Best of Both Golf & Ski is honored to be one of only 35 premium merchants from around the world to be selected by MasterCard to be part of their 2013 Privilegios Program. “I’m very excited to be involved with this limited and invitation only program,” explained Dana Williams, Founder & President of Best of Both Golf & Ski. “It gives us the opportunity to reach more than 5 million affluent cardholders of MasterCard Platinum, Black and World Elite cards from 29 countries in Latin America and The Caribbean. This will not only benefit us, but also the exceptional companies we work with on an ongoing basis.”

Affluent MasterCard holders will be given exclusive experiences and offers on Best of Both’s 2013 trips to the Masters, Portillo, and Whistler Olympic Ski Experience.

High performance is part of your personality.  You get pleasure when all your hard work pay offs.  How would you like to have this feeling of accomplishment the next time you returned  from a trip?  This is exactly what Best of Both Golf & Ski’s trips and events try to accomplish.

We pick friendly and charismatic golfers and skiers who’ve reached the highest level in their sport to accompany you on your golf or ski getaway.  They share those small tips that make a big difference as well as inspiring stories that include secrets that helped them achieve success.  Their knowledge and experience give you a behind-the-scenes look at competitive sport unlike any other.

As a result, you will return home and be able to perform at a higher level on the ski slopes or golf course.  If you haven’t joined us yet but would like to improve your golf or ski skills while visiting a world-class destination or event accompanied by an elite athlete then now’s your time to contact us.

1. Friendly, Fun and Charismatic Trip Host

Edith Rozsa will guarantee one of the best Portillo experiences. We consider her a ‘Portillo Extraordinaire’. This designation doesn’t come easy though. You have to have spent at least a week in Portillo on seven separate occasions, been a TV Personality for a channel that has covered Portillo on numerous occasions and be passionate about skiing.

Check out this video of Edith talking about Portillo.

2. Top 10 Coolest All-Inclusive Vacations by Forbes Magazine

Can all-inclusive resorts really be as good as the world’s most luxurious 5-Star and 5-Diamond properties? Absolutely. Forbes Magazine recently voted Portillo in the Top 10 in the world under this category. Find out why Portillo is so good at what it does.

3. Enjoy Chile’s Best Wine

Portillo’s annual Wine Week just happens to be the same time as this trip; August 25 – September 2. Daily wine tastings and a varied selection at lunch and dinner will give you the opportunity to taste some of Chile’s finest wines.

4. $500 Credit

That’s right, we will give you $500 cash if you book your trip before April 24, 2012. Contact us at info@bestofboth.ca or call toll free 1-866-295-3274.

5. Low Airfare on LAN

Just last week LAN announced their sales on flights from the US to Chile. There are some great deals for this trip in August. Visit LAN for more details.

The Green Jacket:   The Augusta National member’s green coat began in 1937. Jackets were purchased from the Brooks Uniform Company, New York City. Members were urged to buy and wear a jacket during the Masters Tournament so that patrons would be able to identify a reliable source of information.  Traditionally, the champion takes his Jacket home with him for a year, returning it to the Club when he returns for the following year’s Tournament. The Jacket is then stored at the Club and is available whenever the champion visits.

Rae’s Creek: Named after John Rae, who died in 1789. It runs in front of No.12 green, has a tributary evident at No.13 tee and flows back at the green of No. 11. It was Rae’s house which was the farthest fortress up the Savannah River from Fort Augusta. The house kept residents safe during Indian attacks when the fort was out of reach.

Trees:  The most abundant tree at Augusta National is the pine. The predominant species is the Loblolly Pine. Many of the pines found in the original forested part of the course are over 150 years old (e.g. No. 10), while many were planted when the course was built (e.g. No. 3). Azaleas and dogwoods are also in abundance. There are over 30 varieties of Azaleas, several strains of dogwood and dozens of varieties of ornamental shrubs on the grounds. Surprisingly, there a few palm trees on the course. At one point during the course’s early years, No. 4 was called the Palm Hole. Today it is known as the Flowering Crab Apple.

The Tournament Practice Facility: Used first in 2010 Masters, the 18 acre facility measures approximately 400 yards in length. It includes a short-game area, four target greens (at 75, 150, 180 and 210 yards) and two distinct fairways that allow players to visualize on-course fairway corridors and shape shots using the strategically placed trees as targets.

Masters Club Dinner:  Better known as the “Champions Dinner,” the Masters Club began during the 1952 Tournament when defending champion Ben Hogan gave a dinner for all previous winners. At that time he proposed the formation of the Masters Club with its membership limited to Masters Champions. Honorary memberships were also extended to Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. Bill Lane, Hord Hardin, Jack Stephens, Hootie Johnson and Billy Payne (all Masters Chairmen past and present) have subsequently been added as honorary members.    Each year, the defending champion selects the menu and acts as host for the Tuesday night dinner. As his certificate of membership in the Masters Club, he receives an inscribed gold locket in the form of the Club emblem.

Amen Corner:   The name Amen Corner refers to holes 11, 12 and 13. It was first coined in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article by Herbert Warren Wind, who wrote that it was composed of the second half of No. 11, No 12 and the first half of No 13.

Magnolia Lane:  It is approximately 330 yards from the entrance of the gate to the Clubhouse and is lined by large magnolia trees on both sides of it that date back to approximately the late 1850s.  In 1947 it was paved for the first time.

Lowest Scores:

72 holes–270 Tiger Woods (1997)

54 holes–201 Raymond Floyd (1976), Tiger Woods (1997)

36 holes–131 Raymond Floyd (1976)

18 holes–63 Nick Price (1986-3rd round), Greg Norman (1996-1st round)

Crystal:  Each day’s low score receives a crystal vase and a hole-in-one receives a large crystal bowl.  Anyone making an eagle receives a pair of crystal highball glasses.  Anyone making a double eagle receives a large crystal bowl

Exclusively for guests of Sonnenalp Resort, a private meet & greet Saturday evening will be followed by a fun day (Sunday) exploring Vail.  See you there.

It was another amazing weekend at Whistler Blackcomb and the snow conditions are expected to get even better.  Over 85 cm has fallen since Friday and it is still snowing all the way down to the village.  Currently Whistler Blackcomb has a 312 cm (10.2 feet) base and overall snowfall accumilations of 972cm (31.9 feet)

Alpine Forecast

Heavy snowfalls and high winds are expected throughout today and this evening.  Lighter winds and snowfalls are expected Tuesday with temperatures remaining cold and the freezing level in the village. On Wednesday we can expect more light snowfalls with the freezing level rising to around 1000m.

Come join one of our ‘local’ Whistler ski pros for an unforgettable day of skiing the best spots on the mountain while receiving lift line priority.  It’s an experience reserved for somebody looking for that special touch not offered anywhere else.  http://bestofboth.ca/trips/ski/whistler-bc/.

On the second day, meet in Mill Valley and take luxury transportation to the Olympic Club, site of the 2012 US Open.  VIP access at the US Open allows for either green side views of the action or watching the drama unfold from in the air conditioned VIP area.  Spend the day following your favorite golfers and watching history unfold first hand.  Meals will be included in your VIP ticket.  Following the day’s action, transfer back to Mill Valley.

US Open Golf Trip Includes:

• 1 ½ hour golf clinic with Best of Both pro, Josh Zander
• Dinner with Josh to gain insight into the 2012 US Open
• 1985 Club Ticket to US Open on Saturday with access to the air conditioned VIP area with HD TVs
• Buffet breakfast, lunch, drinks, and snacks on US Open day
• Luxury bus transfer from Mill Valley to Olympic Club in San Francisco.  Return transfer also included.**

Dana Williams, Founder & President of Best of Both Golf & Ski shares similar sentiments, “I’m looking forward to giving PacWest members the opportunity to experience our pro athlete guided adventures.  Jay and I have both created businesses around high performance so I know his company’s members will  enjoy our unique trips and events.”

The trip to Whistler will begin on Thursday, March 22nd and run through Sunday, March 25th.  2010 Winter Olympian, World Cup ski racer and Whistler resident, Anastasia Skryabina, will be the featured pro athlete.  Her knowledge of the best places to ski on Whistler Blackcomb combined with lift line priority privileges will guarantee thousands of vertical feet of the best skiing in North America.  PacWest members will be met at the Vancouver airport and transferred to Whistler along the spectacular Sea to Sky Highway.  Each day will be filled with skiing runs with the best conditions currently in North America followed by evenings enjoying Whistler’s award-winning restaurants and upscale bars and lounges.  Whistler has received over 22 feet of snow this year.  This will guarantee PacWest’s members some of the best skiing they have had all year ….unlike their home mountain in Tahoe.

The US Open experience will take place on Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16.  It will begin Friday afternoon with a 90 minute golf clinic at the Presidio Golf Club with 1992 US Open competitor (and the Bay Area’s own), Josh Zander.  This will be followed by drinks and dinner inside the club house.  Here Josh he will share insightful and interesting memories of competing at the US Open.  On Saturday guests will be picked up at a designated location in Marin and be transferred to the Olympic Club.  Here they will spend the day watching the best golfers in the world compete for the US Open trophy, either while strolling the fairways or from their VIP seating vantage point.  Members will be transferred back to Marin at the end of the day.

For more information on PacWest and how to become a member,  please go to  http://www.pacwestathletics.com/.  PacWest members who would like to join this trip can contact Kelly Davis at kdavis[at]bestofboth.ca.

As most of you probably know, the town of Kitzbuhel is  home of the Hahnenkamm World Cup races.  Fans from all over the world join together to watch one of their favorite passions: ski racing.

During this year’s trip, it was unbelievable to see how how many  passionate, polite and incredibly intoxicated people from all over the world cheer loudly and with such loyalty for their countrymen!

The most memorable race for me  was the Downhill.  Fans lined up the mountain along the course with their flags waving high in the air.  Cowbells were ringing, horns were blowing, songs were being chanted and everyone was so excited to be there.  The positive energy was all around and everyone had smiles on their faces.  The excitement was contagious. Seeing a racer fly by at over 80 mph can turn anyone into an instant fan.  Take a look at what it is like to go down the Hannenkahn from a racers perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1JegMvBN3U    How can you not be a fan after watching that video?

If you get a chance to take a break from the races then I’d suggest you go on a Norwegian Picnic. One might ask what is a Norwegian picnic?  One, you need to be with Norwegians and two, it has to be very cold.  I was lucky enough to jump in a horse draw sleigh with 3 Norwegians and some of my Canadian friends to go on a journey throughout the back roads of Kitzbuhel. It was a 5 hour ride with stops at various restaurants and coffee houses in between. The architecture was exquisite and the locals that we passed along the way could not of been any friendlier.

Kitzbuhel is a magical place and I can’t wait to go back next year and hope you will join me for another adventure!