Tag Archives: golf trips

Vista Verde Golf Club

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The Sonoran Desert holds so many wonderful things in its midst, and some of it remain a secret that only a privileged few get to discover and enjoy. Within and around its many red canyons, golden mountains, and huge thousand-years old boulders, the Sonoran Desert nestles Arizona’s best golf vacation destinations. One of those that is yet to be discovered is the Vista Verde Golf Club in Rio Verde, AZ. The newest of the three courses in the Verdes Complex, Vista Verde brings out the best features of the desert and the best experience anyone can have in his game of golf.

The 18-hole, par-72 regulation course stretches out 7,219 yards from the longest tees and has five sets of tees to accommodate players of various handicaps. Its designer, the renowned Ken Kavanaugh of the Pinehurst #2 fame designed the golf course to follow the dictates of the natural desert terrain as its own. The result is a premiere golf course of gently rolling fairways that carries an attitude of making the game challenging for the low handicap player, but very fun for the average one. That and the picturesque quality of Vista Verde Golf Club makes golf trips enjoyable for just about everyone.

Anyone who gets to spend their golf vacations at the Vista Verde Golf Club know why it is a prized discovery. It has all the beautiful elements of desert golf: from the many Mesquite and Palo Verde trees to the giant cacti all over the course, to the breathtaking views of the Sonoran Desert and the Four Peaks and Mazatzal Mountains. Vista Verde might exactly be the best kept secret of Arizona golf, and it’s just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

Foothills Golf Club

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18 holes, 7000 yards, 60 bunkers, 3 lakes, 4 sets of tees, 4 stars from Golf Digest – the numbers alone can never truly describe the prestige and excellent playability of this picturesque golf course at the foothills of Arizona’s South Mountain. The Foothills Golf Club is the perfect equation that sums up desert golf at its most beautiful state. It is a golf vacation destination that not only is the best, but brings out the best in each golfer.

The par-72 medium length Foothills Golf Club is the result of the aggregate effort of world class designers Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish. They made the course to follow the natural contours of the rugged ridges and buttes of the South Mountain, as well as capture the most picturesque views of this part of Arizona. It may be known to be beautiful, but it is more than meets the eye. Golfers who are planning to head this way for their golf trips must never for one second think that it’s going to be easy – IT’S NOT. They would have to battle the dramatic elevation changes as well as the bunkers and water hazards all over the course. But then again, the more difficult it is, the more satisfying it will be at the end of the day.

The course’s various world class amenities and superb customer service, however, will make up for the difficulty on the course. Off the course, they can truly relax and bask in golf vacation goodness. The Foothills Golf Club of Arizona will never come short of delivering one memorable golf experience to each guest. It’s a simple equation: fun plus challenge plus breathtaking views equals a happy golfer.

Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia

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Golf Digest is one of the most trusted, most prestigious golf publications, not just in the United States but in the world. So when Golf Digest gives a high ranking and a very good review about a golf course, more likely than not, the golf course is excellent. Golf Digest’s highest ranking given is 5 out of 5 stars and the course must be “Superb. Golf at its absolute best”, where fees are of no issue as long as the course delivers the best game of golf possible. It has only given 24 5-star rankings in North America and only one golf vacation destination in Arizona received this high a ranking: TRILOGY GOLF CLUB AT VISTANCIA.

A Gary Panks creation, the 18-hole par-72 Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia has five different sets of tees and stretches from 5,573-yards to 7,258 yards. There is not much water to battle at the Trilogy, characteristic of desert layouts, but the bunkers are anything but easy. 70 prominent bunkers dot the course and they could make or break any game. Experts advice golfers to take it slow in here and not to get all too excited – it requires careful planning and an even better execution to come out of here unscathed. Golf trips here are even made more beautiful by the pristine views of the Sonoran desert surrounding it and its signature saguaro cacti.

The course of rolling terrains and stunning native grasses give the Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia an edgy attitude – makes for variety in game, not to mention the different sets of tees that players of all handicaps can get to enjoy. Golf vacations here are easy and pleasant, with its many wonderful amenities and accessibility, being only 25 minutes from downtown Phoenix. This not only proves Golf Digest’s judgment. Experiencing it firsthand proves the credibility of Golf Digest as well – it knows beauty right at the first glance.

Ocotillo Golf Club

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Also known as one of Arizona’s finest daily-fee courses for providing its guests with high standard course condition and customer service, Ocotillo Golf Club offers an extreme golf vacation experience. A getaway experience from the urban world, this golf club provides a refreshing and unique setting – from the award-winning facilities, wide rolling fairways, strong mature tees, to the different mountains, hill views, and many more. This undisputed golf club has many interesting wonders that’s worth more than a praise.

The three 9-hole courses of Ocotillo Golf Club played in combinations with various ranges of yardages give the golfers challenging rounds. Aside from the gaming aspect of the club, it also features the luxurious facilities associated with an elite private golf facility. When craving for aesthetics, the golf resort has lots of colorful flowers and other epic views such as the gigantic mountains, dark blue waterfalls, and mirror-like lakes which will absolutely feed the eyes. Ocotillo golf resort exceeds the expectations of a typical golf trip. The facility is a wise choice to create indelible memories for weddings, birthdays, anniversary celebrations and class reunions.

No wonder why it has received awards and recognition. The club is listed as one of the top 50 resorts of Golf World Magazine 2009, top 100 golf shops of Golf World Business Magazine 2006, and rated four and a half stars by 2008 Golf Digest Magazine’s Best Places to Play. Its breathtaking scenery, top golfing facilities and a challenging desert course layout make golf trips at the Ocotillo a heavenly retreat for golfers anywhere. Ocotillo Golf Club never fails in providing the guests with high class recreational experience. It’s really worth a visit for golfers who wish to encounter a one of a kind vacation.

Las Sendas Golf Club

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Golfers always thirst for challenging courses. Aside from that, they seek golf trips which would feed relaxation to their spirits. These qualities can be experienced at Las Sendas Golf Club. Also known as the “green and brown course” because of its desert and grass fields, the place also serves guests with convenient rooms, dining, and other necessities that are surely satisfying.

 Giving golfers eighteen superb holes of challenge and fun, Las Sendas Golf Club greatly attracts many golfers, both amateurs and highly experienced players to develop and improve their golfing skills. As expected from a Robert Trent Jones design, fairways move spontaneously on the constructed swales and contours, and main lay of the land. Las Sendas requires critical thinking and strategy to play it well. Mere ball-hitting would never be enough. Therefore, players must have their best angles through correct positioning. The greens are very subtle. It requires precision to avoid the balls to slip past the hole. So much for the great challenge it gives, Las Sendas also brought the entire club to a higher level by giving its visitors the first class experience they deserve. Brand new carts with the latest braking technology, full cart paths to lessen the wear and tear on the desert, and on-course facilities such as halfway house and new bathrooms were also added to take the supreme golf experience to the optimum. Only Las Sendas defines the golf vacation that professional golfers dream of.

 Las Sendas Golf Club has been rated as one of the top 100 golf courses in the nation, top 10 in Arizona, and ranked 12th as the most challenging. What makes it unique from other courses is because its true desert course quality. Accuracy and consistency are the keys will make every round fulfilling. Las Sendas, indeed, has all the qualities and characteristics for an ideal golf trip.

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.

ASU Karsten Golf Course

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The Karsten Golf Course at the Arizona State University was built to mold champions. The world class golf course designer Pete Dye was commissioned specifically to create a golf course that could provide enough challenge to hone the skills of ASU’s athletes. Pete Dye delivered exactly that. And since its opening in 1984, the Arizona State has sent countless of championship contenders and bagged home several trophies from the collegiate golf tournaments. It is not surprising why countless golfers choose to spend their golf trips here. Everyone becomes a champion, or at least feel like one.

Pete Dye and his firm had to totally overhaul an empty piece of land at the ASU grounds, 156 acres in size, to create this championship golf course. The 18-hole par-72 ASU Karsten Course bears its designer’s signature of railroad ties, huge mounds, hidden greens, and dramatic bunkering. The course could play to as long as 7,026 yards from the longest tees. Pete Dye’s wife, Alice, contributed a lot in the designing of the course to ensure that the course is playable and friendly with the lady golfers. The result is a golf vacation destination that will pose challenge to every single champion in the making, regardless of handicap.

Because of the taxing job of making champions out of their athletes, the ASU Karsten Course also goes through rigorous maintenance measures. No wonder it is one of the best maintained courses in the entire state of Arizona, and perhaps in the entire United States. Its superb conditioning and excellent playability earned it 4 ½ stars from Golf Digest’s Best Places to Play rating. The ASU Karsten is a champion in itself, and only it can deliver a golf vacation fit for a champion.

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 – North Course

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The beautiful Sonoran desert has been made even more beautiful by the many tourist destinations built here. Countless golf resorts dot the area all making use of the stunning golden sands of the desert and its many splendor of mountains and natural vegetation. One of the more famous golf vacation destinations in the area that stands out among the others is The Boulders located at the foothills of the Black Mountain. The Boulders is home to two of the most scenic golf courses in all of Arizona, the North Course and the South Course. The Boulders North Course combines a challenging layout that follows nature’s dictates to bring out a top-caliber golf course like no other.

The Boulders – North Course, like its sibling course, is designed by  Jay Moorish. It is an 18-hole, par 71 course that is considered to have one of the most demanding layouts in the Southwest. The course is accommodating to golfers of all handicaps, and they shall each be afforded a different sort of fun-challenge. The North Course is surrounded by huge desert boulders and the most beautiful view of the Sonoran desert, both serving for aesthetic as well as playability purposes. The course and the entire resort were designed to bring out the best in desert golf without doing too much intervention on the natural desert terrain. Golf trips here would bring the visitor in union with nature while playing their favorite sport.

The Boulders Golf Resort completes the golf vacation experience. World class golfing at the Boulders North Course, a relaxing session or two at the famous Golden Door Spa, and an even more pristine communion with nature, viewing the golden sunsets at the Sonoran desert – there is nothing more a nature-loving golfer would want.

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.