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Bullz-Eye.com hit Las Vegas last weekend to check out the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament. Here’s are some photos from the event, featuring MJ, Brandi Chastain, Aaron Rodgers, John Smoltz, Ken Griffey, Jr., Roger Clemens, Marcus Allen and Wayne Gretzky teed off on the 18th hole at the beautiful Shadow Creek golf course.

All photos © 2011 Bullz-Eye.com. All Rights Reserved

There’s so much to do in England that any tourist can get overwhelmed by the possibilities. For many golf fanatics, a trip to England and Scotland is at the very top of their list. Golfer fantasize about playing at St. Andrews and other iconic courses, though of course the fees are just incredible. Not everyone can afford it.

This time of year you can start thinking about your budget and possibly getting in a great trip to England. The airfares are certainly less. Of course the weather isn’t as cooperative, but you also avoid all the summer crowds.

Do some research and think about your trip and your options. For example, check out Leeds castle (pictured above) and consider the 9-hole golf course there. Also, you don’t have to plan your entire trip around golf. There is so much more to see and do in this spectacular country. The Brighton hotels for example should be a bargain this time of year in this seaside resort.

Of course you’ll want to go up to Scotland is you can swing it, and you’ll deals this time of year on hotels in Edinburgh so you can check out the castle.

The key is that you really don’t have to plan an entire trip around golf. Most golf fans appreciate beautiful scenery and history, and the UK offers so much in those areas.

There are few things as beautiful as a wide open course on an early fall morning. As autumn approaches, you’re probably thinking about the best places to go relax, spend a few days away from the pressures of work, and just enjoy a few rounds on the best fairways you can find.

Mississippi has world-renowned courses with stay-and-play packages for the upcoming season. The temperate conditions make golf perfect when it would be too cold to play in a lot of places around the country. If you’re looking for a great course, consider The Bridges Golf Club, Mississippi’s only Arnold Palmer Signature Course.

Set among 600 acres of moss-draped live oaks, pines, magnolias and scenic views of saltwater marsh, the course features tee boxes to accommodate golfers of all skill levels and 21 bridges that span nearly one mile in length.

Located on 600 waterfront acres, Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis offers 1,200 of the latest reel, video slot and video poker machines as well as a poker room, free wireless Internet in the guest rooms and a pool and cabana bar.

The Stay-and-Play Package starts at $59 per golfer (Sunday through Thursday) and includes:

• One round of golf
• One night accommodation at Hollywood Casino
• Free $10 slot machine play and a 10% discount in The Bridges pro shop

For reservations or more information please call 1-800-WIN-BIG -2 (1-800-946-2442) or visit the Hollywood Casinos website. Offer is valid through Dec. 29, 2010.

As you probably expected, the recession is having an adverse impact on golf course memberships and country club memberships.

Recession-battered golf courses aren’t just coping with lighter crowds. Some are edging perilously close to bankruptcy. Courses from Florida to Arizona, where golfing was once a daily exercise, face major cutbacks or foreclosure.

Myrtle Beach, S.C., a once-booming 70-mile strip of beachfront property nicknamed “Golftown, USA,” has been hit especially hard: Where there were about 125 golf courses in 2006, there are now around 100.

“It’s just a shakeout of golf,” says Donald Wizeman, CEO of Myrtle Beach Golf Association, which produces a website for golfers traveling to Myrtle Beach. “The real estate market is so depressed here.”

Things are just as bleak in Arizona. Eight golf courses in the Phoenix area have gone through foreclosure or bankruptcy since commercial properties started facing serious financial problems in 2008, according to IonDataExpress.com, a real estate analysis firm. Many more are reducing their hours this summer, says Tom Stine, co-founder of market researcher Golf Datatech.

You should also expect to find incredible deals for golf travel and green fees on courses all around the country.

The professional golf scene today is mostly centered on stateside competition, but the game’s historic roots are overseas, and this week marks one of the game’s oldest and most prestigious competitions – the British Open.

The Canadian Press had a great interview with Arnold Palmer, one of the first American players to play on the Old Course at St. Andrews.

“I felt that if you were going to be a champion, you couldn’t be a champion without playing in the Open and hopefully winning the Open,” [Palmer] said. “So that was part of the whole program for what I was doing.”

Palmer won the Masters and U.S. Open in 1960. On his way to St. Andrews for his first British Open, a conversation with sports writer Bob Drum led Palmer to effectively create the modern version of the Grand Slam.

He finished one shot behind Kel Nagle. Palmer won his claret jugs at Royal Birkdale in 1961 and Royal Troon in 1962.

Even so, St. Andrews remains a big part of his life. Palmer was given an honorary degree at the St. Andrews University on Tuesday. The only disappointment was not getting to play in the “Champions Challenge” because of bad weather Wednesday.

The Bleacher Report also put together a nice preview of the field this year. As the article states, with 49 of the top 50 players on the field this week, it’s sure to be an exciting tournament. Will Tiger be able to regain the mental determination that led him to so many victories? Will Justin Rose and his perfect rhythm net another win this year?

If you’re interested in getting to the Open, or just getting to the Old Course some time soon, Wikitravel has a comprehensive guide to getting the most out of your St. Andrews experience.

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