i must say i have visited all the mountain regions of our great united states and beautiful islands in the sea as well. i have never seen the caliber of scenery i just saw on a trip to the canadian rockies. banff is an absolute perfect choice. there are so many drives within an hour that offer unbelievable scenery. you must see lake louise.i went with family and to a person everyone said it was the prettiest spot they had ever stood. a 15 minute drive from there is morraine lake you must see. we saw 5 different bears in the lake louise area including one in back of our lodge about 30 feet from my 16 year old when he came around the corner. this place is paradise-i will return. a drive up the icefields parkway offers the view of a lifetime-one giant peak after another. see lake louise! so serene........ and the color...gotta get back there.

Pamper him and yourself and take him to The Greenbrier Resort.

http://www.greenbrier.com/site/leisu...e_default.aspx

Golf info: http://www.greenbrier.com/site/leisu...f.aspx?navid=8

This threat just proves there are so many fabulous places. I think Bandon Dunes is great, though before the OP changed to Banff I was concerned that fall storms there might be an issue. It's a must-play course.

Closer to home the OP should look into Whistling Straits. Nice weekend trip for you.

For big trips, Ireland is amazing, but costs have shot up there sharply the past 5-6 years.

If you really want to surprise a golfer, put him on a plane with his clubs in January and hit New Zealand -- a wonderful variety of courses. Some still have sheep-grazed fairways.

Traverse City isn't that far and has fantastic golf courses. http://visittraversecity.com/golf/

It was rated to be one of the countries top golf destinations!

When we lived in Indonesia, I offered my ex the chance to golf one of the best courses in the world (at that time) on Bali. It's in the crater or a volcano. He turned it down, and the man loves gold, go figure. He also turned down the chance to golf at Rotorua in NZ, and that would have been a cool experience I think, what with the thermal activity there.

No question...Pebble Beach...stay at the Lodge.