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Village Squire, 1976-02, Page 23Bavaria without the snow. Unlike the other states, North Carolina came late to the game, but it has never lagged since it began with now -famous Pinehurst, recognized as one of the great golf centres. Today, there is a wide selection within a 15 -minute drive of that mecca, while others have mushroomed in other parts of the state. The coastline, in particular, is alive with excellent greens which include Cape Fear at Wilmington. Two others of considerable note are Oak Island's course at Southport, a few miles from Cape Fear Lighthouse, and Sea Scape at Kitty Hawk. Inland, there are few towns without one or more courses. Typical are Burlington, Raleigh, Drum- mond and Charlotte, most of whose courses are carved out of pine forests. Mississippi, too, has its share, spreading from Delta flatlands to the hills of the northeast and the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. It is blessed, too, with a climate and a natural terrain which make play ideal at any time. Some of the state's better courses lie on the Gulf roast - the self-styled Golf Coast - and in Biloxi, in particular. In Alabama, practically every sizeable community has a course and several tourist centres in the state have developed the game. Among the finest is the Lakewood Golf Club, and the championship course at Point Clear, in the southern part of the state. In this area, too, are Gulf Shores and the Alabama at Point Aquarius, on Logan Martin Lake east of Birmingham. Florida, as everyone knows, has every- thing, including golf, particularly in spring when the days of high humidity are still far off. But, unlike the hillier Carolinas, the terrain is inclined to be flat, although the hazards, the water ones in particular are hazards indeed. In recent years the state has added a number of fine new courses to its long list. . Among them is Amelia Island with an 18 -hole and a nine -hole course. The 18-holer covers 6,448 yards and plays to a par -71. It has been rated as tough by those who have played it since it has narrow fairways, marshland and lots of water traps. Peter Dye designed this course and another on John's Island, six miles north of Vero Beach. Winds off the ocean can be its greatest challenge. In south Florida, there is the new Boca Lago layout, a mile from the Florida Turnpike exit at Boca Raton, between Palm Beach and Miami. The 18 -hole course is over 6,726 yards and plays to a par -73. This course, and Sheoah at Winter Springs, close to Orland, was designed by Robert Von Haggee and Peter Devlin. The sheoah, like Arnold Palmer's Bay Hills in the same area, is unusual for Florida since it stands on high, rolling sandy ground. Its last four holes are edged around a lake and the whole layout covers 6,664 yards. It has already been giving a good rating Other new courses include Copperhead at Tarpon Springs: Sandpiper Bay at Port St. Blyth Meat Market Blyth 523-4551 Don Scrimgeour, Prop. 4 FEATURING: •r lustom killing, in government m,pected ahbatoir. •.-1/so heel and park tor homy frrr:rrs, nu and u'rappt'd to your family requirements. •11'e also make homemade Country sausage. • Check our frozen food selection For fast, friendly service and tasty meats try Blyth Meat Market soon Lucie, and the Baracudat the Ocean Reef Club on Key Largo. The Barracuda, it should be noted, is a private course and an introduction from a Member is necessary. WHERE TO WRITE The U.S. South has a formidable list of golf courses - so many, in fact, that it is impossible, within the scope of a handful of articles, to either describe or list them all. Greater details are available from the state tourist or tourist -related promotion depart- ments. In some cases, too, they will advise, if asked, and other details, be specific and write to: •South Carolina Division of Tourism, Room 817, Box 78, Columbia, South Carolina, 29202, or Golf Holiday, PO Box 1323. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 29577. •North Carolina Travel and Promotion Division, Office of Industrial and Tourist Resources, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27611. *Florida Department of Commerce, 410-0, Collins Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32304. •Georgia Department of Community Development, Tourist Division, PO Box 38097, Atlanta, Georgia 30332. •Alabama Bureau of Publicity and Informa- tion, State Capitol, Montgomery, Ala. ' 36104. In Mississippi, contact the Biloxi Chamber, of Commerce, PO Drawer CC, Biloxi, Miss. 39533. Listowel Travel Bureau PHONE 291-4100 SPECIALISTS IN BUS TOURS TO: *FLORIDA *CALIFORNIA •TEXAS •CANADA •' • ALSO CAR BBEAN & EUROPEAN VACATIONS ARRANGED LISTOWEL TRAVEL BUREAU 163 Main St. W., Listowel, Ontario VILLAGE SQUIRE/FEBRUARY 1976, 21