Hello From Orlando: Golf In Orlando - The Links-style International Course At Championsgate

Several days after attending the Father-Son-Challenge at ChampionsGate we actually got out and played the International Course ourselves. It was an exciting experience to play a championship golf course just shortly after a major tournament, when it was still in tournament condition with just a few extra degrees of difficulty. The open wind-swept design features a multitude of bunkers and a variety of water hazards, and with a difficulty rating of 76.3, one of the highest ratings in the state, we were duly humbled by the challenges that this course threw at us.

ChampionsGate is an impressive facility with 36 holes designed by famous golf legend Greg Norman. What sets ChampionsGate apart is that its International layout and the National course have totally different designs. The hard, fast fairways of the International course are reminiscent of the great old Scottish and Irish links, while the more modern American-style National course winds through citrus groves and stands of pines, emphasizing challenging shot-making choices and a range of memorable par-3s.

Golfers who want to improve their game can do so at the world-famous David Leadbetter Golf Academy which offers two or three-day mini-schools or retreats, private sessions or David's "Beginner to Winner" program. David Leadbetter even offers video lessons via the Internet, providing access to his teaching expertise to golf students all over the world. The Callaway practice facility consists of an expansive practice area, putting green and short game area and is always complimentary with a round of golf.

As you come off exit 58 on the I-4, ChampionsGate greets you right away with imposing gates. The road takes you past the luxurious Omni Orlando resort and Spa which has been welcoming resort golfers since 2004 in 730 premier rooms, including 25 guest suites. In conjunction with the Omni Resort, ChampionsGate now offers an upscale resort golf experience, complete with a European-style spa, state-of-the-art conference facilities and a 15-acre tropically landscaped recreational area featuring an 850 ft "lazy river". The Champions 9 Golf experience, the resort's lighted 9-hole, par 3 golf course, adds to the recreational opportunities.

The resort will be complemented by a master-planned community including villas and condominiums. The 59-unit phase 1 of the villas is set to open in the summer of 2006, which will be followed by groundbreaking for the 110 units of Phase 2.

The 30,000 square foot clubhouse at ChampionsGate with its enormous wrap-around veranda features a panoramic view of both golf courses and a unique menu that is split right down the middle, featuring international cuisine on the left, and American fare on the right. ChampionsGate specializes in hospitality and customer service, and last year the club hosted more than 340 business or charity outings. After our challenging round we enjoyed a tasty lunch and were joined by Alan Findley, the General Manager of ChampionsGate, who gave us a better overview of this facility.

Alan is particularly proud of hosting the Father-Son-Challenge, a nationally televised golf event that features many present and past legends of golf, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Vijay Singh, to mention just a few. The Father-Son-Challenge is a veritable "Walking Hall of Fame". What makes this tournament really special is its relaxed family atmosphere and the opportunity to see different generations of golf icons playing with their sons, daughters and even grandchildren. It's an opportunity to see these famous golf legends from a human side and we indeed enjoyed watching Vijay Singh relax with a cup of coffee on the 18th hole, awaiting the arrival of his son Qass, hoping for a great final score.

In our conversation Alan also indicated that at the David Leadbetter Academy you never know what golf celebrity you are going to run into. Michelle Wie is a famous Leadbetter student, Charles Howell III was practicing while we were there, and Greg Norman helicoptered in for a lesson last week. Alan also pointed out Michelle Wie's favourite spot in the clubhouse: the table right in front of the big screen TV.

Alan also made us aware of the unique wildlife inhabiting this golf course: two American bald eagles have made the course their permanent home, and on any given day you could see whooping cranes, gannets, alligators or armadillos. For a special glimpse of ChampionsGate's atmosphere come here at the end of the day, when you could see bald eagles perched on a tree in the sunset right in front of the clubhouse, while listening to a Scottish bagpiper, a feature Allen himself has introduced to the club.

driving Directions:

ChampionsGate is located 10 Minutes from disney World at Exit 58 on Interstate 4, just minutes away from International Drive and area attractions.

statistics for ChampionsGate International
Par 72 Yards Rating Slope
Black 7363 76.8 143
Blue 6792 74.1 137
White (M) 6239 71.5 132
White (L) 6239 75.7 134

statistics for ChampionsGate National
Par 72 Yards Rating Slope
Black 7128 75.2 138
Blue 6427 71.9 133
White (M) 5937 69.1 124
White (L) 5937 74.7 125

For more information please visit the ChampionsGate website or call them at (407) 787-GOLF (4653) or toll free at 1-888-558-9301.

This entire article including photos is located at http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_champions_gate_golf.htm

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html FREE ebooks about travel.

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Why Xbox 360 Becomes so Popular in Less Time, The Advantages and Disadvantages of Xbox 360

Introduction: XBox 360
The gaming world has been taken to new heights not experienced ever before with the XBox 360 that keeps you on your toes and at your tips of your fingers in excitement, competition and alertness.

XBox 360 star features
Controllers, dvd playback kits, adapters, cables, wireless gear and whole load of amazing accessories are part of the magic of Xbox 360. These offer comfort, are accurate and remain controllable. You can store your favorite movies, get wireless connected for online gaming and be set up easily with adapters and cables.

XBox 360 console Variety
There are two gaming consoles from XBox 360 and they are the Core and Elite Consoles. While the Core focuses on basics such as plugs, control grabs and extra components that are added along the way at your own speed, the Elite consists of a big hard drive storage capacity, controlling systems that are wireless and a wired headset in premier black finish.

Extras from XBox 360
The XBox 360 extras can bring you the ultimate experience in games, movies and music entertainment and a few extras are given below for comprehending the vast range of the new XBox 360 game console.

Halo 3 wireless control support systems back the XBox 360.
The Xbox 360 halo 3 wireless headset is another extra that adds more excitement.
The Xbox 360 wireless control is an extra in elite black.
The Xbox 360 racing wheel wireless for action-packed sports.
The users guide book of Xbox 360 is an necessary extra to handle and understand the dynamic unit.
Xbox 360 HD dvd player is yet another extra.
There are player and charger kit as well as rechargeable battery kit for XBox 360.
The universal media remote is one more nugget from Xbox 360.
The wireless reception of games for Windows is an Xbox 360 specialty extra tool.
The XBox live vision is enhances Xbox 360.
The windows media center extendable package provides Xbox 360 extra vision in gaming, movies and music.

Prices for XBox 360
The prices for the Core console of XBox 360 are very econimical while that of the Elite is approximately little bit expensive. The accessories, adapters, cables and wireless connectors range depending on the accessory, cable, adaptor or connector chosen.

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Fix Your Xbox 360 - Red Ring of Death - 3 Red Rings

The xbox 360 has had one problem that has plagued many people who have bought the system and it has been called the "red ring of death." Nobody knows why it happens or how but up until now you had to send your xbox 360 away to microsoft and in some cases even pay to have it repaired. But now people have figured out how to fix it themselves and for far less then the cost of a repair.

A lot of people think the "Red Ring of Death" comes from overheating which in turn short circuits something in your xbox 360. Nobody really knows but there have been suggestions to buy a cooling device, wrap it in a towel, basically if you do a search on any search site you will be bombarded with ideas from good to bad. But you shouldn't just do anything to your xbox 360 because after all, you did pay a couple hundred dollars for this system.

The problem has been acknowledged by microsoft to be widespread and there has been reports of people buying a new xbox 360 and having the "Red Ring of Death" appear within days. They bring it back to the store and exchange it for a new xbox 360 only to have it happen again. This can be a very frustrating and the reason is occurs is unknown. Luckily there has been research done by people on the internet who have had the problem and it looks like there has been progress made on finding out how to fix your xbox 360 if this does happen to you.

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