Travel Notes: Fall can be excellent season for taking golf vacations

Linda Strait is president of House of Travel Inc., a full-service travel agency in Springfield.

Instead of waiting until the first of the year for your golf vacation, consider traveling this fall. Not only is the weather comfortable, but room rates and greens fees can be as much as 30 percent less than high-season rates.

There is an abundance of courses in warm-weather destinations in the United States, from Palm Springs to Myrtle Beach. Nongolfer companions can be pampered in spa facilities or participate in tennis, hiking, bicycling and shopping.

Be prepared to tell your travel agent your level of play, courses you've enjoyed in the past, and your preferred tee times so that you can be matched with the courses that will suit you best. Some courses in Arizona are desert courses, while others are more traditional. There are more than 180 courses in the Phoenix area alone, so there should be something for all tastes. If you have a specific course in mind, have your travel agent check to see if you must stay at the resort that owns it. The Boulder Golf Club and Golden Door Spa in Carefree, Ariz., is an example of such a requirement.

The Gulf Shores of Alabama is a good value and accessible from our area. You can get accommodations on the beach and select from award-winning courses such as Kiva Dunes and Cypress Bend. Arnold Palmer and Jerry Pate are two of the course designers involved in the area.

Golfers in San Antonio, Texas, have their choice of the refurbished Pecan Valley course or the new Quarry Golf Club, with its back nine nestled in a 100-acre quarry pit.

The Dallas/Fort Worth area offers many courses, including the George Fazio-designed Riverchase Golf Club and Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club.

The Del Lago Resort and Conference Center, The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, and The Houstonia all offer top quality courses in the Houston area.

Myrtle Beach has mild temperatures all year and attracts avid golfers to its more than 90 championship courses. It is also known for its entertainment and other activities, such as tennis, amusement parks, museums, restaurants and factory shops.

Golf Digest rates the Heritage Golf Club as one of the best public courses in the United States.