OC can be host to ideal golf vacation

golf vacations to NewportOrange County, and specifically Newport Beach, offers top-notch locations for golfers on road.Whether it’s for leisure or whether it’s for business, Newport Beach is an ideal golf resort vacation destination.

Despite the fact the above statement sounds like an advertisement from a travel brochure, the information is pretty accurate: The Newport-Mesa area, all of Orange County and even all of Southern California harbors some of the best golf courses in the country.

Believe it or not, golf is a big tourist attraction in the area. Warm, sunny weather all year, beaches, Disneyland and golf -- a pretty appealing package.

“It’s really popular,” said Marta Hayden, executive director of the Newport Conference and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve got such ideal weather out here. It’s very temperate. It’s unlike the desert where there’s limited golf time -- all year around we have golf.”

And while the weather might be an obvious connection and draw, the golf courses in the area are known worldwide for their challenging holes and breathtaking views.

Pelican Hill Golf Club is considered the main attraction for vacation golf in the area.

The Tom Fazio-designed courses -- an Ocean North Course and Ocean South Course -- offer golf in a pristine setting, perched atop Newport Coast overlooking the ocean.

Owned by the Irvine Co., Pelican Hill is set to close by the end of November while various renovations and additions -- including a hotel -- are built.

Scheduled to reopen in late 2007, the resort is expected to be a huge draw for golfers around the country.

“With a hotel on the property, it’s going to be much more of a destination site,” Pelican Head Professional Glenn Deck said. “You’ve got two phenomenal Tom Fazio golf courses overlooking the ocean. To me it’s like going to Hawaii, with beautiful views, golf and the weather’s always great.”

While Pelican Hill is closed, the Irvine Co. is redirecting people to its sister course -- Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine.

Outside of Newport Beach but in Orange County, there are plenty of other golf destinations.

Take Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine, or Tustin Ranch Golf Club, or Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita -- though a tad pricey, they all offer first-class golf in ideal settings.

But it’s not just golf vacations that people plan. Companies plan business trips based on hotel accommodations and golf accommodations, according to the Newport Conference and Visitor’s Bureau.

There are seven major hotel properties in Newport Beach market area, according to the bureau’s website.

“As much as it is a leisure vacation activity, it’s also a meeting thing,” said Kerri Holden, marketing and public relations manager for the Newport Conference and Visitor’s Bureau. “I think a lot of people know that many decisions are made at places outside of a boardroom and I think a golf course is one of those places.”

And when companies plan business trips to Newport Beach or people take vacations, the city soaks up the revenue.

The transient occupancy tax, or hotel tax revenue, represents 8.3% of the city’s general fund revenue, according to the visitor’s bureau website. Sales tax and restaurant tax also adds to the revenue.

“I think there are more leisure trips, but we would like more business [trips],” Hayden said. “It’s an added benefit to have conferences here because an extended stay means more money for hotels. Any time you can extend the length of a conference is good for the city in terms of revenue.”

So whether it’s for leisure or business, Newport Beach and all of Orange County offers some of the best golf vacation destinations in the country.

“You get a wide mixture of people,” Deck said. “You get people coming for family vacations because there are so many other things to do, like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios and the things in San Diego.

“And there’s people that come just for golfing vacations. There’s wonderful golf courses in San Diego, then they come up north and make it a long week of golf.”20051013i8qx0qkfPHOTO COURTESY OF THE IRVINE CO. (LA)Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast is among the top vacation golf resorts in Southern California.