Calculating your approach shot

A wise person once observed, “I’ve spent most of my life golfing ... the rest I’ve just wasted.” But what if your significant other’s sentiment is more like Mark Twain’s -- that it’s “a good walk spoiled”? Fear not. Good golf and good times come together at these resorts like Tiger and trophies.

RESORT:

Rock shopper

The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa

34631 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree, AZ;

(866) 397-6520,

www.theboulders.com

Casitas from $249-$349.

Good for the golfer: Two stellar Jay Morrish courses are set within the resort’s eponymous boulders and a landscape that proves false the notion that the desert is barren. Greens fee $240-$275. (All rates seasonal.)

Good for non-golfers: El Pedrigal, a Morocco-meets-the-Flintstones’-architect-styled uber-souk spiced with vibrant hues and galleries, lifestyle boutiques, good eats and a branch of the heralded Heard Museum.

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RESORT:

Tucson treads

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort

7000 N. Resort Drive,

Tucson, AZ;

(520) 299-2020, www.loewshotels.com

Rooms from $250.

Good for the golfer: Two words: Tom Fazio. Two courses: Mountain and Canyon. ‘Nuff said. Greens fee $195.

Good for non-golfers: Professional guides lead happy wanderers out into the great Sonoran Desert from the seat of a Jeep, atop a mountain bike or with Vibram-soled boots. Prices vary.

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RESORT:

Haggis at Bay

The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

1 Miramontes Point Road,

Half Moon Bay, CA;

(650) 712-7000, www.ritzcarlton.com

Rooms from $235

Good for the golfer: Names like Arnold Palmer and Arthur Hills in the mix and oceanside golf -- even if it’s only some part of the 36 holes here -- are never a bad thing. Greens fees $135-$180.

Good for non-golfers: Winter School at this cuisine-event-happy resort offers cooking demonstrations, plenty to sample and often a take-home cookbook, because several presenters are author-chefs. Winter School $70-$90/session.

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RESORT:

Ranch dressing

Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort

1054 Alisal Road,

Solvang, CA;

(888) 425-4725, www.alisal.com

From $450 a night for two, all-inclusive.

Good for the golfer: The Billy Bell Jr.-designed Ranch Course, a strategist’s puzzle of doglegs, oaks, sycamores and barranca, heads the two-course lineup. Greens fees $60-$100.

Good for non-golfers: It’s a dude ranch with great linens, all the outdoor activities (tennis, horseback riding and fishing are included in the fare) and none of the caricatured rodeo affect.

- KEN VAN VECHTEN