Call it the Panhandle. Emerald Coast works, too. But let's never again refer to northwest Florida as the Redneck Riviera.

The region's Sandestin Resort is so good, it would fit right in on the French Riviera — only with more T-shirts and fewer tuxes. And that's fine by me, because I'm a huge fan of the marriage of flip-flops ambience and four-star golf, dining and lodging.

Folks who drop by this spring get a bonus. The resort typically punches the greens in late April, but because Sandestin is hosting the NCAA Division III National Championship in May, conditions will remain ideal for another month.

To take advantage, book Sandestin's Swing into Spring Package. Included are three nights at a 2-bedroom unit at the Village of Baytowne Wharf or a 3-bedroom at Bayside, three rounds of golf at the Links, Baytowne and the Raven (a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design and former Champions Tour venue), cart, $20 beverage credit and a Nike wedge.

Sandestin's beaches are brilliantly white, and the bunkers aren't bad, either. May rates start at $172 per player, per night, based on quadruple occupancy. 888-801-4388, sandestin.com.

(Photo: Courtesy of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort)

SAVE $105
Inn at Eagle Mountain
Fountain Hills, Ariz.

If cactus-covered slopes and wild terrain appeal to you this spring, the Round and a Room Golf Package at Eagle Mountain, east of Scottsdale, is a great way to kick off your season. Included is one night's lodging, a round at the Scott Miller—designed Eagle Mountain Golf Club, rental clubs, and a $10 breakfast coupon.

May rates start at $149 per person, based on double occupancy. 800-992-8083, innateaglemountain.com

SAVE $175
La Costa Resort and Spa
Carlsbad, Calif.

Perfect weather and suburban San Diego go hand-in-glove, all the better to take advantage of La Costa's Gold Medal Golf Package. The deal offers lodging at Southern California's only Gold Medal winner in our Premier Resorts Awards, unlimited golf on two PGA Tour courses, breakfast for two at Legends Bistro, club storage and 15 percent off at the pro shop.

May rates start at $469 per room, per night, based on double occupancy. 800-854-5000, lacosta.com

(Photo: Courtesy of Inn at Eagle Mountain)

Some golfers crave a U.S. Open–type beat-down. Me? I prefer a relaxing, playable course that offers a glorious setting, a dose of history and, if possible, an easy drive from a major city.

In other words, Ojai (pronounced "OH-high").

The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is a rustic charmer 75 miles northwest of L.A. Even without its delightful layout, the resort would be worth a visit, with its Mission-style architecture, sybaritic spa, and superior service.

Merely 6,292 yards from the tips, this welcoming 90-year-old course is drenched in character, thanks to a graceful routing among the oaks and slopes, courtesy of architects George Thomas Jr. and Billy Bell, the men responsible for Riviera and Bel-Air. (Later renovations feature the work of Jay Morrish.) The Topa Topa Mountains add to the magic, at least for Chi Chi Rodriguez and Al Geiberger, who were among the winners in the years the Champions Tour stopped by.

The Ultimate Golf Vacation Package for Two includes lodging, unlimited golf and cart, lunch at Jimmy's and a logo hat. April rates start at $579 per night, double occupancy. 855-697-8780, ojairesort.com

(Photo: Courtesy of Ojai Valley Inn)

As iconic golf landmarks go, few compare with the candy cane-striped lighthouse that backdrops the 18th green at Harbour Town. With Calibogue Sound looming on the left and OB lurking right, Harbour Town's home hole is one of the game's greatest.

The chance to follow in the formidable footsteps of past winners Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love III makes this a must-play, and Sea Pines' RBC Heritage Experience Package can make it happen.

Included is two nights at the Inn at Harbour Town, a round at Harbour Town accompanied by a caddie, a practice area with your own nameplate, a one-hour lesson, a first-tee introduction, and pro shop and restaurant discounts.

Added perks include a sleeve of balls, sunscreen, visor or hat, a logoed golf shirt and towel, ball marker with divot tool, locker room plaque and desktop mount, caddie bib, yardage book and commemorative Pete Dye coffee-table book.

All that's missing from this experience is your own PGA Tour card. March rates start from $1,080 per golfer. 800-SEAPINES, seapines.com

(Photo: Larry Lambrecht)

Ernie Els suffered a crushing defeat last March at the PGA Tour's Transitions (Tampa Bay) Championship when his putter failed him late in the tournament. It had to be doubly agonizing for the Big Easy, given his fondness for the host venue, Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort's Copperhead course.

"This is probably Florida's best golf resort," gushed Els in 2006, adding, "and I personally think the Copperhead layout is the best golf course that the PGA Tour visits in Florida. It has a lot of character, some nice design features and, unlike a lot of courses in the area, it has some significant changes in elevation."

The good news for traveling golfers is that you don't need a Tour card to play Copperhead - at least for the other 51 weeks in the year. Conquering Copperhead is another matter. It helps to have Els-like tempo - and his length off the tee - to cope with the thick rough, glassy greens and splatter pattern of bunkers.

The resort is situated in Palm Harbor on the west coast of Florida, not far from the sponge divers and Greek restaurants of Tarpon Springs and just north of St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Tampa International Airport is roughly 20 miles southeast of the resort. But the topography of Innisbrook seems worlds away.

Innisbrook resembles Carolina mountain golf, yet is blessed with Florida weather, making for a rare and wonderful combination. At times, the acreage is flattish, but on multiple occasions, startling climbs and plunges in elevation occur. This is especially true on Innisbrook's signature course, Copperhead. While Innisbrook boasts four 18-hole tracks, including the Island, where a promising southpaw from Arizona State named Phil Mickelson won the 1990 NCAA Individual title, it's Copperhead that remains the must-play for serious sticks.

Copperhead can spit bogeys back at you with the kind of venom usually reserved for its namesake reptile, thanks to its rolling, pine-framed fairways and a collection of elevated greens that are inevitably fortified by sprawling bunkers. Copperhead is fiercely trapped, but it is never repetitive. Toss in a fistful of handsome, if intimidating, water hazards and you have a course dialed in for ballstrikers. If you're the type of golfer who has trouble getting 5-irons up in the air, find somewhere else to play. Its rigors don't exactly play to the strengths of my game, but that doesn't mean I don't have fun trying. Pars definitely mean something here.

For those who are up to the challenge, take advantage of Innisbrook's Tampa Bay Championship package, where guests have the opportunity to tackle the Copperhead course on the Monday after the tournament ends. You'll literally be following in the footsteps of past champions such as Luke Donald, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen. If you want even more golf, on all nine of Salamander Hotels & Resorts' courses at Innisbrook, Reunion Resort in Orlando and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, check out its Grand Golf Resorts of Florida Legends of Golf Trail package.

All nine of the courses on the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida roster are standouts. Still, I have to leave 100-year-old Larry Packard with the last word on which one is best. Packard is the architect who sculpted Copperhead back in 1972 and remains a champion of its virtues. When I asked him recently about Ernie Els' flattering portrayal of Copperhead, Packard responded, "I think he's right." Are Ernie and Larry correct in their assessment? Try out Copperhead for yourself and weigh in.

(Photo: Courtesy of Innisbrook Resort)

The late architect Mike Strantz was an artist, a bulldozer his paintbrush. At Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in the Myrtle Beach area, he created a masterpiece. He later did the same with nearby True Blue.

Short in stature at 6,526 yards, but long on challenge (140 slope), Caledonia is my favorite course on the Grand Strand, thanks to a thinking man's shot values and Lowcountry aesthetics, with holes zigzagging between live oaks and edging the Waccamaw River.

Caledonia Golf Vacations' Grand Slam Package embraces the value and variety that define Myrtle Beach. This is one great deal. Included are three nights' accommodations at either True Blue Resort on the South Strand or Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach. You get four rounds of golf, one each at Caledonia and True Blue and two more from among the four superb Barefoot courses, designed respectively by Greg Norman, Davis Love, Tom Fazio and Pete Dye.

Many hail the Fazio and Dye offerings as best, but I love the Love, with its Donald Ross–inspired greens and faux antebellum ruins.

February rates start at $469, based on quadruple occupancy in villa or condominium accommodations. 866-954-8311, fishclub.com

For more exclusive travel deals and packages, go to iTunes and download Golf Magazine's Front9 app, available for use on the iPad and iPhone.

(Photo: Michael Slear/The Brandon Agency)

Behold the ultimate good news/bad news deal. The good news: the Fairmont St. Andrews Winter Golf Package guarantees tee times on the Old Course at St. Andrews, an iconic track that's sky-high on any golfer's list of Must Plays.

The (possibly) bad news: You'll have to play the Old Course from rubber mats, in order to protect the fragile turf.

And the weather could be dicey for an offer that runs from November 6 through March. But I look at it this way: You get to play the famed Old Course — encountering every burn, bunker and green you've seen on TV — as well as stay in a terrific cliff-top hotel. And who knows — fickle Mother Nature might just give you a November day that feels like an afternoon in June.

The package includes two nights' lodging, a full Scottish breakfast in the Squire Restaurant, and 18 holes each on the Old, New and Jubilee courses. November rates start at 239 pounds ($379) per person, per night, based on double occupancy with a minumum of a two-night stay.

011 44 1334 837000, fairmont.com/standrews

(Photo: Eric Hepworth)

Finally ready for that Ireland golf trip? Then consider a seven-night, eight-round package offered by SWING, an Irish golf specialist company that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

You’ll play the best of the southwest, including Lahinch, Doonbeg, Ballybunion Old, Dooks, Tralee and Waterville, plus the stunning Old Head (pictured) on the southeast coast. Front 9 readers also receive a complimentary round at Ballybunion¹s Cashen course.

Accommodations and a full Irish breakfast daily are included. Offered during specific times from June through September 2012, package prices currently vary from $1,444 to $2,116.

To book go to: swinggolfireland.com.

(Photo: Evan Schiller)

SAVE $165!
French Lick Resort
French Lick, Ind.

To paraphrase a famous '70s hit song, "Indiana wants you." Deep in the heart of Larry Bird country, the Ultimate Spring Golf Package delivers a round each at the Pete Dye ($30 forecaddie is extra), Donald Ross and Valley Links courses, with two nights' accommodations at West Baden Springs Hotel. May rates start at $609 per person, per night, based on double occupancy.
888-936-9360, frenchlick.com

SAVE $235!
Hilton Rose Hall Resort
Montego Bay, Jamaica

A strategic layout stars in the Stay-and-Play package at Hilton Rose Hall Resort's Cinnamon Hill GC, with three rounds, including caddie fees, four nights' lodging, and all-inclusive dining. May rates begin at $953, per person, double occupancy.
876-953-2650, rosehallresort.com

SAVE $145!
Dancing Rabbit at Pearl River Resort
Philadelphia, Miss.

This Augusta-like setting's Casino Stay and Play package gives you 18 holes on either the Azaleas or Oaks, one night's lodging, and a hot southern breakfast. May rates start at $261 per room, per night, based on double occupancy.
866-447-3275, dancingrabbitgolf.com

SAVE $110!
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort
Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The Golf Stay & Play package includes up to three rounds on the Jones, Fazio or Hills courses, three nights in a two-bedroom villa, and two hours' tennis court time. May rates start at $131 per person, per night, with four-person occupancy.
866-380-1778, palmettodunes.com

(Credit: Brian Walters)

Hey, Phil phanatics. The 40-time Tour winner is being inducted into the Hall of Fame this May, so here's your chance to see Phil Mickelson immortalized—and to play quality courses, to boot.

Florida's First Coast of Golf (florida-golf.org) is a marketing company that represents many Sunshine State properties, such as the Sawgrass Marriott and the World Golf Village. Among its spring offerings is the Hall of Fame Induction Golf & Gala package, which includes one round on the underrated Slammer & Squire course (designed by Bobby Weed to honor Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen), three nights' lodging, VIP seating at the May 7 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at the St. Johns County Convention Center, access to the post-ceremony Gala (Lefty and other Hall of Famers will be there), and admission to the Hall of Fame Museum.

Rates start at $660.50 per person. 888-424-8222, worldgolfvillage.com

For more exclusive travel deals and packages, go to iTunes and download Golf Magazine's Front9 app, available for use on the iPad and iPhone.

(Credit: Lawrence Michael Clemmer)