http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,2085841,00.html
Friday, July 29, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Bamberg, Germany's Beer Capitol
Many Americans associate German bier (beer) with Octoberfest and Munich, however many outstanding brews can be found throughout the year in different locations in this great beer drinking country.
Bamberg, is situated in the heart of Franconia, a region in northern Bavaria. The ancient city is known for its smoked Rauchbier. The most famous is Schlenkerla's Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier from the Heller brewery; it can be enjoyed at the Schlenkerla tavern on the Dominikaner Strasse in the Old Town.
Bamberg is home to eight breweries, Brauerei Fässla, Brauerei Greifenklau, Brauerei Heller-Trum (Schlenkerla), Brauerei Kaiserdom, Keesmann Bräu, Klosterbräu, Mahrs Bräu and Brauerei Spezial, and one brewpub, Ambräusianum, an unusually high number for a city of 70,000.
Here the standard German draught Export or Pils is frequently replaced by one or more of the traditional beers produced by local brewers:
Rauchbier (smoke beer), is a speciality of the Bamberg area, its characteristic taste is achieved by kilning the malt over a beechwood fire. I
found it very smooth and pleasant tasting.
Vollbier, can vary from light gold to almost black in color. Malty with a dry finish, it bears no resemblance to mass-produced lagers found elsewhere.
Lagerbier or Kellerbier, often brewed as an alternative to vollbier. It is unfiltered and is often dispensed straight from the barrel in Franconia’s beergardens. It is less malty and more hoppy than Vollbier.
Bockbier is a seasonal beer, similar to Vollbier, but significantly stronger. The Bamberg Bockbiers appear around Mid-October and lasts until Christmas.
Weissbier/Weizenbier (wheat beer), from Southern Bavaria is finding its way into the portfolios of many breweries in Franconia. Top-fermented, it's usually available in bottles rather than on draught, unfiltered and sedimented.
Schwarzbier (Black beer). Bamberg always had its own “little black beer” in Klosterbräu’s Schwärzla, but "black" beer is becoming popular nationally and others are now following the style. The darkest malts are used but the beer is dark brown rather than black!
The local brews are of the bottom-fermenting, lager type and are filtered at the brewery and sent out ready to serve. A variety of dispense systems is used, but it is often possible to find beer dispensed straight from the barrel, particularly at the beergardens.
You’ll be surprised to learn that Germans are drinking less beer. Beer consumption per capita actually fell by a third during the last quarter century. According to the European Beer Guide, the average German beer consumption per capita in 1985 was 153 liters for every man, woman, and child. In 2010, the average German drank around 100 liters of beer. Perhaps its the great German wine, but that’s another story.
The Franconian Brewery Museum was established by a group of professional brewers
in 1984 "out of love for the brewing tradition". It occupies the renovated historical vaults of the former Benedictine Abbey on the Michaelsberg in Bamberg, where brewing was taking place as early as 1122. Besides historical equipment acquired from local breweries, maltings and equipment manufacturers, there are displays covering the malting and brewing processes. View
Bamberg extends over seven hills, each crowned by a beautiful church. This has led to Bamberg being called the "Franconian Rome." However, a running joke among Bamberg's tour guides is to refer to Rome instead as the "Italian Bamberg".
Learn more at http://www.germany-tourism.de/ and www.bamberg.de/english.
James Weaver
Golfwiz Blog
Senior Travel Writer
Saturday, July 16, 2011
2011 Open Championship Update: Round 3
Northern Irelands Darren Clarke finds himself atop the leaderboard at -5 with American Dustin Johnson in a familar place 1-shot behind Clarke at -4. Clarke a crowd favorite took the lead today in tough conditions and despite missing several close putts that could have put him at least 3 to 5 shots ahead.
The 2011 Open Championship is wide open in 2011 and if a player in red numbers get hot then we might have a great finsih ahead on sunday. Tune in to 2011 Open Championship ocverage Sunday Morning at 6 AM EST on ESPN/ABC.
Edward Wanambwa
www.thegolfwriter.com
The 2011 Open Championship is wide open in 2011 and if a player in red numbers get hot then we might have a great finsih ahead on sunday. Tune in to 2011 Open Championship ocverage Sunday Morning at 6 AM EST on ESPN/ABC.
Edward Wanambwa
www.thegolfwriter.com
Friday, July 15, 2011
Banff Golf Course Centennial
If you thought the only sorts in western Canada were ice hockey, skiing, and rodeo, you don’t know the whole story. This year the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta, will celebrate 100 Years of Golf with season-long celebration.
This July 13 marks the 100th Anniversary of organized golf here, noting the first time golf was played and membership organized in Banff. On that date, The Fairmont Banff Springs will have a day-long celebration open to the community and the public. The celebration will include free junior golf clinics, playing opportunities on the Tunnel Nine, demo days of the driving range, a cake-cutting ceremony, and the initiation of its 100 Trees Program to replant trees in Banff National Park, in which the resort and its golf courses are located.
Among the many activities and plans was creation of a 100th Anniversary logo and select merchandise including commemorative pin flags and apparel.
The anniversary event includes a display of historic memorabilia and photography from the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. In addition, members of its Golf Club have created a commemorative 100th Anniversary coffee table book.
As part of its Centennial year, Fairmont Banff Springs will host the Telus World Skins Game featuring Anthony Kim, Stephen Ames and three other professionals on the Stanley Thompson 18 course on July 25-26.
In September, members of the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Club will play members of Canmore Golf and Curling Club as both clubs reinvigorate the Banff-Canmore Golf Shield, a match-play event between clubs that dates back to the 1920s between the two rival towns. Canmore will celebrate its 85th anniversary this year, and issued the challenge to the Banff Golf Club members earlier this year. The friendly rivalry pits the upscale resort town against the blue-collar mining town in a classic battle of skill on the golf course.
Stanley Thompson, Canada's master golf course architect, used his expert talent when he designed the original 18 holes in 1928. The course winds along the Bow River under the snowcapped peaks of Sulphur Mountain and Mount Rundle. In 1989, the course was complemented with the construction of an adjoining 9 holes, designed by Cornish and Robinson, resulting in 27 holes of championship Alberta golf.
The Resort is offering the Golf For Free Package throughout the season, starting at $299 Canadian per person per night for overnight accommodations in its Baronial-style castle hotel. a free round of golf on the Stanley Thompson 18.
See canadianrockiesgolf.ca for this and other golf packages in Alberta, Canada.
James Weaver
Golfwiz Blog
Senior Travel Writer
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bjorn Again at the 2011 Open Championship
Paul Childs/Zuma PressThe big story at the 104th Open Championship was all about redemption for Denmark's Thomas Bjorn. Eight years ago Bjon had suffered a catastrophic collapase on the 16th hole at Royal St. Georges that gave American Ben Curtis his first and only Major Win. Today Thomas Bjorn got some payback and now finds himself atop the leaderboard at the 2011 Open Championship.
Bjorn's Father died after along illness eight weeks ago and an emotional Bjorn broke down in the press cdenter after his round and it was clearly visible that his father dseath is still fresh on his mind.
Maybe this year Bjorn will overcome the heartbreak he suffered in 2003 and raise the Calret Jug as the 104th Open Champion.
Edward Wanambwa
Edward Wanambwa
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Twin Warriors: Two of the Southwest's most prestigious golf facilities can in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Two of the Southwest's most prestigious golf facilities can in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here you can play the legendary Twin Warriors Golf Club and experience the tradition that is Santa Ana Golf Club. Both golf courses are ranked within the Top 100 Public Golf Courses by Golf Digest. As sister courses, they offer a rare opportunity to play two of the nation’s best while remaining in the desert retreat of Albuquerque.
The Santa Ana Golf Club offers golf the way it was meant to be played. The New York Times calls Santa Ana "one of America's three best true links-style golf courses." The course follows in the tradition of golf's first and finest links-style courses and was highly rated by both Golf Week and Golf Digest.
You'll enjoy a 27-hole championship links-style golf course, five sets of tees on every hole, play from 5,500 yards to 7,400 yards (depending on which tee you play from), a 22,000-square-foot Club House, eight lakes, a full-service Pro Shop, excellent practice facilities, hospitality quarters, and a four-star restaurant, a casual bar and grille.
Twin Warriors Golf Club (Architect: Gary Panks Established: May 2001) is eighteen holes of high desert, championship golf routed in and around 20 ancient cultural sites of previous habitation and activity. The course has beautiful grassy knolls and ridges dotted with Juniper and Pinon Pine. Wonderful dry washes known as arroyos and eroded land features, along with the sacred butte known as Tuyuna or "Snakehead" complete a picture framed by spectacular views of the Sandia Mountains.
Twin Warriors Golf Club, designed and developed with meticulous care and cultural sensitivity, provides both the championship golfer and the resort-style golfer a unique golfing adventure. Its 18 holes of championship golf, including the largest golf course water feature in the state with a cascading waterfall, an ancient cave dwelling and an abandoned horse corral.
The GPS-equipped golf carts, with illustrations of each hole, accurate yardage to the pin, key hazards, playing tips, and even score keeping and food/beverage ordering capabilities.
The Santa Ana Golf Club is a daily fee golf course - only one fee for the entire day! The golf course offers the glorious natural splendor of the Santa Ana Pueblo. Located north of Albuquerque, NM and woven through the desert along the Rio Grande, it is surrounded by the grandeur of the Jemez Mountains to the west, the Sangre de Cristos to the north, and the Sandia Mountains immediately east, offering a spectacular view of the 10,000-foot Sandia Peak. Native grasses, subtle mounding and eight crystal-blue lakes inspire and challenge your best play.
James Weaver
Golfwiz Blog
Golfwiz Blog
Senior Travel Writer
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