CALENDAR
• Jan. 28-29. Jazz ’n January musical event at Pinehurst in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina.
• Feb. 26. The 14th annual Washington Wines Festival at the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle.
• March 21-27. The LPGA’s Kraft Nabisco Championship (and the Tour’s first major of the year) at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.

CLUBCORP CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Feb. 24-27. Two-Man Best Ball/Two-Lady Best Ball golf tournament at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas.
• May 11-15. Women’s Tennis Challenge Cup at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas.

RESORT NEWS
Barton Creek Resort & Spa
Austin, Texas
New grass grows on the fairways and tee boxes at the Fazio Foothills golf course. The course’s original Bermuda grass has been replaced with new hybrid Bermuda grass that becomes green earlier in the season and stays greener later. The course also was lengthened by 200 yards.

The Homestead
Hot Springs, Virginia
Improvements and changes to the winter sports facilities include the widening of the snow-tubing trails and an addition of six new trails at the Playland Terrain Park. Also, a snowboarding class has been created to demonstrate how to ride the features and the rails in the terrain park.

Pinehurst
Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina
Pinehurst No. 6 reopens in February after a redesign by golf course architect Tom Fazio. The course will include new green complexes and a reshaping of the fairways.

NEW AFFILIATES
See individual listings in "The Guide" for details on these new affiliate properties.
• Mandarin Oriental in Miami.
• Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.
• Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove in Miami.
• Ritz-Carlton, South Beach in Miami.
• Westin Poinsett in Greenville, South Carolina.

WINES FESTIVAL AT COLUMBIA TOWER CLUB
The 14th annual Washington Wines Festival is slated Feb. 26 at the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle. More than 30 winemakers will offer their latest vintages for tastings. The auction will be broadcast via videoconference with the Silicon Valley Capital Club in San Jose, California, and the City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. Members and guests at those clubs will actively participate in the auction, just as if they were in Seattle. The event will benefit the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and the Washington Wine Commission’s scholarship fund. For more information, call 206.622.2010.

RENOVATIONS UNDER WAY AT IPSWICH COUNTRY CLUB
A three-phase, $3.1 million dollar renovation project is under way at Ipswich Country Club near Boston. Clubhouse changes include new paint, carpet, lighting, and artwork, additional seating in the grill and foyer areas, and a complete renovation of the main dining room. On the golf course, bunkers have been refurbished, some completely rebuilt, and ultra-white sand used to fill the 54 bunkers. Future additions will include a short-game practice area, a new drainage system, and shade structures for the swim and tennis facilities. Projected completion is year-end 2006.

CELEBRITY CHEFS TOUR
ClubCorp and the James Beard Foundation have teamed to bring celebrity chefs into Associate Club kitchens to prepare a dinner and meet with members as part of the American Express Celebrity Chef Tour. The tour already has stopped at the following locations: Executive chef Bill Videtto Jr. of the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia teamed with celebrity chef Oliver Saucy (Cafe Maxx and East City Grill in Pompano Beach, Florida); executive chef Derek Healy of the City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles teamed with celebrity chef Michael Lomonaco (co-host of the Discovery Channel’s Epicurious); former executive chef Ken McNamee of Columbia Tower Club in Seattle teamed with celebrity chef David Pasternack (Esca, New York); executive chef Billy Della Ventura of Boston College Club in Boston teamed with celebrity chef Marc Murphy (Landmarc, New York); executive chef Brad Evers of Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas, teamed with celebrity chef Jacques Leonardi (Jacques-Imo’s Cafe, New Orleans); executive chef Bruno Massuger of the Center Club in Costa Mesa, California, teamed with celebrity chef Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth, Texas); executive chef Kraig Thome of the University Club of Houston teamed with celebrity chef Bruce Auden (Biga on the Banks, San Antonio); and executive chef Scott Schwartz of the Buckhead Club in Atlanta teamed with celebrity chef Bernard Guillas (The Marine Room, San Diego).

The following are upcoming scheduled dates for the tour:
Jan. 19
Renaissance Club, Detroit
Host chef Steven Kreuzinger
Celebrity chef Martin Kaplan (One Walnut, Cleveland)

Jan. 20
Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel, New Orleans
Host chef Rene Bajeux
Celebrity chef to be announced

Feb. 5
Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, Texas
Host chef Phil Bouza
Celebrity chef Gary L. Mennie (Canoe, Atlanta)

Feb. 25
Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza, Tampa, Florida
Host chef Fabrizio Schenardi
Celebrity chef to be announced

March 18-25
Radisson Seven Seas Navigator cruise through the Western Caribbean
Host chef Bernhard Klotz
Celebrity chef to be announced

April 16
Metropolitan Club, Chicago
Host chef Gregory Carso
Celebrity chef to be announced

SOCIETY CALENDAR
Where can you get the best seats and the hottest tickets in town? Through your area Society, that’s where. Call your Society about the events listed below.

DETROIT SOCIETY
• Enjoy a star-studded season at the Fisher Theatre when Stefanie Powers performs in The King and I (Jan. 11-30), and Brian Dennehy takes the stage in Trumbo (Feb. 1-6).

• Tickets to the NBA’s Detroit Pistons home games are available through the Society.

PUGET SOUND (SEATTLE) SOCIETY
Cheer on the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics at KeyArena when the following teams come to town: Miami Heat (Jan. 9), Cleveland Cavaliers (Jan. 16), Minnesota Timberwolves (Jan. 21), and the San Antonio Spurs (Jan. 31). The Society’s four seats are located in Section 111, Row 13, and can be purchased for $95 each.

TAMPA BAY (FLORIDA) SOCIETY
The Society has tickets for these upcoming shows at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: Movin’ Out on Jan. 14 and 16 (ticket prices range from $59.50 to $72.25); David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion on Jan. 29 ($46 per ticket); and Hairspray on Feb. 11 and 12 ($85 per ticket).

HOLE-IN-ONE CONTEST
An ace in the hole will get some lucky golfers a free golf vacation at one of eight ClubCorp properties. When a player makes a hole-in-one during a participating tournament, the winner and a guest will receive a golf getaway that includes complimentary room accommodations for four days and three nights (based on double occupancy), up to three rounds of complimentary golf (including cart fees), and a $500 airfare voucher. The vacation destinations are: Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas; Cozumel Country Club in Cozumel, Mexico; Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio; The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia; Morgan Run Resort & Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California; Pinehurst in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina; Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Florida; and Vista Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

GOOD DEALS
Barton Creek Resort & Spa
Austin, Texas
Enjoy the Heaven on Earth package (Jan. 1-Feb. 28) at Barton Creek Resort & Spa. The package includes accommodations, breakfast, a round of golf on the day of arrival, plus one round per each night of stay. Or guests may choose a 50-minute spa service in lieu of golf. The rates ($180 for members with Signature Gold benefits; and from $203 for Associate members) are per person, per night, based on double occupancy, and members may book up to five rooms. Restrictions may apply.

The Homestead
Hot Springs, Virginia
The Homestead’s snowmaking system kicks off 2005, delivering fresh, man-made snow for the entire family to enjoy skiing, skating, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and more. The Winter Mountain Getaway package includes overnight accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, ski lift tickets, use of the fitness center and the spring-fed indoor pool, afternoon tea, and nightly movies. Valid Sundays through Thursdays Jan. 2-March 10, the package price (based on double occupancy) for members with Signature Gold benefits is $499 per couple and $549 per couple for Associate members. A two-night minimum stay is required.

Pinehurst
Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina
Create your own championship experience before the pros tee off for the 2005 U.S. Open in June with the Championship Golf Package at Pinehurst. A three-day/two-night package rate of $2,005 (valid until May 2005) includes a caddie sporting your name on his back, your tee time and name announced on the first tee of the famous Pinehurst No. 2 course, your scores posted on the virtual scoreboard, a photo taken on the Walk of Fame, and a golfer’s massage following your best round. This once-in-a-lifetime golf experience also includes unlimited golf, optional golf clinic to master the Donald Ross greens, a $100 gift card for exclusive U.S. Open merchandise, plus accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, and round-trip airport transfers. Package rates are per person, plus taxes and service charges. Additional rounds on No. 2 are based on availability.