Stay at…
Meadowood Napa Valley
900 Meadowood Lane
St. Helena, California 94574
Phone 800 458-8080
Phone 707 963-3646
www.meadowood.com

The kind of place that reminds you what life is all about, a stay at Meadowood is good for the soul. Just off the Silverado Trail, this is far more than somewhere to bed down for the night, with resident tennis, golf and croquet professionals. Now there’s something you don’t see everyday – a croquet pro. But the jewel in the crown is Gilles de Chambure MS – or Master Sommelier – the bewitching, seductively French resident wine expert, on hand for educational tastings, visits to vineyards and overseeing a gloriously good wine list. To complement his list is one of California’s finest restaurant menus, a menu that provided the most elegantly simple, yet captivating meal experience I’ve had in years.


Lunch at…
Bouchon Bakery Yountville
6528 Washington Street
Yountville, California 94599
Phone: 707.944.2253
www.bouchonbakery.com

I know, I know, The French Laundry is booked up for ever in advance and you really could live without the second mortgage when you’ve paid the bill. But you want a bit of that French Laundry magic if you’re in the Napa Valley. Well, if you want to enjoy the most sublime sandwiches in the USA and still leave time for an extra winery visit then this is the place. Part of Thomas Keller’s Restaurant Group (with sister bakery outlets at The Venetian, Las Vegas and in New York) as well as the famous Bouchon Bistro next door, it’s the kind of gourmet food you can take-away. Blissful.


Dinner at…
Redd Napa Valley
6480 Washington Street
Yountville CA 94599
Phone 707 944-2222
Email info@reddnapavalley.com

Dine with the Napa cognoscenti at Richard Reddington’s wonderfully welcoming restaurant in Yountville in the heart of the Valley. The modern, ‘wine country cuisine’ is deft and thoughtful, yet served in an utterly relaxing atmosphere. Expect to see wine makers and faces from the Valley at nearby tables as well as parties of wine country visitors. We sat with a affable group of Missouri enthusiasts to our left and Ann Colgin of heavenly Colgin Cellars to our right. The wine list is – as you’d expect – a harvest of the greatest Napa vintages.


Visit...
Rubicon Estate
1991 St Helena Highway
Rutherford. CA 94573
Phone 707 968-1100
www.rubiconestate.com

This is so much more than ‘the winery Francis Ford Coppola owns’, as the Inglenook Chateau is actually part of the early history of wine in the valley. At $25, it’s one of the more expensive winery tours but wholly worth it for the film star treatment on arrival (valet parking and a red carpet), the tour itself and the wines that each vintage become increasingly impressive. Much of the movie memorabilia has moved over the hill to Sonoma so now Coppola, his wife and manager Larry Stone are focusing on this as a great wine estate in the European model. And it shows.


Frank Family Vineyards
1091 Larkmead Lane
Calistoga, CA 94515
Phone 800 574-9463
info@frankfamilyvineyards.com

At the Open in Carnoustie last year I met this guy, Rich Frank, who told me all about his winery in Napa. We talked for hours until eventually I asked if he’d done anything before he bought the place. ‘Well, yeah’ he replied, ‘I was President of Walt Disney Studios’. This must-visit winery is towards the top of the valley and if you like classic California Cab, you’ll love it. Top wine Winston Hill is one of Napa’s greats, but doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. Homely, engaging and completely without pretension, this is a great place to visit and buy a few bottles to take home.


The Hess Collection Winery
4411 Redwood Road
Napa CA 94558
Phone 877 707-4377
www.hesscollection.com

Up a long, winding driveway, Swiss millionaire Donald Hess has created a stunning experience mixing wine and art. The gallery rotates works from his important collection and you can expect to find American and European contemporary art from Franz Gertsch or Francis Bacon, before tasting four wines of your choice in the tasting room. Savvy visitors though will book ahead to taste the Hess Collection’s finest reserve wines in the barrel cellar, before a self-guided tour of the house and gallery.


Mumm Napa
8445 Silverado Trail
PO Box 500
Rutherford CA 94573
Phone 800 686-6272
Phone 707 967-7700
www.mummnapa.com

The tour that turned me on to wine. Generally regarded as one of the best tours in Napa, some sixteen years ago I visited Mumm Napa and was seduced by the wines, the views and the angelic beauty that showed me around. I’m not sure if the angelic beauty is still there, but the tours are excellent and show you just how sparkling wines are made, whilst there is also a remarkable collection of Ansel Adams photography. The web site is fun too, offering a ‘wedding party planner’ service. Recommending Mumm Napa fizz of course.

Joe Fattorini Image
If you’re thinking of visiting the Napa Valley or any wine region in the world, why not ask Joe Fattorini - the TPC and PGA TOUR ‘Wine Guy’ – for some advice. He’d be happy to answer your questions and even put you in touch with some friends for a special VIP tour.

Email Joe
A putt is the simplest shot that you have the opportunity to execute, since it involves the fewest moving parts. Therefore, this will be the first shot we choose should the opportunity arise. If we are confident that we can get the ball close to the hole with our putter, then that is the shot to use.

Next we have the chip. In this shot, the ball spends a short amount of time in the air and then rolls along the ground–much like a putt. It is often executed with different clubs such as a pitching wedge, 8-iron or 6-iron, depending upon how much roll you need to reach the hole. The last shot is a pitch shot. Out of the three shots, this is the most difficult because it requires a longer swing and a smaller margin for error since the ball is flying most of the way to the hole. Use this shot only when the situation demands it, such as when you have to fly the ball over a bunker.

-Steven Voguit, Head Instructor, TOUR Academy Weston Hills

5-day TOUR Academy Junior Golf Camps
We are pleased to announce the beginning of our TOUR Academy Junior Golf Camps that will run at all TOUR Academies nationwide in summer of 2008. Our Junior Golf Camps provide young people of all skill levels a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve their game at state of the art instruction facilities in the country. The Junior Program combines the finest in technology and training, coupled with some of the industries top-teaching PGA professionals.

Our focus throughout the Junior Golf Camps is to provide junior golfers with the knowledge and coaching necessary to allow them to reach the next level. Each school at all TOUR Academy facilities provides the following:

  • Private practice facilities with state of the art equipment
  • Seminars and guest speakers
  • Emphasis on the mental side of the game
  • Tournament preparation
  • Fundamentals
  • On-the-course instruction
  • Focus on nutrition and fitness
  • Written Game Plan for improvement
TPC Passport members receive a $100 discount off any TOUR Academy Junior Golf Camp booking. To view additional information on the Junior Camps at each TOUR Academy location CLICK HERE or call a TPC Passport representative today.