Golf is Great in Savannah, Georgia
by Scott A. Sumner
www.golfingnews.ca
When I had the opportunity to go to Savannah, Georgia and play some golf I knew it would be special. Savannah is a two hour drive away from famed Augusta, Georgia and my trip would be at the same time as the Masters tournament. My home in Savannah would be the Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa which offers 403 rooms and suites, lots of meeting space totaling 35,000 square feet , restaurants, spa and a 18 hole chmpionship golf course. Also right next door is the Savannah international Trade and Convention Centre with over 200,000 square feet of meeting space. The Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa are just putting the finishing touches on a $7 million hotel renovation. The average room rate is $259 to $289 depending on the time of year.
The city population of Savannah is seen as 200,000 with the greater metro area being 500,000. Savannah has an international Airport with Delta, US Air and Air Tran carriers offering service. The city is built on a bluff with ballast stones from the ships that came to the port. All most all of River Street is in cobblestone. River Street has more tourist oriented shops and restaurants. The buildings are converted cotton warehouses that are four stores high. In the summer Savannah can be in the 90s but it is breezy so keeps you a little cooler.
“ They come from Atlanta, Charlotte or Washington Dulles depending on where you are close to. Our economy is mostly tourism based. We have a large port, the third largest in the US, that drives quite a bit of the economy. We also have the Gulf Stream corporate jet company, “ said Laura Quail, Public Relations Manager for Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa. “ The big draw here is the historic district. We have buildings and structures that pre date the civil war. With moss draped oaks and being 12 miles from the ocean beach we offer the visitor so much. We are on Hutchinson Island across from the historic Savannah River Street. We have a rich art community with a great art school located here.”
The Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa opened in 1999 and has just undergone a complete renovation embracing the Westin brand. “ We want our guests to come here, relax and leave refreshed. You can enjoy your business stay as well. You can walk
from the hotel to a free water ferry and go to River Street. All of our guests appreciate the best of both worlds being close to downtown but you can put feet up at the only river side pool in Savannah and watch the cargo ships go by or get lost in a book. We toy with the terminology of an urban resort. It feels like a resort but is close to the city.” said Laura Quail. “
My first day at the Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa would include a lesson from Wayne Murphy, Tournament coordinator at the Club at Savannah Harbour. Murphy is a native of Savannah and in the PGA of America PGM program, a thee stage program with a playing ability test and will become a class A professional. After the lesson we would get to play golf on the beautiful layout.
“ The course was designed by Bob Kupp and Sam Snead one of the last golf courses Mr. Snead consulted on before he passed away. We opened for business in December 1999 and this is our 10 year anniversary. We are connected with the Westin and Savannah Trade Centre and are available for daily play and have memberships. We are a Troon managed facility so if you are a member at one club you can play here and at all Troon facilties. Our flagship operation is Troon North in Scottsdale where the corporate offices are located,” said
Wayne Murphy. “ We have the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf coming up here in 2 weeks . This is the orignal tournament put together by Sam Snead and will be the 31st running of the event. It is an invitational and to be invited you either have to have won a major or 3 tour events on
the PGA Tour. It is a team competition and has the largest purse. Tom Watson and Andy North were our Champions last year and have not made a bogie the past three years.”
“ The golf course is very versatile. We can make it play difficult by growing the rough to 3 to 4 inches. It is a Tiff Eagle base overseed with a Poa Trif winterland and very thick grass. The greens will be rolling close to a 12 on the tournament days. You require precise golf shots. No 12. green is 67 yards deep and takes 2 individuals 1 hour and 1-2 to cut,” said Murphy. The spring tine is a fantastic time to come and play golf here in Savannah. The greens are rolling great and the grass is a nice dark green. Today ( April 9th) it is 78 degrees with a 10 MPH wind. We play through the winter with 5 or 6 frost days ending at 830 pm.”
The peak green fee rate at the Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa is $165 and off season $100. They have a brand new cart fleet from Club Car , the Precedent series with an in dash GPS from GPS industries that gives you yardages to keep the golfers as well informed as possible. They also have a great academy with 4 PGA Class A professionals who use the V1 teaching system. “ We can capture a players swing through video and break that down frame by frame to show the students whats going on.It alows the leaning experience to go much faster and be more comprehensive," said the 28 year old Murphy. “ We can show them their swing, compare before and after and compare it to other golf professionals. We have the Titileist Performance Institute ( TPI) and have an instructor here
who is certified. He will go through the valuation test and develop a stretching routine and a workout routine for the individual.” That sounded really good and would be my next stop
tommorrow at 7am.
“ The TPI program entails how to build better golfers. We focus on developing routines and exercises that contribute to the muscle groups that golfers are known to use while playing golf. We focus on strengthening those muscles and improving swing faults that some golfers are subceptible too as well as some injuries the body succumbs to after playing golf for a long period of time,” said Morris Johnson, Fitness Trainer at the Club at Savannah Harbour. “ I
certified with the Titeleist Performance Institute for 4 years. I love it here.You can do the physical training and as well the golf professionals will take your swing analysis and lessons to understand the dynamics of your swing as well as increasing your health and lifestyle. We
cover all the areas of better golf, better fitness and health and wellness. The TPI developed the program.”
“ Today we did a routine that focuses on all the muscle groups you use while playing golf. We worked on your stability, flexability of core and balance using resistance band training with some weights as well as two sessions of stretching that focused before and after routine. The way it works is you will get a print out of the exercises, how to do them including the weights, repetitions and frequency. You can utilize them at home, at the gym or in your hotel
room if you are a business travelor. Most of the exercises involve a resistance band or small weight you can take anywhere.You can add this to your gym routine," smiled Johnson. “ We will show additional exercises after 4 weeks to provide a change to your program. You can
access the website to see some of the amenities we offer. You can also go to the TPI website to see a video with all of the exercises.”
"You should do the program a minimum of three times a week with a day off to allow the body to recooperate. In between you could do some light cardio such as light walking, biking, swimming, hiking etc, Food is important as well so a nutritionist call help with your
carbs, proteins and water intake to get the most benefit from the program. I am dealing with some elite athletics in golf, soccer and football, “ said Morris Johnson who was in the US army in Iraq with Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraq and loved the experience and wouldn't change it for anything. “ It is good to see development and someone progress in their fitness and know you have had a part in it. It gives you a sense of worth. It is truly
amazing. “
