Now that Web 2.0 has officially arrived and 20 percent of the world is online, it’s only natural that a large number of golfers are gravitating to their computers to do the same thing they once did over the phone or in person: book vacations, reserve tee times and buy equipment.

Say "island golf" to someone and they’ll probably picture Hawaii or some other tropical destination. But the word “island” doesn’t always equal swaying palms and surfers hanging ten a sand wedge away from the fairway. After all, golf was invented on an island where weather is anything but balmy.

In recent years, new golf courses have sprung up in non-traditional destinations. Consider Bandon Dunes in Oregon, which opened in 1999. It (and its sister courses, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails) turned an otherwise sleepy Oregon coastal town into a golfing mecca.

Traveling to Orlando and don't know where to play? Check out this slideshow on golforlando.com

30 miles south of Myrtle Beach the vibe is "mint-julep and rocking chairs." And the golf is just as enticing.

I’m willing to bet everything in my meager Roth IRA that about as many people know that Alabama has a scenic shoreline on the Gulf Coast of Mexico as know how to spell “Kyrgyzstan” (which has to be one awesome play in Scrabble).

If the Okanagan Valley of Canada’s British Columbia is considered the best place in the country for winemaking, then consider the golf in the area to be the perfect filet mignon. Located just an hour by air from Seattle with the beautiful town of Kelowna serving as its anchor, the Okanagan Valley has become a wonderful retreat for both fans of exciting golf and delectable wine.

A resort on Myrtle Beach's Grand Strand? Absolutely. Join Travel Editor Charlie Schroeder as he takes you on a tour of this fine
resort.

In our modern times, unless your last name is Trump, Kaiser (Bandon Dunes) or Kohler (Whistling Straits), chances are good that a new course with killer views will, eventually, sprout homes alongside its tightly mown fairways. After all, building golf courses ain’t cheap, and many new public access layouts are conceived with real estate in mind. Recently, however, that model has been changing.

St. James’ legacy lives on in many forms. Numerous churches, hospitals and even a Broadway theater have been named after the patron saint of equestrians (among other things). There aren’t any horses at St. James Plantation in Southport, N.C., but there’s plenty of wide-open space, a nature trail and Waterway Park contained within the private community’s 5,000 acres.