For a real links-style golf experience we discovered the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, located in St. Cloud, about 25 minutes southeast of the Orlando airport or the Disney area. The Royal St. Cloud Links greet you with a rolling layout of links-style fairways, punctuated by classic links bunkers that feature names such as Hell, Spectacles, Devil's Pocket and Hoofprint. True to its link heritage, every club in the bag will be utilized as the terrain is naturally varied.

Unlike other Orlando golf courses, the Royal St. Cloud is free of any residential developments and offers a pure golf experience. The design features four sets of tees and from the blue tee offers a championship length of 7,111 yards and a 74.6 rating, all on flawless fairways and silky-smooth Tifeagle greens.

Its motto, as printed above the entrance to the club house is "Original Golf Played Here", and indeed the Royal St. Cloud features original style golf at its unpretentious best. I had a chance to talk to Bill Filson, the Director of Golf and since 2002 co-owner of this facility.

Bill has an extensive teaching background. He has personally studied under some of the top-ranked teaching professionals and brings 12 years of teaching experience that featured beginners to PGA tour professionals. Bill has consistently been a top-ranked PGA Professional. The Royal St. Cloud's teaching staff is complemented by Dave Rummels who brings 17 years of valuable PGA Tour experience with him and can share advice from the "Tour" with the students. Associate Professional, Doug Holloway, has 16 years coaching experience.

At the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links the commitment to teaching the game of golf commitment includes state-of-the art video equipment and even a teaching tent for inclement weather. Lessons, programs, and clinics are offered for every skill level and requirement. Bill explained that they run very reasonably priced children's clinics at $7.00 per clinic and the club has 120 members in their junior program. Ladies can also learn the sport without embarrassment in a relaxed, comfortable environment. And with every family membership at the club kids play for free.

Bill prides himself on offering one of the greatest values in golf in the Orlando area. For the 2005-2006 season rates vary from $46 to $48 from November 1 to January 10, and $64 from January 11 to April 30, 2006. Discounted tee time rates are available after 11 am or 12 pm respectively, 7 days/week. Bill went on to say that the fees at the Royal St. Cloud are always reasonable, and that he aims not to oversell his course, but to exceed the visitors' expectations.

In addition, he offers a very unique proposition: a 100% money-back guarantee with no conditions if you didn't enjoy your playing experience at the Royal St. Clouds. He said in the almost three years since he has run this course only 2 people ever asked for a refund; a phenomenal achievement, considering that several tens of thousands of rounds are played here every year.

One of the very unique features of this course is the handcrafted stonework which is evident in four bridges found throughout the course that have been hand-built by one individual brick by brick. Bill said that some of the bridges are even a little bit crooked, just to give them more character. The most famous stone bridge can be found on the 5th hole and many of the British visitors to this golf course come here specifically for this unique feature.

Bill explained that his golf course serves a value-based market that is composed of local residents, snowbirds escaping the cold northern winters, and British golfers, a very loyal crowd who refer this facility to many of their friends back home.

The Royal St. Cloud Golf Links have been rated as one of the Top 5 Most Underrated Golf Courses in the Orlando area and they have hosted the 2004 and 2005 British Junior Amateur. With its wide-open fairways the course looks deceptively simple, however, I experienced very quickly the unique challenges offered by the Royal St. Cloud. Traditional links golf is played on the ground, unfortunately I still managed to find water several times, despite the generously open fairways.

The other feature I really enjoyed were a number of the ponds on the back nine of the course that were playing host to a variety of local wildlife and water birds. I particularly enjoyed watching a very rare specimen of wood stork stalking the edges of a pond for food, and a crane standing upright with stretched out wings. The course had a very relaxed, casual and friendly feel to it and we enjoyed a tasty hot dog after our game on the beautiful patio outside the clubhouse as a way to cap off a very enjoyable golf experience on a gorgeous day.

Driving Directions from the Disney Area: Royal St. Cloud Golf Links is an easy 25 miles from the Disney area. (25-35 minute approximate drive time) * Take Osceola Parkway to the Florida Turnpike * Take Exit 244 to Hwy 192, turn left. * Go 4.6 miles to Vermont Ave, turn right. * Take Vermont 2.1 miles to Creek Woods Road, take a left. * Go only .7 miles to Michigan Ave, take a right directly into the Golf Club.

Statistics Par 72 Yards Rating Slope Blue 7111 74.6 128 Gold 6680 72.2 125 Green 6083 69.2 115 Citrus 5531 66.6 111

For more information please visit Royal St. Cloud Golf website or call them at (407) 891-7010.

By: Susanne Pacher
This entire article including photos is located at travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_royal_stcloud_golf.
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new FREE ebooks about travel.

Featured by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal Services and Lifestyle Resources portal.

Visit our Golf section.

Do you need some good golf jokes to tell to your golfmates? Check out Golf Jokes. For jokes on other subjects visit the Jokes index.

Vacation time is here! Pack up your clothes. Pack up your shoes. Pack up your toothbrush, toothpaste, and some sunscreen. And, of course, don't forget to pack the most important thing of all: your golf bag. Let's take a look at some things to consider when planning the golf vacation of your dreams.

Well, we may as well get the bad stuff taken out of the way first and confront question number one:

How much vacation money do you have saved? I know, I know... you probably don't have a fortune saved up for your golf vacation. After all, you just finished paying for a new Hybrid club and then there were those Christmas presents you had to buy a few months ago...

But whatever the case - no matter how much money you do or don't have - you can find a golf vacation that's just right for you. If you do happen to have a lot to spend to get away, you would be wise to go where the warm weather beckons golfers from all across the world. How about the southern United States? California? The Virgin Islands? Hawaii? Why, you could see a volcano or three while you tee up on the green.

But if you don't have the funds available for extravagant vacations such as these, (remember, not only do you have to pay golf fees, but you must also cover hotel stay, transportation, food, and other activities) you could take a much cheaper vacation. If you live on the East Coast of the United States, you could drive yourself and a few friends to a golf club a few hours south to play for a few days. Granted, it may not be a resort-like atmosphere, but if you are there strictly for the golf, that shouldn't even matter!

Golf Courses at Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has become known as the Grand Strand for golfing. Brierwood Golf Club is very reputed course on the Carolina Coast. Myrtlewood Golf Club Pinehills Course is known as best kept course. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club are well known as the best course.

Are you bringing non-golfers on your trip? If you are bringing along girlfriends, boyfriends, friends, or family members who don't want to golf but who do want to get away with you, you should try to chose a golf place that is close to other attractions such as shopping malls, amusement parks, movie theatres, or beaches. Many golf resorts even offer packages that allow you and your guests to 'stay and play'. Most of these resorts offer packages to save you money on room and greens fees. Look at all of the ins and outs and read between the fine lines of the packages you are looking into before making a final decision about which place to choose. This way, you won't be the only one who gets to have fun on the vacation. And, while your family stays entertained, this makes more and more time for you to tee up!

Is your potential vacation course challenging enough for you? If you are concerned about having an overly difficult or not-difficult-enough course to play on while you vacation, realize that most golf resorts offer a variety of courses available to choose from. After all, these places realize that all golfers have different abilities, likes, and dislikes. If you are very concerned though, it never hurts to speak with people from the resort by phone, or even talk to past guests that you know stayed in the same place. A little opinion can go a far way!

Finally, make sure that you enjoy your vacation and your golf. Typically vacation time comes around only once a year for most people. So make the most of your fun in the sun!

Challenge: Perhaps the most basic consideration when choosing destinations and courses is the difficulty level of the courses you're considering. Generally speaking, many fine golf destinations have a variety of courses available, which will allow golfers of various abilities to enjoy themselves, so this factor may impact more which courses you choose rather than which destination you decide upon.

Off Season? Many golf travelers like to save money by traveling off-season. This is a great idea, provided they've thought about the drawbacks as they pertain to them. Some golfers don't mind playing in the rain, heat, or the wind, and their or their companions' age or health is not a factor.

Other Activities: What else is there besides golf? And does it matter for your purposes? As mentioned above, weather can cause you to reconsider your plans to play, and even the hardiest players are occasionally faced with course closings due to weather. If this happens, you may be stuck with very little to do. Or, you may be traveling with a family, spouse, or others who do not play, in which case you will need to be sure there's plenty for everyone to do.

How Many Courses Do You Need? Another factor worth considering is the amount of time you have to play, and how many courses you have the time and desire to play. For a weekend getaway, you might consider a destination with only one or a few courses - a destination that otherwise would prove unsuitable for a weeklong excursion. Bald Head Island, North Carolina, for example, is a wonderful private island destination where the only mode of transportation is golf carts. It's a fine, quiet place to relax for adults or families, with terrific beaches, a couple of restaurants, and nice accommodations consisting mainly of rental houses and a couple of bed and breakfasts. The island has only one golf course (albeit an excellent one), although you can take the ferry to the mainland (where you will have parked your car) to take advantage of the hundreds of courses in nearby Myrtle Beach, SC and Brunswick, NC - all within about a half hour's drive.

By: Michael Flogart
You can find more great information on Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations at http://www.golf-pro-guide.com.

Featured by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal and Lifestyle directory for attorneys, lawyers and the general internet public.

Visit our Golf section.

A visit to beautiful Myrtle Beach is well worth the trip. I don't receive anything from them for writing this article but I beckon you to listen up close. The folks at Myrtle Beach continually come together to offer Golf Packages for those who enjoy the sport as both a vacationer or as a professional. It is not hard to find the different offers and the places who offer the most accommodation. The Palmetto Discount Golf offer several packages which you might say is where you can find the cheapest Myrtle Beach Golf Packages with the best accommodation. All the cheapest Myrtle Beach Golf packages offer the following:

• 3 Night Stay in a 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, fully equipped Golf Villa

• 3 to 4 rounds of Golf. All green fees, cart fees. Accommodations and applicable taxes are included.

• Rates are per person and based on 4 golfers to a 2 bedroom Villa.

There is a free upgrade to the “Surf and Turf” at no additional charge. “Surf and Turf” includes your Golf Package addition to Free Boarding and a Buffet Dinner aboard the Sun Cruz Casino. Enjoy a day of Gold and a Night of Entertainment. The Sun Cruz offers Slot Machines, Poker Machines, All Card Games and everyone’s favorite “Texas Hold Em”. If you are not a gambler, enjoy the buffet dinner and a moonlight cruise on us! We found this is the cheapest Myrtle Beach Golf package with amenities.

The following cheapest Myrtle Beach Golf Packages offer you the above accommodations and amenities.

SUPERSAVER PACKAGE

DATE RANGE AM PLAY MIDWEEK PLAY

5/8-5/21 $230 $212

5/22-9/6 $206 $199

9/7-9/13 $202 $189

9/14-10/4 $227 $207

10/5-10-9 $251 $228

10/30-11/12 $221 $197

11/13-11/26 $203 $183

11/27-12/31 $162 $157

THE LEGEND’S PACKAGE

DATE RANGE AM PLAY MIDWEEK PLAY

1/26-2/15 $339 $329

2/16-3/1 $439 $429

3/2-3/15 $559 $509

3/16-5/7 $639 $579

5/8-5/21 $489 $439

5/22-9/6 $369 $359

9/7-9/13 $429 $419

9/14-10/4 $519 $459

10/5-10/29 $569 $509

10/30-11/12 $509 $499

11/13-11/26 $459 $419

11/27-1/24 $339 $329

The above is an example of two special package deals that we found to be the cheapest as well as offering more entertainment during the evening hours. It is a great time for husband and wife to go together or if you are close friends with a fellow golfer the two of you could enjoy one of these package deals. The Cheapest Myrtle Beach Golf Packages are based on accommodations for 4 people which are something you should consider before making your reservations. I would advise if you are not planning this trip with your mate’s fellows to make sure you have two others who would want to take advantage of this great opportunity.

The super saver golf package is ideal for those who like to play golf on different courses. The cheapest Myrtle Beach Golf Package deals offer three nights and three rounds of golf from some of the most beautiful courses in America today. The following courses are available for your selection:

• Arcadian Shores

• Azalea Sands

• Black Bear

• Brunswick Plantation

• Burning Ridge East or West

• Carolina National

• Carolina Shores

• Colonial Charters

• Crown Park

• Diamond Back

• Eagles Nest

• Eastport

• Heron Point

• Indigo Creek

• Lockwood Folly

• Magnolia Greens

• Meadowlands

• River Oaks

• Sandpiper Bay

• Wicked Stick

As you can easily see, there is truly a grand selection of golf courses for the advent golfer with the Super Saver Package.

The Legend’s Package is one of the most popular package deals that are offered today. You can stay at the beautiful Legends Golf Resort and play 3 rounds of golf at the award winning championship golf courses, Legends Heath land, Legends Parkland and Legends Moreland, in addition to 1 round at the prestigious Barefoot Resort. The cheapest Myrtle Beach golf packages offer the best in golfing and entertainment. Here's one more hint, remember to inquire about the “Surf and Turf” Package available FREE to all of the guests. This very special upgrade includes your accommodations, golf rounds and a night dining and entertainment aboard the Sun Cruz Casino. The Casino offers a night of fun playing cards, slot machines, as well as, a complete buffet dinner and a cruise in the moonlight. What a wonderful vacation for any couple or just for friends. Of course there are other good golfing destinations but if you've been wanting to hit Myrtle, I hope this is of some value.

By: Chip Enrunn
Author - Chip Enrunn - Chip often writes for and with Golf Schools where there is far more information, news and resources. If that link is inactive, you can paste this link in your browser - golfing-schools.com.

Golfing information furnished by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal and Lifestyle resource for attorneys, lawyers and the internet public.