Ocean Resorts Golf Club

Golfers may easily spurt out Florida or California or even the Caribbean for their most favorite golf vacation destinations. Others may go to list the Canadian courses too. Because of the publicity that these high profile golfing states get, it is easy to overlook the courses of lower public profiles. Nothing big on this one, just a lot of great golfing opportunities missed. One great example is the OC. What most people miss about OC is its offering of great golf, just like at the Ocean Resorts Golf Club.

This golf course located 6 miles outside of Ocean City is actually quite a spectacle – both visually stunning and skill-stimulating. It has none of the signature features of legendary golfers and course designers, but it is easy to say there are quite a lot of notably good things on this one. The Ocean Resorts Club is Larry Jones design that measures 6,596 yards from the longest tees, par 72. It has 5 sets of tees that makes it an open-invitation for golfers of all skill levels. Another very inviting feature of this course are the wonderful collection of bunkers, mounds, and of course, holes set on a links-style layout. Golf vacations here are made even more interesting, not to mention scenic, thanks to the abundance of natural flora and fauna.

To perfectly cap any golf trip here are the world-class services that the staff offers. Sans the hustle and bustle of urban golfing experience, not to mention the green fees, the Ocean Resorts Golf Club is a true delight for any golfer. Courses and destinations like these are a most perfect breather for those who are looking for quality courses and are tired of overrated high end courses.

Sunriver Resort – Woodlands Course

The Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon is undeniably one of the most favored golf vacation destinations in the country. Thanks to its beautiful mountainscapes, excellent amenities, and superb championship courses, it has been ranking high in the world’s top golf courses. All its three courses bear the names of legends as designers. It is quite hard to determine which one stands out as the best; each course has its own merits that are incomparable to that of the others. One thing is for sure: all three are beautiful, fun, challenging, and very unforgettable. And one can tell the story: the Robert Trent Jones-designed Woodlands Course.

Stretching good 6,880 yards from the longest tees, the 18-hole, par-72 course stands in the middle of huge pines, rock outcroppings, lakes and views of the majestic Mt Bachelor. As a Robert Trent Jones design, it is not surprising that the Woodlands Course features several deep bunkers that help define the attitude of this course. With a course as diverse and as dynamic as this, golfers will be obliged to use every club in the bag – and think extra wisely before picking! With a promise of a golf as good and as irresistible as that, it does not take a second-thought to make the golf trip out here.

The Woodlands Course is just one of the three courses at the Sunriver and it would sound like barely scratching surface to judge the quality of the facility on this basis alone. But what is pretty obvious here – as is proven by the countless tales of happy and unforgettable golf vacations here – is the fact that once this course is played, it is almost instinctive to take tee times of the other two. Enough said.

Golf Club at Playacar

The Mayan jungles have had its share of glorious past, standing witness to the rich history that was one of the most celebrated ancient civilization. Many parts of it is no more, but some were, thankfully salvaged. Others, well, they transformed into different but equally glorious versions in today’s modern world. Some of it have become part of the Golf Club at Playacar, one of Mexican Caribbean’s most beautiful, most famous, and most loved golf vacation destinations.

It sits on one of the most picturesque sites in the area. The Golf Club at Playacar features a stark but beautiful contrast in the lushness of the tropical foliage and the glimmers of white sand embracing the deep sapphire blue ocean. And all that under the golden cast of the sun, blanketed by the azure skies. It would be quite hard to find anything more breathtaking a scenery than that. But the course’s many merits do not stop there. Its world-class designer, Robert Von Hagge, made sure there was a course layout to match this. Measuring close to 7,200 yards from the longest tees, par 72, Von Hagge used every element found in the area to be part of the diverse collection of hazards for this course. And this was then known in the entire Playa del Carmen as the most challenging course in the area – creating a perfect irony for the greatest of golf vacations, challenging and most enjoyable.

And the magnificence does not end there. The Clubhouse at the Golf Club at Playacar is built to resemble ancient Mayan infrastructure, with its banquet area covered in traditional palapa. A golf trip here is not only a delight to the golfer’s senses, but a visit into the glory that was ancient Mayan civilization.

Catalonia Caribe Golf Club

This is one place where patience is the key to the entrance. Patience, not so much for it being annoyingly bad. No, on the contrary. But golfers need to be a little more gracious and open to waiting until it reveals its true beauty. The Catalonia Caribe Golf Club is very much like a fresh bud – one must be able to endure opening it up petal by petal before it reveals a most beautiful, fragrant blossom. From the rather plain entrance, things could only get better. And golf vacations here will follow suit.

The Alberto Sola design is one of those golf vacation destinations in the Dominican Republic that do not sit along the coral shorelines of the island nation. That might make the Catalonia Caribe Golf Club seem a little less appealing that all the other bigger, more famous courses in the area. But to those who dared and discovered what it has under its folds were not the least bit disappointed. From a fairly flat layout, the 18-hole course proceeds into mounded and hilly greens, giving an interesting variety of flavors to the course.

And the course, being a true Caribbean delight, is dotted with palm trees of all sizes. They dominate the tree-scene on the course, with some being right smack in the middle of the fairways. So much for being mere adornments for aesthetics, these trees make a statement as something golfers would have to think about. Patience reaps a bounty of rewards, and that is very much true for golf trips at the Catalonia Caribe Golf Club. When patience is required at the entrance, rewards are at the exit.

Cocotal Golf and Country Club

There is more to Jose “Pepe” Gancedo than just being a golf champion. With the work he has done as a course designer, with Cocotal Golf and Country Club in particular, Gancedo is a well rounded genius. He is called the Picasso of golf course design, but he is not merely an artist. He is a wizard – working his magic to come up with one of the most famous golf vacation destinations in the Dominican Republic.

The Cocotal Golf and Country Club is a 27-hole spectacle in Punta Cana. On his work here, Gancedo let nature do the talking, but had his say heard loud and clear. The course flows through natural terrain, with Gancedo leaving the interruption to a minimum. But with minimum, it was placing the trees where they will most be felt – not merely seen. A good variation of coconut trees, tropical trees, and coconut palms that work hand-in-hand with the incessant sea breeze to let the golfers know where they are, and make them remember it as their most favorite golf vacation. There is as much nature features on this course as there are man-made ones – including the well-shaped, well-placed bunkers, but the wizard in Gancedo made the distinction close to nothing at all.

Not ever course designer could come up with something equally stunning and equally challenging. Gancedo managed to, and in a very excellent, absolute stand-out fashion. The magic of the Spanish golf course designer is not merely in neatly weaving his talents with the blessings of Mother Nature. It is in the innate sense and wisdom on what makes golf trips happy. The Cocotal Golf and Country Club has four sets of tees, measuring 7,285 from the longest. It opened in 2000.

The Dunes Golf and Tennis Club

The Dunes Golf and Tennis Club in Sanibel Island, Florida is just one among the many. It just makes a small part in the Sunshine State’s long – really long – list of superb golf vacation destinations. But for some reason, this course stands out not only for its features but because it made a name among the top favorites of locals and visitors alike.

It could be the lush tropical views and features. The Dunes Golf and Tennis Club is painted with an Audubon International sanctioned wildlife preserve for background so its being beautiful comes just as naturally. And the unabashed presence of such creatures as alligators, ospreys, herons, and bald eagles makes an outing here even more interesting. It could also be the excellent 5,578 yard-, par 70-layout. Well, not really surprising; a design from PGA Tour champ Mark McCumber would hardly be anything other than superb. He has made sure his layout meshes perfectly with the natural attributes of the area, thereby making this course easily seem like a part of the preserve itself. A natural, so to speak. Or, it could be the impeccable maintenance on the course that draws people to it. Whatever good that the nature-designer collaboration has done to it is meticulously kept at its best form so any time will be a good time for a golf vacation.

It could be the scenery, the layout, or the conditioning – or it could be everything that makes the Dunes Golf and Tennis Club an excellent course. It could be any or all of it that has merited this course the Best of Sanibel Island for ten straight years. Whatever it is, it is what makes it a favorite star in countless golfers’ most memorable golf trips.

Lely Flamingo Island Club

At the Lely Flamingo Island Club, the equation is quite simple. Naples, Florida (all of nature’s goodness in abundance) plus Golf Legend of a designer (Robert Trent Jones Sr, no less) equals one of the best golf vacation destinations any man has ever seen in America. What truly encompasses its being “one of the best” might take some time to find words for it, but the variables are quite a tell all. And the discriminating golfer knows what it says.

The course is pretty long, measuring a good 7,171 yards from the longest tees, par 72. Robert Trent Jones Sr sure did make a lot of good use on an area this huge, incorporating a lot of the traditional Florida golf features. But him being himself, none of these “usual” features will ever register as ordinary to any golfer’s mind. The Lely Flamingo Island Club has water playing on more than a dozen holes. As if that is not daunting a hazard yet, Jones Sr added some huge fingered bunkers in quite ample amounts to complement the water features. The only consolation on this part is the fact that the bunkers are beautiful, hands down. The greens on the course are large and undulating, the fairways are lined with Sabal palms and pine trees. And the fun never stops until the golf vacation comes to an end.

That said, it should not be surprising why this golf course holds a four-star rating from Golf Digest’s Places to Play, and has twice been hailed as one of America’s Best by Golfweek. The Lely Flamingo Island Club has very much perfected the formula for an unforgettable golf trip: great scenery plus superb layout equals golf outings TWICE, sometimes even THRICE the fun.

 

Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Resort

Sandestin Resort is known as one of Northwestern Florida’s best vacation facilities. Amongst its most celebrated features are the four championship golf courses, at par with all the biggest and most popular golf vacation destinations in the Sunshine State. One of these four courses is a Robert Trent Jones Sr creation, the Raven Golf Club, and ranks among the most beautiful in the country.

At 6,900 yards, par 71, the Raven Golf Club has more for the golfers too see and ‘feel’ than most any other courses its size. Jones Sr described his creation as a “true modern traditional”, winding along natural wetlands, a lot of water, a generous helping of bunkers, and pines lining the tight fairways. This takes the golfers to an entanglement of colors and textures, spread on undulating greens, making it very interesting and challenging. Each hole has a distinct attitude, and has an overall requirement for shot precision and excellent club selection. And it is the same from either one of its four sets of tees. This quality of the course also makes it a sight to behold – something that seems carved by Mother Nature herself, making it quite the golf vacation with the complete package.

 There is not much question neither surprise at the fact that the Raven Golf Club is highly recognized and well awarded. It was once hailed as the No. 1 Golf Course in Northwestern Florida (Florida Golf News, 2003), No. 14 Best Golf Courses Near You (Golf Magazine, 2008) and No. 39 Best Tour Courses You Can Play (Golfweek,2008). That said, there is not room for questions either why this is a favorite for golf trips.

Baytowne Golf Club at Sandestin Resort

Baytowne Golf Club at Sandestin Resort belongs to a family of achievers. Together with its more popular sibling courses, the Raven and the Burnt Pine, they make up one of the most elite golf vacation destinations in the Northwestern Florida area. To be in this position means to be nowhere near mediocre. The Raven and the Burnt Pine are living up to it; thankfully, the Baytowne is too.

Measuring a good 6,805 yards from the tips, and playing for a par of 71, this 18-hole spectacle is an excellent combination of natural beauty and human genius. The holes are placed to take the golfers around pines, water features, to the beach and all through the bay. The Baytowne Golf Club at Sandestin Resort also has some rare elevation changes unknown to most courses in the area. The fairways are mostly generous, but becomes tight at the most unexpected points. There are four sets of tees, and the recent addition of Junior Tees, to make golf vacations hereabouts enjoyable for everyone including the younger golfers.

Originally a Tom Jackson design, the Baytowne Golf Club at Sandestin Resort has undergone a massive renovation in 2005 to keep up with the standards. But that is not saying it was bad in the past. In fact, Baytowne has quite a reputation of its own prior the renovation, and it is a good one. It holds four stars and four and a half stars then and now from Golf Digest’s Places To Play, and was once on Florida’s Top 100 according to Florida Golf News (2001). That goes without saying golf trips here are nowhere near mediocre, or boring.

Southern Hills Plantation Club

Pete Dye is famous in the sport for his unconventionally beautiful designs. He is known to challenge the common, to think out of the box. And the unusual quality of challenge his signature courses pose are what draws golfers to them. It is not surprising why Pete Dye’s creations are among America’s most favorite golf vacation destinations. One of them is found in the older part of Florida, in Brooksville: the Southern Hills Plantation Club.

Measuring more than 7,500 yards from the tips, the course plays for a par of 72 and opened in 2006. It was designed with the goal of optimizing the area’s natural views and terrain. The most notable feature of the course is its highly dramatic elevation that could cause a golfer’s heart to rise and fall in beating just as much as there are rises and falls on the course. Elevation ranges between 60 and 250 feet. And as if that is not challenging yet, the Southern Hills Plantation Club has Dye’s infamous deep, wild and small bunkers to contribute to the drama. The holes are carved out of dense magnolia and oak forests, winding through lakes and ravines, providing seclusion from the residences for a truly enjoyable golf vacation.

These superb features of the course are only complimented by the state-of-the-art, world class facilities that includes a practice putting green, a chipping area, and its massive Spa and Fitness Center. It should not come as surprising that apart from being a top choice for golf trips, the Southern Hills Plantation Club is also a top choice for recognitions. It has earned Golf Week Magazine’s two of its top honors, that being among America’s 100 Best Residential Courses, and America’s (not just Florida’s) 50 Best New Courses.