The Chief, Bellaire, MI

Day 2 of our golf package...had a beautiful day for golf. We thought we were going to have a thunderstorm however it turned out to be a perfect day. Although we were a little overdressed when it turned out to be so warm. This was a little more of a links style course with big bunkers. The course was not in as great condition as Hawks Eye but it was still very nice. I don't think we've every driven so far between some of the holes...we felt very isolated. I know there were other people out there but we never saw a soul. Some really nice elevations here...it was a pretty hard course...we were hitting uphill a lot and some of the fairways were quite narrow. There was no turn, which no one told us, and the halfway house wasn't open, which no one told us, and the soda machine was broken. But there were quite a few port-a-potties and the bathrooms in the halfway house was open. Also there was quite a bit of fresh water available. We did like this course and are looking forward to trying it again. But it is not a course for seniors!

Hawks Eye, Bellaire, Mi

This is hole 1 of Hawks Eye. It was our first time golfing here this year. It's one of my favorite courses. Already, this early in the season, the course was in really good condition. There was a foursome in front of us who were a little on the slow side but the two some behind us were taking their time so it was fine. It was a little on the chilly side too but we enjoyed playing this course very much. Greens were a little slow, probably because of all the rain we had. The clubhouse wasn't open yet, which was funny for Memorial Day weekend but we were able to get an OK chicken sandwich from the clubhouse. We were on a weekend package deal so we stayed at the Legends Lodge which is part of Shanty Creek. It was OK, nothing fancy, but adequate. Will probably golf here again this year...love this course.

Longaberger, Nashport, Ohio

This was our annual trip to Longaberger. Love this course. But it played quite a bit harder than last year because there was three days of rain prior to us golfing. It was cart path only and because it's such a hilly course, this made it quite tiring for us. But it was in good condition, as it was last year. The greens were pretty fast and the pin placement was pretty challenging on most holes. Women's tees are quite a bit forward of the men's - which is nice. They had a cart girl this early in the season! Darius Rucker (of Hottie & the Blowfish) was golfing in a foursome in front of us. We didn't see him...the girl at the turn told us he was there. The weather was nice, golf moved at a pleasant pace, and all in all, it was a really good day. Had a glass of wine up on the patio over the 18th hole after golf which made it even better!

Apple Valley Golf Course, Howard, Ohio

We tried to golf this course on Monday but got rained out. We were only able to do 3 holes...it was just drizzling but very cold and windy. The clubhouse gave us a raincheck with no problem and we golfed there today. It was still cold but we were better prepared...cuddle duds, winter gloves, etc. The course was very, very wet...I don't think I've every golfed on a wetter course...and was cart path only. I liked the course - even though it was a bit side by side. The holes were nicely set up, nice mix of dog legs, water and sand. Some of the fairways were a bit narrow but not many. The par 3s were nice, long but not too long. The women's tee boxes were nice and the greens were OK, a bit fast. It was hard to tell about the fairway conditions because it was so wet but they appeared to be in good shape for so early in the season. I didn't see any bathrooms so I'm going to assume they'll have port-a-potties out. There was no cart girl, which was OK, but when we went in at the turn we asked for coffee and were told there was none. We asked could they make it and were told no...just no! We got hot chocolate, which was good, and asked for Bailey's...none of that either! Got Kahlua, which was good in the hot chocolate. I just couldn't believe they said they wouldn't make coffee - it doesn't seem you should say that to customers. We had sandwiches, which they made fresh and were quite good. Would golf here again...in nicer weather of course!

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

This was a really beautiful course...it was like golfing in a park. I guess because it's a college course they keep it beautifully maintained. It wasn't a really long course but played really well. The tee boxes (both men & womens) were in mostly good shape. The fairways were beautiful and manicured! The greens were nice though challenging. There wasn't a lot of water on the course but there was a nice par 3 (hole 11) with water in front of it and a nice dogleg par 4 that a river on the left side that was really pretty. There were rabbits everywhere. Nice bathrooms and a very attentive cart girl. We got hot dogs on the turn which weren't really good but we were in a hurry and didn't want to wait for a sandwich to be made. Would definitely golf here again!

Towa Golf Course, Sante Fe, New Mexico

This was another very scenic course like we golfed at yesterday but not in as nice condition. It was quite rough, the tee boxes, fairways and greens. However, we still liked it! The course was long but very playable. They advertise that they have the only island green in New Mexico (see picture) which is a nice par 3 with an elevated tee box. There were lots of elevated tee boxes, which I enjoy. There were nice bathrooms on the course but no cart girl this early in the season. Would golf here again but later in the year when it would be in better condition.

Paako Ridge, Albuquerque, NM

Golfed here Tuesday, April 5th. Very nice course with impressive views. The course wasn't in really good condition this early in the season, but it wasn't too bad either. They had areated the greens on the back nine and we couldn't even get the flags out of the holes on 3 of the holes. We teed off on several elevated tees and the views were spectacular. The fairways were in good condition and the greens on the first nine were OK. It started out kind of cool but warmed up quick. The clubhouse was really nice - but didn't eat here so can't talk about the food. Would golf here again in a minute.