In Hot Springs,Va., The Homestead first welcomed guests in 1766. J.P. Morgan bought the place in 1888, adding the main building, the famed spa with its gorgeous indoor pool and a Donald Ross golf course, the first of three 18-hole layouts. New owner KSL Resorts has updated the bathrooms in all 486 rooms, put in a new driving range at The Cascades Course and restored  the Old Course bunkers to Ross’ original 1913 design. Darling, you look marvelous.

MODEL YEAR: 2007

BEST FOR : Going fast without sacrificing seating and lug­gage space.

LOOKS : Low and aggressive, like the muscle car your first boyfriend had back in the day.

ENGINE : 6.1 liter SRT Hemi V8; 425 hp.

PROS AND CONS : This high-performance version of the 300 sedan is a living room on wheels. But its interior lacks the panache of the European luxury sedans.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Two to three.

HOW IT DRIVES: Loud and proud. The Hemi engine provides snap-your-neck acceleration, and the sport-tuned suspension gives this rear-wheel-drive vehicle a firmer ride for better handling.

COOL OPTIONS : Satellite navigation system, chrome-detailed side molding, chromed mirrors and door handles, rear entertainment system.

Infiniti G35X AWD

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR: A high-spirited romp through the urban jungle.

LOOKS : Performance meets sex appeal.

ENGINE : 3.5 liter V6; 306 hp.

PROS AND CONS : This all-wheel-drive version of the second-generation G35 is a low-slung sedan with a luxurious feel, thanks to the leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated seats, violet-hued gauges and knobs, and textured aluminum trim. Some of our older passengers found it a bit too low to the ground.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY :Two Golf Bag.

HOW IT DRIVES : Even better than the original: quicker on the straightaway, and smoother on its feet in the twisters. It practically danced around tight corners.

COOL OPTIONS : XM satellite radio, Bose sound system, Blue- tooth hands-free phone system, African rosewood trim.

VW EOS

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Having fun, fun, fun till your husband takes the car keys away.

LOOKS : Cute as a button.

ENGINE : 2.0 liter, turbocharged inline four cylinder; 200 hp.

PROS AND CONS : Named after the Greek goddess of dawn, the Eos is one of the best convertible val­ues around. It’s also the only hardtop with a power sunroof. But the top hogs the trunk when down, so throw your bag in the backseat.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : One with top up, zero with top down.

HOW IT DRIVES : The turbo engine provides lots of smooth, easy power, and the car handled like a champ.

COOL OPTIONS: DVD navigation system, leather seats, Dynaudio sound system.

(Sometimes it helps to feel as if your left shoulder is pointing toward the ground.) Amateurs often tilt their left shoulder upward, as if they were playing a full shot, which causes the club-head to bot­tom out behind the ball and hit it fat or thin. Place the ball slightly back in your stance and shift your weight to your left side. This will promote a steeper, more descending down­swing and the proper ball-turf contact for a solid shot.

Good chipping  and pitching is all about distance control. If the ball stops within a yard or two of the hole, you can expect to one-putt more. This drill is one of my favorites. Chip one ball about three yards, then pitch your next shot so it lands on top of the first ball and rolls beyond it. Try to land the third ball on top of the second and so on.

The object is to finish with a fairly straight line of evenly spaced balls. This drill improves your hand-eye coordination and teaches you how to incrementally increase the dis­tance you carry—or fly—the ball. It also improves your ability to judge early, which is essential to chipping and pitching as you move farther away from the green.

Low, Running Chip

A back pin location with plenty of green to work with, or a flat run-up to the green. With these shots, I use a less-lofted club (my gap wedge; amateurs might consider using an 8- or 9-iron) because I want to keep the ball low to the ground. Play the ball back in your stance, in line with the big toe on your right foot.

This positions your hands in front of the ball, reducing the club’s loft even more. Keep your left wrist firm and swing the club- head down and through the ball. Make sure you take a big enough back swing to get the ball to the hole.

Short Pitch

This is the shot to hit if you don’t want the ball to run too much and you need. ‘to carry an obstacle. Center the ball between your feet and dis­tribute your weight equally. Your hands should be even with the ball and the shaft perpendicular to the ground.

You don’t want the shaft leaning forward in this shot because that delofts the club, and you need maximum loft. As you swing back and through, try to keep the shaft pointing at your belly. This will encourage you to hit the ball with the club’s full loft, producing a higher shot with less roll

Downhill Floater

This is a tough shot, especially if the green is running away from you and you’re hitting out of the rough. To pop the ball out softly, play it back in your stance with your weight favoring your left side and knees bent.

Using your most-lofted wedge, open the clubface slightly and swing the club-head down the slope past your left foot, keeping the face pointing toward the sky. Allow your knees to give a little and chase the slope with the club as you follow through; otherwise, you’ll hit up on the ball and skull it.

Try Up : For Left Hand Player.

Players often try to add loft to their chips by scooping with their right hand, which results in poor contact. Practice hitting chip shots with your left arm only. With no interference from your right hand, you’ll find it easier to keep your left wrist firm and make solid contact. Feel as if you’re swinging the handle of the club and brush the turf in front of the ball.

Bentley Continental GTC

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Instilling extreme envy in the hearts of friends and strangers alike.

LOOKS : Elegant and ultrarefined.

ENGINE 6.0 liter twin, turbocharged 12 cylinder; 552 horsepower (hp).

PROS AND CONS : The stylish cabin is cocooned in sumptuous leather and boasts every bell and whistle imaginable, including an easy-to-use DVD navigation system and a Breitling clock. But as with all hardtop convertibles, the top takes up the entire trunk when down.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : One in the trunk with top up, zero with top down.

HOW IT DRIVES: The Bentley is agile and fun. You’ll love the race-car rumble and the power on demand.

COOL OPTIONS : 19-inch alloy sport wheels, front-seat lumbar massage.

Porshe Cayenne Turbo

MODEL YEAR: 2008

BEST FOR : Shuttling your foursome and their bags in style-and burning up asphalt along the way.

LOOKS : Simple and stylish, with that iconic Porsche nose.

ENGINE: Supercharged 4.8 liter V8; 500 hp.

PROS AND CONS : The high-tech cockpit’s easy-to-use amenities include an optional hands-free call feature. While the elevated seat position offers a commanding view of the road, the high ground clearance may make getting in and out tough for a smaller, less-mobile adult.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Four.

HOW IT DRIVES : Though heavy, the Cayenne handles itself almost like a Porsche sports cat powerful, aggressive and even somewhat agile.

COOL OPTIONS : 21-inch sport wheels, power moon roof, Bose Surround Sound system.

Audi S6

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Getting to and from the course at speeds that will terrify most old-school duffers.

LOOKS : Conservative yet classy.

ENGINE : 5.2 liter V10; 435 hp.

PROS AND CONS : This driving enthusiast’s version of the A6 sedan has a luxurious, impeccably crafted cockpit, with easy-to-read gauges and a simple-to-use multimedia interface in the console. While the bucket front seats held as in on the turns, our older passengers found them hard to get out of.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Two to three.

HOW IT DRIVES : Exhilarating and quick, with the responsiveness of a wunderbar German motorcar.

COOL OPTIONS : DVD navigation system, Sirius satellite radio and a rearview parking system that helps you avoid backing up into signposts and delivery trucks.

SUN MOUNTAIN SUPERLIGHT 3.5 WITH HUG TECHNOLOGY

Weighing in at less than four pounds, this new bag features a unique padded aluminum arm that fits snugly around your waist, transfer­ring most of its weight from your shoulders to your hips.

OGIO DIVA

Another featherweight at just over four pounds, the Diva has an innovative top
that keeps each wood separate for easy access. With a comfortable double strap and eight pockets, it’s everything a girl could want.

NIKE XTREME SPORT

This five-pound women’s bag features a double strap that becomes a single strap with a simple click. Extras include seven roomy pockets, a sturdy stand and six-way, full-length club dividers.

by John Updike.

No other writer brings the pain and the pleasure of golf to life as intensely and as exquisitely as John Updike. In this compilation of pub­lished essays and excerpts from his works of fiction, Updike portrays himself and his characters as morose, gloomy and immersed in a futile, maddening pastime (a topic addressed in “Is Life Too Short for Golf?”).

While it has an indisputably male perspective, Golf Dreams is worth reading for the beauty and originality of its language—Updike’s description of making a great shot in “Tips on a Trip” should be read aloud. Our favorite chapter is “Women’s Work,” a fascinating glimpse into a man’s thoughts on watching women compete, origi­nally published in the program for the 1984 U.S. Women’s Open. While other great writers of the 20th century didn’t bother to veil their misogyny, Updike writes of his awe of the players, whom he compares to Amazon warriors “doing authen­tic battle.”

FROM BIRDIES TO BUNKERS by Alice Dye, with Mark Shaw

The first lady of golf course design published her memoir in 2004; nine years after husband Pete’s classic Bury Me in a Pot Bunker. Subtitled “Discover How Golf Can Bring Love, Humor, and Success into Your Life,” Dye’s effort is a delightful compendium of lyrical anecdotes and observations on the game.

She describes her own competitive career, which includes numerous amateur championships and a berth on the 1970 U.S. Curtis Cup team, dishes on friends like Jack Nicklaus, opines on topics from grooves to gambling and, best of all, describes the process of designing courses with Pete, making sure women would enjoy playing them as much as men. The book is pep­pered with photographs: Dye seated atop a bulldozer, with her husband and children, with famous tour players, clearly a woman who enjoys life to the fullest.

GOLFING MEMORIES AND METHODS by Joyce Wethered.

Originally published in 1934, this modest, old- fashioned book is part memoir, part instruction manual and all heart. Wethered, who was born in Surrey England, in 1901, won four British Ladies’ Amateur and five English Ladies’ Championships, and became famous for her beautiful swing.

In a distinctive, upper-crust tone that makes you feel like you’re having tea with the Queen, she describes how she retired at 23 because she found competition so stressful, then returned briefly to compete in the 1929 British Ladies’ Amateur Championship at St Andrews. The book’s high point is her moment-by­moment description of her match against U.S. champion Glenna Collett, in which Wethered pre­vailed, 3 and 1. It’s been said to be one of the most exciting matches ever.

Even the great Bobby Jones remarked, after playing around with Wethered: “I had never played golf with anyone, man or woman, amateur or professional, who made me feel so utterly outclassed.”

As Seymour tells her story, she is sitting in the spacious bathroom of her Malibu, Calif., home while a hairstylist and makeup artist fuss over her for a photo shoot. At 56, even in a pink robe and curlers, she has glamor to spare. Fine-boned and elegant, with long auburn hair and an unreduced face (yes, those are wrinkles, a sight rarely seen in Hollywood), she has a mature, self-assured beauty that served her well as the lusty politician’s wife in Wedding Crashers, the 2005 hit film that convinced Hollywood she could do comedy. Seymour remains every inch the former ballerina who dreamed of dancing with Russia’s Kirov Ballet before a knee injury redirected her into acting. With her clipped, precise speech and brisk manner, she could be the dance mistress put­ting her class through its paces at the barre.

Seymour and her husband, pro­ducer/director James Keach, are members of Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., home to two Jack Nicklaus layouts, one full-length course and one par 3. In 2006 the 18- hole course was closed for renovations, so every day for two months, Seymour played the par-3 course to prepare for the Wales tournament. Sometimes she had an instructor, but often she was alone.”There were two other people on the course: Bruce Jenner and Kenny G. The two obsessed golfers in our club and me. That course is so precise and small that you’re in all kinds of trouble if you don’t go straight. So I got really good at chipping and putting. And it paid off.”

The Northern Rock All-Star Cup was played in a Ryder Cup format: match play, best ball, and alternate shot. Each side had 11 celebrities, including British TV star Bruce Forsyth and model Jodie Kidd for Team Europe, and Kenny G, Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper and Seymour for Team USA. The Americans lost, but Seymour never gave up. On the final hole of the tour­nament, her partner, actor Aidan Quinn, hit the ball into a greenside bunker. It was her job to get out.

“There were huge crowds, it was the end of the day, the cameras were there, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, this is impossible.’ I got down in the sand and I couldn’t even see the flag. I chipped the ball up, and then all of a sudden everyone starts roaring and I jumped up and the ball rolled, slowly but surely, right into the hole. The entire place went crazy. It was one of the greatest days of my life.”

Seymour has had a rich and varied life, but not every day has been as triumphant. Yet, like one of the indomitable heroines she’s known for, she approaches life’s challenges the same way she approaches golf: Accentuate the positive. In golf, Seymour rarely keeps score, preferring a system of her own invention.”When I hit a ball and it goes where I intended it to, I give myself a star. Because at least at the end of the day I can say that I had six shots that I felt really proud of.”

Seymour began life as Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenburg, the first of three daughters born to an English gynecologist and his Dutch wife. After her dance career was cut short at 17, she turned to act­ing. In 1973 she found fame playing Solitaire in Live and Let Die. While her cinematic career has been notable—Somewhere in Time, in which she starred opposite her good friend the late Christopher Reeve, has become a romantic classic—she is best known for her television work. Her made-for-TV films range from melodramas (Obsessed With a Married Woman) to prestigious miniseries (War and Remembrance and Onassis: The Richest Man in the World, for which her portrayal of Maria Callas earned her an Emmy). By the late ’80s, she’d been married three times and had two children, Katie and Sean, by her third husband, David Flynn, from whom she was later, divorced.

In 1990 she was on location in Scottsdale making Sunstroke for the USA Network. Her director, James Keach, a passionate golfer, invited her to play. “She did great,” Keach recalls, sitting at the kitchen table while waiting for their 11-year-old twins, John and Kris, to get ready for Little League. ‘And she was fun to look at standing over the ball.”

“I was very concerned about running into a snake,” Seymour says. “But every once in a while I’d get that ping, and that would make me feel, ‘Oh my gosh, I can do this, I want to do this.’”

In 1993 Seymour took the role that made her a household name: Michaela Quinn, the 19th-century pioneer doctor in Colorado who dispenses country medicine and feminist bromides in equal measure. She and Keach married that same year. At 43, Seymour began undergoing fertility treatments, and after two failed pregnancies, she gave birth to Kris and John in 1995. Three years later, when CBS canceled her series, she decided to do what many actresses of a certain age do (think ElizabethTaylor and Susan Lucci): lever­age her famous name into a business.

Seymour has always had a knack for design. In the 1960s, while still in high school, she started a small business embroidering see-through blouses for a London department store. In 2003 she launched the Jane Seymour Home Collection for Saks, Inc., and now owns the line through The Sommerset Group, her Birmingham, Alabama-based company. Her latest book, Making Yourself at Home, was pub­lished in April. This fall, the Jane Seymour Home Collection, her line of linens, pillows and candles sold on janeseyrnourhome.com, debuts in The Great Indoors, a Sears-owned chain.

Seymour and Keach’s other home is St. Catherine’s Court, a 1,000-year-old former monastery located on 15 acres near Bath, England.They have painstakingly restored and updated the home and rent it out most  of the year for $56,000 a week. NewYork Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez, whom Seymour and Keach met at a baseball game, has spent time there with his wife. “He asked me, ‘Where’s the gym?’” Seymour recalls. “I said, ‘You see that hill? That’s the gym.You run to the top and run down, avoiding the sheep.”

Since her golf triumph in Wales, Seymour’s other interests have kept her off the course more than she likes. Painting has become another passion, “like a drug,” she says. “Every weekend I say ‘Will I paint or will I play golf?’” She displays her work in galler­ies around the U.S., and her paintings—primarily floral motifs and portraits—have sold for as high as $35,000. When not guest-starring on TV shows like How I Met Your Mother, she’s on the road promot­ing her book and her Home Collection and making appearances for Running Dry, a documentary about the global drinking-water crisis, which Seymour nar­rates.”I’d be a better golfer if I didn’t have a thousand things going on,” she admits. But knowing her, she’ll find a As a spokesperson for Eons.com, a new website for over-50 baby boomers, Seymour created a list of 25 goals she’d like to accomplish before turning 100. Number 4: “Break 90 in golf.”

There are several advantages to hitting a wood or hybrid from the rough. A wood is lighter, so you can generate more club- head speed—crucial to getting the ball out of the deep grass; it has a wider sole than an iron, which allows the club-head to glide through the grass more easily; and the shallow clubface and lower, deeper center of gravity make it easier to launch the ball into the air.

Try using a wood the next time you find yourself in moderate rough more than a 9-iron distance from the flag. Make sure the front of the green is open and try to land the ball about 20 yards short of the green, chasing it up toward the hole.

Tactic of Long Punch-And-Run

A)     Set up with the ball in the center of your stance and about 60 per­cent of your weight favoring your left side. Choke down two inches on the grip to shorten the club, and stand about an inch closer to the ball than usual to promote a steeper takeaway.

B)      As you swing the club back, set your wrists early so the shaft forms a letter “v” with your left forearm halfway back. Feel as if your right elbow stays close to your body throughout the back- swing. This will put the club on a steeper path.

C)      Hit down on the ball to minimize the amount of grass you catch between the ball and the clubface, and finish low (hands below shoulder-height). Keep your swing smooth and allow the design of the club to do its job: get the ball airborne.

Any course designer would relish the opportunity to shape such a spectacular landscape into equally spectacular fairways and greens. Among those who have are such creative legends as Robert Cupp, Tom Weiskopf, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Tom Fazio. A perfect way to sample many of the best is to tee it up in the west’s biggest amateur handicap golf event, the Northwest Dodge Dealers Pacific Amateur Golf Classic. Golfers will compete for three days at a different course each day. Those advancing to the championship roondwill tangle with the legendary Crosswater at Sunriver Resort, tanked among America’s best by Golf Digest.

After each day’s round, golfers can attend special 19th-hole activities at Sunriver, the PacArn’s official host site. The tournament’s comprehensive website (PacArngolf.com) has details about the event including information about the courses, the hotel options and the playing format.

With so many things to do and so many courses to play, it’s no wonder vacationers return to Central Oregon year after year.

Annika has had Callaway Golf equipment in her bag since she turned professional in 1994, and she wants you to have the same competitive golfing skills advantage she does. Using Callaway Golf’s proprietary Callaway Performance Analysis System, you’ll be custom fit for the clubs that best suit your swing in a state-of-the-art fit bay—the same environment used at Callaway Golf Performance Centers around the world. Using tvvo high-speed cameras and ball-flight simulators, a computer monitor will display your launch conditions—ball speed, launch angle and spin rates.

With the help of this technology Annika’s sister, Charlotte Sorenstam, will provide complimentary club-fitting sessions during your stay. She’ll make recommendations on the driver and irons that best suit your swing, as well as shaft flex, shaft length, grip, and loft and lie. Your clubs will be shipped directly to your home. Academy instructors also utilize K-Vest technology to record and analyze your swing in 3D animation. Later, they can e-mail virtual golf lessons to you at home.

Annika’s quest for perfection is ever present at the Academy; boutique-style instruction, limited to eight participants at a time, maximizes individual attention, while customizable packages can be put together to meet your unique golf or fitness needs. Relaxation and indulgences are not forgotten: After spending hours on the range or working out in the world-class gym, enjoy poolside lunches and gourmet dinners specially prepared by the resort’s executive chef, Christian Schmidt. Before you leave, be sure to complete an evaluation; Annika reads every single one because she truly wants to exceed all expectations.

Mercedes-Benz CLS550

MODEL YEAR: 2007

BEST FOR : Thrill- seeking golfers who want to push it.

LOOKS : Low to the ground and gorgeous.

ENGINE : 5.5 liter 32-valve V8; 382 hp.

PROS AND CONS : The interior is richly appointed in leather and wood, and the uncluttered gauge cluster is easy to read. Loved the iPod interface, but the low roof made it a little difficult to get in and out of the cockpit.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Two to three.

HOW IT DRIVES : Firm, smooth and super powerful, it makes you feel like you own the road.

COOL OPTIONS : Tele-Aid roadside assistance, cockpit management and data system with radio, CD player and color LCD navigation screen.

BMW 335i Convertible

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Cruising to your favorite course-on the other side of the state.

LOOKS : Crisp and stylish, whether the top is up or down.

ENGINE : 3.0 liter 24-valve inline six cylinder; 300 hp.

PROS AND CONS : The leather upholstery has heat-reflective technology that can lower its surface temperature by as much as 36 degrees. (No more burning the backs of your legs on a hot day!) The hardtop disappears into the trunk in a mere 22 seconds, but it gobbles up trunk space when lowered.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : One with top up. Zero with top down.

HOW IT DRIVES: The lightning-fast six-speed manual shifter and firm, athletic suspen­sion combine for an incredible experience.

COOL OPTIONS: 18-inch alloy wheels and sport-tuned suspension.

Land Rover LR2

MODEL YEAR : 2008

BEST FOR : Indulgent, everyday driving, from the golf course to the mall.

LOOKS : A cross between the LR3 and Range Rover Sport: stylish, simple and, of course, boxy.

ENGINE : 3.2liter aluminum-alloy inline six cylinder; 230 hp.

PROS AND CONS : This small sport-Ute has an upright, muscular stance, a well-planned interior layout, supportive leather seats and seating for five. The gauges could be brighter and bigger.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Four Golf Bag.

HOW IT DRIVES : Very stable and balanced, even when we pushed it hard. The engine delivered decent get-up-and-go and plenty of grunts for powering over speed bumps. All four wheels stayed firmly connected to the ground at all times.

COOL OPTIONS : GPS navigation system, Bluetooth integration, heated seats, heated windshield and windshield wipers.

If you are looking for a golf instruction book that takes a more holistic approach, this is it. Pia Nilsson, a former coach of the Swedish National Golf Team, adopted her teaching methods to instill her players with a deeper will to win. She and teaching pro Lynn Marriott, both GFW contributors, have produced a revolutionary way to learn that they call GOLF 54.
(Some golfers claimed to have dropped 10 strokes after reading the book.) These lessons apply to
life as much as to golf. For example, Nilsson and Marriott advise readers to learn to control what they
can (attitude, diet, commitment) and leave the rest (weather, playing partners) to take care of itself.

THE UNPLAYABLE LIE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF WOMEN AND DISCRIMI­NATION IN AMERICAN GOLF by

Marcia Chambers.

This expose is a first-class book about golfers who refused to be treated as second-class citizens. Chambers, a GFW contrib­uting editor and former New York Times reporter specializing in legal issues, documents the discriminatory policies sonic private clubs have had toward women. She puts current sexist policies into a historical context and describes what happens when women (and sometimes their husbands) dare to ques­tion the status quo: for example, fighting for weekend-morning tee times. This is not a relaxing read, but it’s an essential one.

FIVE LESSONS: THE MODERN FUNDAMENTALS OF GOLF by Ben Hogan, with Herbert Warren Wind.

Nearly five decades before Nilsson and Marriott, Ben Hogan, one of histories greatest golf practitioners, enlisted Wind, one of histories greatest golf writ­ers, to distill his years of training into five simple sessions. Hogan believed that all “average golfers are capable of building a repeat­ing swing and breaking 80,” and his prescription are as accessible to women as it is to men.

Enhanced by the classic illustrations of Anthony Ravielli, which bring to life the body’s sinewy torque and release better than any photograph, the words and draw­ings imprint themselves on the psyche. Some hours after reading the chapter on the grip, you may find yourself grasping an imaginary club, the concise instructions still crystal clear in your mind.

Lexus LS460L

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Did someone say golf road trip?

LOOKS : Mus­cular yet refined.

ENGINE : 4.6 liter V8; 380 hp. (A hybrid version arrives this fall.)

PROS AND CONS This sleek freeway flier comes equipped with an amazing array of tech-savvy gadgets, such as a voice-operated navigation system that provides real-time traffic updates for major cities. The Advanced Parking Guidance System takes time to set up, but once programmed, it’s well worth the extra $700.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Two to three.

HOW IT DRIVES Oh-so-smooth, thanks to electric power-assist steering and sporty air suspension. We steered through twists and turns effortlessly.

COOL OPTIONS : Rear-seat entertainment system, 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system.

Jaguar XKR Coupe

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Making like a Bond girl who plays a mean game of golf.

LOOKS : Sleek and seductive.

ENGINE : Supercharged 4.2 liter V8; 420 hp.

PROS AND CONS : The touch screen in the burled-walnut dash, which controls the radio, navigation and other systems, is easy to read and use. The trunk is surprisingly roomy, but the rear seats are nearly useless-too small for even toddlers.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : Two Golf Bag.

HOW IT DRIVES : Wow! The cat growled as we steered along twisting back roads and down straight-line highways. A supple ride, terrific handling and loads of get-up-and-go.

COOL OPTIONS : 20-inch Senta wheels, premium sound system, Adaptive Cruise Control that monitors traffic via radar and brakes accordingly.

Cadillac Escalade

MODEL YEAR : 2007

BEST FOR : Stylishly transporting your friends and their gear.

LOOKS: A big daddy Caddy, yet still refined and classy.

ENGINE : 6.2 liter Vortec V8; 403 hp. (A hybrid version arrives this fall.)

PROS AND CONS : Feels like a luxury vehicle, with faux wood and aluminum trim, double-stitched leather seats and electro­luminescent gauges. The touch-screen interface in the dash worked well in navigation mode, Sot so well in audio mode.

GOLF BAG CAPACITY : At least four, more if you fold down the third-row seat.

HOW IT DRIVES: Surprisingly quick, agile and quiet, more luxury sedan than land yacht.

COOL OPTIONS : DVD navigation system with rearview camera, Bose sound system, retractable assist steps.

by George Plimpton.

A beloved figure in the lit­erary world and a founding editor of The Paris Review, Plimpton became famous in the 1960s for trying his hand at such profes­sional sports as NFL football and major league baseball—and living writing for Hollywood. But he loved golf and wrote prolifically on the subject.

In this collection of tales about a fictional golf club, his female characters are as entertaining as the male ones. There’s the low- handicapper Jane, whose romantic musings about her fiancé, William, include the delight she takes in his nearly equal handicap. And then there’s the club champion Agnes Flack, who hits it 240 yards and never lets a touch of rain put her off her game.

In the deliciously absurd “Feet of Clay” the final round of the Women’s Singles Championship involves a thunderstorm, a Pekinese and an “expensively uphol­stered” Lulabelle Sprockett, heir to Sprockett’s Superfine Sardines.

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF WOMEN’S GOLF by Rhonda Glenn

This first-rate compendium opens with Mary, Queen of. Scots (who incurred the disfavor of the local Presbyterians when she mourned her husband’s death with a few rounds of golf) and ends with Nancy Lopez.

The pages in between cover the most important amateur and professional golfers of their time, some obscure (Edith Cummings, winner of the 1923 U.S. Women’s Amateur) and some famous (Mickey Wright, Patty Berg).

Glenn, a writer and golf commentator, brings this well-researched and diverting text to life with a gen­erous number of historical photos. So how in heaven did they play in those enormous dresses?

THE CONFIDENTIAL GUIDE TO GOLF COURSES by Tom Doak

Now one of the world’s most in-demand golf course architects, Doak played more than 1,000 courses in the 1980s and ’90s, and in this mighty work, he delivers the truth on the failings and the successes he found. The book opens with “The Gourmet’s Choice”-31 of his favorites, including Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic and Royal Dornoch GC in Scotland—and continues with comprehensive directories of courses in the U.S. and abroad.

He dedicates the closing pages to hugely enjoyable lists of the best and the worst in categories ranging from “Courses I’d Most Like to Play with Dianna [his wife]” (St. Enodoc GC in Cornwall, England, tops the list) to “Courses I’d Never Play Again” (New Jersey’s Stone Harbor GC).

The honest clarity of his critiques almost makes you wince; in fact, Doak mentions that Alice Dye gave him a “motherly scolding” for having written the book at all. He seems to have grown more diplomatic, because he refuses to allow the book to be reprinted.