Mom travel with Suzanna Keith
Please welcome Suzanna Keith, Blogger at TechandTravelMom.com and Brand Director, EVP of OnlineMomMedia.com.
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Family bonding over a game of golf
We love sporting vacations with our kids and are so happy they're still excited to do family golf vacations now that they're older. And they really caught the golf bug this year. They enjoy family putting contests so much that Santa brought clubs for all three.
We highly recommend The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center in Woodlands, Texas for a family golf vacation. Not only does Texas have consistently warm weather for Feb/March/April breaks but the hospitality is equally warm.
Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, TexasBeing on vacation lets us spend time
learning new things about our family that we might miss otherwise. Hours in the
golf cart create bonding opportunities with kids, especially if they aren't big
conversationalists (true for our teen). You can celebrate the drives and
perfect putts while laughing about fun adventures - like mom dancing the jig to
avoid getting stung by the red ants on the lady's tee. Let's face it, jumping
up and down like Rumpelstiltskin or throwing clubs like Happy Gilmore isn't appropriate for any sport. All joking aside,
each hole provides the chance to teach kids about the game as well as the value
of sportsmanship.
Playing golf for life
spending quality time bondingGolf is a life sport. As long as you're
willing to learn the rules of the game and pick up your ball when needed,
you'll never lose your pace. Golf teaches eye hand coordination, concentration,
patience and strategy. Walking and carrying clubs is good exercise and it's
outside in the fresh air - even when it's cloudy or rainy (the exception being
lightning). You often see different types of wildlife from the caddy shack
gofer, to deer, to an occasional Lynx (to our hubbies when they miss an easy
putt). Happily, there are golf courses for any budget making the sport accessible
to everyone.
Planning your golf vacation
family golf tripSince our children just began to enjoy
golf, we wanted to plan our leisure activities balancing instructional play
with free time. Some planning strategies that worked for us:
- Day 1: Sign up the kids for a ½ day lesson and play a quick 9 holes with your husband. Spend the rest of the day at the pool or on a family bike ride.
- Day2: Take the kids to the driving range and putting green for a warm up. Then, take them out for their first 9-hole round. Follow up the play with a fun reward, such as a delicious lunch and ice cream sundae at The Royal Mile Grill followed by family tennis.
- Day 3: Repeat the schedule that works best for your family
The Courses at the Woodlands Resort
The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center boasts a wide range of kid-friendly golfing options:
- Panther Trail:Fun course for players of all skill levels
- Oaks Trails: Suited for kids because of its wide open fairways
- The Performance Center: Offers instructional clinics for children run by the former tour pro Susie Redmond
Be aware, they have a few guidelines for kids. They're welcome on the course at 1pm on weekends with a parent, during the week after 11am if by themselves or anytime with a parent.
Planning lodging & logistics
where to go and things to doMost major airlines fly into Houston and
you'll need to rent a car for the 30-minute drive to the Woodlands and to get
around town. For lodging, the Woodlands Resort & Conference
Center features a Tame Your Game package as well as many
affordable family-lodging options (summer rates around $169 but it's super-hot
there in July and August). The resort features bike rentals, volleyball, tennis,
spa treatments and the amazing Forest Oasis pool. In case you've never been, the
Forest Oasis is a little slice of heaven for both parents and children. On
weekends, the resort provides live entertainment, such as local bands, balloon
art and face painting. For the teens, they offer ping pong, karaoke and evening
movies. But, the best part is the giant waterslide that even moms and dads will
appreciate.
The pool has beverage service and a full menu complete with kid-friendly food. The resort has a variety of fun restaurants but be sure to leave time to explore some of the local culinary delights.
Family Friendly restaurants
-
where to eat can be a challenge? Grimaldis!Americas by the Waterway: Offers American cuisine
with plenty of fresh seafood. - Grimaldi'sPizza by the Waterway: Best brick oven Pizza in the area and kids always love it.
- Uni Sushi on Market Street: Designs some of the most beautiful and savory sushi creations we've ever seen and the decor is just divine.
- Cafe Express on Market Street: Features inexpensive but yummy family friendly sandwiches, pasta and salads.
Unique attractions
For a night on the town, the Woodlands has much to offer with its extraordinary light show around the Waterway and Market Street. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion spotlights classical artists and rock bands from around the world and hosts the Houston Symphony during the summer. Some packages for the resort include pavilion entrance too.
- Market Street: Offers high-end shopping, dining, movies and outdoor concerts on the Village green.
- The Insperity championship: April/May at the Woodlands Country Club by the PGA benefits local Houston charities and features many Golfing Greats. This year Nick Price, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player showed us how to play the game at the Woodlands Country Club Tournament Course. It was quite exciting to see the Big Three foursome of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player on the tee together.
A golfing vacation can make fantastic memories to last a life-time. We hope that 30 years from now our kids will remember the laughs we had and take a similar vacation with their little ones - and invite us along too!
Ever taken your kids on a golf holiday? Find us on Twitter or Facebook and let's start talking!
About Suzanna Keith
Suzanna Keith @skconceptsSuzanna Keith ~
@skconcepts is an experienced marketing
professional who believes in leveraging revolutionary insights and ideas to
grow extraordinary brands. Her expertise includes researching consumer insights
and building on these insights to drive long-term strategic direction in all
aspects of brand management. Prior to starting her own consulting company
Skconcepts, Suzanna served as Brand Manager for Mitchum AP at Revlon in NY, NY.
Originally from Bristol, TN, Suzanna graduated from Bryn Mawr College and
received her MBA in marketing from New York University. Suzanna is currently
EVP for OnlineMomMedia, consults for FaceForward.com, writes the blog
Techandtravelmom.com and also blogs for GoGirlfriend.com. Along with her
husband and three children, Suzanna splits her time between NY and Texas.
Catch up with Suzanna online:
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Comments
Love this! My fiance is a
Love all the tips! Thanks
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