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.

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!

When a golf getaway was intended for real vacations – no tournament type, pure fun, really easy rounds, one golf course in Palm Desert, California fits the part perfectly. The Mountain View Course at the Desert Willow Resort seems to have been made especially for that purpose. Despite the golf course being seated next to a known difficult sibling course, the Firecliff, this will assure its guests of the vacation part in golf vacations.

The Mountain View Course at the Desert Willow is a par-72 course measuring just a little under 7,000 yards from the back tees. Like its sibling course, it was made by the duo of Dr Michael Hurdzan and Dana Frye with the help of PGA veteran John Cook – the same team that made the toe-curling Firecliff. How they made the Mountain View to be as relaxing and as fun as it is, that remains quite a mystery. Here, there are no forced carries, not as many bunkers with just 93, and water on seven holes – and though it is practically surrounded by desert, the desert part is restrained to give way to wider fairways to make for easier shots. Golf trips here are made for everyone – that despite its being rather easy, the extremists of achievers in golf will find reasons to relax and enjoy this spectacle as much.

Anything this enjoyable cannot be unattractive. Of course this golf vacation destination has perfected the combination of fun and beauty – it cannot NOT be beautiful. The Mountain View Course at the Desert Willow is blessed with the most stunning desert mountain scenery with lots of native vegetation paired with an even better landscaping and conditioning. If that does not make for a relaxing golf experience, nothing else will.

Longer. Tougher. Better. Prettier. Soffer. Thankfully, the Soffer Course is not as it sounds – golfers do not suffer on their golf vacations here. Not at all. On the contrary. One of the two Turnberry Isle Resort courses in Miami was making waves when it first opened more than thirty years ago; even more so now with its now face, new everything.

The Soffer Course was, like its sibling course the Miller, an original Robert Trent Jones Sr creation and went through an extensive overhaul in 2007 under the genius of renowned contemporary designer Raymond Floyd. What was once a typical Florida course of flat, watery layout was transformed into one of very impressive and exciting movements on the elevation. The water remains a traditional Florida layout – plenty, but now with more work done on the landscaping to make it even more beautiful that it already is. The best thing about this golf vacation destination is the part where it paris its remarkable beauty with astonishing play quality.

And astonishing as it is, golf trippers are not the only ones who fancy this course. Several tournament organizers have developed a liking to the Soffer Course that they make it the host of their competitions. In this course’s resume are several LPGA Tournaments and the ADT Golf Skills Challenge. There is no suffering here, only happiness. Golf trips here are simply, and without a doubt, better and merrier. The course measures 7,047 yards from the longest tees and plays for a par of 71.