Long before Sun Belt cities like Phoenix and Orlando built multi-million-dollar stadiums and turned baseball's warm-up season into a full-fledged tourist attraction, Babe Ruth knew the real secret to a successful spring-training trip.

When the legendary slugger boarded the "Orange Blossom Special" train headed for the New York Yankees' spring camp in St. Petersburg, Fla., he had a baseball bat in one hand and a golf club in the other.

Not a bad way to spend a month.

Baseball fans consider a trek to spring training a pilgrimage, but throw in the great golf in these locales and you've got the perfect double-play combination. (Provided, of course, that baseball has no work stoppage, lockout or whatever the overpaid millionaires on both sides of the controversy are calling their latest labor debacle.)

Not surprisingly, baseball players and fans today follow in the Bambino's spikemarks. Atlanta Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and John Smoltz boast of playing 45 holes after a morning workout at their camp in Kissimmee, Fla. "I encourage it," says manager Bobby Cox. "It's a great way of getting their mind off of problems. It would bother me if they didn't play golf."

If only all bosses could be so visionary.

Make no mistake: Despite all the fun, spring training is big business. Each year from mid-February to the end of March, almost three million fans flock to see games in Florida and Arizona, pumping an estimated $700 million into the local economies. Our thumbnail guide, including maps, course information and baseball box-office phone numbers, will take you through a week of quality golf and baseball on either side of the country.

FLORIDA: The Grapefruit League

Aside from threats of "contraction"--eliminating two baseball franchises--20 teams practice in the Sunshine State. Three regions--central Florida (Lakeland to Orlando), west coast (Dunedin to Fort Myers) and east coast (Melbourne to Fort Lauderdale)--allow you to put together your preseason sampler. Here's just one example:

Monday: Abacoa Golf Club (Jupiter) and Cardinals baseball (Jupiter). Less than a half mile from the ballpark, Joe Lee-designed Abacoa is vintage Florida golf, with palm trees and water hazards aplenty, along with oversize, undulating greens. The Cardinals' Roger Dean Stadium is new and nice. Afterward, you can check out Town Center's restaurants and shops.