NIAGARA GOLF TRAIL The city of Niagara Falls is a golf destination that was probably founded on the “build it and they will come” theory. Considering the fact that the city receives hundreds of thousands of visitors a year to view the world’s most famous waterfalls, the odds are good that there will be golfers among them. Hence, developing a golf trail had to have been a no-brainer. Today, the trail has more than a dozen member courses which include the venerable Whirlpool track dating back to 1951. Many who have played it over the years insist that the course continues to improve with age. Among the trail’s several newer tracks is Thundering Waters, which made its debut in 2005. Lying just over 1,500 yards from the Falls, the course was designed by PGA pro John Daly. This is the same John Daly that, in a publicity stunt, once attempted unsuccessfully to drive a golf ball over Niagara Falls and land it in New York State. Beyond golf, the city’s main attraction is obviously the Falls and related activities. Tour boat rides get passengers up close and personal with the mammoth waterfall – so close that they can feel the spray. Helicopter tours provide aerial views and there are also whirlpool jet boat rides on the Niagara River. What was once a somewhat subdued city has developed a carnival-type atmosphere that includes glitzy casinos, waterparks, Ripley’s Believe It or Not and a wax museum filled with sculptures of movie stars and other legendary entertainers. Well worth visiting is the nearby Lundy’s Lane Battlefield where, in 1814, Americans unsuccessfully fought the British in an attempt to gain control of the Niagara Frontier and beyond. www.niagaragolftrail.com 24 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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