Golf Blog

Northern California Golf Getaway for Mom and Dad

We love our kids, but sometimes all parents need a relaxing, rejuvinating getaway.

If golf is something the two of you have in common, the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship At Wente Vineyards, near the San Francisco Bay area, may be just what you need.

Northern California’s premier golf, food and wine event returns to The Course At Wente Vineyards March 31-April 6, when the Nationwide Tour makes its only stop in the greater Bay Area. Besides hosting the best field of professional golfers to visit the Bay Area in 2008, the Wine Country Championship also will feature gourmet food and wine tasting each day.

Founded in 1883, Wente Vineyards, located near Livermore, California, is the country’s oldest continuously operated family-owned winery. Owned and managed today by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family, the winery draws from nearly 3,000 acres of estate vineyards located in the Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco regions of California.

Visitors to the area can choose from resort accommodations at the Purple Orchid Inn Resort & Spa,  or a variety of hotels in and around Livermore.

Experience professional golf that's as good as any you'll see on the PGA Tour, without the throngs of people, all while enjoying great food, wine and a beautiful landscape.

Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort

It's hard to believe, but at the base of Western Maryland's Evitts Mountain, in the Rocky Gap State Park,  sits the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in the state, the Golden Bear at Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort.

The absence of other Maryland golf courses holding the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course distinction is testimony to the difficulty of obtaining the title.  The course has recently obtained multiple awards, such as the 2006 "Greens of Distinction," Corporate and Incentive Travel,  2007 "4-Star," Golf Digest, and 2007/2008 Zagat's "Best Places to Play."

As with a growing number of golf resorts these days, golf isn't the only thing you get.  This month, Wine Enthusiast magazine gave the resort it's coveted Award of Distinction.  The the resort's Lakeside Restaurant earned Wine Enthusiast's praise by being one of the country's most wine-friendly restaurants. 

In addition to the championship golf course and fine dining options, the popular multi-amenity resort offers:

• 215 guest rooms
• Fabulous spa with innumerable, relaxing treatments;
• Extensive meeting programs encompassing 15,000+ square feet of banquet and meeting space and numerous service options;
• Family and children's activities (horseback riding, paintball, climbing wall, rappelling, whitewater rafting, canoeing and a Scales & Tales animal program by the campfire);
• Corporate team building programs through Western Maryland Adventures;
• Special weddings programs by the lake with both indoor and outdoor settings;
• Beautiful lakeside pavilions.

For every member of the family, and most any occasion, the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort deserves a look when planning your next family vacation, golf trip, or mom and dad getaway.

Alan L. Hammond is a freelance golf and travel writer.  Contact him through Suite101.com or at his blog, Suite Golf Travel.