Exclusive report from TravelGolf.com: July 22, 2005

Outgoing LPGA head Ty Votaw to
take job with PGA Tour, blogger writes

(July 22, 2005) -- In a TravelGolf.com exclusive, West Coast Bureau Chief Chris Baldwin writes that outgoing LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw is set to accept a job with the PGA Tour that would make him Tim Finchem's right-hand man. Here is the complete text from Baldwin's blog:

It turns out Ty Votaw did not just resign his LPGA commissioner's post just to leave. He left to become a PGA Tour higher up.

Votaw is set to assume a high-ranking post in the PGA Tour that will essentially make him Commissioner Tim Finchem's right-hand man, an industry source told TravelGolf.com. When Votaw first announced in early January that he would be stepping down, there was immediate speculation of a PGA jump. Votaw denied all the talk and it died down.

Just a few weeks ago at the Women's World Match Play, Votaw told TravelGolf.com, he did not know if his future plans would include a sports post. This even as Votaw was informing a few people in the industry that the PGA Tour move was imminent, with the deal all but done, according to TravelGolf.com's source.

Apparently, Michelle Wie is not the only one who looks at the PGA Tour as the real challenge. Apparently, TravelGolf.com's Tim McDonald and Rebel Blogger are not the only ones who look at the LPGA as minor league.

The LPGA's own long-touted, purse-boosting, saving-face commissioner has apparently turned the LPGA top spot into a stepping stone to the PGA Tour. It will be interesting to see how women's golf defenders try to spin this one.

And will Votaw admit how long this has been in the works when he takes the PGA post? Or will he claim all the discussions took place in the few days since he's left LPGA office?

Stay tuned.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Arizona's worst and most
beloved track: Coronado G.C. is both

There's graffiti, weeds, broken concrete and smashed bottles. No, this isn't some inner-city course, it's in ritzy Scottsdale, Ariz. Welcome to Coronado Golf Course, an ugly duckling that runs through a highway and charges $12 a round. While it may be the worst course in Arizona, "people love this place," says local golfer George Phillips. When there was talk of razing it, "you would have thought they were trying to tear down the Sistine Chapel."

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Bunker tips designed for women
or golfers with low club head speed

Have you been told to open your clubface? Open your body? Swing the club more up on the back swing? These suggestions work great for Vijay Singh and even Annika Sorenstam because these players generate tremendous speed. They don't work for the average female golfer, who cannot even begin to relate to this power game and would simply be happy to be able to get out of the bunker and onto the green most of the time.

Full story | Blogger: Gary Wiren attacks pure bunk

Cancun luxury? Iberostar Paraiso
Maya your only world-class choice

Located just down the road from rowdy Cancun, the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, a 432-suite Spanish resort, brings real luxury to an area known for hotels with beer-stained couches and room service meals that make your neighborhood IHOP look sumptuous. If you go to the Cancun area looking for beaches and a carefree lifestyle with high-end accommodations and fantastic golf courses, Paraiso Maya is by far your best shot, writes West Coast Bureau Chief Chris Baldwin.

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