after 2 p.m. for $45 and can walk during the week for $71.

Finally, splurge at We-Ko-Pa's Saguaro course ($145-$180; wekopa.com, 480-836-9000), a very walkable Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw creation just east of Scottsdale that has no homes or roads — just wide fairways, strategic bunkering, cleverly contoured greens and unobstructed cactus and mountain vistas everywhere you look.

Ask Travelin' Joe: Las Vegas, Phoenix and Orlando's best

If you want to ask Travelin' Joe a question, e-mail him at askjoe@golf.com.

Hi Joe,
I'm heading to Las Vegas in November and I'd like to know what you recommend for a true "desert golf" experience. I want to play a type of course I can't get here in Georgia. I'm even willing to drive up to Mesquite while I'm there.
Paul Allmon
Atlanta, Ga.

Hey, this is Vegas-you can get anything your heart (or wallet) desires here. If you're willing to splurge, you'll be captivated by the back nine at Butch Harmon's haunt, Rio Secco ($115-$225; 702-889-2400, riosecco.net), where the holes dip into and out of scrub-filled canyons. A worthy alternative is the Badlands ($70-$150); 702-363-0754, badlandsgc.com), a 27-hole Johnny Miller desert target design that has plenty of quirky touches and a nice "wow" factor.

Hey Joe,
I'm headed to Phoenix with my wife in December and want to play somewhere scenic, but one that won't beat us up, if you know what I mean.
George Kent
Richmond, Va.

Say "Hi" if you see me strolling the fairways of my hometown! Try any of the three nines at The Phoenician ($115-$175; 480-423-2449, thephoenician.com) The Oasis loop offers a touch of Florida thanks to the landscaping and lakes, while the Desert and Canyon nines embrace cactus and mountain themes. All three nines are pretty short but eye-catching.

Hi Joe,
I'm a Spanish pro and going to Orlando next winter. Which are, in your opinion, the top 10 golf courses to play in Orlando?
Mario Fernandez Cobo
Spain

Travelin' Joe hasn't played them all, but taking in the feedback I've received, plus my own subjective whims, here's your Orlando area Top 10.

1. Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club, Orlando (private-resort)
2. Sugarloaf Mountain Golf & Town Club, Clermont (private-resort)
3. Southern Dunes, Haines City (public)
4. Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando (private)
5. Isleworth Country Club, Windermere (private)
6. Ginn Reunion Resort (Independence), Orlando (private-resort)
7. Grand Cypress Golf Club (New), Orlando (public-resort)
8. Walt Disney World (Osprey Ridge), Lake Buena Vista (public-resort)
9. Orange County National (Panther Lake), Winter Garden (public-resort)
10. Orange County National (Crooked Cat), Winter Garden (public-resort)

Many private courses are receptive to allowing play from visiting professionals, on a space-available basis, so call or write ahead of time. If that doesn't work, mention Sergio's name.