Greg Norman and the developers of the Playa Mujeres Golf Club surely weren’t just thinking of golfers’ well-being when they built this stunning piece of art in the Cancun. There was more to this than just the usual extremes in aesthetics and golf layout excellence. This golf vacation destination was created with so much consideration for nature. So much that in fact, nature was to be the main highlighted theme of the course.

Everyone knows just how much beauty nature has showered the Cancun with. And this is evident in every part of the Playa Mujeres Golf Club. Greg Norman did as little interruption to nature as possible. He kept his creation at peace and in true and lasting harmony with nature. And the results couldn’t be any more perfect than this. This golf vacation heaven takes through dense tropical jungles, beautiful lagoons, and even beachside of the stunning Caribbean Sea surrounding it.

But it would be fatal to assume that because it is both beautiful and ecologically sound, Greg Norman forgot to put in the right amount of kick. Because he absolutely not. The placement of the holes were made to give exactly this. Not to mention, the constant blowing of the wind coming in from the sea will not only ruffle an up do; it will make more than a single scorecard find itself in disarray too. With the way the Playa Mujeres Golf Club turned out, it would be safe to assume that Greg Norman was having a great time with nature. And the golfers’ well being? Well taken cared of, in a way only a golf trip could do. The course measures 7,215 yards from the longest tees, par 72.

A gift from nature, a canvas for Jack Nicklaus, a golf vacation destination made for the royalty. These are three definitions that could pretty much sum up what the Riviera Cancun Golf Course.

Cancun, in itself, is beautiful. It is easily a playground for the Divinity. Adding Jack Nicklaus to the picture escalates Cancun to an entirely new level – it takes the genius of one man to take this piece of heaven closer to man, to the golf-loving man that is. The Riviera Cancun Golf Course is a perfect example of how a man-made structure is made so beautiful by using what nature has endowed it with. This golf trip haven takes golfers through a myriad of experiences – bursting in attitude in color, and that is on the visuals yet! The holes are spread through and around mangroves, palm trees, and laden with strategic bunkers, lovely little golden bridges, and perfectly manicured greens. With all that plus views of the nearby ocean, it would be quite easy to assume Nicklaus made this course so beautiful to distract the golfers from game.

But no. The Riviera Cancun Golf is as biting as it is stunning. From the longest tees, it measures a little more than 7000 yards, par 72. The things that make it beautiful – the trees, the shapely bunkers, and even the pristine water features – are the exact same things that will make the game a little more exciting. There is as much depth in these visual stunners so as to bring the real-deal ‘golf’ in golf vacations. The contemporary Mexican structure that is the clubhouse will take care of the latter part. It comes full circle, with nature, designer and golfer altogether enjoying this hand-me-down from heaven.

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.