The United States of America is blessed to have a large number of different golf regions all offering a different golf experience. From the tropical beauty of Hawaii through to the almost Scottish links feel of Bandon Dunes, the USA contains an amazing selection of high quality, public access (or resort) golf courses that welcome visitors with open arms.
Be prepared however to pay high amounts for your golf but be assured you will receive the best of service.
Monterey Peninsula
No matter what you’ve heard or seen in feature films, nothing can prepare you for the jaw dropping beauty along Monterey's fabled coast and village-like pedestrian thoroughfares. The Monterey Peninsula is famous for its natural beauty, blending land and sea like few other places in the world. With magnificent landscapes, compelling attractions are abundant, such as the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, Steinbeck's historic Cannery Row and the charismatic Fisherman’s Wharf. Carmel-by-the-Sea is known for its compelling art galleries and quaint little shops, while Carmel Valley is celebrated for its world-renown wineries. Pebble Beach features the distinguished 17-Mile Drive, Stillwater Cove and the iconic Lone Cypress.
The Monterey Peninsula is a world-renowned golf destination, offering some of the most dramatic, natural, settings for golf anywhere in the world. Regarded as the mecca by enthusiast of golf, this region hosts more world-class golf courses than any other.
Pebble Beach Golf Links opened in 1919 and was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant. The original layout has changed very little over the years, with the exception of some changes made by Jack Nicklaus prior to the 1992 U.S. Open and in 1998. Ranked the #1 public course in America by Golf Digest Magazine along with a #1 rating among the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S." by Golf Magazine, Pebble Beach Golf Links is arguably the greatest course in the world. Featuring nine holes directly on the bluffs over looking the majestic Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach is both spectacular and challenging – with narrow fairways and well protected postage-stamp greens. Pebble Beach has played host to 10 USGA Championships as well as co-hosting the annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. Pebble is also scheduled to host the 2010 U.S. Open in June.
Amongst the world of golf, few courses are as revered as Cypress Point. Cypress Point was created by the world renowned designer Alister Mackenzie and opened in 1928. Consistently rated as one of the top 3 golf courses ever created by all major publications, Cypress Point offers natural beauty that is unmatched anywhere. Meandering through the coastal dunes, this immaculate course journeys into the Del Monte forest during the front nine and reemerges to the rocky coastline for the best set of finishing holes of all time. Ranked #2 in Golf Magazine's list of "Top 100 Golf Courses in the World," behind Mackenzie's other masterpiece, Augusta, Cypress Point will always have its place in the upper echelon of golf history.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and opened in 1966, Spyglass Hill is a course of two extremes. The first five holes are played along the ocean dunes, allowing the wind to be a factor when it is breezy and then from the 7th hole onward the course transforms into the Del Monte Forest, featuring pine tree lined fairways and large tiered greens.
This is one of the most challenging courses on the peninsula and the PGA Tour regularly rates a few of the holes among the hardest on tour. Spyglass Hill Golf Course was named after from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel, Treasure Island. Stevenson is said to have wandered the Spyglass area generating ideas for his novel. A unique aspect of this course is that the holes are named after characters in Treasure Island.
Poppy Hills offers a magnificent layout created by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. which opened in 1986. Located in Pebble Beach, California, in the Del Monte Forest, this course features large undulating greens that are well guarded by either water or bunkers. Pine tree lined fairways require accurate, premeditated drives. The front-nine zig-zags on a ridge in front of the clubhouse with many dog-legs. As you journey to the back-nine, you will find yourself moving deep into the Del Monte Forest.
One interesting fact about the course is that it has five par three holes and five par five holes, compared to most other golf courses that normally have four, at the most! Poppy Hills was the co-host of the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am from 1991-2009. Ranked among the best courses in Northern California, Poppy Hills has been named "Golf Course of the Year" by the National Golf Course Owners Association, along with being in the "Top 20 Courses in California" by Golf Digest.
The Links at Spanish Bay was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson and Sandy Tatum, who created a links course so authentic that players could be forgiven for thinking they are experiencing the rugged, natural beauty of Scotland rather than Monterey. Opened in 1987, the 6820 yard golf course provides players with challenging decisions on every hole as strong wind, sandy rough and plenty of water come into play.
Bayonet Golf Club is a superbly manicured layout featuring long, cypress and pine tree lined fairways with fast undulating greens, many of which are multi-tiered. Beautiful views of the Monterey Bay are located throughout this course. Bayonet Golf Course is regularly touted as one of the toughest courses in California with a slope of 138 and a rating of 75.3.
Destinations Magazine rated Bayonet as the 13th most challenging golf courses in the State of California. Golf Digest rated this course #71 under the category of "America's Top 75 Affordable Courses" in their list of "America's Best Golf Courses Everyone Can Play." Bayonet is one half of the 36 hole facility which includes Black Horse Golf Course.
Pasatiempo Golf Club was designed by world-renowned golf architect Alister MacKenzie. Even though MacKenzie also designed Augusta National and Cypress Point, Pasatiempo was his favorite layout and where he made his American home, which still borders the sixth fairway.
Today, this historic top 100 course is a semi-private golf club that sets aside certain tee times each day for public play. Pasatiempo was ranked #11 in Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play 2008 and ranked #31 in Golf Digest’s 2005 America’s Greatest Public Courses. With spectacular views of nearby Monterey Bay, Pasatiempo delivers a memorable golf experience.
Las Vegas
Designed by Johnny Miller & Chi Chi Rodriguez, Badlands Golf Course is the ultimate Las Vegas golf adventure. Featuring 27 holes of breathtaking holes that demand accurate golf shots, this course offers an exciting challenge to both casual and experienced golfers. Carved through canyons, this course is consistently considered among the top courses in Nevada. The greens are relatively large and are quick and almost every hole puts you in the position to have to carry the ragged desert to find the fairway and any errant drive is heading for trouble. This is not a place for the big hitter to try and overpower the course.
The Revere Golf Club is located just minutes out of Las Vegas Nevada. The 36 hole golf club managed by Troon Golf is draped through the rugged desert canyons and valleys of the Las Vegas foothills. With awe-inspiring views of the city below and mountains beyond, the Lexington course’s stunning 7,143 -yard, par-72 layout will test players’ shot making capabilities. The latest creation, the Concord Course offers a 7,034 yard par-72 layout with Bermuda fairways and large greens.
La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs offers challenging play on five resort courses designed by golf legends Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman. Known as the Western Home of Golf and Hospitality in America, this world renowned destination is the perfect destination for Greater Palm Springs golf vacations.
La Quinta Resort Mountain Course is famous for its unique design and stunning visuals. This challenging layout is ranked among Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play". At 6,756 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72, the Mountain course has a rating of 74.1 and it has a slope rating of 140 on Bermuda grass. Designed by Pete Dye, the Mountain golf course opened in 1985.
Like the Mountain course, the PGA West Stadium Golf Course was also designed Pete Dye and is described as a "must play" for all who seek the ultimate challenge. Ranked among Golf Magazine´s "Top 100 Courses You Can Play”. The course was also voted the 4th toughest course in America in Golf Digest's "Top 50 Toughest Courses in America (2007). Host to PGA Tour "Q-School" Finals every other year, PGA Tour hopefuls must steady their nerves to navigate the island green of hole #17, known as Alcatraz.
PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course combines dramatic backdrops with challenging design to leave a lasting impression on golfers of every level. Challenge, beauty and drama permeate every Jack Nicklaus Course, and the masterfully designed Nicklaus Tournament is no exception. It is one of the only courses in the world to feature two island greens. The enormous and undulated double-green of holes 9 & 18 are perfectly viewed from the Stadium Clubhouse.
La Quinta Resort Dunes Course is a wonderful layout and enjoyable to play. Golf Digest ranks this as 75th in America's Best 75 Resort Courses. This Pete Dye-designed course was opened in 1985 and provides a relaxing round of golf surrounded by dramatic landscapes. Featuring 6,074 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72, the course rating is 73.1 and it has a slope rating of 137 on Bermuda grass.
The PGA West Greg Norman Course offers spectacular desert terrain with limited turf thereby giving players a unique and challenging experience. PGA West's Championship Course "Six Pack" was completed in May of 2000 with the desert-scaped, target-style layout of The Greg Norman. A prehistoric ocean bed 40 feet below sea level is now the territory of emerald green fairways, crushed white marble bunkers and shark blue waters. Vibrant wildflowers are a stunning contrast to the surrounding crescent of terra cotta mountains, creating a golf experience like no other. A co-host for the PGA Tour Pre-Qualifying Tournament in 2006 and 2007, the Norman also hosts "The Prestige at PGA West," one of college golf's most acclaimed Intercollegiate Invitational events, drawing only top-ranked universities.
Bandon Dunes
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is located 5 minutes from the seaside town of Bandon and 25 minutes drive from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport. At Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, you'll find four distinctly different links style courses built on a beautiful stretch of sand dunes perched 100 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes feature a dozen holes that run along the bluff overlooking 23 miles of sweeping, undisturbed shoreline. Bandon Trails begins on a massive dune, works its way through open meadows and upland forest, and then finishes in the dunes. Old Macdonald moves through dune to ocean revealing breathtaking views throughout.
Bandon Dunes Golf Course opened in 1999, designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd. Bandon Dunes unfolds along pristine native dunes where expansive ocean views are revealed on nearly every hole. The course is completely natural and routed through an environment of indigenous vegetation. Beyond breathtaking scenery lies the game of golf in its truest form. This is a thinker's course. Winds are ever-present, and the varying elements create a new experience each time you play. According to Golf Magazine, Bandon Dunes is "probably the finest land made available for a golf course in America since Alistair Mackenzie was shown the site for Cypress Point Club on Monterey Peninsula..."
Designed by Tom Doak, Pacific Dunes opened in 2001. It is remarkably different in character and shot making requirements than the other courses at Bandon Dunes. Pacific Dunes doesn't feel like it was built as much as it was discovered. Rippling fairways remain just as they were found and natural bunkers line the landscape as they have for centuries. The course emerges from shore pines to spectacular 60-foot sand dunes. When the wind blows, precise approach shots are a necessity. Pacific Dunes is short enough to give you hope, but rugged enough to test every facet of your game.
When Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw began working in the sand to uncover our third course, they faced the challenge of following Bandon and Pacific Dunes. Opened in 2005, Bandon Trails Golf Course begins atop a massive sand dune, quickly opens into a sprawling meadow, works higher into the coastal forest, and finally returns to finish in the dunes. The course is enjoyable to walk and is a constant reminder of how the game was originally created among inland rolling dunes with dramatic ocean vistas.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort will be opening their fourth course, 'Old Macdonald', in June 2010. The layout is a tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald (1856-1939), the father of American golf course architecture and founder of the U.S. Golf Association. Designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, Old Macdonald features the classic principles and strategies that Macdonald incorporated into his own courses, chiefly National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York.
Pinehurst
The Pinehurst region boasts more than 40 classic and signature golf courses, landscaped with towering hundred-year-old pines, native azaleas, holly, wisteria and dogwood. Combined with the beautiful weather of the Carolinas, you've got a perfect American golf destination.
The Pinehurst Resort is one of the best known golf resorts in the USA. It has been the site of more championships than any other golf course in the country. Nestled among the Sandhills of North Carolina, Pinehurst resort offers southern hospitality, elegant accommodations, spa facilities, and of course, any one of their eight pristine world-class golf courses. The stories of champions and the traditions of championship golf have been created at Pinehurst since 1898, and Pinehurst will welcome the return of the U.S. Open Championship for the third time in 15 years in 2014.
Pinehurst – No. 2 designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1907 has become a measuring stick that all courses world-wide are judged against. The experts rate No. 2 as one of the ten greatest courses in the world. In 1999 this course was the site of the U.S. Open Championship and was selected because of it's character and tradition. You have to drive the ball well here and hit long irons well. And most of all, have a precise and razor-sharp short game. Balls hit less than perfectly on the greens will trickle off around the edges into dips and swales. Bring all your clubs along because you will need every shot in your bag here. This is one course that will always be on our "must play list".
Pinehurst – No. 4 was originally designed and built in 1919 and was revamped by Robert Trent Jones in 1973. The course features lake holes and trecherous bunkers requiring both length and careful shot preparation on many of it's holes. This is a classic layout and well worth the time to play while visiting Pinehurst. You will especially enjoy the 12th hole, (considered by many to be one of the truly great par fives in the world).
There are many unique and interesting touches on Pinehurst - No. 7 course designed by Rees Jones and opened in 1986. There is the "Devil's Gut," a large expanse of wetlands on the short, par-four, 7th which your approach must clear. On the 12th you will find a double-dogleg, par-five with an elevated green surrounded by trees and underbrush. There are many similarities to the target-golf flavour of Pine Valley on the par-three 13th and par-three 16th. Both of these holes require solid tee shots over large bunkers. No. 7 has a special mountain flavour to it that makes a nice contrast to the other Pinehurst Resort courses.
Pinehurst – No. 8 was opened in celebration of Pinehurst’s 100th birthday in 1997. Designed as a modern-day version of No. 2, The Centennial-Pinehurst No. 8 is solid, straightforward golf, void of artificial earth movements and difficult forced carries. Some bunkers that appear to be greenside are actually 20 yards in front of the greens, thus creating a challenge in depth perception.
With no housing interferences or distractions, No. 8 is definitely a course for the purist, and for the golfer of any skill level who wants to experience the game as it was intended to be played - for the sheer sport of it.
Pinehurst – No. 1 was the resort’s first golf course built in 1898. Though relatively short at 6093 yards the course still provides an enjoyable and sometimes challenging round for players of any standard. Pinehurst – No. 3 was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1910 and is again a shorter course than it’s better known Resort courses but according to golfing legend Ben Crenshaw “there’s plenty of character to the holes”. Pinehurst - No.5 has more water features than any other course at Pinehurst and Pinehurst – No. 6 opened in 2005 has been touted as one of the best Tom Fazio designed courses in the World.
Whilst entirely independent of the Pinehurst Resort, The National Golf Course at Pinehurst holds its own as one of the finest golf courses in the country. The National is Pinehurst’s only Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. Jack Nicklaus constructed a masterpiece set amidst the longleaf pines of Southern Pines. This 18-hole championship layout features classic Jack Nicklaus architecture: wide fairways, lush course conditions, and undulating putting surfaces that test your mind and your true golfing ability. National's golf course is a magnificent 7,144 yard course and is meticulously designed as it is compelling. “An intriguingly well balanced course which, according to Golf Digest, "has come to enhance even the lofty Sandhills image for world-class golf amenities."
Kiawah Island
Located on a beautiful barrier island just a few miles from historic Charleston, South Carolina lies Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the Official Golf & Tennis Resort at Kiawah Island. Voted Golf World Magazine’s No.1 Resort in the U.S., Kiawah Island Golf Resort is home to five award-winning championship South Carolina golf courses.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort was designed by Pete Dye and opened just months before it hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup. From a ribbon of pristine sand dunes stretching nearly three miles along the Atlantic Ocean at the extreme eastern end of this barrier island, The Ocean Course is a 7,296-yard, par 72 layout reminiscent of the great seaside links of England and Scotland. Played from the extreme back tee on every hole, the course measures a mind-numbing 7,937 yards, but that was never the intent of the designer. Instead, Dye created a variety of tees so that great holes would remain great holes, regardless of wind shifts. Since the 1991 Ryder Cup, the course has since hosted numerous other World Cups and Major Championships. In 2012, it will host South Carolina’s first major tournament – the PGA Championship.
One of Jack’s Nicklaus’ early designs and rated a near perfect 4 ½ stars in the 2006 Golf Digest “Best Places to Play” guidebook, Turtle Point Golf Course features narrow fairway corridors, small greens, strategically placed water hazards and plenty of out-of-bounds. Kiawah Island's Turtle Point has a combination of length and accuracy that has led to its selection for several important championships including the Carolinas' Amateur, the Carolinas' PGA, the South Carolina Amateur and the 1990 PGA Cup Matches (the club professionals version of the Ryder Cup). Opened in 1981, Turtle Point is a low-profile design with fairways and green settings blended into the existing landscape. Nowhere is this more evident than along a spectacular three-hole stretch woven through rolling sand dunes directly along the Atlantic Ocean.
Osprey Point Golf Course is a masterpiece in playability and variety. Featuring four large, natural lakes, fingers of saltwater marsh, and dense maritime forests, the course offers a wide variety of memorable holes, each presenting its own unique challenges and beauty.
Just steps from the Kiawah River and Haulover Creek, Oak Point Golf Course offers undulating fairways, challenging greens and beautiful vistas. It is no wonder this golf course recently received a 4½ stars from the readers of Golf Digest magazine in their “Best Places to Play” poll.
One of the most dramatic vistas on Kiawah Island is the middle of Cougar Point Golf Course’s front nine, just along the Kiawah River. This course features a great blend of scenic challenges and was recently rated the "Golf Course of The Year", by the South Carolina Golf Course Owners Association.
Hilton Head
The 18-hole Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort plays 6,916 yards from the longest tees for a par of 71, a course rating of 74 and a slope of 136. Designed by Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus, the Harbour Town golf course opened for play in 1969. Home to the Verizon Heritage Tournament, there is no doubt that Harbour Town, with its distinctive candy stripe lighthouse, is one of the world’s best-known layouts. Not as long as some on the PGA Tour, but it is one of the toughest. Harbour Town Golf Links is a golf course where finesse, imagination, and shot-making are the keys to a good score. Television has made the course an institution; Pete Dye made it a masterpiece; Jack Nicklaus tweaked and refined it. The four par-3s are ranked among the world's finest and the par-4 18th is considered one of the toughest finishing holes on the PGA Tour, especially when the wind is blowing off Calibogue Sound.
The Palmetto Dunes Resort is well known to golf travellers; it has just about everything anyone would want in a full-service golf destination. An oceanfront resort, it is home to three of Hilton Head Island's finest golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio, and Arthur Hills.
The Palmetto Dunes Resort George Fazio Golf Course is an 18-hole, medium-length layout, which plays 6,873 yards off the championship tees for a par of 72. The Palmetto Dunes George Fazio Golf course is rated 73.9 (quite tough) with a slope of 135. Even so, four sets of tees make low scores are achievable for players of all levels of skill. The infamous Fazio offers a series of long par-4s, beset with bunkers and water hazards - demanding a combination of length and precision play. From the 432-yard 1st hole to the 462-yard 18th, this is regarded by many as the island's truest championship challenge.
The 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Course at the Palmetto Dunes Resort plays 6,710 yards from the tips for a par of 72. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the Robert Trent Jones Course opened for play in 1968. Ranked by readers of Readers of Golfweek Magazine among the best golf courses in the Southeast, this is a classic work by one of golf’s legendary designers. This course features cleverly-bunkered greens and generous landing areas with water in play on 11 of the 18 holes. The signature hole, the par-5 10th, brings you to a breath-taking view of the Atlantic, one of only two oceanfront holes on the island.
The Arthur Hills Course at the Palmetto Dunes Resort plays 6,651 yards from the longest tees for a par of 72. Designed by Arthur Hills, the course opened in 1986. Hills designed the course to bend unobtrusively into its surrounding and thus become a perfect blend of great natural beauty and golf course design. Wildlife abounds everywhere on the course. The scenery is outstanding with thick stands of palmettos lining the course, which is built on a series of rolling dunes that makes for off-balance lies while ocean breezes create an ever-changing hazard all their own. The Palmetto Dunes Resort Arthur Hills golf course has won many awards...and the hearts of many golfers.
Florida
Situated in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, between Jacksonville and historic St. Augustine, the TPC Sawgrass is, perhaps, Pete Dye's most famous contribution to the world of golf course architecture. TPC Sawgrass has two famous courses, the ‘Stadium Course’ which is one of the most visually pleasing layouts in the United States and the ‘Valley Course’
The Stadium course was designed to be a perfect combination of short, medium and long holes, with both right and left doglegs. The course routing was laid out so no two consecutive holes ever played in the same direction. Dye’s Valley Course is "often overlooked" compared to the Stadium course but it still offers a "challenging abundance of water", large greens, and a superb opening hole.
The Doral Golf Resort - Blue Monster Course in Miami is the home of the World Golf Championships Championship and has hosted many prestigious PGA TOUR events for the past 45 years. In fact, virtually every great name in golf has had a moment of glorious personal triumph on this world-class track. Originally designed by Dick Wilson, golfers won't find a more challenging or spectacular golf course. At 7,125 yards from the tournament tees, and with a series of strategically placed bunkers, both length and finesse are needed to score well on this historic course. The Blue Monster features long fairways, undulating green, a deep Bermuda rough and a unique assortment of water hazards. The famous 18th hole, with its signature fountain, was ranked by GOLF Magazine as one of the Top 100 Holes in the World.
World Woods Golf Club was opened on April 1, 1993. The pristine forestry with ample vegetation was a natural setting for two World Class Championship Golf Courses. Tom Fazio's unique style of utilizing the land's natural layout, character and beauty helped make this course the prize it is today. The first phase of World Woods Golf Club includes Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks. Plans for phase two include a Third 18 Hole Championship Golf Course.
The Pine Barrens Course at World Woods is ranked #26 by Golf Week " Americas Best Modern Course". Pine Barrens is a visually stunning blend of native terrain and golf course design. The Rolling Oaks Course provides the second world-class layout at World Woods. An entirely different, yet no less enjoyable experience than playing Pine Barrens, this course offers beautiful rolling fairways that lead to undulating greens. Many changes in hole style and length create a great blend of holes that requires a variety of shots and a strategic approach to score well.
Whistling Straits
Whistling Straits is located in Kohler, Wisconcin and offers two courses which have hosted the PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open and the Palmer Cup. The ‘Straits Course’ and the ‘Irish Course’ are both ranked among the best golf courses in the Country. The Straits offers an open, rugged and windswept terrain that defines the walking-only, links-style Straits Course sculpted along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Created by Pete Dye, Golf magazine listed the Straits #3 in the ‘2008 Top 100 Courses You Can Play’ ranking.
The Irish Course completes 72 holes of the most diverse golf experience in the world. The course is another Pete Dye masterpiece and a perfect companion to the adjacent, stunning Straits Course. Tranquil grasslands, soaring dunes, cavernous bunkers, and to ensure that golfers will remember the Irish Course, Dye claims he has used "every trick I've ever learnt" in routing and sculpting the hole dynamics.
Hawaii
Blessed with breathtaking scenery, unforgettable signature holes and championship calibre course design, it's no wonder why Hawaii attracts so many golfers from around the world. There is a variety of unique course layouts on Hawaii's six, geographically distinct islands—from greens lined with volcanic rough to stunning seaside water hazards. And with more than seventy amazing golf courses there are plenty of options to choose from.
Maui
The south side of the island of Maui, which lies in the wake of Haleakala, is home to two resorts, Wailea (54 holes) and Makena (36 holes). The other four Maui courses accessible to visitors are located between Pukalani and Wailuku including Maui’s excellent Waiehu Municipal Golf Course, which overlooks Kahului Bay.
The Kapalua Plantation Course delivers a dramatic landscape unlike any other Hawaii golf course. Perched along the northwest-facing seaside slopes of the West Maui mountains, golfers can choose to focus on either the commanding westward views of the islands of Molokai and Lanai or the incredible shot-making required to record a good score. Most will find it difficult to do both. 7411 yards from the Championship Tees, and a par 73 layout, this magnificent course was designed by the team of Ben Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
The Wailea Gold Course is among the elite courses in Hawaii golf. With three stunning layouts at Wailea, the Gold Course's 18 holes are the most challenging. Robert Trent Jones II's masterful design is accentuated by the course's rugged topography. Jones's thoughtful design includes anywhere from four to six tee areas on each hole, making the course playable by golfers of all abilities. The natural undulations provide subtle changes in elevation. Strategically located bunkers, nearby hazards, and tree lines put the emphasis more on accuracy than length.
Engaging doglegs help give the Gold Course its reputation as a thinking player's course, rewarding sound course management and the ability to finesse the ball. Immaculate overall conditioning and all the amenities one could expect from a leading resort course add up to an invigorating golf experience.
When it opened in 1962 as the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course (then changed to the North Course in 1967 and back to the original name in 2007), it was the very first resort course built in Hawaii. Even more importantly, it was one of the late Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s only two Hawaii golf designs.The layout features exceptionally generous fairways and greens where a two-putt is a real accomplishment due to the Bermuda grass and deceptive undulations.
Ever-changing trade winds also create drama and give new meaning to risk/reward. The 18th hole, a favourite of Arnold Palmer's, is a terrific way to end a match. With water along the entire left side from tee to green and with the prevailing wind both helping and pushing from left to right, it is a hole truly unique to West Maui. Royal Kaanapali is often called the 'Tournament Course' because it once hosted LPGA events (1982-85) and the original Seniors Tour (1988-2000). The course underwent extensive renovations in 2006.
Oahu
Hawaii’s “Gathering Place” is home to over 40 golf courses—including five private clubs and nine military courses. In fact, there are 29 courses easily accessible to visitors at 25 different venues. These range from the very first golf course built in the islands (in 1898)—the Moanalua Golf Club’s nine-hole hill-and-dale affair which operates on a semi-private basis—to three golf resorts that host LPGA and Champions Tour events.
Home to both Champions and LPGA Tour events, the Turtle Bay Resort - Palmer Course offers a superb layout that winds around a 100-acre wildlife preserve in the serene Punahoolapa Marsh. Designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, this 6225 yard layout has been carved in such a way as to bring into play strong winds, numerous sand bunkers and water hazards. The only hole where water does not come into play on the back nine at the Palmer Course is the heavily bunkered signature par-4 17. The exquisite par-4 at No. 16 is one of Hawaii's best and the exceptionally creative 18 completes a string of marvellous finishing holes.
The George Fazio Course at Turtle Bay is a playable resort course for golfers of all abilities, and a much more forgiving layout compared to the resort's newer Arnold Palmer Course. The relaxing ambiance of the Fazio layout can be described as downright soothing. Wide, tree-lined fairways move you to greens graced by swaying palm trees. Even though much less difficult than its sister layout, Fazio's only Hawaii golf design features plenty of wind, primarily due to its beautiful location along Oahu's North Shore.
Opened in 1990, the Ko Olina Golf Club is currently one of only four resort courses on Oahu. This western Oahu golf course has hosted both Senior PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events. This mounded layout's prevailing trade winds are its strongest characteristic and biggest challenge. Located on the sunny western shore of Oahu in the secluded 640-acre oceanfront Ko Olina Resort, and is less than a half hour drive from the Honolulu International Airport and about one hour from Waikiki.
When designers Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay attended the Hawaii Prince Golf Club's opening in 1992, Seay said, 'This course will get better with every year that passes.' Seay's words have proven to be right on target. Carved out of coral rock, the Hawaii Prince's fairways have established their own distinctive definitions with the maturation of the surrounding landscape. With 10 ponds, water comes into play on more than half of this Oahu golf course's 27 holes. Like the other Ewa Plain tracks, wind is the major factor, making it not uncommon for three-club winds to be in play. Each of the three nines 'A, B, and C' offers birdie opportunities on all downwind par-5s.
Opened in 1999, Coral Creek Golf Club is Oahu's most recently built golf course. Short par-4s playing into the prevailing trade winds are Coral Creek's trademark. The scintillating water features at the signature par-3 10th hole and No. 18 are noteworthy. At Coral Creek, course architect Robin Nelson incorporated a run of culverts, the likes of which are rarely seen. He also laid a number of holes right into the beast. Some of Oahu's best golf holes are found here, as the outside moves back in. Big hitters will be tempted to let the dog out on the downwind trio of the seventh through ninth holes. A shotmaker's delight is found at Coral Creek's crafty finishing hole, a short par-4 into the wind with a coral base pond to the right.
Kauai
Poipu Bay Golf Course is an 18-hole championship course situated on 210 oceanfront acres adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Poipu Bay is an ocean links style course featuring spectacular vistas and challenging play. Over the years, Poipu Bay has won numerous awards and has been consistently rated among the top golf courses in Hawaii and the U.S. Since 1994, Poipu Bay has played host to the annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the golf world.