How did you get into golfing?

My older brother Bernie, who is ten years older than me, was an avid golfer during the days when there weren't any driving ranges around where we grew up in South Dakota.  So, everyone had their own "shag bag" and you would go to a fairway and hit your own balls, pick them up and start over. I would "shag" for Bernie, and the deal was that every time I shagged a bag, he would let me hit a few balls on my own. I think what this instilled in me was that hitting golf balls was a great privilege, something to cherish, and to this day, I cherish my time on the range.

Golfing destinations abound in the Columbus, Ohio area. The Buckeye State I'm told as a whole has fantastic golf. But if you have the opportunity to travel to Columbus, there are three courses you should make sure to visit.

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. - The Wisconsin Dells area has been known to the residents of the upper Midwest as a great summer vacation destination for about 150 years. Since 1979, when the first water park opened here, The Dells has been known for both outdoor and indoor aquatic fun.

Perhaps couples golf trips are on the rise. Maybe more wives are accompanying their husbands on what were formerly guys-only golf junkets. Possibly the aging Baby Boomer population needs to work out the kinks caused by the 36-holes-a-day golf regimen, in concert with ever-increasing travel hassles.

Next time you pull out a Post-It Note to jot down a reminder for your upcoming tee-time, think about Minnesota. The land of 10,000 lakes (actually there’s 11,842) is the birthplace of that little square of yellow paper, and home to some travel golf opportunities you might not have heard of. The state has hosted all 13 sanctioned USGA championships and has 703,000 golfers – more per capita than any other state in the USA.

When Paul Schock first laid eyes on Cleve Trimble’s 2,500-acre stretch of land situated along the Snake River Canyon in the heart of Nebraska’s Sandhills region, a tingle ran up and down his spine and an obsession gripped him almost immediately. Where most people would see rolling hills carpeted in prairie grass and scrub brush, dotted with enormous sand dunes, Schock saw a place where he could completely lose himself in a passion that has engulfed him since he was a young man growing up in South Dakota.

When the Island Resort & Casino unveiled Sweetgrass Golf Club in July 2008, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula transitioned from an outdoorsman’s paradise with a few quality golf courses to a formidable golf destination with a bevy sporting options to please the palate of all levels of golfers. The Upper Peninsula – affectionately nicknamed the U.P – features a troika of world-class golf courses, Sweetgrass, Greywalls and TimberStone, which maximize the region’s natural splendor and reflect the area’s Indian heritage.