Best Golf Resorts of the World

Hilton Head Summer/Fall Stay-And-Play Packages

Nearly 20 golf courses and resorts on and nearby Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, are offering stay-and-play packages throughout the summer. 400+ golf holes lie on this low country barrier island, on lovely courses alongside salt marshes beneath a dense canopy of pines and moss-draped live oaks. Palmer, Nicklaus, three Jones, two Fazios, Player, Hills and more legendary architects have designed the famous Hilton Head golf courses. Make reservations well in advance, as more than two million visitors a year vacation here!

• Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa Summer Package: 3 nights at the newly renovated luxury resort, 2 rounds of golf at any of seven Heritage Collection courses and a 1-hour lesson with swing analysis. From $210 per golfer, per night, through July 25, 2014.

• Old South Golf Links Summer Fun Package: Just over the bridge in charming Bluffton. 2 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3 rounds of golf including 1 round each at Old South Golf Links, Hampton Hall Golf Club and the Country Club of Hilton Head. Complimentary breakfast daily. From $325 per person through September 21, 2014.

• The Sea Pines Resort Stay-and-Play Villa Golf Package: 4nights in private villa accommodations. 1 round each at Harbour Town Golf Links and Ocean Course. Complimentary afternoon repeat rounds on the Ocean Course, range balls, 10% pro shop discount and 10% food and beverage discount. From $148 per golfer, per night through August 31, 2014.

• Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort Summer Stay-and-Play Package: 3nights and play 3 rounds at each of the resort’s championship courses (Robert Trent Jones, Arthur Hills and George Fazio. 2 hours of tennis court time daily, preferred rates on other resort activities; dining and merchandise discounts. From $154 per golfer, per night through October 31, 2014.

Once you drive across the bridge onto Hilton Head, your choices include miles of bike paths, fishing and swimming in the surf, and fresh- and saltwater sports and cruises. For family and non-golfers in your group: Gullah heritage tours; the Coastal Discovery Museum; guided nature and history walks in the island preserves. Shopping on the island in 200 boutiques, galleries and department stores, and 3 outlet malls. Biking is popular on miles of trails and along miles of beaches, and horseback riding through a leafy forest preserve. Canoe and kayak rentals are available for exploring the creeks, marshes and inlets. Motor cruises and sailboats from around the world sail into the Harbour Town Yacht Basin, which is loaded with boutique shops and galleries, restaurants and watersports venues.

If you haven't been to Hilton Head lately, $200 million in upgrades have been completed in the past two years.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel and writes about Deep Culture Travel. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Save $, Get Warm with Stay-and-Play Deals in Scottsdale Thru March 2013

Heading for the sun in Scottsdale this winter, golfers are finding great deals:

The Inn at Eagle Mountain offers a 3-night stay and 3 rounds of golf on We-Ko-Pa Golf Club’s spectacular two courses and at Eagle Mountain Golf Club. From $250 per person, per night, Jan. 1 - March 31, 2013.

The Scottsdale "Breaking Winter" Golf Package includes 5 nights at The Hyatt Place Scottsdale and 5 rounds of golf (one each) at ASU Karsten Golf Course, Eagle Mountain Golf Club, Longbow Golf Club, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and Raven Golf Club – Phoenix. Plus VIP access to local Scottsdale nightclubs and complimentary breakfasts. From $350 per person, per night Jan. 1 - March 31, 2013.

Not sure where you want to stay and play in the Valley of the Sun? Phoenix Scottsdale Golf will custom build golf vacation packages for you at such topnotch resorts as The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Zona Hotel & Suites and Carefree Resort & Villas. From $99 per day, per person for golf and accommodations.

Tournament Players Club Scottsdale (TPC Scottsdale) is giving guests up to 5 days to play both the Stadium Course (home of the PGA TOUR’s Waste Management Phoenix Open) for $199 per person including forecaddie, and then add a round on the Champions Course for an additional $55 per person (a savings of more than $84).

More about golf in Scottsdale

And even more about golf in Scottsdale

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel and writes about Deep Culture Travel. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Hot Deal for Beginners at Troon Courses in October

The entire month of October is “Troon's Player Development Month with Get Golf Ready.” Partnering with the PGA’s Get Golf Ready program, more than 70 Troon clubs in the United States are hosting introductory golf clinics designed to introduce juniors and beginners to the game in a fun, affordable and educational way. Participation costs only $20 for adults, while juniors 17 years of age and younger are free. (Each participant is also automatically entered into a drawing to win one of five Callaway Golf starter sets).

After each clinic, participants have the opportunity to register for a Get Golf Ready program, which includes 5 additional instructional classes starting at just $99. To sign up for a clinic and to view a complete list of facilities participating in Troon’s Player Development Month, visit www.TroonGolf.com and click on the Get Golf Ready logo.

From Indian Wells Golf Resort and Westin Mission Hills in Palm Springs to Silverado in the Napa Valley, to Kapalua and Makai Golf Club at Princeville in Hawaii and Troon North and The Boulders in Scottsdale, this is a DEAL! at some of the top golf courses and resorts on the planet. Beginners get to learn the game on Troon courses, which are among the most spectacular and best-managed in the world.

Entering its fourth year, Get Golf Ready has introduced the game to thousands of adults who have never played golf or who have minimal experience in the game. Participants learn chipping, putting, full swing, half swing and bunker play, guidelines of use and maintenance of golf equipment, keeping score and navigating the course. On-course learning opportunities are part of each lesson, as well as background on the game’s rules, etiquette, history and values.

 

Patriot Golf Day Supports Military Families August 31—September 3, 2012

The leading golf management company in the world, Troon Golf is supporting the 6th annual Patriot Golf Day, a joint initiative of The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association.

Golfers playing at many Troon-managed facilities around the country will have the chance to donate $1 and more to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation. Donations provide educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled in the line of duty.

"As we all know, freedom is not free, and we are proud to partner with Troon to help the families of our wounded and fallen heroes," said Major Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor.  “Through Patriot Golf Day events held at thousands of facilities across the country, including Troon-managed facilities, we have given golfers a way to provide their support.”

Since 2007, more than $12.8 million has been raised through Patriot Golf Day events, allowing Folds of Honor to award more than 3,500 educational scholarships.

“Patriot Golf Day is a great opportunity for the golf industry to give back to the families of those who have courageously served to protect our country,” stated John Easterbrook of Troon Golf.

Major Dan Rooney, a former F-16 fighter pilot, PGA Professional and USGA member, came up with the concept of Patriot Golf Day and founded the Folds of Honor Foundation in 2007, following his second of three tours of duty in Iraq. After returning from his second tour, Major Rooney witnessed a profound display of a family’s grief as they welcomed home the remains of Corporal Brock Bucklin. Inspired by this tragic homecoming of a fallen American solider, Rooney started the Folds of Honor Foundation to provide support to military families in the aftermath of their tragedies.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com,  Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at   DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

 

 

Play Where the Pros Play at Greenbrier

With the sports world still buzzing after the tense playoff finish at the 2012 Greenbrier Classic and rookie Ted Potter Jr.’s first ever PGA Tour victory, golfers can take advantage of a special offer to play The Old White TPC until the end of August.

Play Where the Pros Play Package at Greenbrier

• A round on The Old White TPC
• Hearty daily breakfast
• Elegant Greenbrier resort accommodations
• From $626 pp (2 nights $869.00 pp)

The oldest course currently used for a PGA Tour event, designed by the legendary C. B. Macdonald and renovated and upgraded over a 4-year period (completed 2010), The Old White TPC and some thunderstorms and rain showers comprised a stiff challenge at the 2012 Greenbrier Classic last week. Named among Golfweek’s “Best Courses You Can Play in West Virginia,” the demanding 7,274-yard track traces the gorgeous, rolling West Virginia landscape.

The Greenbrier is world famous as one of the top luxury golf resorts, with 3 championship golf courses and more than 50 activities, from horseback riding to shooting, tennis, hiking, boating, falconry and more, plus a 103,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment venue and a major health clinic.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com,  Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

 

Golf on Amelia Island, Florida

Across the St. Marys River from Georgia, the barrier island of Amelia Island lies between Atlantic Coast beaches and the Intracoastal Waterway. Unlike most destination resorts in Florida, the island is privately owned, secluded and protected by a gated entry. Lush, green marshlands and low marine forests cover the island, and one is never far from the sight and sound of the ocean. Condominiums, two resort hotels and residential developments are scattered on narrow roads beneath a shady canopy of oaks, palms, pines and tropical vegetation, along miles of duney beaches.

Tom Fazio, Pete Dye and Bobby Weed laid the Long Point, Ocean Links and Oak Marsh golf courses within maritime forest and marshlands; each is designated an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

Wrapped like a green velvet shawl between the ocean and the waterway, Long Point is Tom Fazio's inspired design in a setting of tidal marshes, towering sand dunes and a dense pine and oak forest. Natural waste bunkers, grass basins and deep pot bunkers guard rolling fairways and large, elevated greens. Mounds and moguls along the fairways prevent balls from flying into the impenetrable tree barrier and water hazards. Among several long carries, the second hole requires a 230-yard fly over  wetlands to a wide zone that narrows between savannah and the water to an almost blind putting surface surrounded by deep hollows. The Amelia River and the salt marshes are rich wildlife habitat, where Great egrets, wood storks, kingfishers killdeer and gulls are beautiful distractions. A private club except for resort guests, Long Point is set serenely apart, with its own clubhouse, restaurant and  golf school.

Serpentine salt marshes and creeks come into play on many holes of Pete Dye-designed Oak Marsh, where accurate shot placement is called for on skinny fairways and small, bulkheaded greens bordered closely by hammock groves and moss-draped cypress and oak trees. Dye uttered an understatement about Oak Marsh: "...we've left the rough in its natural state. Only the areas of play are manicured."

A good short game and efficient approach shots are called for on Ocean Links, a Dye/Weed track just 6,300 yards from the back tees. 7 seaside holes are predictably breezy, while 10 holes are menaced by marshy wetlands and lagoons, meandering through a unique coastal hammock. Greens are small, dipped, swaled and tilted.

Royal Amelia Golf Links is a parkland layout designed around small lakes, a creek and a forest of palmettos, myrtles, Southern pine and oak; fairways and greens are gigantic on this 6,850 yard track. Surprises include a peninsula green on 17n and a palm tree smack in the middle of the 2nd hole. The clubhouse verandah is a good perch from which to contemplate the sunset over the tidal marsh and the waterway.

Within of the surrounding private community of Summer Beach, the Golf Club of Amelia Island, adjacent to the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, is a Mark McCumber/Gene Littler design open to members and resort guests. Wide rolling fairways, marshlands and lakes, oaks, palms and acres of sand dunes comprise the story here.

Where to Stay on Amelia Island
The 4-diamond rated Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort is undergoing n $85 million renovation to be completed in Spring, 2013.  

The Villas of Amelia Island Plantation are comprised of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units in several beachfront, medium-rise buildings, with extensive family recreation within walking distance.

The Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island sits elegantly above a 1.5-mile beach lapped with calm waters; little kids splash in the warm lagoons here at low tide. Guests staying in the 444 ocean view rooms and suites enjoy priority tee times at the Golf Club of Amelia Island, and tee times can be arranged golf at the other island courses. A full-service spa, nine oceanside, lighted tennis courts, three restaurants, and indoor/outdoor pools complete the package.

More here about golf in Florida.

And more golf in Florida.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Golf is Green: Golf Magazine Awards Eco-Friendly Golf Resorts

Awarded entry in Golf Magazine’s 2012 Eco-friendly Green Hall of Fame are three iconic American golf resorts:

• The Resort at Pelican Hill in Southern California
• Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon
• Kingsmill Resort and Spa in Williamsburg, VA

Chosen from many top notch candidates, these three pay exceptional attention to resource conservation and protection, water management, wildlife habitat and restoration, and other on-going eco-programs.

On 504 acres above the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, The Resort at Pelican Hill saves more than 50 million gallons of water a year, while protecting and restoring coastal sage scrub and other indigenous flora. 1.2 million gallons of rain and runoff water is captured and held, and the sprinkler system monitors temperature, humidity and other factors to determine watering needs. Reclaimed water is used on the golf courses and landscaping, which is common, these days, on many, if not most, golf courses.

More here about The Resort at Pelican Hill.

A unique 13-hole, par-3 track adjacent to the four Scottish links-style courses that have made Bandon Dunes Golf Resort world famous, the new Bandon Preserve Golf Course (to open May 2012), is a Coore-Crenshaw design. Net proceeds from Preserve will benefit The Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, which supports projects that protect lands and waters of The South Coast of Oregon. The Preserve will also protect and preserve the Silvery Phacelia, an endangered plant species.

Four-diamond-rated Kingsmill Resort & Spa has dedicated 40% of its 2,900 acres overlooking the James River to eco‐friendly initiatives. The Woods, River and Plantation courses are each Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, wherein the habitatsof bald eagles, hawks, and other endangered birds are protected. Rain water and irrigation runoff is funneled from parking lots, roadways and golf courses into irrigation ponds, from where it is used to water the golf courses and landscaping; and Kingsmill’s marina landscaping is fertilizer- and pesticide-free. Each year, the resort recycles nearly 35 tons of aluminum, 12 tons of cardboard, 4 tons of cooking oil, and 1.25 tons of paper.

More here about Kingsmill Resort.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel here and writes about culture and eco-travel at DeepCultureTravel.com. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Masters 2010, Alister MacKenzie courses you can play

Lahinch Golf Club, an Alister MacKenzie-designed course in Ireland

The storied home of The Masters, Augusta National Golf Club is one of the world-famous courses designed by the English-born, Scottish architect and physician, Alister MacKenzie, whose timeless style has influenced every course designer who followed. In 1932, with a definite nod to the Old Course at St. Andrews, MacKenzie laid out Augusta with assistance from the greatest player of his generation, Bobby Jones.

From the World Golf Hall of Fame: "MacKenzie's book, Golf Architecture, published in 1920, was the first to present and explain the fundamentals of golf course design. He practiced before the era of bulldozers, which left him little capacity to force golf holes where they didn't belong. His approach to providing fair and strategic golf without disrupting the site is a model for golf course design that lasts to this day."

21st century course architects and players consider MacKenzie's classic 1920s and 1930s-era courses in the United States and abroad to be the undisputed icons of the game, from Cypress Point in Monterey to Lahinch in Ireland and Royal Adelaide in Australia.

Although many MacKenzie-designed courses are private, these are some that are open to public play:

• Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, Sacramento, California: two hugely popular public tracks, Arcade Creek and the 6,992-yard MacKenzie Golf Course, which got a $6.5 million renovation in 2001. The MacKenzie is graced by century-old oaks, small, super-fast greens and an absence of fairway bunkers (they're all stacked up around the greens).
• Northwood Golf Club, Monte Rio, California: In the Sonoma County wine country, a lovely, unassuming 9-holer beneath towering redwoods.
• Sharp Park Golf Course, Pacifica, California: A muni course owned by the city of San Francisco, MacKenzie's only public seaside links.
• Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz, California: Restored (not updated) by the legendary Tom Doak, a semi-private course that is available most days to the public; pricey greens fees. MacKenzie lived here on the 6th fairway during the last years of his life.
• Lahinch Golf Club, Lahinch, Ireland: a classic links laid out by Old Tom Morris 1892, often called the "St. Andrew's" of Ireland. MacKenzie redesigned and lengthened the track in 1927.
• Royal Troon Golf Club, Troon, Scotland: Limited guest play is allowed at the private MacKenzie-designed Portland Course (the Old Course here has hosted the British Open eight times.)
• Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia: The oldest club in the country. The "Composite", a combination of the 18 best holes from the East and the West courses, is generally regarded as the top course in the Southern Hemisphere; the West was designed by MacKenzie in 1926 and opened in 1931.
• University of Michigan Golf Course, Ann Arbor, Michigan: A hilly course where bunkers are ball-grabbers and greens are hard to figure out. updated in 1994 by Arthur Hills. Visiting golfers are usually able to wangle a tee time, even though ilt's officially available only to students, faculty and alumni.
• Palmetto Golf Club, Aiken, South Carolina (near Augusta): During the week of The Masters only, this private club opens its course to the public (good luck getting a tee time). Established in 1892, lengthened by MacKenzie in 1932, updated by Rees Jones and Tom Doak.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She follows the little white ball around the world and blogs about International Golf Travel. And, she also writes a blog on Sustainable Travel.

Can't get into the 2010 Masters? play golf around Augusta

River Golf Club, North August, Georgia

Only a few lucky souls will get the chance to follow the golf greats around Augusta National Golf Club at the 2010 Masters, and even fewer get to play there any time, since it's private . . . . very private.

Nonetheless, lots of gorgeous, public-access golf is available nearby Augusta.

• Reynolds Plantation: one of the largest and most highly rated golf complexes in the Southeast, between Atlanta and Augusta along the shores of Lake Oconee, 117 holes of golf designed by Nicklaus, Cupp and Tom Fazio (plus 2 private tracks by Rees Jones and Jim Engh tracks). The Reynolds Golf Academy, 4 full-service marinas; 251-room Ritz-Carlton Lodge Reynolds Plantation; #5 on Condé Nast Traveler's “Top 100 Golf Resorts” worldwide. A Nicklaus Signature course that opened in 1992, Great Waters has been renovated by Nicklaus Design and has just reopened to guest play.
• Cuscowilla Golf Club and Resort: Coore and Crenshaw came up with a lovely layout in the pines of Lake Oconee. Golfweek says it's the "#1 Best Course You Can Play" in Georgia for 2009 and 2010. Courseside cottages and lakeside villas are where players and families like to stay.
• River Golf Club. In north Augusta on the Savannah River, a Jim Fazio design (72.7/129) that meanders through wetlands and alongside lakes--water on 12 holes. Reasonable greens fees. Multi-bedroom cottages.
• Mount Vintage Plantation and Golf Club: in North Augusta, a new 9 has been added to the 18 championship holes (7,127 yards, 144/74.5). Expect big-time elevation changes. The circa 1840 “Shaw House" is the beautiful clubhouse.
• Goshen Plantation Golf Club: In Augusta, 7,151 yards of Georgia pines with water on 12 holes, uniquely massive greens, updated in 2001; terrific practice facility. The course is very highly rated by locals and visitors.
• Jones Creek Golf Club: In west Augusta on pine-studded, softly rolling hills, a 7,008-yard Rees Jones design that has been renovated and updated by Tom Fazio (139/73.9).

• More about golf in Georgia.

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She follows the little white ball around the world and blogs about International Golf Travel. And, she also writes a blog on Sustainable Travel.

GolfWorld's Top 50 Resort Golf Courses for 2010

Readers of GolfWorld magazine have awarded the Top 50 Resort Golf Courses for 2010, based on a variety of criteria, including quality and condition of courses, reputation, practice and clubhouse facilities, restaurants, accommodations, pro shop and more. Here are the top ten; find the rest on the GolfWorld web site.

1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC

2. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, OR

3. Turning Stone Resort, Verona, NY

4. Coeur d'Alene Resort, Coeur D'Alene, ID

5. Whistling Straits GC, Haven, WI

6. Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro, GA

7. Sea Island GC, St. Simons Island, GA

8. Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC

9. TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

10. Mauna Kea Beach Golf Club, Kamuela, HA

Waldorf Astoria Orlando & golf course open with intro rates

To celebrate its opening on October 1 of this year, the new Waldorf Astoria® Orlando is offering introductory rates starting at $229 per night.

Guests also receive a complimentary fourth night when booking a stay of three consecutive nights. Guests staying five or more consecutive nights during the promotion will receive a complimentary upgrade to the next room category.
 
Read more here about the new Waldorf in Orlando, and a special golf package at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club. 

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 about International Golf Travel at www.examiner.com.

Sawgrass Golf Resort & TPC Sawgrass special for golfers, 7 weeks of the 17th

Home of THE PLAYERS Championship and the famed Island Hole 17, TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, are offering "Seven Weeks of The 17th," including:

• Three-night stay at Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort

• One round on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course

• One round on Dye’s Valley Course

• One-hour instruction at the TOUR Academy

• Personal forecaddie on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course

• $75 bounce-back golf credit, good for one year

Package rate starts at $170, per person per night; available Oct. 1 - Nov. 20, 2009

Weather on the Atlantic coast of Florida is perfect in the Fall, making this a great beach-and-golf getaway, plus the chance to try the famous 17th Island Green on Pete Dye's legendary PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The course is ranked by Golf Magazine among the top 80 golf courses in the world, and ranked #1 by Travel & Leisure on their list of Best Resort Courses in Florida.

Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa, named “One of the Top 10 Best Golf Resorts in the World” by Travel + Leisure, is located in Ponte Vedra Beach between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on the Florida coast. The second-largest golf destination in the U.S., the resort features 508 guest rooms, suites and villas, the Spa at Sawgrass, four swimming pools and access to 26 miles of Atlantic beach at the Cabana Club.

Golfers from around the world come to TPC Sawgrass to try to make a dry landing and sink a putt on the island green, the one that Tiger missed at THE PLAYERS 2009, and to challenge themselves to play a bogey-free round, as Henrick Stenson did in the largest comeback in THE PLAYERS history, with a six-under 66 and a four-shot victory.

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 about International Golf Travel at www.examiner.com.

Arnie's 80th birthday, tweaks Bay Hill

As he approached his 80th birthday (which is tomorrow, September 10), Arnold Palmer and the Arnold Palmer Design Company decided to tweak his classic course at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando. The private course is open only to members and to guests at the small, charming lodge.

"We don’t want to change it, let's tweak it." Arnie said to his architects, "Let's get the greens closer to the water and take the sand where you can see it."

Greens were removed and reinstalled with Emerald Bermuda grass. Palmer said, "I've introduced firm, fast playing conditions on slopes around greens . . . along with putting new pin positions around the outside of the greens and cutting bunkers up closer to the greens, we have made my course more interesting to play and view."

Course aesthetics received a boost in visual impact with the bunker renovation. Arnie again: "The renovations had to be completed in 2 months so the course can properly grow in and open in September. I know the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational will be very exciting to watch with these new course changes in place."

A Junior Olympic sized swimming pool, a full-service spa, 6 tennis courts, 4 restaurants, and 70 lovely rooms and suites make up the intimate lodge complex.

Golf Digest and the Golf Channel are celebrating Arnie's birthday with stories, anecdotes and interviews.

Today Arnie will throw out the ceremonial first pitch as the Pittsburg Pirates play the Chicago Cubs. Tonight will be Arnold Palmer Bobblehead Night at PNC Park and will mark the first time Palmer has been honored with a bobblehead created in his likeness.

And to celebrate his birthday, tomorrow on September 10th, Arnie and some of his closest friends will tee it up at his home course, Latrobe Country Club.Arnie's father helped build the course in the 1920s and he went on to become the grounds superintendent and then the golf professional in the 1930s.

According to the club, "Arnold was born September 10, 1929 in Latrobe. His saga began when he was four-years old swinging a set of golf clubs that had been cut down by his father, Milfred (Deacon) Palmer. Before long, Arnold was playing well enough to beat the older caddies at the club. He began caddying himself when he was 11 and worked almost every job at the club over the years."

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsoftheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca writes about golf travel and resorts around the world in her examiner.com column.

New Waldorf Astoria and golf course in Orlando at Disney

Opening simultaneously on October 1, the 407-room Waldorf Astoria Orlando and The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club are offering the "WA Golf Package", which includes accommodations in a golf-view room in the brand new resort hotel, two rounds of golf on the new 18-hole Rees Jones-designed championship course, and a $20 dining credit per person; starting at $329 per room, per night, until December 24, 2009.

Glamour-girls and guys head for a whopping 23 treatment rooms at the Waldorf Astoria Spa by Guerlain.

This is the first originally-built Waldorf outside of New York, and the first ever Waldorf Astoria golf course, a Rees Jones stunner winding through a wetlands preserve alongside Bonnet Creek, where tall pines and cypress trees line the fairways. The 130 slope 130 and 72.5 rating from the back tees promise a challenge for the low handicappers, while 5 sets of tees make it enjoyable for golfers of all abilities.

The dining credits are good at the 12 restaurants and bars at Bonnet Creek Resort, including Peacock Alley, the Bull & Bear Steakhouse and La Luce.

The new Waldorf resort hotel, the golf course and the new Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek are within the Bonnet Creek vacation destination, which is surrounded on three sides by the Walt Disney World Resort. The Hilton has 1,000 upscale rooms and suites, six dining outlets and a two-acre lagoon-style pool.

More on golf resorts in Florida

Golf resorts in Florida on examiner.com

Pinehurst's Back2Back Special

Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina

The big news at Pinehurst Resort is that the  2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will be played in consecutive weeks on the No. 2 Course at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, the first time the two national championships will be contested on the same course in back-to-back weeks. This will be the third time the club has hosted the U.S. Open.

Pinehurst No. 2 was created by world-famous golf architect Donald Ross. Ross completed the course in 1907, and tinkered with the layout until his death in 1948.

Celebrate the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open Championships by playing #2 two days in a row. Take advantage of the Back2Back Special:
2 nights luxury accommodations
3 rounds of golf, including 2 rounds on the legendary #2
Breakfast and dinner daily
Stay midweek and receive a $300 gift card

Travel & Leisure Golf magazine named Pinehurst the "Best Golf Resort In America" in 2008, for an unprecedented third time. Click here for more on Pinehurst.

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 about resorts in her examiner.com column.

Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort celebrates 5 years, part 1, the hotel

 

Fringing the barrier island of Kiawah in South Carolna, a ten-mile stretch of sand slopes gradually into the Atlantic, producing calm, warm surf, ideal for families who love the beach. A private, gated resort community is cleverly tucked into thousands of acres of lush maritime forest and around a vast salt marsh, a veritable wildlife sanctuary inhabited by white-tailed deer and over 200 species of birds––osprey, heron, egrets, ibis, pelicans and gulls. Loggerhead turtles begin their annual egg-laying pilgrimage to the beach in May. And, on the five championship golf courses on the island, the occasional alligator wiggles out of a lagoon to sun itself on a cart path.

Five years ago, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort opened its doors here as a spectacular oceanfront hotel and spa, soon achieving 5-diamond and 5-star status for both the hotel and at the Sanctuary Spa.

The special 5th Anniversary Celebration Package during the month of August, 2009, starts at $555 per room, per night:

     Garden View Accommodations
     Daily buffet breakfast for two at Jasmine Porch
     Nightly dinner for two at Jasmine Porch, Tomasso, Shrimpers or The Atlantic Room
     Welcome amenity
     Resort Credit for multiple night stays ($100 resort credit for 2 night stays, $150 for 3 night stays and $300 for 4 or more night stays)

On 10 miles of beach just south of Charleston, SC, the charming, Southern-style Kiawah Island Golf Resort is racking up the rankings:

     #1 resort in the U.S. by Golf World
     #2 golf resort in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure Golf
     one of top 5 tennis resorts in the U.S. by Tennis Magazine
     #3 resort in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler
     #2 island in North America by Conde Nast Traveler

Kiawah Island Golf Resort is comprised of the hotel and spa, 600 private villas and luxury homes, 9 restaurants, 2 tennis centers, and 5 championship golf courses, including The Ocean Course, host of the 1991 Ryder Cup, the 2007 Senior PGA and 2012 PGA championships.

For a charming scrapbook of guests’ stories, pictures and videos of Kiawah, go to www.kiawahmoments.com

Stayed tuned here for Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort celebrates 5 years, part 2, the golf

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 right here at bestgolf.typepad.com/blog/

Amelia Island, Florida: Mossy Oaks and Sandy Beaches

On a recent return trip to Amelia Island, on the northern end of the Florida coast, I was delighted to find that my favorite barrier island remains the quiet, leafy paradise it has always been. Rimmed on the Atlantic side by powdery sand beaches and criss-crossed by thousands of acres of salt marshes and water channels, the glories of Amelia lie beneath a dense canopy of ancient live oaks and palms--70% of the original flora remains, creating a bird-lover’s mecca. Wood storks stalk the golf courses, herons and egrets hide in the reeds, cormorants dive for fish, and roseate spoonbills are pink perfection in the mangroves. On the same latitude with the temperate Canary Islands, Amelia is warmer in winter than most of the Florida coast, and cooler in the summer.

The Amelia Island Plantation resort claims the lion's share of the island, encompassing the Amelia Inn--249 all-oceanview rooms and suites on the beach(I like the top floors, from where you get zowie views of the tree canopy and the ocean). In addition, the Villas of Amelia are comprised of 1-, 2- and 3- bedroom units at the beach, at the tennis complex and on the golf course. On Segway, bike and golf cart drives around the island, I came across an absolutely charming clutch of boutique shops around a large pond, and the huge, tournament-status tennis complex of 23 tree-shaded, Har-Tru® clay courts.

Of the four championship golf courses, Longpoint Golf Club is my favorite, a Tom Fazio-designed track that rambles through beautiful wetlands and the Amelia River, and out to the ocean.

I took a sports massage in The Spa at Amelia Island Plantation, where the therapist, Dave, told me that the resort has primarily long-term employees who are kept on staff, no matter the ups and downs of the economy—which is likely one reason why everyone I encountered was as Southern-fried-friendly as they could be. The island is so close to Georgia (you can see it from here) that Georgia accents and Southern hospitality are rampant. (As quiet and as laid-back as the island was during my February visit, be advised that holidays and high-season summertime are busy with vacationing families.)

Golf in Charleston, S.C.

Check out my feature on golf in the Charleston area, published this month in the AirTran inflight magazine, GO. From Fazio at Wild Dunes to Dye, Player, Fazio and Nicklaus at Kiawah Island, from Seabrook, Charleston National Country Club, RiverTowne, Stono Ferry and Patriots Point to Belvidere, sexy, seductive Charleston is surrounded by sensational golf resorts and courses.

Play in the Tom Watson Golf Classic at Greenbrier

The legendary Greenbrier in West Virginia has enjoyed a close relationship with PGA Tour superstar, Tom Watson, for more than 25 years, and this year, September 7-10, the Tom Watson Fall Golf Classic is open to resort guests--a rare opportunity. The tournament will take place on the recently restored Old White Course, and the Greenbrier Course, which has hosted Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup matches. Guests taking advantage of this special package will also have the chance to interact with Watson as he leads a private clinic. Non-playing spouses and guests can participate in a variety of other activities, including fly-fishing, a shooting clinic, tennis, nature walks, horseback riding, or just disappearing into the spa . . .

The package for the Tom Watson Fall Golf Classic starts at $2,645 per person, for three night's luxury accommodations, breakfast and lunch on tournament days, green fees, golf car, golf concierge services, and private dining and receptions related to the event. 800-908-0740, www.greenbrier.com.

 

Enjoy an in-depth article about The Greenbrier, by one of our regular contributors, Ed Stone.

Golf on the Gulf

As shiny as a new poker chip after a $550 million post-Katrina re-do, the 1,740-room Beau Rivage Resort and Casino offers guests the chance to play one of the most photogenic and challenging tracks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Tom Fazio’s Fallen Oak Golf Club, a 7,487-yard golfapalooza that romps through swamps and piney woods like Bigfoot. Centuries-old live oaks, a rushing stream and the seductive scent of magnolias add to the Southern charm. Besides braving the gaming tables, trying their luck at deep-sea fishing and sampling Mediterranean fare by celeb chef Todd English at Olives, visitors enjoy concerts by such headliners as Minelli, Humperdinck and Iglesias.