You could see for miles from the top of Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort, where we held the Golden Links Advisory Board meeting in late January. But for the first time in a long time, none of us could see where business was headed in the coming year.
A shaky economy has affected even this longstanding traditional sport. One member's business is off 30 percent; another said he'd been in the business 30 years and had never seen a period like the past few months. Sponsorships have fallen off, and as result of 9/11, many tournaments have added an element of giving back to the community through a charity fund. Discretionary travel has been cut in many companies, and decisions to hold meetings are being made on a quarterly basis.
Nonetheless, there was no doubt in the room that golf is still the business tool of choice and is as popular as ever. Every passing year brings more exciting resort choices — especially this one. To find out what our readers voted as their favorite new golf resorts, see our cover story on page 16. And for an on-site review of the new St. Andrews Bay in Scotland, an outstanding new resort for groups and our Editor's Choice for 2002, see page 10.
