Category Archives: Top Golf Courses

Ford’s Colony – Marsh Hawk Course

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Every major golf vacation publication in Virginia would rank Ford’s Colony – Marsh Hawk Course as one of the top championship golf courses in Williamsburg. Made to put any golfer to the test, this 54-holes course threads through the place’s luscious naturals on the undulating terrain and exuberant woodlands. It gained extra popularity as it hosted Virginia State Open and Virginia’s annual PGA stop, among other prestigious tournaments. Stretching to 6,715 yards from the back tees, with a slope of 126, this course obviously has a player friendly quality.

However, this Dan Maples inspired heaven may have slowly grown into popularity for folks in Mid-Atlantic circles, but it actually started as a secret haven that is unheard of by most golf nuts. Letting the design speak for itself is the main principle of this golf vacation destination. Originally designed by Ellis Maples, Dan’s father, Ford’s Colony – Marsh Hawk Course has recovered from hard-times before emerging brightly under the care of the son’s amazing passion for architecture. The father-son dynamics still manifest in the course with its eminent ups and downs, twists and turns, and a lot of water vistas to serve as hazards on the splendid site. The course has retained its reputation as a modest getaway location where players can find a quality golf experience.

Being open to the public also makes this course attractive to non-members. With a pro shop that is as renowned as the golf course, Ford’s Colony – Marsh Hawk Course renders complete golf vacation package amenities including relaxing accommodations and practice facilities. The Clubhouse, in the area, features a formal dining room, together with two other amazing dining venues that garnered AAA Five Diamond Award. That established Dining Room also received the award for Best Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine with its over one thousand upper-class wines offered. 

TPC Oaks – Greg Norman/Sergio Garcia

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The host of the 2010 Valero Texas Open is more than just a golf vacation destination that shows a perfect landscape for prestigious tournaments. The TPC Oaks – Greg Norman/Sergio Garcia exhibits environmental sensitivity that transcends a deep rooted advocacy for the preservation of nature. Such philosophy is taken from the renowned golf architect, Greg Norman, with assistance from a current PGA Tour player, Sergio Garcia, who offered his passionate perspective on the course.

The 7,522-yard playing for par-72 is similar to a “Dye” because of its ability to route the landscape according to the natural direction of the vegetation. But the TPC Oaks – Greg Norman/Sergio Garcia still shows a layout that is unique to Norman as it incorporates chiseled nuances and native flora of the rolling Hill Country geography into the magnificent course. The golf trip renders a design that compels players to throw their most strategic play and demands professionals to put their best foot forward.

The TPC Oaks – Greg Norman/Sergio Garcia is considered a world class course that has transformed back from contemporary conditions to a more traditional and playable creation. Narrow tree-lined fairways balances with wider fairways tendering several routes to travel. Providing an intimate feel in the golf vacation location are the umbrella of Oaks with slender corridors sculpted through the trees. It is a magnificent place to walk with only 100 feet of fall from the highest point. Reflecting the ruggedness of natural terrain –undaunted by artificial set up– are the bunkers with borders embodying a canopy indigenous oak tress. 

Barton Creek Golf Resort – Fazio Foothills Course

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The astonishing and magnificent design of Barton Creek Golf Resort – Fazio Foothills Course is not the only reason why it is  ranked as the#1 Golf Club in Texas. This Tom Fazio signature golf vacation course, which is Fazio’s masterpiece made in 1986, may comprise those ambitious and dramatic cliff-lined fairways and showcase the natural beauty of limestone caves, waterfalls and brilliant TiffEagle Bermuda greens, but it is those features combined with the strategically directed layout that makes this course unparalleled around the world.

Barton Creek Golf Resort – Fazio Foothills Course‘ 18-hole landscape is established with many elevation shifts and visual contact that put a player into a game of accuracy on the long drive down the Hybril TIFSport Bermuda fairways. The smooth aprons and grass bunkers of the greens define the course as a paradise for both shot-makers and scientific-playing individuals alike. The golf vacation destination has five unique sets of tee boxes that attract a wide range of players coming from different skill levels.

After gaining 200 yards more fairways and tee grasses in 2004, Barton Creek Golf Resort – Fazio Foothills Course has transformed into a 7,125 yards playing for par 72 course. The golf trip location never fails to upgrade and metamorphose into a better-looking plan with extra consistency on the playing carpet of impressive architectural design. Until now, the course persists in being the best as it continues to receive recognition including the Best Resort Course in Texas and some holes (holes #12, 4, 9, 16, 10, 18) listed on the State’s Best or Most Beautiful Holes according to Dallas Morning News.

Westin La Cantera – Resort Course

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Designed by renowned golf course architect, Jay Morrish, and PGA Tour professional, Tom Weiskopf, Westin La Cantera – Resort Course traces the spectacular panorama of the Texas Hill Country with its striking 80-foot drop from the 7th tee to the fairway. The golf vacation destination was created in 1995 to outmatch all other jaw-droppingly beautiful courses created before it, using its witty looking greens. After opening, the par-72 course rapidly gained the recognition as the Top 10 public access golf courses in the United States by Golf Magazine. Golf Digest also named it as one of the best new courses in the world.

Westin La Cantera – Resort Course plays for 7,001 yards from one of the longest tees for a par of 72. The 18-hole golf vacation course has a rating of 72.5 and a slope size of 134. Managed by Troon Golf, the place is closest to the regional San Antonio International Airport (SAT). The nearest airport also serves domestic airlines, including American, Delta, Continental, US Air, and United. The accessibility makes the location highly easy to visit, that is why guest never fail come. Every year, the number of visitors increase significantly.

Aside from handing out an awesome landscape and a convenient direction, Westin La Cantera – Resort Course is known to offer full-service through its golf vacation package. Operations start at 7:00 AM to dusk, daily. Green fees ($119-140) and driving range fees ($10-25) run affordable and are also open to guests who are only planning to relish the view. For players, though, there are available  Callaway clubs and FootJoy shoes. The genuine service is something that adds to the astounding existence of this course.

Barton Creek Golf Resort – Crenshaw Cliffside Course

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Natural beauty of the Texan Hill Country serves as the main attraction of the Barton Creek Golf Resort – Crenshaw Cliffside Course. A collaborative design by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, this place offers the best golf vacation with its sight of rolling hills, natural plateaus, smooth contours and indigenous vegetation that are in concordance with the playable atmosphere of the championship course. There are wide range of strategically challenging holes to delight and puts golfers to the highest of their adventure.

Crenshaw believes that the best architect is nature, and so, he and his design partner, Coore, used the natural terrain to create the magnificent layout of Barton Creek Golf Resort – Crenshaw Cliffside Course. The effect, a classical philosophy on the golf vacation destination with an obvious manifestation of the land dictating the direction of the landscape. No evidence of forced routing is in this course, with only very few artificial installations in. The environmentally patronising display has lead this course to the rate 38th among the “50 Best Courses in Texas” by Dallas Morning News.

Barton Creek Golf Resort – Crenshaw Cliffside Course withstands despite the drought in the place. The undulating greens remain luscious and it is wide open enough, making it the best place to play for a first round. With a complete golf vacation package, the area also has the best place for complete accommodation with friendly service crews that accompany guest into the satisfying amenities. This is an acreage that serves genuine service using the sincerity that nature holds. A must-go for any golfer.

Myrtlewood – Palmetto Course

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Landscaped for a best play, the Myrtlewood – Palmetto Course provides a golf vacation that is signature for Edumnd B. Ault, the renowned golf architect. Characterized by old growth pines and adapted by the slopes of the rolling fairways, the course is an acreage of many attitudes including bentgrass greens and land and water hazards that demand golfers into the highest level of a play. The par 72 with 6,953 yards is where players can truly test their willpower in surmounting the challenges of the course.

Myrtlewood – Palmetto Course has been golfer’s favorite spot for over 30 years. In fact, the Grand Stand has continuously ranked it as one of the top repeat-play courses among all of South Carolina. Ault definitely played with the modesty and friendliness of the Tifdwarf Bermuda as it meticulously sodded it on the putting greens of the 6,977 yards golf vacation destination. The course has a rating of 7.37 and a slope of 135 making it appealing to golfers coming from different levels. But it is its position, being in the heart of Myrtle Beach, that defined it all the more attractive even to non-golfing guests.

Outmatching all the golf vacations‘ experience is driven by Myrtlewood – Palmetto Course SoloRider golf cars that help golfers go through an easy accessibility while enjoying the landscape. Senior golfers would not feel impaired from mobility with the rider’s moulded sincerity to drive them onto the greens and tees without impact to turf. The 350 degree swivel seat has a design that allows effortless enter and exit, and it also has ergonomic controls that makes the experience all the more convenient. 

Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club

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Here is a golf vacation destination that is “fashionably sensitive but too cool to care”. Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina is simply a fun course that stretches a short 6,780 yards at the tips, leading to 5,210 yards. The missing par 5 makes for only par 71, overall, but that doesn’t take out the enjoyment and challenge on this four tee stationed plan. More to the makings of this course are the striking personality of the magnificent scenery, shot-making challenges and a room to wale with the driver.

The intention to make this golf trip friendly to senior and women players is evident. Designer Davis Love III meticulously created the layout to hold water more than any golf course in the area can. The strategically positioned hazards exhibit Love’s signature architectural theories on Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club. There is constantly a new surprise awaiting a golf enthusiast at every corner. Some people find it even a little wicked, with hidden hazards blinding a shot. Nevertheless, it is always a playful and mischievous feel to outmatch the challenges.

Every hole in Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club is an opportunity to adjust calculations and sync strategies with the requirements of each hole. There is a huge bunker from the tee and a crowd of trees right along the edge that also requires serious tactics. Providing a little relief after is the water that frees the area leading a golfer into the sight of  rolling fairways. But the loose tension is short lived with swales that can risk a game if not utilized properly. Clearly, there is a heart racing factor in this friendly course – that makes it all the more worth the experience. Truly, it is easy to distinguish the atmosphere of this course, among many golf vacation destinations around the world.

Myrtle Beach National – Southcreek

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Coastal wetlands and hardwood forest create the splendid scenery of the Arnold Palmer designed Myrtle Beach National – Southcreek. Located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this golf vacation destination is the best course among the three courses at the National. While its 6,400 yards is not made to supply for long hitters, this 18-hole course requires accuracy than distance. That makes it more appealing for old timers, women or any golf enthusiasts who prefers to throw strategies on to the seemingly easy and yet deceiving layout. Waste areas and protected bentgrass greens are the prime shot-making opportunities any golfer would find interest on this course.

The blind dogleg right off the tees box of the 7th hole is to watch out for, with a drive possibly fading toward the tree line, especially with a small pond blocking the view of the green. At the second shot, a golfer may need a golf-like bounce off the cart just to assure the ball stays on sight. But adding ease, the recently overseeded Bermuda mix provides for a quick golf trip route around the Myrtle Beach National – Southcreek.

Myrtle Beach National – Southcreek course, chipping and putting greens are positioned along a clubhouse with complete amenities in. There is a bar and grill offering full facilities including delectable dining and drinking options. On both nines are restrooms, water fountains and beverage carts that are made ready for the thirsty player. Included in the golf vacation package is the reliable golf instruction which is personalized by Assistant Professional Ryan Roddy as it only facilitates individual sessions. This course is obviously laid-back in a positively relaxing way which is unique to the kind of air in Myrtle Beach.

Palmetto Dunes – Jones Course

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Readers consider this golf vacation resort as one of the best courses in the Southeast. After experiencing an extensive facelift in 2002, the Palmetto Dunes – Jones Course was reshaped and restructured with new tees, more rolling greens and striking bunkers. Led by the legend’s protégé, Roger Rulewich, this Robert Trent Jones-originally-designed course was installed with a more reliable drainage that links to the unique system on the 11-mile lagoon. The new layout paved the way for the name 2003 Golf Course of the Year by the South Carolina Golf Course Owners Association.

Palmetto Dunes – Jones Course is truly playable that Professional golfer, Kenny Conroy, says this place is a the perfect golf vacation destination for pros who have not played in while. Having existed since 1969, this course remains a tad friendlier compared to contemporary golf clubs. There is a par-5 nine and ten that leads toward the ocean, with a 10th green providing a wonderful view of the festive waves, just yards away. White tees, at 6,148 yards and slope 124, are known to play amicably especially for golfers who may have rested from strapping on spikes. For a championship experience, however, there is the 6,710 yards with slope of 133, which is perfect for a mid-level golf experience and some great scoring opportunities.

Aside from golf strategical choices and the progressing skill requirements on each hole, Palmetto Dunes – Jones Course also offers more golf vacation packages at its clubhouse. There, it’s a perfect place to relax after a thrilling culmination at the eighteenth hole. That 390 yard, sharp dogleg makes a player blinded from a tee. When a golfer chooses to hold-off a little, especially with wind factor coming in,  the clubhouse is where they can relax and relish the beauty of the experience.

Wild Dunes Resort-Links Course

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As the second of two major golf vacation courses designed by Tom Fazio, the Wild Dunes Resort-Links Course has placed as the most renowned golf course in the world, especially with its eminent sand dunes, breathtaking views, and culminating holes that seem strategically positioned near the Atlantic Ocean. After given the chance to solely create this layout, Fazio made sure that he establishes credibility by putting together a design that integrates the natural challenge of the wind from the ocean, with the narrow fairways, intimate landing areas and elevated greens of the course. Here, golfers can truly test the sharpness of their club and the science of their skills on the immensity of the dunes, profoundness of the bunkers and the overall stretch.

Opened in 1980, this 18-hole Wild Dunes Resort-Links Course is located in Isle of Palms, South Carolina and plays 6,722 yards, starting from the points of a par 72. This golf trip destination has a rating of 72.7 with a slope of 131. As part of the Wild Dunes Resort community, this course is coddled in the lush barrier, which is 30 minutes away from the historic Charleston. Private areas include 1,600 acres of land that extends to the Atlantic, on one side, and to the Intercoastal Waterway, on the other side.

Wild Dunes Resort-Links Course also offers other interesting amenities including a cool tennis club, relaxing spa treatments, and a wide range of restaurant choices. Having biking and walking paths make this resort shuttle-ready and allow guest to take a break from driving behind the wheels of their cars. That makes it more enjoyable to witness the Isle of Palms nature exhibit with green portals that trails to the only Blue Wave Beach designated by the Clean Beach Council. Truly a must-try golf vacation destination.