Jack Nicklaus was never too selfish to take everything all to himself. He made sure nature has its handiwork unconcealed on his work at the Cana Bay Palace Golf Club. In fact, the natural splendor of this part of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is the highlight of the work he did on this premiere golf vacation destination – right at the forefront for everyone to see and fall in love with.

The Cana Bay Palace Golf Club is located along the beautiful, golden sanded shores of the Macao Beach, and is accessible from the airport in Punta Cana. The course winds around bare sand and rock, an unmatched view of the beach, stunning set of expansive lakes, and rolling fairways. And Nicklaus being Nicklaus, his design never did stop on the visually appetizing. After all, what’s a golf vacation worth if it couldn’t give a great round of golf? This is where the challenge comes in. Nicklaus has filled this course with a combination of natural and sandy waste areas and bunkers that make the approaches a little tougher. And combined with the aforementioned visual appetizers, they give a round or two here some much appreciated attitude.

And since nature is at the front seat of this golf trip spectacle, it is only natural to see the best of the Caribbean’s native tropical vegetation. They stand in a most perfect contrast to the paspalum turf carpeting the course. From the longest tees, the Cana Bay Palace Golf Club measures a good 7,253 yards, par 72. it has four sets of tees and it opened in 2009.

“To die for” pretty much sums up how golfers feel about the Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic. Everything about the golf vacation destination ranges between beautiful and magnificent, and not one detail was left unattended. While it may be known for the classic Pete Dye creation, Teeth of the Dog, its two other courses are as great. The Dye Fore, for one, has all the features of the Teeth, presented rather differently. But just as “to-die-for”.

The Dye Fore course plays for an eye-popping 7, 770 yards from the championship tees, par 72. At that length, only the seasoned pros dare take a shot from those tees. Thankfully, there are other shorter, friendlier tees on the course. But friendlier never meant easier. Here, golfers would have to brave the beautiful, albeit nerve-wracking holes. There are some placed along the cliff, overlooking the beach. Others are on mounds, giving an unaltered, undisturbed river views. And they are not unguarded. Signature Dye bunkering haunt and daunt golfers’ every shot. That alone gives this golf vacation haven that much attitude; and that is something only the breathtaking scenery can complete.

Its being in the Dominican Republic, right in the middle of the sapphire-blue waters of the Caribbean, gives the Casa de Campo a lot of breathtaking views from every angle. And, like in the Teeth course, the Dye Fore made optimum use of this advantage. Every heartbreak from playing this course is only appeased by the views of varying hues – blue, white, green – all glowing under the golden cast of the sun. With a promise as irresistible as this, one simply could not bear the thought of dying before taking a golf trip here.

Sarasota County’s pride and joy in golf, the Bobcat Trail Golf Club has made Excellence its middle name – never leaving room for anything less than that. Its designer, PGA Tour Champion Bob Tway would not allow. This golf vacation destination is all about the best in Florida’s natural environment, quality customer service, and the skill of a designer only a champion and seasoned pro golfer could deliver.

The Bobcat Trail Golf Club – or more fondly called “The Cat” – measures a little over 6,700 yards from the longest tees, par 71. At some points, golfers may feel like it is tad longer than that. And it is the mental game that extends it. Conquering the course meant thoroughly thinking about club selection, shot technique, and pretty much everything. And just because this is a risk-reward course does not mean every risk option must be taken; the right risks bring in the right rewards. And only the discriminating golfer would take that extra time to figure that out at every hole. But if on that note this course sounds like a most unwanted accomplice to a relaxing golf vacation, then the scenery and services plus amenities will do the talking.

Tway made use of the natural embellishments of the area, filling the course with its helping of native oaks, pines, and tropical vegetation. Florida being Florida, always glowing under its almost perpetual sunshine, it sure is a treat for sore eyes. And the perfect treat for sore, game-embattled golfer’s senses is a trip to the course’s 19^th hole. At the Bobcat Trail Golf Club, a golf trip is only known by one other name: HAPPINESS.

Davis Love III brings his talents for the first time in the Sunshine State with the River Hall Country Club. In the process of creating this masterpiece, he combined his own design philosophy and what nature has blessed this part of the world with. The result? A golf vacation destination that brings quite a modern flair to the traditional golf layout; a course that brings a little bit of most everything any golfer would want in beauty and difficulty.

The River Hall Country Club, which opened in 2007, measures a whooping 7,300 yards from the longest tees and plays for a par of 72. It has five sets of tees, thus making it more playable for more golfers, skill level regardless. The widely open layout is dotted with a variety of small trees and long grasses,with the latter giving it a links feel. The putting areas are open, but heavily guarded by bunkers on one side, and mounds on the other. The fairway landing areas are flat but are surrounded by mounds as well. Errant shots are likely to be punished heavily. But then again, what is a golf vacation if it would only make one feel terrible? The rewards are great for good shots too.

And speak of rewards, the pro shop and the treats at the clubhouse and the in-house Caloosa Grille are a most wonderful reward. Whether one has played poorly or excellently, there is always one for rewards or consolations here at the River Hall Country Club. It is worth taking a golf trip to, and it should not – nor would it ever end with the first time.

This is that one golf course where the low handicap golfers can take their newbie buddies and expect both to have as much fun. The better golfers won’t feel too underrated; the new ones won’t be intimidated either. Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero, Fl., can do that with its seven sets of tees. Forget the eye popping or the brow raising. This course truly has seven sets of tees on each hole. Designers Jed Azinger and Gordy Lewis have made for this course to be friendly to all golfers. And friendly it is that in fact, this is one of the only 200 courses all across the United States that are certified “beginner-friendly” by the National Golf Course Owners Association. Now, doesn’t that add one or two more friends to take to the most awaited golf trip?

And there is nothing to worry about overcrowding. With a maximum length of 7,353 yards, the Stoneybrook Golf Club is among the longest ones in southwest Florida. And this isn’t just more than seven thousand yards of nothing. The golf vacation destination winds around the most beautiful natural preserves, dotted with indigenous vegetation that include pines, oaks and stately cypresses. On top of that are a good helping of imposing bunkers, rolling mounds, and large undulating greens defined by several crystal-clear lakes. These are all put together in a manner that could only result in what most people call a superb championship golf course.

With the length of Stoneybrook Golf Club, a golf vacation with just one or two friends would prove to be lonely. This is where “the more, the merrier” is at its truest.