Welcome to Whistler
Whistler is the best ski resort in North America offering lots of fun during both summer and winter. It has received several awards as a winter resort, was recently selected as the number one golf resort in Canada and it will be hosting the Winter Olympics in 2010.
There are lots of great places to stay in Whistler. Most popular are the many luxury hotels in the area, but it’s also possible rent town houses and condos in Whistler village. For the more adventurous it’s also possible to camp in the area.
The easiest way to get to Whistler is to fly to Vancouver international airport and then drive north towards Whistler. It takes around two and a half hour to go from Vancouver to Whistler. It’s also possible to take a very scenic train tour to Whistler which takes around three hours.
During the winter Whistler is mostly about skiing and other winter sports. During the summer you can go fishing, hiking, sailing and lots of other things. It’s also possible to go skiing during the summer if you go a bit outside Whistler village.
On top of all that, the people of Whistler are friendly and welcoming. You are welcome both summer and winter.
Mads Phican loves Whistler and runs Whistler VA. You should go there if you are interested in going to Whistler and want to know more about accommodation, activities, transportation and much more.
Tags: 2010, british columbia, canada, golf, hotel, olympics, resort, whistler, winter, winter olympicsBridge Time A Critical Part of Learning
One of the most common and deadly mistakes I see with amateur players is they try to learn and improve while playing on the course. This is a mistake, and I can tell you right now: it’s not going to work. When you get out there to play, that’s the time to relax and enjoy yourself, but also try to score. It’s not the time to practice or perfect your skills.
The time to do that is during what I call “bridge time.” This is the critical learning period between lesson and putting green/driving range practice time (when you are absorbing feedback and instruction) and when you actually go out to play a round. Many players neglect to incorporate bridge time into their golf routine, but it’s a crucial part of the learning process.
The ideal learning progession is this: first, you take a lesson; second, you spend a fair amount of time developing what you learned in the practice areas; third, you play a practice round by yourself, without the pressure of a round played with others, and then finally, you take whatever swing you have and use it when you play a real round. (At that point, the time for practicing and thinking through the fundamentals or remembering what your coach said during your last lesson is over).
So what exactly is bridge time, you ask? Bridge time is when you play a practice round by yourself. Unlike a real round, the pressure is off; however, when you have the luxury of redoing and practicing shots that are giving you particular trouble, but in realistic course conditions - i.e., real conditions you are likely to encounter during a round. While you’re out there, take a couple of extra drives, as well as approaches, chips, pitches and putts over the course of nine holes. During this time, you are rehearsing your game in a practice round setting before taking it out into live action play. This practice round is thus the link, or bridge, between learning time (the lesson) and application time (live play, when it’s time to score). Bridge time is an essential part of the overall learning process.
If you set yourself apart from most amateur players by using this knowledge to your advantage, you’ll see a vast improvement in your playing skills on the course, when it matters most: during a live round. You’ll not only improve your score, you’ll enjoy each round more by allowing yourself to simply go out, have fun, and appreciate golf as the relaxing, enjoyable game that it is.
Tom Patri is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and author of The Six-Spoke Approach to Golf (2005, The Lyons Press; foreword by Fred Couples; available at http://www.amazon.com). Tom currently heads his golf instructional school, TP Golf Schools, based in Naples, Florida. Prior to that, Tom served eleven years as the Director of Golf Instruction at the Westchester Country Club (home of the Barclay, formerly the Buick Classic PGA Tour event) in Rye, New York and four years as the Director of Golf Instruction at Naples Grande Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. In 2003, Tom was chosen as Southwest Florida PGA’s Teacher of the Year. For more information about Tom and his unique teaching approach, please visit his website, http://www.tompatri.com
Tags: bridge time, golf, golf skills, handicap, improve, learning process, practice, scoringGolfing in Puerto Vallarta
Seemingly overnight, Puerto Vallarta has become a world-class golf destination, boasting seven outstanding golf resorts. Some of the world’s greatest golf course architects have designed courses for this tropical paradise in the last decade, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and Robert von Hagge, who with 11 courses south of the border has become Mexico’s most esteemed golf course designer.
The newest golf resort in Puerto Vallarta is Robert von Hagge’s El Tigre at Paradise Village. Enclosed on all sides by the Sierra Madre Mountains, El Tigre is a beautifully constructed 7,239 yard, par 72 golf destination. Originally constructed on a flat piece of land, the layout required extensive earth moving and the creation of nine on-course bodies of water. Just a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean and Paradise Village Beach Resort and Spa, El Tigre also boasts a luxuriant 45,000-square foot clubhouse equipped with restaurants, lounges, locker rooms, golf shop and a European Spa.
Jack Nicklaus’ senior designer, Jim Lipe, devised the 6,700-yard Mayan Palace Golf Club, located next door to El Tigre. Mayan Palace is a fun, less-challenging course with a signature 180-yard par 3 that plays over a lake to an oceanfront green. According to players and locals, the grass and trees have already matured very well at Mayan Palace.
Just three minutes from Mayan Palace is the longtime favorite Los Flamingos Country Club, the oldest course in Puerto Vallarta. Providing a great golfing experience for players of all levels, Los Flamingos also features over 2,500 palm trees and lakes that serve as home to ducks, seagulls, egrets, and flamingos. As it is, technically speaking, the only public golf course in the area, Los Flamingos offers excellent vacation packages to prospective players and provides free shuttle transportation to its Nuevo Vallarta shore location. It has also been said that the grass at Los Flamingos is of a softer variety, similar to British links courses.
Marina Vallarta Golf Club is Puerto Vallarta golf at its best, complete with jungle foliage, lagoons, iguanas, tropical birds, and a challenging layout designed by Joe Finger. The course winds its way through countless palm trees and a number of holes feature views of Banderas Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Located within walking distance of the marina boardwalk, it integrates the area’s beautiful natural landscape with a layout designed to test even the best golfers.
Ten minutes from the Puerto Vallarta marina, tucked in the city’s captivating foothills, lay the championship courses of Vista Vallarta. As host to the 2002 Anderson Consulting Match Play Championships and PGA World Cup tournament, the resort has received unanimous accolades since it opened just five years ago.
Tom Weiskopf’s 18-hole layout at Vista Vallarta has extensive native jungle growth and a signature par 3 that seems to be carved out of the jungle hillside. The course masterfully blends elevations and natural features into an incredibly playable experience from start to finish. Jack Nicklaus’ course measures 7,057 yards and features some incredibly long par-5s. The views of Banderas Bay and the Sierra Madre Mountains experienced here are unrivalled by any other golf resort. Despite proximity to Puerto Vallarta’s resorts and hotels, the Vista Vallarta courses feel entirely otherworldly.
Designed by Jack Nicklaus and built on one of the most gorgeous properties on Costa Vallarta, the Four Seasons Punta Mita golf resort features the only green on a natural island in the world. Entry to the green across a sandbar is only possible at low tide, otherwise an amphibious vehicle or boat are necessary for access. Eight spectacular holes border the ocean here with a photo opportunity at every turn.
Though golfing in Puerto Vallarta is not necessarily a cheap hobby (prices for 18-hole rounds generally cost between $60 and $180), many Puerto Vallarta hotels and resorts offer discount or all-inclusive vacation packages that allow interested players affordable access to any of the golf resorts detailed
This article was written by Justin Burch. Justin writes select pieces about travel in Mexico for the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort. - marriott.com/property/propertypage/PVRMX here.
Tags: golf, golf course, Golfing, mexico hotel, mexico resort, mexico vacation, Puerto Vallerta resort
