PGA West – Greg Norman Golf Course

This is where the best of nature meets the best of golfing genius. California’s desert magnificence and stunning terra cotta mountains are the location and backdrop of the Greg Norman Golf Course of the PGA West fame. PGA West, known to be the centerpiece of Palm Springs, CA golfing scene does prove why it is the ultimate golf vacation destination in the West. This Greg Norman signature course best fits the role of a justification.

The Greg Norman Golf Course sits amidst everything good and beautiful imaginable. From the desert terrain that Norman used too well, to the impeccable landscaping of the most beautiful hues of flowers, to just about everything, no detail was missed out. The golf vacation favorite is the newest of the five championship courses on location and is famous for its fair but unforgettable challenge. Of course, that’s on top of being very, very attractive. The course features lush greens, some 102 white crushed marble bunkers, and pristine blue waters playing on 9 holes, breaking the monotony that is the desert.

Utilizing its natural desert terrain, golfers are treated to this ‘outback’ golfing experience. Different kinds of grasses add more color and texture the golf trip haven, while the limited and tight fairways give games here kicks a little harder in the gut. That is, if the golfer remains careless. Otherwise, the thinking golfer will be rewarded with relief from engaging in a tough physical and mental game. The Greg Norman Golf Course measures close to 7,200 yards from the tournament tees, and plays for a par of 72.

La Quinta Golf Resort – Dunes Course

Looking at California and everything in it makes one believe that the sun has cast some sort of spell to it. Be it on the beach, on the mountains, or in the desert, everything under the California sun looks good. It could be that, or it could just be that this is one gorgeous place – every inch of it. But while the mystery remains as to what sort of magic binds California in a stunning spell, at the Dunes Course of the La Quinta Resort near Palm Springs, there’s no mystery. There was no magic, only pure genius. And it was that of Pete Dye that created one of the finest golf vacation destinations in California, creating another wonderland from the natural beauty that is California.

The Dunes Course is an 18-hole, par 72 golf vacation spectacle that is part of the 36-hole golf resort of La Quinta. It bears a Scottish-links style layout and takes its players up and down the sandy paradise. The scenery surrounding it are extremely stunning, its layout very, very enjoyable. Laid in comparison to its more difficult sibling, this course is much easier and more forgiving. Bad shots are not too punishing and create an easy recovery, although forced carries are almost a necessity at every hole. But that should not make golfers assume that they can take the course lightly.

While it is deemed a less difficult course, the 17th hole of the Dunes Course is ranked among the 18 most difficult holes in America. Now, that gives this rather playable course a rather daunting twist. There is nothing mysterious or mystical about this golf trip favorite. There is only pure beauty and excellence that is befitting that of California.

La Quinta Golf Resort – Mountain Course

In any competition, anything new always has a tendency to be hyped up. Things may not always be as good as they appear or pretend to be, but because of all the attention it gets, everyone is scrambling up to see what it is. In the long run, under too much scrutiny, the tiny imperfections will give it away. And only the truly excellent shall remain. Such was the case of the Mountain Course of the La Quinta Golf Resort. After many years, it went through the many stages of hype and attention, but it has remained in the top. This is one golf vacation destination that is able to justify its accolades – words are not needed.

Playing a single round at the Mountain Course will answer questions why this is among the Top 100 Courses in America. Out of the tens of thousands of courses in the US, with several thousands in the state of California alone, it emerged as amongst the 100 best. Thanks to the beauty nature has endowed this part of the planet, the golf vacation favorite enjoys what it enjoys today. Thanks, too, to the genius that is Pete Dye, every inch of the beautiful Santa Rosa mountains that it utilized was made to full use, bringing out its perfection.

And golf trips are laid out to perfection as well. Games here consist of playing through well-shaped bunkers carved out in the desert mountain, perfectly manicured greens, and the most unusual and natural rock formations. And it does not end there. The beautiful scenery surrounding the Mountain Course is yet a different story. Together they make more than 6,700 yards of golf heaven. No hype. No exaggeration. This is golf at its finest, and only a game here can justify that.

PGA West – TPC Stadium Course

It would be too hard for any golfer to resist playing the TPC Stadium Course. Apart from a very beautiful reputation, the golf course is able to live up to it. Famous for both vacations and top tournaments, this golf vacation destination brings Pete Dye’s name to the Best of all Times list over and over and over.

The TPC Stadium Course is located in La Quinta, California, and is only one of the five championship courses on the facility. But this is deemed the best. Always has been, always will. The golf course boasts of multiple inclusions in many Top 100 in the US and Top 100 in the World lists by countless big names in golf publication. And who would not want to put it among the best? The island par 3s are nothing like anything the world has seen; the bunkers are almost monstrous at the least, and the undulations are never predictable. This course is so tough it went on to becoming one of America’s 50 Toughest Courses, and the scariest for pros. It was so scary that after the first Bob Hope Chrysler Classic was played here, many pro golfers signed a petition requesting for the tournaments to not be played here. But that should not stop anybody from taking golf trips here.

And it did not. The TPC Stadium Course has long continued to become a classic favorite for tournaments – a favorite for both the players and even more so the spectators. Why, this Scottish-style layout would not be called the ‘Stadium’ for nothing! So whether on a golf vacation here as a player or a spectator or both, there’s no reason to resist coming over. Neither is there the will power to do it.

Normandy Shores Golf Club

Nothing is too much an overnight success. The greatest things come from simple beginnings and endured years and years of hardship and hard work to become something so glorious. Such was the case of on of Miami Beach’s best kept secret, the Normandy Shores Golf Club. This golf vacation destination has a very long history to its name – a history so rich and colorful – that there is nothing less to expect of it but only an even better and brighter future ahead.

The Normandy Shores Golf Club was a vision and a project that began in 1928. It took a lot of manual work to create the man made Normandy Shores Isle, especially that this was a time before the heavy machinery. When the new 18-hole paradise was kicking off so well, the war broke out and the place was then transformed from an elite golf vacation haven into a military barracks. Fast forward a few more years and the original layout has been replaced with a Mark Mahannah handiwork, and then just lately, the renowned Arthur Hills laid his hands on the course for its most recent renovation. And the result was one golf course that brings affront the glory and beauty that has had all these decades.

Today, the Normandy Shores Golf Club is the pristine golf trip paradise with the Biscayne Bay for backdrop. The greens are fast and well protected, the fairways are rolling and heavily bunkered, and water comes into play on all but 6 holes. It stretches to a good 6,800 yards from the tips, par 72 with three sets of tees to choose from.

The Senator Course at Shula’s Resort

Something so good could never get old. It ages, but will never be too old to be fun. That is the best way to describe and pay respect to one of Miami’s most beloved courses, the Senator Course at Shula’s Resort. The 1963 classic layout may have seen the best and worst of times, and may have gone through tweaking here and there but the glory and beauty that it has beheld all these years have remained. And yes, for almost half a century now, this course has remained on the Miami list of the most beautiful, most favorite golf vacation destinations.

The Senator Course features quite a variety of terrains and surfaces that makes games here very exciting. This also gives the feel of a long game despite the fact that the course is only a little more than 6,900 yards from the back tees. What begins as a rather open layout finishes off with tighter, tree-lined fairways on the 11th onwards. There is a reason to think that the first ten holes are a beginner’s preparation for the tougher test ahead. The holes start easy until they get guarded a little heavily, both with sand and water as well as trees. These natural elements make for the biggest and most beautiful features of the golf vacation favorite.

And there is nothing surprising about that. This course was made to blend well with its environment, and be a safe haven for native wildlife as much as a paradise for golfers. The Senator Course and the people running it look after not only their beloved patrons but to Mother Nature as well. Perhaps it is for that reason that this golf trip favorite ages gracefully. It lets nature takes its course, and it goes well along with it.

Crandon Park Golf Club at Key Biscayne

Nature is indeed the best accessory any golf course will ever have. Whilst many golf vacation destinations have resorted to moving the earth and creating a new “face” to a property, others have had better sense. But then again, if the property in question is the island park of Key Biscane, the piece of paradise ten minutes off downtown Miami, it would be hard to ignore and alter Mother Nature’s work here. The Crandon Park Golf Club has been the prime centerpiece of Key Biscayne, and it will be this way for a very, very long time.

The original Bruce Devlin/Robert Von Hagge have been partly recreated – the greens mostly, but the project was more a restoration than a renovation. And it has never been any better. The Crandon Park Golf Club features a layout measuring more than 7,300 yards from the back tees, par 72, all set amidst and through mangrove thickets, saltwater lakes and some of the most challenging sand traps in Miami. Many of the holes are overlooking the beautiful Biscayne Bay. If that is not enough a distraction to any game, then nature will take its course and make a mark on anybody’s golf vacation.

And by anybody, it means anybody including the big names in golf like Ray Floyd, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Arnold Palmer. They have all fallen prey to, if not the views, nature in its many forms in the Crandon Park Golf Club. They may be the alligators, the iguanas roaming freely about, or the many different species of birds that are as common here as the holes themselves. That, or the wind. Either way, nature and man will live harmoniously on this golf trip haven, and it will be this way for a very, very long time.

Doral Resort – Red Course

Red in the Red Course at Doral is not red as in fierce, hot and feisty. On the contrary. Red on this golf vacation favorite is love bubbles. This Miami course, despite lacking the domineering and daunting grit its siblings have, is one of the most lovable courses in the famed Doral Resort.

The Red Course could easily be likened to everyone’s favorite cousin. She is not the most famous in the family but rest assured, she will always, always be a delightful company and a reason why vacations are happy. This golf vacation destination is short and is probably the simplest of the courses, measuring only a short 6,146 yards from the tips, par 70, with 5 sets of tees for every golfer. What is most appreciated about this course is the fact that its holes are well balanced – sprinkled equally on the both sides of the course. And these holes are strategically guarded by any of the course’s 68 sand bunkers and water hazards. Most of them are, in fact, playing with water – 14 of the 18 holes to be exact. This golf vacation destination could not get any better, can it?

 That is until one actually plays the course, and only then will things escalate into the best golf experience yet. While this has none of the intimidation of PGA favorite Blue Monster, or the length of the Great White, the Red Course has its own paprika red kick to it. That comes in, ironically, the greens. The Bermuda greens run true and mildly undulating, albeit small in size. All the more challenging, with that much of sand and water and very little greens, shot accuracy is a definite must. That said, falling in love with golf trips here could not get any easier.

Doral Resort – Great White Course

One of the biggest things a golf course – or anything for that matter – goes through in one’s lifetime are big changes. As for golf vacation destinations, these changes mean risks – especially if these courses were known for and regarded for being excellent just as they are. Doral Resort’s Great White Course, the Greg Norman creation, faced and conquered the same all too easily. And beautifully at that.

The Great White Course is one of the five championship golf courses at the Doral Resort. While the Blue Monster is the most well-known of the five for the PGA Tour stint, the Great White is not on the least list either. It is actually known for being the most beautiful and most unique being the only one that uses coquina shells for bunkers on every hole. The course was already known for being tough on the toughies and a fun experience for the high-handicaps. This feature was retained, and the rest made even better. Today, this golf vacation favorite is known for wide fairways bordered by hundreds of native palms, undulating greens made of prime native grass, remodeled bunkers, and water playing on all but four holes.

Measuring a whooping 7, 171 yards from the tips, the par 72 golf trip spectacle has also seen development on its drainage system. They made amends on the course’s cart paths, making the renovation even more beneficial for both the course and the player. And Greg Norman being Greg Norman, naturally, the original layout and the renovation both made very little impact environmentally. Great White Course took as much risk, and now enjoys as much benefits. This is perfectly a change for the best.

Doral Resort – Gold Course

Anything gold is never second best. They are at the top, always the best choice, always preferred. And that is exactly the reason why the Gold Course of the Doral Resort is called as it is. It can never be any less than the best – and that is despite being in a golf vacation destination with four other championship top-ranked courses. While it is not so much the PGA Tour fame that its sibling, the Blue Monster course, is, it has its own gold medal merits.

 The original Robert Von Hagge creation has been recreated by Raymond Floyd, making the once excellent golf course the best it has ever been. The Gold Course now features a beautiful traditional Florida layout, with gently contoured greens, strategically placed bunkers and sixteen of its eighteen holes playing on water. And because being on the top of the list means being excellent at just about everything, this golf vacation favorite went on to become excellent at being challenging and fun. The narrow, tree-lined fairways will take care of that aspect. As for the aesthetics, being in Florida and being in the Doral Resort have that department covered. Naturally.

And while the Blue Monster reaps viewers after viewers and more fans for the PGA Tour fame, the Gold is never to be easily overshadowed by it. It has its own tournament under its belt, the PGA Tour Qualifying School finals which it hosted in 1999. But more importantly, the Gold Course is a topnotch golf trip destination. It is the best and most preferred choice.