Mayakoba: Mexico's Mysterious Land of Mangroves, Cenotes and Championship Golf

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Quintana Roo, Mexico – If the mysterious, one-lane road through the jungle or the welcome drink in the beautiful open-air lobby overlooking a lagoon doesn’t leave a lasting first impression about the Rosewood Mayakoba, the boat ride certainly will. Guests don’t simply walk to their rooms. They’re whisked away by water taxis to explore twisting canals and lagoons cut from the mangroves before reaching a lavish luxury suite. "We loved the boat to our suite,” said Tim Sperling, a Highland Park, Ill., resident visiting with his wife. "You saw wildlife, crocodile and exotic birds. That’s a neat first impression...As soon as I walked in the room, I said to my wife, "This is the first time any hotel room has thoroughly exceeded my expectation.'" Exceeding expectations remains the core mission of this posh 1,600-acre retreat 40 minutes south of the Cancun International Airport along the Riviera Maya. The entire Mayakoba complex, home to three resorts and the El Camaleon Golf Club, is gearing up for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, Mexico’s only PGA TOUR event, on Nov. 14-17. This year could be Mayakoba’s coming-out party as one of the premier golf destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico.

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Weekend Deals: Tee Times Coast-to-Coast for Oct. 25-27th

Golf now brings you the best weekend tee time deals coast-to-coast for October 25th. In North Carolina, Sequoyah National, one of the Asheville area's top plays, is offering $10 off tee times Friday-thru-Sunday. Golfers can also stay and play at the nearby Harrah's Casino and play two rounds of golf for as low as $169. In the Chicago area, Foxford Hills Golf Club is featuring a Saturday and Sunday special: golfers can play from 7-11 a.m. for $55 per person (normally $73), or $46 between 11-3 p.m. Twilight rates are $25. In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains., Apple Mountain Golf Resort has a $50 weekend special after 11 a.m. or $40 after 1 p.m. Regular rack rate is $65. Near Atlanta, Stone Mountain Golf Club is offering a foursome special: groups can book together and play for $120 on Thursday and Friday or $160 on Saturday and Sunday. The offer is valid on both the Stonemont and Lakemont courses. Meanwhile, in Raleigh, golfers can play Wil-Mar Golf Course in prime time for $27 before noon, $31 between noon and 3 p.m. and $24 afterwards. In metro Detroit., Highland Hills is offering golf for just $19 with a cart all day (normally $33) or $14 for nine holes with a cart.

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Trip Dispatch: Variety is the Name of Atlantic City's Golf Game

                                                                                      ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – A golf trip to

the Jersey Shore is no gamble.

It’s a sure jackpot. For those who lose their golf shirt at one of the city’s 13 casinos, fear not. These unlucky golfers won't lose their wallet playing at some premier public courses surrounding the city. Looking for links? McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links and Twisted Dune Golf Club offer two unique links-themed options in Egg Harbor Township. How about country club cool?

The historic Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield is as good as it gets. Craving variety? The sandy Shore Gate Golf Club in Ocean City and Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Cologne feel totally different, yet deliver similarly pure playing conditions. Want to play where the pros have played? The 6,247-yard Bay course at the Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club might be short by modern standards, but it does have a long history of hosting the LPGA Tour, and let’s not forget Sam Snead’s first major championship, the 1942 PGA Championship held there. Jersey often gets a bad rap – and there are some rough edges surrounding the famed board walk along the beach – but when it comes to buddies golf, Atlantic City soars with restaurants, gaming, nightlife, beaches and golf galore. Within a 40-minute drive are 19 golf courses, most of which are 15-20 minutes from downtown. "We are a hidden gem," said McCullough’s General Manager Thomas Sullivan, the current president of the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association. "We just haven’t marketed it properly. We have 140 restaurants. We have world-class accommodations." Such bragging by golf course architect Stephen Kay, who designed McCullough’s and Blue Heron Pines, might sound self-serving if it wasn’t so true. "For a destination this size, you can’t touch it," Kay said. "If you went to a golf destination this size...not only do we have the best courses but the most variety. "When you go to an area, the courses tend to be very similar. Not here."

Over 100 bunkers litter the links-style layout at Twisted Dune. I played six area courses over five days in September and still missed out on some good ones, notably Ballamor Golf Club (ranked ninth in the state by Golfweek and has a 4.5/5.0 rating on GolfNow). Consider the stunning contrast between the classic architecture of the Atlantic City C.C. (founded in 1897 and restored by Tom Doak in 1999) juxtaposed against Twisted Dune’s modern manmade mounds. Twisted Dune architect Archie Struthers moved 2 million cubic yards of dirt on the 7,248-yard course, which opened in 2001. Visually, it’s a knockout.

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