HOW TO CHASE AWAY THE RECESSION BLUES WITH A BUDGET GOLF VACATION AT THE BEACH

Sick of winter and ready for a break? Got spring fever but feeling broke?

With The Masters right around the corner, you know you want to get away with the guys and get your golf season off the launching pad at some warm Carolina resort.

Think you can't afford it? Wrong.

I know. It's hard to justify heading to Hilton Head or Kiawah Island for a spirng break. Greens fees there are well north of $100.

But you can get your 2009 warm-weather break for cheap on other Southern fairways. There's always Myrtle Beach. It's the bargain basement of golf destinations, right? Well, not so much anymore – unless you know where to look. You can go all pricey on the “Grand Strand” playing Top 100 courses. Or you can low ball with some pretty nice tracks.

Me? I'd build a vacation with a little of each.

You can read all about Top 100 courses in Myrtle Beach in the golf magazines. I'll spare you the recap. What's tough is identifying the QUALITY courses at the bottom of the cost chain. Who wants to head south to play a dog track?

So, here's some help. A few tips on how you can get more for less.

There's a little course with a whimsical name and logo that doesn't get much love from the critics. But regular golfers who tee it up there adore the place. It's Possum Trot Golf Club. This little-known layout tucked off Highway 17 is beautifully maintained. Its greens are way better than those at a lot of the pricier courses nearby. And, the folks who run the place treat every visitor like royalty. In fact, Possum Trot is known as the “Friendliest Course On The Beach.”

Best of all, greens fees with cart are around $60. Got your attention, now?

Possum Trot has been around for a long time. It's a basic golf club. You're not going to see a big, fancy clubhouse there. Who wants to pay for that anyway? You don't tee it up on a grand stairway. You're looking for a good golf course. Possum Trot delivers.

It will remind you of England's great courses. Spacious fairways. Formidable par 5’s. Tricky greens. Then, there are the flowers. They're everywhere, like an English country garden.

Intrigued? Here's how you can build a great vacation around Possum Trot and play some of the beach's best for a lot less than you're pay for a couple rounds at Hilton Head or Kiawah. How does a 3 night/4 rounds stay-and-play package for around $300 sound? Play Possum Trot, then head on over to the breathtakingly beautiful Glen Dornoch along the Intracoastal Waterway. Fill out your trip with rounds at Heather Glen and Shaftesbury Glen.

Spend you nights in a beautiful villa. Enjoy free range balls, complimentary breakfast and discounted replays.

You can chase away those recession blues – even if you don't have a lot of green. Check it out at http://www.glensgolfgroup.com/specials/?id=25.