
Six-time major winner Nick Faldo received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on Tuesday of this week, honoring his 30-year golfing career. Faldo won the British Open three times, the Masters three times, the European Order of Merit twice, played in 11 Ryder Cups, and had 30 additional wins on the European Tour. He is a lead lead golf analyst for CBS Sports and has joined the PGA Champions Tour.
Sir Nick has also been in the news this year with the opening of his new Faldo Championship Course at Lough Erne Golf Resort in the North West of Ireland in the Fermanagh Lakelands. On a 600-acre peninsula between Castle Hume Lough and Lower Lough Erne, many of the fairways have glorious lake views.
The opening of the Faldo course was marked in July by a play-off--The Lough Erne Challenge––between two Irishmen: the three time major champion, Padraig Harrington, and the 20-year-old rising star from Ireland, Rory McIlroy, the resort's touring professional, who now ranks 15th in the world.

Northern Ireland's only 5-star resort, Lough Erne Golf Resort, hotel and lodges opened in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in October 2007, with 120 guestrooms including 25 2-and 3-bedroom loughside lodges and the luxurious Thai Spa.
Among winter specials at Lough Erne Golf Resort, from euro$244 per room:
Midweek Golf with a Touch of Spa
• 2 nght stay with full Irish breakfast each morning
• One 30-min Thai Spa massage per person
• 18 holes on the Castle Hume Championship Course
• Dinner on one evening
For more cool green deals in Ireland, go to the Discover Ireland web site
Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She follows the little white ball around the world and blogs golf travel at bestgolf.typepad.com/blog/