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The Elite Eight Golf Destinations
By Shane Sharp,
WorldGolf.com Contributing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - They are the golf destinations
you mother warned you about. Some of them
are posh, exclusive, and aristocratic.
Others are affordable, blue collar, and
accessible. Some are so hot, you’ll need
to change shirts at the turn. Others are
cool, even downright chilly when they want
to be, and you’ll want to skip the golf
cart and hoof it just to keep from freezing
your soft spikes off.
Aesthetically and economically, these
golf destinations can be as different as
Jesper Parnevik and Scott Hoch. But they
all share one commonality: obscene, ridiculous,
embarrassing amounts of golf.
 Geographically,
the definitions of these golf destinations
are as loose as Tiger Woods with a ten
shot lead on Sunday. Pinehurst is a resort,
Las Vegas a city, Hilton Head an island,
the Grand Strand a region, Florida a state
and Scotland a country. Philosophically,
the message is the same: grip it and rip
it.
The majority of our lives will be spent
driving a couple miles down the road to
play the local daily fee course, and plunking
down a couple of bones to settle two dollar
Nassau’s in the 19th hole afterwards. Not
that there’s anything wrong with that. But if the opportunity presents itself
to hit the open road or the friendly skies,
here’s a lineup of golf destinations that
will keep you U.S. Open-rough deep in day
dreaming material in between trips to the
town municipal.
The Final Four
1. PALM SPRINGS
 The Basics: Frank Sinatra favored “The
Springs” as he called it, and Bob Hope
made one of his homes there. Gerald Ford
was a regular fixture on areas golf links,
and Ginger Rogers was never one to pass
up a winter trip to this stark, stunning
desert playground.
These days, Palm Springs attracts the
likes of Alice Cooper, Amy Grant, and any
other of the myriad of stars you’ll find
at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic – the
PGA Tour’s annual romp through the desert
tracks of Palm Springs.
Each year, thousands of golfers make the
trek to Palm Springs and Palm desert, a
rite of passage that lies somewhere between
a golf trip to Scotland and Myrtle Beach,
but can cost as much as the two combined.
Seeing how one has to blow a college tuition
payment and venture miles into the heart
of some of the country’s most Godforsaken
country, Palm Springs must have cast some
powerful spell on the golfing world.
Pros: The weather. November through April,
there is no better climate for golf, with
the one exception being Scottsdale, Arizona.
High’s in the 70’s are the norm from late
November to mid March, and the sun shines
day after day providing golfers with a
platform for 36 holes a day and deep golf
tan to match.
 Quality
and concentration. Pound for pound, Palm
Springs may have the best collection of
upscale resort courses in the country.
Courses are plentiful in the Coachella
Valley, and located proximity is of the
essence as one track is rarely more than
a 30-minute drive from the other. Most
of the courses in the area sport the designer
tags of Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Arnold
Palmer, Robert Trent Jones II variety,
and are priced accordingly.
Cons: Price. You could take three trips
to Myrtle Beach for the price of one Palm
Springs sojourn. Accessibility. No real
airport to speak of, stuck in the middle
of the desert hundreds of miles from the
population epicenters of the country … you
get the point. The Musts: PGA West Stadium Course, La
Quinta Resort Mountain Course, Shadow Ridge
Faldo Course, Mission Hills North.
2. SCOTTSDALE/PHOENIX
The
Basics: With a big city feel, professional
and college sports, performing arts, and
more outdoor activities than you can shake
a hiking stick at, Scottsdale/Phoenix might
be the most functional golf destination
in the world. For years, a number of PGA
Tour players have called Scottsdale home,
lending legitimacy to its claim as the
top golf destination in the world.
Unlike Palm Springs, Scottsdale/Phoenix,
you can play a set of golf courses that
won’t run you two or three bills. In fact,
the Valley of the Sun is home to some of
the best municipal courses in the U.S.
Then again, if cost isn’t an issue, you
can break out the plastic and tee it up
at facilities like Troon, Grayhawk, and
the Boulders.
Pros: Variety. People live and work in
Phoenix and its environs, and there are
plenty of great golf courses for under
$100. Weather. November through March,
it doesn’t get any better than this. Be
weary of January, which can bear a few
winter storms (think Phil Mickelson chipping
in from a snowy green at the Phoenix Open).
Access. Sky Harbor Airport is one of the
busiest ports west of the Pecos, and a
well-planned freeway system can get you
from one side of the Valley Floor to the
other in minutes.
Cons: Big City Feel, Big City Issues.
As you fly or drive into Phoenix/Scottsdale,
you won’t exactly feel like you are getting
away from it all. The city skyline is omnipresent
whether you are in Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa,
or Glendale, and endless miles of strip
malls make for some disturbing urban form.
No worries though. A day trip to Cave Creek,
Carefree or Sedona will free you from the
area’s urban trappings.
The Musts: Troon North, Grayhawk, the
Boulders, We-Ko-Pa, Gold Canyon Ranch,
Whirlwind, and Thunderbirds.
3. PINEHURST, N.C.
The Basics: America’s version of St.
Andrews. Established around the turn of
the century by James Tufts, and adopted
home of legendary golf course architect
Donald Ross. The Village of Pinehurst is
located smack dab in the middle of a region
of the Tar Hell State known as the Sandhills.The Pinehurst Resort is widely considered
one of the top three golf destinations
in the world.
The resort is home to Ross’ Pinehurst
No. 2, host course for the 1999 and 2005
U.S. Open’s. Also playing are seven other
top-notch tracks, including Tom Fazio’s
No. 8 Course and Rees Jones No. 7. Fazio
recently remodeled the No. 4 course, making
it one of the top layouts in the entire
state
Pros:History. One of the few golf destinations
in the U.S. that actually oozes with educational
opportunities. Just strolling the hallways
of the Pinehurst Clubhouse is a lesson
in golf history 101. Variety. Pinehurst
Resort caters to the affluent, but there
are 40 other courses in the area, ranging
from high-end resort style to well maintained
daily fee.
Cons: Scenery. Hawaii, Vail, or Nantucket
Pinehurst is not. The surrounding vegetation
is, as you might guess, pine trees, elevation
changes are kept to a minimum, and the
ocean is a solid two hours away. Access.
Closest major airport is in Raleigh/Durham,
about an hour and a half away. Highway
access is tenuous, and even the drive from
nearby Charlotte approaches two hours. The Musts: Pinehurst Resort Courses No.
2, No. 4. No. 7, and No. 8, National Club,
The Pit, Legacy, Pine Needles, Mid Pines.
4. SCOTLAND 
The
Basics: The pilgrimage to the birthplace
of golf is a trip that must be taken at
least once by any serious golfer. The game
as it was meant to be played is on full
display in the motherland: pot bunkers,
mammoth greens, hardpan fairways, and think
strands of heather grass.
Forget golf carts, concrete cart paths,
and faux modern designs. We are talking
hoofing 18 holes with a caddy, and courses
that are so natural they look like they’ve
been there since the beginning of time.
Airfares to Scotland are at an all time
low, so there may not be a better time
to jump the pond.
Pros: Tradition. They were playing golf
here before Shakespeare hired his ghostwriter.
Knowledge. From the guys at the proshop
to the bartender at the local pub, everyone
in Scotland seems to have a solid working
knowledge and the utmost respect for the
game.
Cons: Distance. Flying across the Atlantic
is a little different than throwing your
clubs in the back of the SUV. Weather.
Those that prefer golf trips slathered
sunscreen need not apply. There are a few
sunny days to be had in the summer, but
chances are you’ll be playing in windy,
cloudy, and sometimes rainy conditions.
The Next Tier
5. MYRTLE BEACH/GRAND STRAND
With 120 courses spread over 60 miles
of Atlantic Beach coastline, the Grand
Strand makes a strong case for living up
to its reputation as the “Golf Capital
of the World.” Long considered a notch
below Hilton Head and Scottsdale in the
quality department, the Strand has turned
it around in the past ten years with highly
regarded courses such as Tidewater, Caledonia
Golf and Fish Club, Grande Dunes, and Barefoot
Resort. The golf package phenomena, killer
off season specials, and a host of second
tier tracks make Myrtle Beach and the Grand
Strand one of the most affordable golf
destinations in the world.
6. HILTON HEAD
You will not find a better collection
of posh resort courses, high-end daily
fee courses, and exclusive private courses
on the east coast. Throw in Hilton Head’s
scenic island setting, one of the PGA Tour’s
most popular events (the MCI Heritage of
Golf), and easy Interstate accessibility,
and you have one of the world’s greatest
golf destinations.
7. ORLANDO/DAYTONA
It
is not all Donald and Mickey in Orlando,
nor is it all beach parties and stock cars
in Daytona. Taken together, these two metro
areas located off the Interstate 4 corridor
have become a formidable golf destination.
The Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando is
home to the North, South and East nines
from the original lineup, and the New Course,
a Jack Nicklaus designed track that opened
back in 1988. Daytona is home to the LPGA’s
Champions and Legends courses, and the
venerable Halifax Plantation.
8. LAS VEGAS
Sin City is making a strong push towards
becoming one of the world’s preeminent
golf destinations. Over the past ten years,
the area has experienced a golf gold rush
that has included world-winning designs
from Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio
and other top golf course architects. Vegas
is accessible by airplane, and golf packages
and cheap flights are bringing golfers
in hand over fist. |
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