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.

Davis Love III brings his talents for the first time in the Sunshine State with the River Hall Country Club. In the process of creating this masterpiece, he combined his own design philosophy and what nature has blessed this part of the world with. The result? A golf vacation destination that brings quite a modern flair to the traditional golf layout; a course that brings a little bit of most everything any golfer would want in beauty and difficulty.

The River Hall Country Club, which opened in 2007, measures a whooping 7,300 yards from the longest tees and plays for a par of 72. It has five sets of tees, thus making it more playable for more golfers, skill level regardless. The widely open layout is dotted with a variety of small trees and long grasses,with the latter giving it a links feel. The putting areas are open, but heavily guarded by bunkers on one side, and mounds on the other. The fairway landing areas are flat but are surrounded by mounds as well. Errant shots are likely to be punished heavily. But then again, what is a golf vacation if it would only make one feel terrible? The rewards are great for good shots too.

And speak of rewards, the pro shop and the treats at the clubhouse and the in-house Caloosa Grille are a most wonderful reward. Whether one has played poorly or excellently, there is always one for rewards or consolations here at the River Hall Country Club. It is worth taking a golf trip to, and it should not – nor would it ever end with the first time.

This is that one golf course where the low handicap golfers can take their newbie buddies and expect both to have as much fun. The better golfers won’t feel too underrated; the new ones won’t be intimidated either. Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero, Fl., can do that with its seven sets of tees. Forget the eye popping or the brow raising. This course truly has seven sets of tees on each hole. Designers Jed Azinger and Gordy Lewis have made for this course to be friendly to all golfers. And friendly it is that in fact, this is one of the only 200 courses all across the United States that are certified “beginner-friendly” by the National Golf Course Owners Association. Now, doesn’t that add one or two more friends to take to the most awaited golf trip?

And there is nothing to worry about overcrowding. With a maximum length of 7,353 yards, the Stoneybrook Golf Club is among the longest ones in southwest Florida. And this isn’t just more than seven thousand yards of nothing. The golf vacation destination winds around the most beautiful natural preserves, dotted with indigenous vegetation that include pines, oaks and stately cypresses. On top of that are a good helping of imposing bunkers, rolling mounds, and large undulating greens defined by several crystal-clear lakes. These are all put together in a manner that could only result in what most people call a superb championship golf course.

With the length of Stoneybrook Golf Club, a golf vacation with just one or two friends would prove to be lonely. This is where “the more, the merrier” is at its truest.

Greg Norman did not use some sort of black magic here when he created this course, but it sure does have some interesting effects. The Black Course of the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples,Florida has a way of leaving golfers bewitched and utterly in love with the course. This reaction, though, is quite easy to explain: it has gotten the ingredients for an excellent golf vacation destination in the exact amounts – scenery, challenge, amenities. Once a golfer is spellbound, there is nothing else that he wants or needs from it; just more time.

The Black Course, along with its sibling Gold Course, are the two Greg Norman-designed courses that make up the Tiburon Golf Club. The Black Course lists shorter in yardage, at 7,005 yards, par 72, from the longest tees but Norman made sure it never ran short on being exciting. And by exciting, he actually meant unforgiving and extremely demanding. Its fairways and landing areas are tight, and the water and sand hazards make it even tighter. The trees will make their own statement, too, somewhere along the way. This is one tough golf vacation, to say the least. But its toughness is quite addictive, it borders on being masochistic on the part of the golfers.

Thankfully, there are five sets of tees at the Black Course, so lower-handicapped golfers need not worry. It plays fair and gives a golfer the result he’s played for – no more, no less. No wonder people come here for one golf trip after another – there is not an antidote for its spell. Neither would anyone want to break free from it.

This dragon may be sleeping, and it may not be able to breathe fire, but its features have more than enough spunk in them to ignite a fiery passion to each golfer who plays here. That, or it could just be the desert heat. Either way, the Dragon Ridge Country Club is one golf vacation destination that looks as tough as it is, without looking monstrous. Much like a Lucy Liu or a Zhang Zi Yi.

A joint creation of renowned designers, Jay Morrish and Dave Druzisky, the Dragon Ridge Country Club features 6,975 yards from the longest “Dragon” tees, par 72. The biggest challenges at the course are handed by nature itself. The elevation changes are so varied, they range from steep to very steep. Dramatic at the least, erratic at worst. An organized mess of bunkers, desert washes, and some well-thought of water features dot the entirety of the course, giving life to the “dragon” that will make anyone’s golf vacation a most challenging, and memorable one.

The Dragon Ridge Country Club got its name from the nearby ridge that has a very interesting rock formation atop it that resembles the scales on a dragon’s back. This, the surrounding desert, and a view of the Las Vegas skyline serve as background image from many different points around the course. If the difficulty of this golf course is not enough to spark some fiery passion for the sport, it is enough to transform an ordinary golf trip into one of epic, monstrous proportions.

Favorite or favourite, the Royal Links Golf Club in Las Vegas undoubtedly fits the description. This 18-hole golf vacation destination is a very unique combination of some of the best and most memorable holes from the hosts of the British Open including the “Road Hole” and the “Hell Bunker” at St Andrew’s in Scotland.

This Dye International creation was, in fact, made in honor of the royal heritage of the sport. Every hole was well thought of, every feature was made to define utmost respect for the sport and its countless champions. The links-style Royal Links Golf Club plays 7,029 yards of golf from the longest tees, for a par of 72. Staying true to its Scottish heritage, many of the deep bunkers and hazards are hidden. And this is where the knowledgeable caddies are most needed. The whole game,and the entire golf vacation hereabouts is one big time warp – a journey back to the glorious roots of this well-loved sport.

Just a little beyond the greens, a stately castle stands in sight as a clubhouse cum museum. Apart from a rugged, authentic isle pub, Stymie’s, serving traditions – from food to its antique effects. The rest of the clubhouse also houses memorabilias that further tell tales of golf’s colourful past. On top of it all, the golf shop at the Royal Links Golf Club is nothing short of royal, and award-winning. And the whole course? Dubbed as Las Vegas’ best, and among the best 100 in the country. Now, there isn’t any other way to spell best right? This is sure to be one golf trip that could not be anything other than brill.