Best Golf Resorts of the World

Arizona: Desert Golf Tips

Golf lovers dream of playing in the dramatic desert settings of Arizona where the world’s top architects have created a unique style of course design––target desert golf.  Players are asked for near-perfect accuracy, with forced carries over wilderness terrain from the back tees, as on the North and South courses at 5-star resort in Scottsdale, The Boulders. Like cool mirages at 2,500 feet in elevation above the Scottsdale Valley, the two tracks are notorious for their wild canyons and arroyos and for startling displays of massive red and gold rock formations. Cooing doves, speeding roadrunners, fat Gila monsters and the occasional bobcat and coyote roam the groves of cacti and the rocky streambeds that cross the fairways. The starter hints at some interesting indigenous fauna: "You are welcome to hit out of the rough, but, bring a stick. And, the coyote rule allows you to replay a shot without penalty when a coyote grabs your ball.”

Director of Golf at The Boulders, Tom McCahan gives tips for surviving desert golf courses:

1. At all costs, stay on the grass! If you miss the landing zones, you will have rough desert to contend with, so consider carefully your choice of tees. (At The Boulders, we have five tees, one for every skill level.)

2. On desert courses, distance is not as important as alignment. Leave your driver in the bag and go for clubs you can count on to hit straight.

3. If your ball ends up in the desert, pound the ground a couple of times to announce your arrival to wildlife. Take a very stable stance and grip down to shorten the club. Then, take a ½ to ¾ swing to get back on the fairway. If you are shooting for the green, take 1 or 2 more clubs.

Overheard on Maui: Tom, Jack & Gary

Dressed head-to-foot in his traditional black, Gary Player looked up at an elegant lady spectator, also in black, and said, "Oh you're my American wife (which she was). I have a wife in South Africa, too––but, I take better care of you, don't I?"

Regaling the crowd at Wendy's Champions Skins Game at Ka'anapali on Maui this February, Player said, "I've been coming to Hawaii for 50 years. These islands exemplify the word love––I always get the feeling of great peace and love here. This time we're staying an extra day, it's a such a delight."

Paired with Jack Nicklaus in the tournament, Tom Watson said, "I like playing skins with Jack, because on the first tee when your opponent asks you, 'Who is your partner?' and you say Jack Nicklaus, they look at you like 'We're cooked. . .'  Jack has the ability to hit a meaningful when it counts––I trust him." (the two had 8 skins after Day 1). Watson said, "I first played with Jack in 1966 in Topeka when I was 16 years old. One of the best days of my life as a kid."

In fine form at age 68, with his son Steve as caddie, Nicklaus dazzled the spectators. After Watson called out, "Bring out the magic, partner!", he sunk a 15-footer for a $150,000 hole to put the two in the lead. Nicklaus went on to pitch in from 50 feet away in the sand on the 6th and putt in on the 7th for $90,000. They led until the last hole on Sunday, when they tied with Zoeller and Jacobson, then finally lost in a tie-breaker.

Striding down the fairway beneath the fluttering palm trees, ready for his 51st appearance in the Masters this year, Player summed up his 72 years: "I have achieved everything that I wanted to do. Now, I want to be a role model(for physical fitness). Obesity is killing more people than wars."

Dubai: Ernie Kicks Off The Dunes

South African PGA and Euro Tour super-star, Ernie Els, kicked off the “Els Club” at the spectacular new Dubai Sports City in United Arab Emirates.A British and US Open champ, Ernie Els inaugurated his new Els Club golf course at Dubai Sports City by playing a few holes with English cricketer, Andrew Flintoff; South Africa's World Cup-winning rugby captain, John Smit, and Manchester United’s legendary goalie, Peter Schmeichel. Then, Ernie hosted a traditional South African 'Braai' (BBQ) at the Madinat Jumeirah to celebrate Dubai's newest prestige golf destination.

Open to members and the public in March, the Scottish-links-style golf course, The Dunes, stretches a whopping 7,538 yards from the back tees. The Butch Harmon School of Golf and a 60,000-square-foot Mediterranean design clubhouse, 19th hole and restaurant will soon open, along with a Manchester United Soccer School, a David Lloyd Tennis Academy and the ICC Cricket Academy(dubaisportscity.ae).

London: Stoked Up at the Spa!

Tatler says the Stoke Park Club spa is one of the Top 10 British Spas, while Harpers Bazaar added it to their "Top 100 Spas in the World". A short ride from Paddington, the 350-acre estate was the first country club in Britain in 1908. A Palladian mansion with 21 sumptuous guest rooms and 27 holes of parkland golf make this a popular weekend destination.

The newly built Spa, Health, and Racquet Pavilion sports an indoor pool and a spa menu packed with sports-oriented treatments. The Sports and Remedial Massage boosts circulation and relieves aches and pains, while the De-stress Muscle Hydrotherapy Bath is a relaxing underwater massage. The SPC Men’s Tonic Facial cleans, exfoliates and invigorates with plant extracts and essential oils, followed by hot towel compresses, a facial massage, and ayurvedic scalp and foot massage.

Overlooking the terrace and the golf course, dining and cocktailing are sublime in a newly redone, 1920s Art Deco-inspired  dining room and lobby lounge. 21 English-country-luxe rooms in the historic main hotel, and spacious new accommodations adjacent to the spa.