Category Archives: Top Golf Destinations

Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio

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In looking for a golf vacation destination, the course and the facilities are the core factors that golfers consider. Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio is one golf club which gives its visitors great convenience with its above average facilities and adequate course. Considered as the shining jewel of the Pointe Hilton Resort in Phoenix, the course has been recognized as one of the top 25 golf courses in Arizona, and one of the top 50 public courses in America. It is also been rated 4 stars by Golf Digest. These are just some of the things that make Lookout Mountain interesting.

According to visitors’ feed backs, Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatiohas quality facilities and a paradise-like environment. The resort alone makes the place almost perfect. The mountain scenery feeds the viewers’ eyes, not to mention the fascinating swimming pools, tennis court, fine dining, and other first class accommodations. A restaurant that serves delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals is also available. Moreover, the golf course is just a stone’s throw away from the guest rooms. So the guests don’t have to waste time in going to the course. They can enjoy endless rounds of golf right on! The field’s dramatic elevation make it a really big challenge to the players. Visiting this golf club is like having an all-in-one golf vacation.

 No wonder why Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio has received so many honors, recognitions, and awards. It satisfies a guest’s need of fun and enjoyment in golfing. To put it rather simply, it’s a highly recommended golf trip destination for golfers who wish not only to play a typical golf game but also for those who thirst for a heavenly vacation.

Longbow Golf Club

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It is one thing to be called an excellent golf course. It is another thing to be called the “Essence of Arizona Golf”. Skeptics – especially the purists – may have more than raised an eyebrow when The Longbow Golf Club in Arizona was given the title, but the golf vacation destination quickly turned doubters to believers once it was put to a test. The Ken Kavanaugh design has captured the best of desert golf in its purest form – both in playability and in scenery.

Ken Kavanaugh reworked on his original 1997 design, and in 2003, the Longbow Golf Club came out better than it has ever been. The acreage was expanded to reach as much as 7,003 yards from the back tees, playing at par 71. It features the designer’s signature of bold bunkering, dramatic hazards and tricky mounds. Critics say this one stays closest to the essence of the sport itself. Golf trips are even made more scenic by the sweeping views of the surrounding McDowell Mountains, Red Mountain, Usery Mountain, and Superstitions. The best of desert golf is featured in its natural desert environment – unadulterated, as there are no houses nor roads to obstruct the golden desert vista.

Prior the renovation, the Longbow Golf Club was good. But the overhaul must have done it well, in 2009, it was named in the top 100 Resort Courses in the Country by Golfweek, and one of the Top 20 Best Public Access Courses in Arizona in 2010 by the same publication. It has had doubters, but the course has long since rightfully earned its reputation of being a golf vacation favorite that even golf purists praise.

Raven Golf Club at Verrado

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 The Raven Golf Club at Verrado is perhaps one of those golf courses that can lure one into thinking that it is an easy, relaxing course. True, the views of the White Tank Mountains is breathtaking and a delight to the senses, but this shouldn’t fool anybody. This championship golf course 25 miles outside of downtown Phoenix goes beyond the pretty little course it appears to be. It has some of the most dramatic elevation changes and the most unforgiving bunkers among all the other golf vacation destinations in Arizona.

Half of the Raven Golf Club at Verrado plays on mostly level terrain while the other half gives a heart wrenching twist to an otherwise ordinary golf trip as it sits on the slopes of the White Tank Mountains giving the course highly dramatic elevation changes. The fairways are wide and friendly, but the bunkers are a make or break and requires the golfer to carefully plan a shot when a bunker is nearby. Some of the greens are easy, but the others are not, thus the entire play at the Raven necessitates versatile plays – perfect for players of all handicaps to find their own level of challenge.

To complete the golf vacation, the Raven Golf Club at Verrado offers services fit for royalty. They have some of the most excellent golf resort amenities and staff including the gastronomic indulgence offered at their western-inspired Cocina Grille. This is where the atmosphere is easiest at the course, when the guests can relax and breathe after an exciting, heart pounding round of golf. And that, perhaps is the best way to cap off a day at the Raven Golf Club.

Club West Golf Course

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There’s no better place to hold golf trips with friends than a golf course that can accommodate everyone’s playing level. The Club West Golf Course in Arizona is exactly this: a versatile golf course with 4 different sets of tees that can stretch the game from 4,985 yards to as much as 7,142 yards in length and is a welcome haven for golfers regardless of playing level. Golfers can play according to their own handicap and desired difficulty in a championship golf course with stunning views of Arizona’s Sonoran desert and the mountains surrounding it.

The 18-hole championship course designed by Ken Cavanaugh and Brian Whitcomb, apart from being so versatile, has some very dramatic elevation changes on each hole. It has all the classic elements of desert golf – of playing over desert foothills and vegetation, as well as some really stunning rock formations – and a lake and a pond to add to the already challenging and exciting layout. Club West Golf Course is the perfect golf vacation destination for golfers who want to add more spunk into their game but enjoy a picture-perfect environment.

Because of its versatility and unique brand of challenge, Club West Golf Course is a consistent member in the top 20 list of Arizona’s Best Golf Courses. Its versatility as well as scenic quality are like open arms that welcome every golfer that comes their way. No wonder it is the site of countless golf vacations, and the subject of many positive reviews from golfers of all levels.

The Boulders South Course

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The Sonoran desert is beautiful, there’s not an iota of doubt in the truthfulness of that. Many of Arizona’s top golf vacation destinations have parts of the Sonoran desert in the picture. In the high desert, where millions of years old boulder formations surround, one golf course stands majestically – a rare breed of ruggedness and beauty that is now known as one of the best, most scenic courses in Western United States – The Boulders South Course.

The Boulders South Course is one of the two world-class Jay Moorish designed courses in the Boulders Golf Resort. The 18-hole par-72 championship golf trip spot’s signature shot is the 5th hole that requires a shot over an enormous rock formation. Getting past it definitely takes off a boulder-like lump in any golfer’s throat, all the while anticipating the coming shots that may be the same or even more difficult than that. All the challenging layout of Moorish’s design, plus all the drama of the naturally rough desert terrain, set against even more beautiful Sonoran desert views will surely take any golfer’s play to the next level.

There is no doubt, therefore, as to why the Boulders South Course has bagged such honors as a Platinum Medal from Golf Magazine, one of the “Top 25 US Resorts” by Golf Digest and “Top Five – Best in the West” by the Links. It has all the classical elements and definitions of desert golf in all of its 18 memorable holes. Not to mention, the Boulders Resort offers the best amenities and services including a top of its kind spa treatments at the Golden Door Resort making the best golf vacations better than it can possibly be.

Golf in Jamaica

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The Caribbean Sea is home to some of the world’s most beautiful island paradises. These islands are blessed with beautiful cerulean waters crashing fine powder beaches, and a rich ancestry, history and culture that make them truly unique. One of the Caribbean’s precious gems is Jamaica.

Jamaica literally means “Land of Wood and Water”. It has a long history of colonization and slavery from the Spanish and English invaders. The invasions and the trafficking and importing of slaves from Africa and Asia, have helped mold Jamaica into the culturally diverse island nation that it is today. It is now the seat of reggae music, and the home of famous athletes, world-class natural tourist destinations and some of the world’s best and most beautiful golf courses.

Montego Bay on the northern coast is the second largest city in Jamaica, next to Kingston, the capital. The sight and sounds of Montego Bay are a perfect breed of nature, culture, and history. Here tourists will find centuries-old homes, new amenities, and world-class golf courses. The best golf courses here are designed by equally renowned artists and the designs are hailed by the golfing community for its breathtaking Caribbean scenery and challenging but fun golf offerings. Three of the most notable golf courses on Montego Bay are: Cinnamon Hill Golf Club, Half Moon Golf Club, and the tale-filled White Witch Golf Course.

The Cinnamon Hill Golf Club The Cinnamon Hill Golf Club is cradled between the lush Jamaican Mountains on one side and the crystal blue Caribbean waters on the other. It sits on 400 sprawling acres at the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club. This 18-hole championship course was designed by Robert Von Hagge for the resort player, with the equally relaxing and challenging plays of the wind and traps giving that perfectly satisfying play. The caddies at Cinnamon Hill Golf Club are ranked as one of “The Best in the World” by Golfer Magazine.

Half Moon Golf Club An original Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design, the Half Moon Golf Club was recently renovated under Roger Rulewich’s watchful eye. How good it was in its original design has just gotten better with the new improvements on the course. It still has the same elements of challenge and fun in every hole for both the beginner and the advanced golfer, that has made it famous for the last 25 years, only better. It is named the Best Caribbean Golf Resort by Caribbean World Magazine, and is a member of the Jack Nicklaus “Great Golf Resorts of the World”.

White Witch Golf Course  The White Witch could perhaps be one of the most interesting courses on Montego Bay. It is named after the famous tale derived from the life and death of a rather infamous Jamaican character, Annie Palmer or “The White Witch”. Stories has it that Annie Palmer has murdered so many of her husbands and brutalized her slaves until she was murdered.

The site of the White Witch Golf Course is the site of Annie Palmer’s sugar plantation, thus the course’s creators, Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril, thought of naming the course after her. The 18-hole par-71 course features a view of the Caribbean from 16-18 holes and an even more challenging play of the wind and its mountainous terrain on 6,859 yards.

The Caribbean waters are so blessed with an undeniable and unequalled natural beauty, made more beautiful by the beauty of its people. No wonder the even more beautiful golf courses belong here as if it were made along with everything else.

Whirlwind Golf Club – Devil’s Claw

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The older of the two sibling courses at the Whirlwind Golf Club, the Devil’s Claw Course has been, for the most part, the inspiration of the younger Cattail Course. Both courses were designed by Gary Pank and were meant to provide a golf vacation destination that both provides a good and challenging layout at the same time preserve the cultural heritage of the Gila River Indians of the area.

The Devil’s Claw Course at the Whirlwind Golf Club plays on 7,017 yards at the tips for a par of 72. The 18-hole championship golf course features sweeping elevation changes, dramatic bunkering and multi-tiered greens. Just like the Cattail Course, this golf trip haven has had minimal landscaping to preserve the natural contours of the desert terrain it stands on. Like its sister course, the Devil’s Claw has five sets of tees to accommodate players of various handicaps.

What makes the Devil’s Claw Course at the Whirlwind Golf Club stand out, apart from the obvious superb playing greens and fairly challenging layouts, is the excellence in conditioning and maintenance of the course. The management has successfully combined that with outstanding service from their brood of friendly and knowledgeable staff – the exact same philosophy applied in the newer Cattail Course. All that and the natural beauty of the area and the interesting Native American heritage woven tightly into the design and golfing principles make the course a favorite for golf vacations. And as with every passing year, there is no doubt the golf facilities at the Whirlwind Golf Club – both the Devi;’s Claw and the Cattail courses – are getting better and better.

Rancho Mañana Golf Club

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The question of whether a golf course is beautiful or not is not answerable merely by the scenery of the course. Neither is it based on its playability alone. It must be a little of both, and the factor of being able to deliver an unforgettable game of golf, making every golf trip worth taking. Rancho Mañana Golf Club has all that – and more. And for the big names in golf course reviews to recognize that, there’s no way for it not to be true.

The Rancho Mañana Golf Club has been voted on Golf Digest as having one of the most scenic layouts, and listed by the same as one of the top 50 courses IN THE COUNTRY for women. Ranking Arizona ranked it in the top 10 courses in the state. These merits alone are enough to answer the question on whether or not the golf vacation destination is beautiful or not. It has got the most beautiful desert vistas in the state and one of the most challenging, dramatic elevation changes. Golfers could enjoy the heart of Sonoran desert, whilst being treated to captivating views of the Camelback Mountain, Mummy Mountain, Squawk Peak, Black Mountain, and South Mountain, as well as that of the Tonto National Forest. The elevation changes are very prominent, rising on each hole on the front nine. The back nine treats golfers into a very tricky water hole and the most awe-inspiring views.

The course was designed by Bill Johnston, maintaining the natural beauty of the land, following its natural contours and placing the balls perfectly to capture the best sights. It’s a perfect combination of scenery, challenging desert layout, and always a memorable golf vacation for anyone. The Rancho Mañana Golf Club has, no doubt, all the necessary requirements to call it a BEAUTIFUL COURSE.

Legend Trail Golf Club

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If it isn’t a classic and a legend already, the Legend Trail Golf Club is definitely on its way there. The 18-hole Championship facility in Scottsdale, Arizona is becoming known as one of the best ones in the state, and in the country. Of course, if the layout was designed by the Rees Jones, nothing less is to be expected. Naturally, it is a premiere and top-of-the-rank golf vacation destination.

The Legend Trail Golf Club is in North Scottsdale, near the Carefree/Cave Creek border. It is set in the very beautiful golden dunes of the Sonoran desert, with all the most spectacular views of the Pinnacle Peak and the nearby desert hills that seem to glisten under the glaring Arizona sun. The golf trip hotspot features a course that simply winds through the wide desert following the natural contours of the desert terrain. Golfers will play on seemingly endless acres of a former desert ranch that now features flawless fairways, perfectly manicured greens, small bunkering and island greens. The course plays on four different tee boxes, and the Long Trail which stretches to 6,845 yards and the Short Trail of 5000 yards may be enjoyed by players of all handicaps.

With its rare breed of quality service, captivating scenery, and challenging layout, the Legend Golf Trail has earned a reputation among its guests, and 4 ½ stars from the Golf Digest’s Places to Play. It is also one of the best, most favored venues for golf vacations, as it is conveniently located just 40 minutes from downtown Phoenix and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Without a doubt, it has all the makings of a legend.

Grayhawk Golf Club – Raptor Course

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The Raptor Course of the Grayhawk Golf Club may be fierce on some shots, but it definitely doesn’t look like it. While the name may sound monstrous, as are its unforgiving bunkers, the Raptor holds some of the most breathtaking vistas of the Sonoran desert, the Pinnacle Peak and the McDowell Mountains which make it a golf vacation favorite in Arizona.

Together with its sibling course, the Talon, the Raptor Course is part of the renowned Grayhawk Golf Club whose ambassadors include 2010 Master’s Champion Phil Mickelson who spent much of his pre- championship days in the facility honing his now world-famous skills. The 18-hole par-72 championship course designed by Tom Fazio bears its designer’s signature large bunkers and daring-play layouts. The most prominent features of the Raptor Course of the Grayhawk Golf Club, apart from the heavy bunkering, is the tricky use of the water hazards that are as beautiful as they are treacherous. The greens are large and fairly undulating, and the fairways are wide with lush desert vegetation. There is that fair share of challenge and beauty to this course, and the ambiance is always fun and never intimidating – it is a powerful combination that makes any golf trip a memorable experience.

It could so easily be said of the Raptor Course of the Grayhawk Golf Club that it is simply one of the best golf courses in Arizona and in the country. This is not some solitary opinion, as Golf Magazine thinks so too. The golf vacation destination has been listed one of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the US. Perhaps the fiercest quality of the course does not only lie in its name. Among its counterparts, it is indeed fierce because of its characteristics that make for an exceptional golf course.