Fly fishing and warmth await attendees of WaterColor Inn & Resort's Orvis Fly Fishing School in northwest Florida. A two-day course offers instruction in everything from learning to set up fly rods to perfecting new casting techniques. The course is offered year-round on select Tuesdays/Wednesdays and Saturdays/Sundays.

The two-day course kicks off with an overview of the program and classroom presentation on lines, rods and reels. Students receive tutorials on the basic casting stroke, shooting line, false casting and roll cast and test what they have learned with some outdoor practice. Day one concludes with a knot tying seminar and discussion on fly fishing equipment and accessories.

The next morning begins with a lesson on fly selection, as well as tips on how to handle, photograph and release fish properly. Students then embark on an afternoon fishing excursion to local lakes or the Gulf (depending on the time of year and weather conditions), where they will hook fresh and saltwater fish.

The WaterColor Resort Fly Fishing School is offered year-round on select dates in 2010 for $470 per person. The price includes professional instruction, use of Orvis fly rods and reels, leaders, flies, waders, vests and fishing licenses, as well as lunch both afternoons. Lodging at the resort is additional.

We first looked at this home over a year ago but Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October are trying again to sell their Manhattan Beach, California home. Last year the home was listed at $3.999 million but now it's on the market for $3.6 million and Gonzalez has sweetened the deal by adding a new Porsche 911 Cabriolet within 10 days of the close of escrow if he receives a full-price offer.

Gonzalez bought the four-bedroom home in 2003 for $1.575 million. He tells the LA Times that he gutted the house when he bought it and fully renovated. The home's best selling feature is a huge roof deck with a barbecue area, shaded lounger and a hot tub. The home is a couple blocks from the ocean and so the deck has some truly fantastic views. Inside the home there are two living rooms, dining room, a bar and a master bedroom suite with a fireplace and patio. There is a four-car garage, the home of your new Porsche.

Heading off to a ski resort and alternating snow on the slopes with hot drinks in the lodge might be the epitome of a dream winter vacation for some, but for others it just won't do. Some need a little more excitement, a little more danger, and a lot more of something different.

If you're already a proficient skier then there are several ways you can step things up a notch. KiteWing is a large 'kite' that you hold above your head so it catches the wind and pulls you along on your skiis (or snowboard) at incredible speeds and over outrageous jumps. Heli-skiing (a helicopter drops you off) is an option for those loving deep powder in inaccessible locations that may never have been skied before, or if you don't mind climbing then ski mountaneering might be for you (climb up, ski down).

If skiing isn't your thing you can still enjoy the slopes by flying down them on a snow mountain bike instead. Or you can go Olympian and try your hand at flying down Cresta-Run faster than fast via toboggan, the luge, or the skeleton. Ice diving (brrrrr!) is a magical, thrilling way to experience the arctic, and for those who prefer to be on the ice instead of under it climbing up a waterfall is another way to go.

Whatever winter-thrill you decide to embark on this snowy season just be sure to plan ahead, stay safe, make sure you know what you're doing (or have an expert along with you who does), and pack an emergency kit just in case.

Some of Tiger Woods' sponsors and business associates are distancing themselves from the sports star in the wake of his mushrooming mistress scandal; however the Dubai backers of the first ever Woods-designed golf course and housing development say they'll proceed as planned with the megabucks project. The move is surprising given the iffy emirate's recent financial troubles as well as the UAE's extremely strict laws and outlook on sexual misconduct, real or perceived. The company building The Tiger Woods Dubai housing development and golf course said in a statement Wednesday it remains committed to completing the course, a 60,000-square-foot clubhouse, an 80-suite boutique hotel for VIP guests, 300 luxury villas, 20 mansions and a community retail area, all bearing the increasingly dubious Tiger Woods brand. The developer, part of the Dubai Holding conglomerate owned by the city-state's ruler, says "progress continues" on the project but gave no specifics, the AP reports. As we reported the other day, Woods' travails are likely to end up preventing him from becoming the world's first billionaire athlete, a goal he had nearly attained.

In the short-lived world of professional sports Jamie Moyer is a bit of a legend. He has spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball and will enter the 2010 season as the oldest pitcher in the game at the age of 47. Moyers and his wife, Karen are extremely active off the field as well. Together they founded The Moyer Foundation which has a mission to provide comfort and support to children enduring a time of profound physical, emotional or financial distress. The Moyer Foundation has raised more than $19 million to assist over 200 different non-profit organizations that serve the needs of children in severe distress. The Moyer Foundation created and funds Camp Erin, the largest national network of bereavement camps for children and teens.

The Moyer Foundation, founded by MLB pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen, are joining together with The Mario Batali Foundation to present their "Super Bowl Super Brunch" on Saturday, February 6th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Viceroy Hotel in Miami. This brunch has tickets priced at $1,000 and will be hosted by the Moyers and Batali, with honorary celebrity co-chairs - Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Buffett and Emeril Lagasse. Other guests will include professional athletes and sports personalities. The afternoon will feature a gourmet brunch designed by Batali, wine and specialty cocktails, cooking demonstrations by Batali and Lagasse, live entertainment and a silent auction. Proceeds from the special event will benefit The Moyer Foundation's Camp Erin™ program and The Mario Batali Foundation.

Charity Folks is also holding an auction that includes two tickets to the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami, Florida on Sunday, February 7, two tickets to the Super Brunch and hotel accommodations at the Viceroy Hotel Miami in one room for two people are included for February 4 - February 8, 2010. Bidding was at $5,500 last time I looked. Proceeds from this auction also benefits the Mario Batali Foundation and the Moyer Foundation.

The Fine English Company is a recently launched line of luxurious furniture, luggage and lifestyle accessories reminiscent of Britain's colonial past with a contemporary flair. Founded by former financial consultant Benedict Wormald, the company was born out of a desire to trade in his city lifestyle in London and turn a lifelong passion for classic British design and antiquities into a business. The Fine English Company's products combine traditional craftsmanship with its detailing of exotic animal skins, rare and native woods and veneers to create a range of collectible and desirable objects betokening the best of bespoke British luxury,

With 15 years of experience sourcing unusual items and commissioning bespoke products, Benedict worked tirelessly to create the Fine English Company's first collection, a selection of which is now available at Holland & Holland, the famous London gunmaker established in 1835 and holder of the Royal Warrant. The core range includes steamer trunks finished with exquisite detailing and exotic zebra and giraffe skins, for £2,750 - £5,750. Larger furniture pieces include traditional leather armchairs, sofas and footstools, and club-style fireplace fenders upholstered in tweed, zebra and giraffe skin giving them a contemporary flair.

Fine English also has range of smaller items for sporting gentlemen including traditional handmade slippers with leather soles in a range of animal skins, bold tweed, and for the pocket pirate, a skull and crossbones. Also available are a number of iconic humidors for the busy plutocrat with rich wood finishes such as ebony, macassar and walnut, some decorated with the skull and bones (£2,500) or iconic Union Jack. Also a collection of stunning bespoke pocket knives featuring William Morris acanthus engraving, 18k pink gold with gold lipped pearl details, Damascus steel blades and ivory from the woolly mammoth, rivaling creations from the world's finest gun and watch makers.



A well-curated collection of fine antiques is also on offer, drawn from military, architecture, automotive, aeronautical and sporting pursuits and restored to perfection. Of course the company offers a complete bespoke service as well; if you can conceive of it, Wormald promises to make it happen - he claims to have never turned down any client's request. From unique taxidermy - one recent example being the finest Van Ingen Tiger to be seen in Europe - to whole games rooms, gun rooms, dramatic architectural statement pieces and even a mahogany WC seat with the skull and bones motif, Fine English will furnish it to your requirements.

It has not been an easy holiday season for mega super athlete Tiger Woods. After news got out about his possible extra-marital affairs and the resulting fiasco surrounding it, the squeaky clean celebrity now has a new angle to his personality. Still, I think he handled the media conference aspects of it much better than others have in the past.

Tiger is a very wealthy guy thanks to years of unprecedented sponsorship and endorsement deals. Suddenly advertisements with his iconic image have all but disappeared - especially on television. Sponsors are worried about possible negative associations with the star looming in the public at this time. Of course, none of this is a surprise.

Like most scandals, this will likely more or less blow over in a few weeks or months. Whatever ensues in Tiger's personal life, is his own business. From a sponsorship standpoint, things won't be quite the same, as some of the more conservative advertisers will likely shun Tiger, although he was once the boy-wonder of conservative image athletes.

One of Tiger's most popular sponsors is watch maker Tag Heuer - who has recently announced their dedication to sticking with the man who has likely been good for their business. Tag Heuer, while a Swiss watch maker, is French owned (by LVMH). While they may pause or delay advertisements in the immediate future, expect to see lots more Tag Heuer ads involving Tiger Woods, a baseball cap, a golf club, and a watch in the near future.

Via World Tempus (in French).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Back in 2008 we reported that Tiger Woods was set to become the world's first billionaire athlete, with earnings on target to cross the billion-dollar mark, which they did in October. In order for his net worth to follow suit however, he would need to continue the momentum for at least another year, given the taxes and management fees he has to pay, to be considered a bona fide billionaire. Now in the wake of his fateful car crash and ongoing mistress revelations, along with the looming prospect of one of the most expensive sports divorce settlements ever and now news of his lucrative advertising revenue stream drying up, it seems Woods may never reach that goal. The golfer's $110 million in annual income from endorsements and tournaments, as estimated by Forbes magazine, hinges on his standing with consumers, which is currently at an all-time low. Sorry, Tiger, looks like you'll have to be content as a mere multimillionaire several times over - at least until that divorce goes through. For God's sake please don't end up like Lenny Dykstra.

My colleague Deirdre Woollard has been entertainingly chronicling former baseball star Lenny Dykstra's travails in bankruptcy court. Now it seems the hard-charging athlete-turned-entrepreneur is trying to raise a little ready money by selling off some of his prized possessions. Among the lots at Patrizzi & Co.'s Dec. 14th Exceptional Watchmaking Masterpieces auction in NYC is Dykstra's 18K white gold Patek Philippe (above) made in 2004. The fine and rare annual calendar timepiece shows the phases of the moon and has a power reserve indication. Estimated at $28,000 - $ 35,000, it comes accompanied by a photograph of Dykstra playing with the New York Mets. Also included in the sale are two major pieces of Dykstra sporting memorabilia: a 1986 New York Mets World Series trophy and plaque, estimated at $18,000 - $25,000; and a Silver Slugger Award from 1993 with a Louisville Slugger bat and National League Player of the Week 1990 plaque, estimated at $12,000 - $16,000.

UPDATE: Dykstra's Patek sold for $28,000, on the low end of the estimate.

Ever since his fateful car crash and the ongoing mistress revelations, life seems to have been falling to pieces for Tiger Woods. He may be looking at one of the most expensive sports divorce settlements ever. Some wonder whether his career, including not just golf but also lucrative endorsements, will recover. But if you think that Tiger's tribulations might damage the value of Tiger Woods collectibles, author Daryle Lambert says you're dead wrong. In a CNBC article Lambert says that the opposite is true. As he sees it, the amount of signed Woods collectibles probably won't go up too much given the recent events. People are snapping up Tiger Woods collectibles on eBay. A newsmaking event whether it be death or dishonor, always changes the value of a personal collectible; we saw a similar phenomenon this year with the sudden surge in Michael Jackson memorabilia. On his blog Lambert says that collectors should "take advantage of this opportunity to buy anything associated with Tiger Woods, like clubs, signed hats, photographs with his signature, shoes, bags, signed score cards and any other item that can be directly linked to Tiger."

Normally, we might associate the so-called World's Most Exclusive Golf Cart with Tiger Woods, but he's surely got more important things on his mind at the moment. Plus, it's Cadillac that's supposed to be The Standard of the World, not Buick, the GM-owned automaker that Woods shills for. So then, just who is the Garia meant for?

Honestly, we have no idea. Perhaps well-to-do golfers looking to one-up their frenemies at the local country club. In any case, the Garia is supposedly "built to the highest standards of the automotive industry." Included in its kit, says the manufacturer, are double-wishbone front suspension, a drivetrain built by the company that produces Ducati gearboxes and aluminum stampings sourced from the same company that supplies Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo.

Inside the comfy confines of the golf cart is a built-in refrigerator to keep your beverages nice and chilled along with a couple of strategically-located cupholders. Valmet Automotive, which assembles the Porsche Boxster and Cayman along with the upcoming Fisker Karma, manufacturers the Garia. Starting in 2010, the manufacturer promises that the Garia will be street-legal in the States as a Low Speed Vehicle after being formally introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Price? $17,499 or 13,999 Euros, plus tax and delivery.



[Source: Garia]

Recently Khloe Kardashian and her new husband Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Lamar Odom picked up a seven-bedroom home in Tarzana, California which was listed for $3.995 million. Odom is still trying to sell his former home in the sports-star-friendly town of Mahattan Beach. The home is showcased on the the Sports Star Relocation website. The website was designed specifically for professional athletes and has a National Listing System that helps athletes find a new home in their new city (perfect for those sudden, surprise trades). The site includes a database where athletes and their families can search for properties that suit their specific needs including ones that are located near other local athletes/teammates, the airport or practice facility. Ed Kaminsky, founder of SportStar Relocation, found that the vast majority of his athlete-clients desire a home within a geographical triangle that includes their practice facility, stadium/arena, and the airport.

Odom seems to have stepped out of the triangle with his new Tarzana home but his Manhattan Beach home is squarely in it which might appeal to any athletes in the Los Angeles area looking for a home base. The five-bedroom home was built in 2002 by Gravatt Homes. It has been recently redone and includes a formal living room, formal dining room, large family room w/custom wet bar, three fireplaces and a three-car garage. Outside there is a pool, spa, as well as a barbecue area and a gas fire bit. This home is listed at $2.399 million.

In 1880 the Los Angeles Athletic Club became the first private club in the city. This was when Hollywood was little more than a farm and an adobe hut, and the phrase "Malibu Colony" referred to bats. As the city grew, and grew draped in tinsel, so did the club: if you were somebody, you were a member of the LAAC. The fact that any club has lasted 129 years in Los Angeles is incredible; what's more, after throwing a few million at it the owners look to be ready for the next thirteen decades.

The prize draw is the 80,000 square-foot fitness center, where an exhaustive fitness menu offers an indoor Olympic pool, court sports, yoga, squash, and of course a spa and personal training just for starters. After that would come the Trophy Room, where you can sup on a chef's tasting dinner while suffused in the glow of a 1,000 bottle wine cellar and mounted, golden chalices. Say you have a few too many bottles yourself, you can store some of your own collection there, too.

When the running and dining has worn you out you can retire to any of the 72 freshly remodeled rooms, each with custom furnishings, luxurious bedding, roman shades, and flat screen televisions. Nine of those rooms are themed, 1-bedroom suites, in the following flavors: Yacht Club, Country Club, Polo Club, Racquet Club, Beach Club, Athletic Club, Social Club, Bruin Club, and Trojan Club.

No matter which room you choose it will be found down a moody hallway -- the designer calls it "1920s French Moderne with some British Campaign and a touch of Americana," but it's easier imagined as The Shining meets the W meets the batcave. For the moment you can procure one for an introductory nightly rate of $149, which includes a complimentary American breakfast buffet for two in The Grill Room and WiFi. Naturally, you need to be a member to sample the premises, but once you've done the hard work of signing up, where you -- and your yeoman -- choose to get your workout is up to you. Anchors away, fearless voyagers...

Last month we reported that the glossy chronicle of the filthy rich Robb Report is offering the world's most expensive Christmas gift this year - a matching custom private jet and megayacht set costing $500 million. The profligate publication has a few more eye-popping offerings as part of its Ultimate Gift Guide, a seasonal smorgasbord of over-the-top exclusives. Among the most enticing is a $1.5 million Monaco Grand Prix gift package, consisting of the following: a VIP experience at the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix F1 races in May; round-trip private jet travel from North America to Nice, France, and helicopter transfer from Nice to Monte Carlo for a party of four; five nights' accommodation in the top-floor suite at the luxe Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort; privileges aboard a private 170-ft. yacht that will provide a prime vantage of, and tender service to, four days of racing and activities; and last but not least a custom Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder (above) "as a keepsake".

Antiquorum's auction on On December 9th in New York will include an exceptional collection of Rolex watches formerly owned by world renowned record holding diver Patrice Chemin. Chemin joined Comex in the early 1970's and was selected to participate in several hyperbaric experimental dives including Physalie V, a world record dive at 530 m (1706 ft) in 1970, and Physalie VI at 610m (2001 ft) in 1972 – a world record that he held for 11 years. His collection includes a Rolex 'Comex' Ref. 5514, a Rolex 'Double Red' Sea-Dweller and a Rolex 'Comex' Ref. 168000. The Rolex Comex Ref. 5514 (above) is a very rare stainless steel diver's wristwatch with first generation helium escapement valve and a 'maxi' dial. It is being offered along with Mr. Chemin's diving helmet with an estimate of $40,000 - $ 60,000. The 'Double Red' SeaDweller from 1972 is estimated at $25,000 - $45,000.