Tag Archives: golf trips

Old Corkscrew Golf Club

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There is nothing old about the in Lee County, Florida, but this golf vacation destination has reaped more awards since it opened in 2007 than most other older golf courses built through the years. This course is indeed like a corkscrew that opens a bottle of wine that adds a different flavor to compliment whatever good this part of Sunshine State already has on its plate.

That shouldn’t be surprising. As a Jack Nicklaus Signature, the course makes it one of the most unique layout in the area. That alone is an answer suffice enough to reply to the few people who are puzzled –this was created to have both playability and challenge to make for unforgettable golf trips. The Old Corkscrew Golf Club measures 7,400 yards from the longest tees, playing for par of 72. Nicklaus created it in a way that the contemporary additions would simply flow naturally on the terrain using the indigenous features of the area as main attraction and guide for direction. The final picture is a huge golf course dotted with mature oaks, slash pines and native vegetation where the careful wins loads of chances for a neat scorecard. And just as easily as fun reveals itself , the awards and recognitions came in pours.

Now nearing its fifth year of giving happy golf vacations, the Old Corkscrew Golf Club has gathered prestigious awards surpassing those before it. Under its namer are:‘Best Course That You Can Play That You Have Never Heard Of’(Golf Magazine, 2011); ‘Southwest Florida’s # 1, ‘Best Course You Can Play’ (Golf Magazine 2010); ‘One of America’s Best New Courses in 2007’(Golf Digest) – plus a Silver Signature Certification from the Audubon International. When it is a huge breakthrough for a new course, it would not be surprising to see this become a classic in the future; like fine wine that simply gets better as it gets older.

Talking Stick – South Course

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Teaming up to design a magical golf vacation destination is what Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw did when they created the Talking Stick – South Course. Owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, this location is one of two main golf courses in the area, together with the Talking Stick – North Course. Compared to the tie-in style of the North Course, the South Course displays traditional atmosphere with tree-lined fairways. Here is where players can find sides of the course defending the elevated greens that provide for a more direct playing approach.

The sophisticated golf vacation that Talking Stick – South Course provides is the primary reason why it has landed as Golfweek Magazine’ Top 100 Modern Courses from 1999 to 2002. The location’s fame ascended to another level as it became Golf Magazine’ Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play and Best Public Course in the State according to South Golfweek in 2002 and 2003. Finally, Golf Digest Surveys rated the course with 4 1/2 stars consistently in 2004 and 2005.

Also award winning is Talking Stick – South Course‘ 26,000 square foot clubhouse that offers a golf shop with complete golf equipment, locker rooms for players, dining rooms for general guests and private dining rooms for vacationers who desire an intimate feel. Golfers can also avail of the practice facility or enroll for a golf workshop at the Tim Mahoney Golf Academy. Aside from that, there are more amenities served at the Wildhorse Grille where golf trips enthusiasts can also view the never-ending desert panorama that exhibits a display of mountainous landscape making guests reflect on the relaxing feeling of rural seclusion. Grabbing a quick bite will never feel the same when made at this area.

Brooksville Country Club

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Located at the heart of the Golf Zoo Nature Coast Golf Trail, Brooksville Country Club is a golf course destination unrivaled by other golf courses in Florida. A weave of rolling fairways and a rhythm of oak trees spread on the field with a pattern of striking holes. In the middle of rock walls are ancient limestone mines that add a sense of tradition to the fusion of tumbling terrain and doglegs that never fail to challenge players from all levels. Each hole builds anticipation to the progressing thrill.

In fact, on the 12th hole is an exciting play of par 4 with upper and lower right fairways disjointed by a quarry wall. This is where players display their strategy on throwing a tee shot to the wide lower fairway in order to leave a second shot blind into the green. A birdie opportunity is also ready at the shorter and narrower upper fairway of the golf trip course. The fun-filled attitude that this hole captures is the reason why Golf Digest honored Brooksville Country Club as one of 18 “Most Fun Holes in America”.

Aside from the 12-hole’s honor, the par-4 of the 13th has also defined Brooksville Country Club into fame among players. This hole is where players can maximize their strategy as they have to confront the intimidating quarry hole high up a limestone point where natural vegetation frames the tee box. Since the ball can land distance away, players have to tackle a shot with utter risk. And the thrill is more than worth it especially for golf enthusiasts who want a taste of the essence of hard core golf trips.  

Victoria Hills Golf Club

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Labeled as the “Top 10 You Can Play in the United States”, the Victoria Hills Golf Club located in East of Orlando in DeLand, Florida is one of the most sought after golf trips in the world. Golf enthusiasts and amateurs go to this location to experience a combination of friendly and competitive golf tournament. The Victoria Hills Golf Club Academy hands out personalized instructions given by PGA Instructors like renowned Kerry Bower-Herr, the Director of Instruction at Victoria Hills Golf Club.

Preparing for a tournament is always classy with Victoria Hills Golf Club‘s sophisticated and innovative facilities. Part of the golf vacation package for training are several instructional equipments partnered with incomparable workshop methods. And they all come to suit the learning needs of every player. The three chipping greens and sizable putting greens allow players to take a golf shot from any direction of the golf course. Water features like lakes adorn the magnificent view and also stimulate tactical skills. The area is obviously made to capture the best strategy from every golf enthusiast.

Aside from on the field training, this golf course is also known for its creative Ron Garl golf architecture. On the Victoria Hills Golf Club is a challenge-driving par 72 championship course that is enclosed with thick oak hammocks and Augusta pines sculpted flawlessly from the tumbling sand hills. And if the scenery doesn’t add up just yet, there is the Mulligan’s Tavern & Grill, an award winning restaurant to keep any golf vacation event worth every penny.

Halifax Plantation Golf Club

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There is quality about old trees that seem to lock a place in time. These old trees magically transform the landscape surrounding it – transferring a lot of its old world charm into the rest of its surroundings. This is exactly the case of the Halifax Plantation Golf Club in Daytona, Florida. The golf vacation destination transports its guests into an entirely different world even when the major thoroughfares are but minutes away.

The Halifax Plantation Golf Club is a Bill Amick creation, measuring more than 7,100 yards from the longest tees, par 72. The old oaks and towering pines surround the property, dotting the layout here and there. It is as if they stand sentinel, guarding the guests and their games from anything bad that could ruin the good life here. And good life it is. The other neighboring courses could boast of highfalutin difficulties, but this golf course just will not. Reason why this is a favorite for golf vacations is because they get every inch of a vacation they want. No qualms. No worries. No pretenses. The place is too relaxing, charming, and undoubtedly beautiful that difficulties would seem awkward.

And since every inch of the Halifax Plantation Golf Club is all about giving the best golf trips, the goodness of this course does not stop with the layout alone. The whole golf club boasts of world-class amenities to complete the package for an unforgettable golf escapade hereabouts – from the chipping greens to the clubhouse to the Pro-shop. In its entirety, the whole course has the ability to lock anyone in a time and space where nothing else matters but good golfing.

Cimarron Golf Club – Boulder Course

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If there is one word that would perfectly describe the Cimmaron Golf Club in Indian Wells, it would have to be ‘pleasant’. From the greens to the water features to the perfect skies, everything is exactly that: PLEASANT. It would not be hard for this golf vacation favorite to paint a smile on any golfer’s face. Even more so, when they play one of the two feature courses here, the Boulder Course, the golf experience here could not get any more pleasant.

Ironically, this is not the usual smooth, finessed type of beauty. On the contrary, the Boulder Course is a toughie, rough and rugged on the edges. It is not a pretentious course and is an honest to goodness desert course with a little bit of surprises here and there. The golf vacation destination also has several features reminiscent of Europe’s greatest courses. Among them are the sod-wall bunkers with white crushed marble bunkers inside. These, along with large mounds and a lot of jagged edges more dot the open complexes and fairways of the course.

Completing the look are the well-maintained greens. Actually, “well-maintained” is pretty much an underestimation. In fact, it does the Boulder Course no justice at all. The greens of this course are hailed the best in the entire Coachella Valley, an emerald spectacle stunningly a perfect contrast to the golden mountains of San Jacinto enveloping the course. That and the perfect blue skies that never fail to show up on this side of California. The course measures 6,782 yards from the longest tees, par 72, with three other sets of tees to play from. But the fun from golf trips here are just immeasurable. There is always someone feeling pleasant here, and that is a perfectly accurate assumption.

The Golf Club at La Quinta

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Sometimes the good things are just fixed on a bad time. And all it takes to correct it is a second chance timing. This has been the case of The Golf Club at La Quinta. It has been there for some time, then known as the Trilogy, but it was not until 2003 a year after it opened, that golf addicts really paid close attention to it. And soon thereafter, noticed what they have been missing all along: an unforgettable golf vacation destination.

The Golf Club at La Quinta gained momentum in the fame game when it hosted the LG Skins Game for the first time in 2003. This brought the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples and Annika Sorenstam. Although its stint at the LG Skins ended in 2006, the golf course was never the same again. It gained a large following of fans, taking their golf outings and golf vacations here more. The fans have finally seen the good features of the course that have been there all along. This is all 18-holes on more than 7,200 yards of goodness winding through and around some of the most picturesque water hazards in the area. The sand bunkers are as dramatic, and they make the perfect intro and contrast to the fairways and the rolling greens.

And the most obvious feature? The series of par-3s that only a Gary Panks could create. They make for the perfect tournament type feel even more so when played from the Skins tee. But should that be too daunting, there are several other tees to share the fun with more people. Now, how about the perfect timing for golf trips for everyone? At The Golf Club at La Quinta, anytime is a perfect time!

Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort – Legend Course

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It’s one thing to have Arnold Palmer designing a golf course. It’s another to have him managing it. The Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort stands out from any golf vacation destination that Arnie has laid his hands on because while he did not do the renovation himself, he’s up there overseeing everything. The work that the Palmer Design Group did for the original Legend Course, one of the two championship courses on the resort, is just as good as anything Palmer made himself but with a little more innovation from the up and coming architects of his team.

The Legend Course was originally a William Bell layout, having been fully remodeled by Palmer’s team. Around the time Palmer started managing the Palm Springs course, the golf vacation favorite was already sporting its facelifted version. One of the biggest, most obvious changes that the course has seen was the addition of more than 40 huge, shaped bunkers. But it still carries quite a lot of the traditional desert golf layout that Bell employed on the course some fifty or so years ago. The fairways are tree lined, the greens are tricky and the undulations are quite surprising. Holes are guarded well by bunkers that now total more than 60.

Safe to say, then, that the 6,815-yard par 71 Legend Course is pretty tough and unpredictable at times. Golfers must never take it too lightly, no matter how beautiful and relaxing the surrounding areas are. The sweeping views of the desert mountains, especially, are just so distractingly gorgeous they lead golfers to thinking the games are just easy. But then again, it’s the difficulty and the fun that makes golf trips here memorable. That, and the undeniable signature of Palmer everywhere on the course.

Golf Club at Terra-Lago – North Course

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Like a true oasis in the middle of the desert, the Golf Club at Terra-Lago in Palm Springs is a refreshing break from the vast California desert. The 36-hole golf vacation facility has everything a golfer would want from a resort. And just as it breaks the monotony of the sandy bareness, it also breaks the tradition of so-so golfing experience in California. The North Course is a perfect breather for the usual uptight, difficult golf layouts. Here’s why.

The North Course of the Golf Club at Terra-Lago is a wonderful confusion of desert ruggedness and Southern finesse. The very distinct front and back nines will each bring a different feel; even more so, playing from any of the four sets of tees on course will likely bring a new experience every time. The golf vacation destination is a collaboration project between Lee Schmidt and Bryan Curley, and measures just a little over 7,000 yards from the back tees.

Whilst the surrounding environment of the course is every inch of a desert paradise, with sweeping views of the overshadowing Indio mountain, the front nine is surprisingly a rolling terrain reminiscent of prairie courses. There are also three sparkling lakes that grace the nine with their majestic presence – and this presence is more than just seen, it is felt. Shot accuracy and technique will get golfers through. The back nine needs a strong finish to match an equally strong surface of risk-reward shots. There is no room for carelessness, but there is room for a lot of fun. This magical contrast undeniably present in many aspects of the course are bound by the common goal of bringing golf trips as beautiful as it is fun to play. The North Course is, ironically, a truly refreshing trip to the desert.

Indian Canyons Golf Resort – South Course

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There is nothing like a really grand golf vacation at California’s Palm Springs, especially if money and time are at one’s own disposal. No pressures, no limitations – just sheer golfing goodness. When in Palm Springs with every bit of intention to explore the best of this paradise’s golfing scene, then the South Course of the Indian Canyons Golf Resort is one very good place to start.

Not only is this golf vacation destination very beautiful – with its sweeping views of the oveshadowing Mt Jacinto and the surrounding mountain ranges. Another is its playability. The layout of the South Course is impressively both challenging and playable, a very smooth touch to the rough edges of the desert setting. And that is not to be in any way surprising. This golf spectacle was crafted with a woman playing a major role. Golf course architect Casey O’Callaghan had LPGA Hall of Famer Amy Alcott for consultant. Thus the 6,582-yard, par 72 beauty came to life. Four lakes grace the whole property and are present on six of the eighteen holes, paired with rolling mounds and fairways.

The South Course is best known for the series of par-five holes that never fails to make golfers’ toes curl either in fear or in happiness. Either way, they end up with a smile – whether with a scratch on the head or a high five, depends on the scorecard. Golf trips here are always extra beautiful and picture-perfect thanks to the more than 800 palm trees dotting the course. If course-hopping excursions were to start here, the other courses might have to wait a little longer. Here, there is always room for seconds.