Golfweek's Best Resort Courses 2013
1. Pacific Dunes
Bandon, Ore., 2001
Tom Doak
Avg. rating: 9.10
2. Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach, Calif., 1999
D. Grant, Jack Neville
Avg. rating: 8.89
3. Pinehurst (No. 2)
Pinehurst, N.C., 1903-1946
Donald Ross
Avg. rating: 8.70
4. Old Macdonald
Bandon, Ore., 2010
Tom Doak, Jim Urbina
Avg. rating: 8.67
5. Whistling Straits (Straits)
Kohler, Wis., 1997
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 8.58
6. Bandon Dunes
Bandon, Ore., 1999
David McLay Kidd
Avg. rating: 8.30
7. Shadow Creek
North Las Vegas, Nev., 1990
Tom Fazio
Avg. rating: 8.12
8. Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach, Calif., 1966
Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Avg. rating: 7.87
9. Ocean Course
Kiawah Island, S.C., 1991
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.85
10. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium)
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 1981
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.80
11. Bandon Trails
Bandon, Ore., 2005
Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw
Avg. rating: 7.61
12. Harbour Town
Hilton Head, S.C., 1970
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.38
Kohler, Wis., 1988
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.31
Saucier, Miss., 2006
Tom Fazio
Avg. rating: 7.30
15. Homestead Resort (Cascades)
Hot ...
Resort's finest
Bandon, Ore., 2001
Tom Doak
Avg. rating: 9.21
Bandon, Ore., 2010
Tom Doak, Jim Urbina
Avg. rating: 8.83
Pebble Beach, Calif., 1999
D. Grant, Jack Neville
Avg. rating: 8.83
4. Whistling Straits (Straits)
Kohler, Wis., 1997
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 8.64
5. Pinehurst (No. 2)
Pinehurst, N.C., 1903-1946
Donald Ross
Avg. rating: 8.44
Bandon, Ore., 1999
David McLay Kidd
Avg. rating: 8.30
7. Shadow Creek
North Las Vegas, Nev., 1990
Tom Fazio
Avg. rating: 8.06
8. Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach, Calif., 1966
Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Avg. rating: 7.86
9. Ocean Course
Kiawah Island, S.C., 1991
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.82
10. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium)
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 1981
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.78
Bandon, Ore., 2005
Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw
Avg. rating: 7.63
12. Harbour Town
Hilton Head, S.C., 1970
Pete Dye
Avg. rating: 7.40
Saucier, Miss., 2006
Tom Fazio
Avg. rating: 7.35
14. Homestead Resort (Cascades)
Hot Springs, Va., 1923
William S. Flynn
Avg. rating: 7.30
Kohler ...
2011 Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses
2011 Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses
Bandon, Ore.
Tom Doak
2001
Bandon, Ore.
Tom Doak & Jim Urbina
2010*
Pebble Beach, Calif.
Douglas Grant & Jack Neville
1919
4. Whistling Straits (Straits)
Kohler, Wis.
Pete Dye
1997
5. Pinehurst (No. 2)
Pinehurst, N.C.
Donald Ross
1903-1946
6. Bandon Dunes
Bandon, Ore.
David McLay Kidd
1999
7. Shadow Creek Golf Club
North Las Vegas, Nev.
Tom Fazio
1990
Pebble Beach, Calif.
Robert Trent Jones Sr.
1966
9. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium)
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Pete Dye
1981
10. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean)
Kiawah Island, S.C.
Pete Dye
1991
11. Bandon Trails
Bandon, Ore.
Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
2005
12. Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (Fallen Oak)
Saucier, Miss.
Tom Fazio
2006
13. Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head, S.C.
Pete Dye
1970
Kohler, Wis.
Pete Dye
1988
15. The Homestead Resort (Cascades)
Hot Springs, Va.
William S. Flynn
1923
16. Sea Island Resorts (Seaside)
Sea Island, Ga.
Charles H. Alison & Harry S. Colt, 1929
Joe Lee, 1973
Tom Fazio, 1999
17. Pine Needles Country Club
Southern Pines, N.C ...
2006: Treetops merits return to ‘mecca’
Gaylord, Mich.
Gaylord (population 3,730) bills itself as a “Golf Mecca,” a reference to the 24 courses within a 45-minute drive.
The centerpiece of this mecca is the Treetops Resort, owned by managing partner Rick Smith, swing guru to Phil Mickelson. Treetops has 81 holes; four championship courses plus the par-3 Threetops; along with two lodges, several chalets, meeting rooms and spa.
The resort is made up of two distinct properties, with one golf course, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s Masterpiece, located near the property’s lodging, restaurants and spa that sit on top of a ski hill that has 23 downhill runs. Treetops Inn was the first housing built on the property and it has a distinct ski-lodge feel: a bit dark with lots of wood paneling. Treetops Lodge, where the spa is located, is a newer facility and provides upgraded deluxe rooms. The other three courses, Tom Fazio’s Premier, and Smith’s Signature and Tradition, are located five miles north of the lodge.
In booking our reservations a month in advance of our late-July trip, we were told a deluxe room was not available. So we headed north from the Detroit area a bit disappointed, but ...
2006: What’s Old is new as Kohler ...
St. Andrews, Scotland
Herb Kohler is not afraid to act quickly in business, and the moves he has made in the so-called Home of Golf are no exception.
It took just 40 days from the time he heard the Old Course Hotel and its Duke’s Course were for sale to close a $40 million deal for the properties in 2004.
Kohler, best known in golf circles for Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run resorts in Wisconsin, renovated the 144-room hotel, which sits on the 17th hole of the Old Course here, and the Duke’s, a five-minute drive from the hotel. He also installed a Kohler Water Spa at the hotel.
In part, Kohler views the Old Course Hotel as a showcase for his company’s plumbing products and its Baker furniture in the U.K. and northern Europe. But he also has bigger plans.
“We are looking at ways of expanding our overall hospitality operations,” he says, adding that those will account for roughly $150 million of Kohler Co.’s more than $5 billion in revenues this year.
The Old Course Hotel was built in 1968 and redesigned in 1984 to coincide with that year’s British Open. Kohler ...
2006: Emirates best of eclectic layouts
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai certainly has come a long way since the Emirates Golf Club opened in 1988. There are six 18-hole courses in Dubai, with various projects under way to take that figure into the teens in the near future.
But Emirates remains the best of the bunch. In fact, this layout is one of the best PGA European Tour pros play each year. The conditioning is fantastic, and the layout is straightforward but challenging.
There isn’t really a bad hole. The only criticism that could be leveled is that the 18th is a bit too quirky for the big boys, since a good tee shot often can be punished because the ball runs through the fairway. We needn’t worry though – most of us don’t hit it far enough for that to happen.
I wish I could be as generous in my praise for other courses. But I can’t.
Colin Montgomerie’s contribution to Middle Eastern golf, The Montgomerie, won’t go down
in the history books as a classic design. It’s well presented, in good condition, easy enough to play, but not a course you have to visit before you go
to ...
2006: Dubai - Boom town
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Every time I return to Dubai I’m reminded of that great song by The Eagles, “The Last Resort.” • “You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye,” crooned Don Henley. • I’ve been traveling to Dubai for the Desert Classic nearly every year since 1990. In those days the city limits were clearly defined. The city stopped and the desert took over.
I remember taking a bus out to the newly built Emirates Golf Club, crossing miles and miles of sand, when all of a sudden we came upon this oasis of fairways and greens, the miracle of modern technology producing the first grass golf course in the Middle East.
It didn’t matter that there wasn’t enough rainfall to keep the grass green. They took the water out of the nearby sea, ran it through a desalination plant and pumped a million gallons per day onto the course to keep it lush.
For years there was an aerial photograph of the Emirates in the office of the golf magazine I worked for in the U.K. It showed this surreal, emerald green golf course surrounded by miles of brown sand.
A similar photograph taken today ...
2005: Island of Enchantment
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Island golf doesn’t have to be a world away. • New Englanders, or others seeking escape from the bitter bleak of winter, can grab a quick bite at home in the morning and be on the first tee in a tropical paradise by 1 o’clock. • No customs. No currency exchange. No worries.
Welcome to Puerto Rico, where strip malls and ancient Spanish relics coexist in a climate of near perfection. • In this post-9/11 era, mainlanders appreciate the comforts of an American flag, especially one that’s draped over a Caribbean culture that warms the senses. • Driving down a major road in Puerto Rico (translated “Rich Port”) doesn’t feel much different than the mainland. The same fast-food chains, home improvement stores and foreign cars dot the landscape. It’s a soothing sight to many a tourist mainlanders appreciate the comforts of an American flag, especially one that’s draped over a Caribbean culture that warms the senses.
Driving down a major road in Puerto Rico (translated “Rich Port”) doesn’t feel much different than cruising the mainland. The same fast-food chains, home improvement stores and foreign cars dot the landscape. It’s a soothing ...
2005: Saddling up to top-notch golf
Copperopolis, Calif.
The next time you think bungalow getaway, think Saddle Creek. Located about two hours east of San Francisco in the middle of what seems to be nowhere, Saddle Creek is a golf gem now being discovered much as gold was discovered in these hills some 150 years ago.
The bungalow getaway enjoys a long history among serious golfers. Usually lasting for two or three days, such a getaway is designed for total immersion in golf yet also is a form of therapy in its escape from the responsibilities and rigors of everyday life.
Required ingredients for such a getaway: good golf, good bungalows, good food. Saddle Creek meets the criteria.
The bungalows may be called lodges or cottages, or even rooms, but they must offer a direct link to the golf course. The idea is for golfers to stay out of a car or vehicle for the duration of their trip.
Good company, another element of the getaway, is the easy part. Golfers, having identified the location for an ideal bungalow getaway, are quite skilled at enticing their close friends to join them.
The bungalow getaway is all about friendly competition, uninterrupted and far from the madding crowd ...
2004: Daunting Nakoma offers just rewards
By Joel Zuckerman
Graeagle, Calif.
Any Tahoe-bound traveler should sidetrack to the amazing Nakoma Resort and Spa, located about an hour north of the lake in a tiny wooded town. This high-end hideaway has some remarkable assets, not the least of which is an unforgettable clubhouse that’s an honest-to-goodness Frank Lloyd Wright original. This ultra-imaginative building features five teepee-like roof structures made of red cedar wood and decorative copper banding. Its 23,000 square feet of low slung passages lead to soaring, cathedral-like spaces, massively elaborate wooden sculptures and a four-sided, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. It’s a clubhouse that would overwhelm most golf courses, but the Dragon isn’t just any golf course.
Simply put, this Robin Nelson design is a stunner. The opening tee shot plunges 100 feet to a bunker-menaced fairway. The final approach must climb through the sky, hopefully finding the well-fortified green lodged dramatically uphill from the fairway.
Most average players will add another 90 or 100 blows between the first and final shots on an incredibly varied golf tapestry. The Dragon’s a fire breather from the tips at about 7,100 yards, with a 74.2 rating and 147 slope. The thinner air ...
Cable Beach resort illuminates golf
The Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort, which was renamed to include “Golf” after completing a $4.5 million redesign in 2003, continues to add to its golf experience. The resort is unveiling a lighted range that will stay open nightly until 9 p.m.
“We are committed to giving the best experience possible to the growing number of guests who consider golf when planning a Caribbean getaway,” said Christopher Lewis, leisure manager of the golf course.
The Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort is the only resort in Nassau to offer unlimited green fees as part of its all-inclusive program. Other amenities in the all-inclusive price include six restaurants, five bars and lounges, a seven-acre waterscape and loads of land and water activities.
In 2003, the oldest golf course in the Bahamas was transformed into the 700-island nation’s newest course . . . in a manner of speaking.
The Radisson Cable Beach Resort’s course, which was opened in 1928, finished a complete renovation early last year, and it has resulted in a drastically improved track. The course was regrassed, holes were reversed and a sorely needed drainage system was installed during a two-phase project that began in March 2000. The course never ...
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