Resort Golf Challenges

Written by Mel Barosay


Resort Golf Challenges

Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/golf02/chal/challenge.html

What's The Status Quo?

There is a new trend in golf today and it is found atrepparttar resort-style golf course. Such courses are popping up around established private, semi-private and public golf links already notably apparent for years. In comparison to country club golf forrepparttar 139391 wealthier, semi-private golf forrepparttar 139392 privileged and public courses which cater more torepparttar 139393 beginner or less serious advocates ofrepparttar 139394 sport,repparttar 139395 resort-style golf courses have addressed a new market of golf to takerepparttar 139396 game torepparttar 139397 next level.

Some of this has been accomplished through strategic locations in pristine settings, rolling terrains which follow canyon ridge lines, deceptive panoramic views, meandering fairways, shots that required carry over arroyos, barrancas and ravines to avoid disaster, and picturesque layouts onrepparttar 139398 edge of rivers, lakes and oceans. Along with addingrepparttar 139399 name of a famous golf course architect like Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nichalaus, Tom Fazio, Billy Casper, to name a few, building-in difficultly factors such as length, fast and angulating putting surfaces, pot bunker fairways, and a variety of elevated tees and elevation changes,repparttar 139400 golfer is faced with more challenges, thrills, gratification and disappointment while being givenrepparttar 139401 incentive to perform at their peak.

After playing a variety ofrepparttar 139402 resort-style golf coursesrepparttar 139403 past year, this reporter identifies this new breed of courses by a few other features not usually found inrepparttar 139404 status quo. For instance, first and foremost,repparttar 139405 new competition created byrepparttar 139406 progression in this facet ofrepparttar 139407 sport has given birth to assertive marketing efforts. Sales, marketing and public relation executives are now prevalent in most resort-style golf operations. Many resort-style courses are now associated or owned by a hotel enterprise.

Numerous celebrity and charity tournaments, as well as professional tour exhibitions are held at such facilities, taking advantage ofrepparttar 139408 appeal and fascination ofrepparttar 139409 courses themselves. Resort-style golf facilities are usually built with several course layouts. Typically two 18-hole courses arerepparttar 139410 norms, but it is quite common to play at a 27-hole facility, utilizing only two-thirds of its holes for a round.

Four to five levels of tee boxes are provided in comparison torepparttar 139411 three levels found at older and more traditional courses, thus ensuringrepparttar 139412 right comfort level for every player. Resort-style courses thrive on maximizing guest satisfaction, andrepparttar 139413 most common way known to man is through warm hospitality.

JW Marriott A Classy Golf Destination Resort in Las Vegas

Written by Kriss Hammond


JW Marriott A Classy Golf Destination Resort in Las Vegas

Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/hotels/vegas/marriott/marriott.html

The JW Marriott in Summerlin, a northwest suburb of Las Vegas, has a huge ceiling lobby, providing a cool, North African/Mediterranean type of desert motif. There is plentiful natural lighting and real jungly plants, makingrepparttar luxury resort glow inrepparttar 139390 late afternoon like sundown onrepparttar 139391 sand dunes, whenrepparttar 139392 day relents torepparttar 139393 evening Saharan brilliant night sky.

In certain parts ofrepparttar 139394 Sahara it has not rained for ten thousand years, and lately in Vegas, it has been eerily rain sparse. While staying atrepparttar 139395 JW Marriott, which is actually a Canadian managed brand ofrepparttar 139396 Marriott chain, I felt like I was in a 1930's newsreel, withrepparttar 139397 Marriott reminiscent of a Moroccan grand dame frontier fort, something out of Beau Gest. It is a wonderful resort sitting out amongstrepparttar 139398 retirementville enclave of Summerlin - giving it a sentinel loneliness, likerepparttar 139399 French Foreign Legion post that Gary Cooper left atrepparttar 139400 end ofrepparttar 139401 movie "Morocco", with Marlena Deitrich trailing forlorn and behind.

Where is Summerlin? Summerin is a 36 square mile, master planned community developed byrepparttar 139402 Howard Hughes Corporation. For many years Summerlin was ranked asrepparttar 139403 nation's best selling master planned community, according to an independent survey by Robert Charles Lesser & Company, a leading national real estate consultant.

There are actually two hotels here, or I should say two six-story towers, with 541 guest rooms and suites, located onrepparttar 139404 south and west end ofrepparttar 139405 immense resort. I heard throughrepparttar 139406 grapevine that other towers are planned. The Spa Tower has 286 rooms and suites The Palms Tower with 255 rooms and suites. Guest rooms offer interior views ofrepparttar 139407 gardens or panoramic views ofrepparttar 139408 Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area torepparttar 139409 west. Rent a bike or hikerepparttar 139410 area. You can seerepparttar 139411 glistening lights of Vegas torepparttar 139412 east, because you are actually inrepparttar 139413 foothills ofrepparttar 139414 Redrock area, known for it's outstanding climbing routes.

The size ofrepparttar 139415 guest rooms average about 560 square feet, and are very comfortable, with either king, queen or twin beds.What I really liked aboutrepparttar 139416 room wasrepparttar 139417 huge Jacuzzi tub that you could lay down in. Ahhh - now that is pleasure!

Pool and Gardens - The elaborate $12.5 million complex of gardens and pools covers acres. The gardens include an 11,000 square foot grass edged pool with waterfall and four 25-yard swimming lanes, plus two 250-square foot spa pools equipped with handicap lifts. The Marriott Las Vegas is landscaped with 3,500 trees, including more than 800 palms, and features a $1.5 million lighting system. There is 24-hour valet parking service.

My usual first stop at a hotel isrepparttar 139418 in-house lounge. This is where you getrepparttar 139419 latest lounge lizard and bartender's versions of how to run a good hotel, andrepparttar 139420 chance to check outrepparttar 139421 out-of-towners. It is my Nielsen poll.

The chit chat was subdued and sublime, with a shift change, so there wasn't much coming forth with fromrepparttar 139422 lounge bartender, just golf talk from a couple of packaged vacationers. After no major breaking news bulletins issued atrepparttar 139423 cozy lobby bar, I quickly drained my Heineken and spun away acrossrepparttar 139424 blond hardwood floors that could serve double duty in a line dance venue.

There are several restaurant presently atrepparttar 139425 JW Marriott. That evening I was inducted into fine Italian dining at Ceres, a formal and sedate dining venue - a sort of continental European atmosphere, with a very formal staff, held in check byrepparttar 139426 prim and proper restaurant manager, a step back to a Casablanca film figure. There we are back in Morocco. I really like Ceres, and they have a special room out towardsrepparttar 139427 back ofrepparttar 139428 restaurant that is private, but it was very hot - this wasrepparttar 139429 last legs of summer. So I shed my jacket like snakeskin.

Ceres, inrepparttar 139430 Spa Tower, overlooks waterfalls andrepparttar 139431 garden and serves classic seafood dishes. Ceres also has a five seat section with a large paned glass looking on torepparttar 139432 furiously working chefs. The chefs bring items torepparttar 139433 glass forrepparttar 139434 diners to check, and they explain how things are prepared. It was a unique touch. You can samplerepparttar 139435 food, too.

This is Ceres' claim to fame - and it is fame well deserved, so pass it around to your friends.

* King Crab Mediterranean Seafood Stew. * One pound of Alaska King Crab Legs. * Pan-Seared Oregano Salmon, with Citrus Pine Nut Toasted Israeli Couscous. with Olive Roman Tomatoes, and Italian Parsley Butter Broth. * Other fare includes Sea Bass, Snapper, Seafood Scampi, Lamb Chops, Steaks, Lobsters.

Everthing is served elegantly at Ceres. I pickedrepparttar 139436 Salmon, just because it soundedrepparttar 139437 most elegant. When it arrived, it was seared perfectly, crispy outside, and flakey onrepparttar 139438 inside, justrepparttar 139439 way I like it. Takerepparttar 139440 Oyster Rockefeller for an appetizer.

Many ofrepparttar 139441 other restaurants alongrepparttar 139442 Promenade atrepparttar 139443 J.W. Marriott are under seperate management, such as Hamada Of Japan (dinner only for steaks and sushi), OXO's (dinner only for steaks and seafoods), and Spiedini Restorante (Milanese for "Quick Roast", serving urban Italian cuisine). The Marriott team manages Ceres (not onrepparttar 139444 Promenade) andrepparttar 139445 fun and popular J.C. Wooloughan's (onrepparttar 139446 Promendade) . . .

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use