Easy on the Ears

If you want the absolute cheapest airfare around, check out CheapOAir. I booked my recent Palm Springs flight from them and got the lowest fare on the internet. Be sure to use promo code: TAKEOFF10 before the end of the year to get an extra $10 off any domestic or international flight.

Want a cheap date night? Take him or her to the Marda Loop Justice Film Festival between November 14 to 16th and get free admission. 

Get $25 off your next weekly rental from Alamo by using this coupon code: AD6974JDM. 

Want a really good bluetooth headset that works well with your cellphone? Let me recommend the Plantronics 520 Voyager. I picked one up at $30 from our eCost and used it this week. It has noise cancelling and people that I have called this week swears that it is the clearest and quietest technology around. The headset fits nicely on your ear and wears very comfortably. It is so light, you forget that you are wearing it. It comes with its own charging adapter and with a Razr, it works well with the voice dial.

Life After 20 days

For those of you who work for Encana, please accept my sincere regret that you cannot leave town for Christmas nor New Years. If you could, imagine getting on Holland America’s 20-day South American Holiday Explorer and Antartica Experience on December 15, 2008. Your ship departs from Santiago, Chile at 5pm and sails to the tip of South America before reaching Antartica. Long before seeing icebergs and whiteness across the horizon, you will visit Darwin Channel and the Chilean Fjords. You will marvel the glaciers, each one of them ranging from Francia, Italia and Romanche, Alemania and Amalia before sailing to Cape Horn and Drake Passage.

After sailing for 7 days, you begin to relax. After 14 days, habits begin to form. What would life be like after sailing 20 days? I think it would be heaven if you were sailing the Mediterranean or the Orient but I heard it can be hell and back, especially when the Pacific Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. This happens to be around the tip where there is no landmass to level the swells and the wind whips the sea into the worst water passage on earth.

It may sound like a deal at only $1,789 for an inside cabin but if you get seasick fast, I would skip this one. On the other hand if you always wanted to see Patagonia, this may be your chance, even if you work for Encana.

Free Golf

We all know that once the leaves are on the ground that fall is around the corner. With the coming of fall, the golf season winds down and golf deals emerge. Golf courses in the Columbia valley will probably stay open for a few weeks more but as far as Calgary is concerned, most courses will close before the third week of October.

New in Kimberly are premier accomodations on Northstar Mountain Village offering ski-in/ski-out access, hot tubs, fireplaces, fitness room and fully equipped kitchens. Now if you call and make an early booking, you will receive 2 rounds of golf free at Bootleg Gap. Just call 1-800-665-1801 and quote ‘Kimberly Fall Special’. Don’t try to book online to get your free golf because this is not available for everyone. Hurry because this offer is only limited to the first 30 bookings.

Want to stay closer to Fairmont and Radium Springs? No problem. With High Country Properties, you can now stay for 3 nights and only pay for 2. Call the same number above and quote ‘Pay for 2 Stay for 3 Special’. Offer is good until October 31, 2008.

There’s a lot of golf left in this season. I hope you will take advantage of the late summer/ fall specials that I find for you.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Here’s another episode to an earlier blog that I wrote titled ‘Braving the Elements’. If you are going to play golf in the rain, be sure you have enough rain gear to be comfortable and to play a decent game. There isn’t a lot to say about rain pants, except that it has to be easy to put on and is waterproof. Be careful not to shop for one that is simply, water resistant. You need one that has a breathable mesh inside to protect your (dry) pants from the moisture that seeps through. Don’t just think of nylon or canvas to keep the rain out. A cotton lining will not help neither. Sun Ice Typhoon or Columbia rain pants do well.

Second, you will need at least three layers for the main trunk. If you know about the Ashworth 3-layer concept, follow that. If not, here are some tips. The first layer will consist of a golf shirt or a mock turtleneck. Stay within dress code limits of the golf course you are playing on. Next, bring along a warmer layer such as a pullover, sweater or fleece top. This layer will keep your body and arms warm. The outer layer needs to be waterproof. Again, a water resistant layer will not suffice. This layer needs to protect you from the rain, sleet and wind. Make sure you choose one that zips up and protects your neck.

Last, don’t forget your gloves. FootJoy has winter and rain gloves. Wilson Prostaff has a pair of rain gloves that begins to work when it gets wet. Get a pair of these and put it in your bag for an emergency downpour or if you choose to play in the rain. 

Most golf shoes are waterproof except sandals and CROCS. Other accessories may include rain covers for your bag, umbrella for your clubs and a rain shield for your power cart. And if all fails, go for a rain check.

Cruise 13-nights for less than $50 per night

It’s almost time to shop for a cruise. First off the presses is the 13-night South American cruise that departs from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Believe it or not, with the right connections, you can get on for as low as $649. Unfortunately, get ready for an all day ordeal as you fly south to catch your cruise. Our friends took this cruise last year and enjoyed it immensely but they didn’t care for the 14-hour flight that took them from Calgary to Seattle to Washington, D.C. then to Buenos Aires.

If you are going to take a repositioning cruise, you might want to consider a transatlantic cruise that takes you from this side of the world to somewhere in Europe. Leaving April 19, 2009, RCCL will sail from Santo Domingo to Harwich, England. Again with the right connections, you can get onboard for as little as $899.

I’m still in favor for a European cruise. Something in the vicinity of Venice, Italy or Athens, Greece would interest me right now. There a 7-night sail roundtrip leaving from Venice and sailing the Dalmatian Coast. It includes a stop in Dubrovnik where the Cravat were invented, a historical name for a tie. Also it sails past Santorini before landing in Epheseus where the Temple of Artemis stands. If you are interested in this cruise, you can get an interior cabin for as low as $699.

All of these cruises are from RCCL and you can call Enid Hey directly at (800) 859-7225, ext. 30800. Just tell her you read it here.

Depreciated Golf Equipment

It’s nice to know that my Callaway Hawkeye driver now sells used for only $9.50. When it came out, it was the hottest thing on the market and I paid $399 for it. Callaway products are on sale at 3Balls but make sure you visit us first to get the coupon code to save you an additional 10% off your order.

If you want a second set of clubs and want to stick to brand names like Callaway, Ping, Nike, TaylorMade, you might want to check it out at 3Balls and pick up some used clubs. My wife’s Callaway 454 Ti driver is now selling for $59.50, down from $349 that she originally paid. 

Looking for a new bag? Checkout the Callaway mini-looper bag that weighs only 3 pounds. With a full set of clubs, your total weight of bag and equipment is less than 15 pounds. That’s important when you’re packing for a trip since the airline will charge you extra for going over their limit. The mini-looper bag is selling for $59.50, down from $100.

Modern Woman and Unlimited Golf

Ladies, mark your calendar for October 27th as four distinguished women come to stage to inspire you and to be your successful role models in health, career, family and financial. It is the Secrets of Today’s Modern Woman show at the Jubilee.  Who is coming? Ivana Trump, Jane Seymour, Leslie Beck and Linda Nazareth. If you are interested, go to TicketMaster and use code word: MODERN to save 20% off tickets. You have to click on my link above, otherwise you can’t access the promo page where you need to enter the code word.

Guys, do you want Callaway clubs? Kananaskis golf is selling off their rental clubs but you have to hurry. Call (403) 591-7088 ext. 321 for prices, availability and to get your name on the wait list. The sale began as early as August but when I was out there at the end of August, they still had a few sets left.

Golf courses all over Calgary are in great shape and with the Indian Summer ahead of us, it looks like there won’t be a slowdown anytime soon. Courses are offering end of season plays so if you are looking for unlimited golf, look to: 

1. Carstairs – Unlimited golf for $239 from now to end of season. If you buy a 2009 membership, you can deduct this off next year’s dues.

2. River’s Edge Golf Club – Unlimited golf for $275 from now to end of season. If you buy a 2009 Executive Membership, you can deduct this off the 2009 fees.

More to come as the 2008 season winds down.

BBD is waiting for you

I think it would be foolish of you to think that the BBD (Bigger, Better Deal) is static. I mean, I booked my car for Vancouver next week about 3 weeks ago and thought the BBD was $250 per week. The next week, I checked with Hertz and used a coupon to bring the price down to $206 per week. I was pretty happy saving almost $44 in one week then I decided to check Alamo and found a better price at $185. This week, I looked at Dollar and came up with a rate of $166 but decided to go with Thrifty’s instead at $168. You see, Dollar rents Chrysler Calibers as their compact cars versus the Toyota Yaris that I prefer at Thrifty’s. With the high fuel costs in Vancouver, I think I can around more places with a Yaris with less gas than a Caliber.

The morale of the story is that with car rentals, you have to book, cancel and rebook. Don’t think for a minute that your BBD is it. Try and try again until the last day you fly out. The BBD is around the corner waiting for you. And we will try to help with coupon codes to save you more money. Bookmark our page on car rental to get the latest coupons and promo codes.

Here’s some codes for you to use. Get $15 off a weekend rental at Thrifty’s by using CP87. Or get $25 off a weekly rental at Dollar by using DC103.

Calling all Freeloaders

It’s been some time since I gave away some free stuff. The next best thing to coupons is when someone is willing to give you something free so here we go.

Calling all unsecured people – With this coupon, go down to Sears and get your free padlock.

Calling all teachers from kindergarten to grade 12 – on Mondays until September 29th, get a tall (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee for free at your local Starbucks. It’s the “Great Start for Great Teachers” campaign. You will need to show proof so bring your teacher’s ID.

Calling all early birds that live in Edmonton, St. Albert or Sherwood Park – hop on down to McDonald’s from 5am – 7am everyday in September and pick up a small cup of coffee for free.

Calling all comrades – go to Electronics Arts website and download a free copy of Red Alert. It is their 13th anniversary of their Command and Conquer franchise.

Calling all Coldplay fans – in support of their tour, they are giving away a free download of their new song “Death will never Conquer”.

Calling all Hannah Montana fans – get your free download of “Best of Both Worlds” song from Zellers.

Calling all stressed out people – stressed out at work? Get your free Body Eclipse anti-stress shampoo from Meditasto.

Calling all Lego fans – get 2-year subscription to Lego magazine for free.

Calling all Disney go-ers – Before you visit the park, get your free DVD planner from Disney.

Like always, get it while it’s hot. Otherwise, they do run out.

Putt for Dough

Anyone who golfs know what a handicap is. As a beginner, it may not serve a purpose but one day, it will. One of the ways to make sure you are improving is to keep a handicap. There are software that you can download to keep a handicap or you can sign up online. I like to use GreensKeeper to keep my handicap because on it, you can also keep statistics of your rounds such as number of greens in regulation, number of putts per hole, number of sand saves, etc. 

Some players that I play with each week can save up to 5 strokes per round, simply by putting better. Sometimes it is the putter, other times it is the “feel” that you have around the green. The more often you play at a certain course, the better “feel” you will get for that course. I picked up a few new putters this year and I tend to interchange them between rounds. I like to use my old Ping putter for flat and uninteresting greens. I use my new Diamond Tour $12 putter on new greens or when the ball seems to roll forever. Then there’s my Odyssey putter that I won from a tournament I played at. I hardly play with it because it doesn’t seem to work for me. I have absolutely no “feel” for this putter.

My friend Cliff swears by his K-Mart putter that he picked up for $9.99. On the other hand, Brent swears by his putter, a Scotty Cameron Newport putter that he paid over $300 for. Putters range in dollar value. It’s not how much you spend for it, it all comes down to how much confidence you have holding it.