Vacation With Golf
If you’re going on a golf trip, or want to find one, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your vacation with golf.
How do you take your vacation? For most Americans it’s with their family or friends in a warm place by the beach. Golfers are a little different as they travel to golf courses. They tend to travel with their clubs, balls, and some other gear. What if you could combine the best of both worlds? You can when you plan a vacation that’s perfect for anyone who loves to golf.
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Adventure golf is the latest craze that all of your friends are talking about, and you’re feeling a bit left out. Don’t worry; all it takes is a little research to feel like you’re in the loop with this new trend. Today, I’m going to teach you how to play adventure golf and give you some tips along the way.
Is there a better activity as a golfer in the winter months than plotting your next golf trip? If you’re like us, you’re dreaming of booking a trip for the spring right now. Though many courses and resorts are booking up, there are still plenty of great options worth considering.
Vacation With Golf
We’ve compiled this list, curated with help from our friends at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR specifically for golfers on a budget—identifying destinations with a plethora of options for every level of player.
Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is the Holy Grail of budget golf trips. Your dollar will go far in terms of lodging and nightlife—but the golf is endless and really good (one report states 120 courses open for operation on the Grand Strand … but it’s more if you include surrounding North Carolina courses).
Though courses like Caledonia and True Blue, or all four at Barefoot Resort, are priorities if they fit into your itinerary, golfers on a budget might build their trips around these Myrtle Beach spots:
The Tom Doak-designed Heathland course.
Courtesy of GolfBreaks
The Legends Golf Resort is a popular destination for anyone looking for a stay-and-play option. On-site, two- or three-bedroom “villas” provide access to three courses—Heathland, Moorland and Parkland—which all made Golf Digest’s “Sixty Best” in Myrtle Beach ranking in 2010. Staying at the Legends also provides access to The Heritage Club, a semi-private Dan Maples design in Pawleys Island, and Oyster Bay Golf Links, which is just over the border in North Carolina (and also a member of our 2010 ranking of Myrtle’s best). If you’re looking to make planning easy, the Legends is a solid option. Another benefit of doing the stay-and-play at Legends: You can enjoy the on-site Ailsa Pub, which Golf Digest ranked one of its best 19th hole bars. If you’re looking for a couple of other close courses, Myrtle Beach National has three courses just around the corner from Legends.
Courtesy of GolfBreaks
If proximity to Myrtle’s nightlife is a factor, we recommend the Myrtlewood Villas & Golf Resort, located across the road from Broadway on the Beach (where many bars, restaurants are). Myrtlewood has two courses on-site, Pine Hills and Palmetto (above). Pine Hills was renovated by Arthur Hills in 1993 and demands precision on tee shots and approaches with rolling terrain and good movement to each hole. The Palmetto course is a bit more benign tee to green but features a challenging 18th hole, with the Intracoastal Waterway all up the left side.
Staying in a central location in Myrtle makes it easy to get to courses on both ends of town (it’s about an hour drive from North Myrtle down to Pawleys Island). Check out our list of the best courses in South Carolina to help plan.
Courtesy of GolfBreaks
For decent options closeby to Myrtlewood, Pine Lakes Country Club (above), aka the Granddaddy, is a must. Pine Lakes is the oldest course in Myrtle Beach, built in 1927 by the first PGA of America president Robert White, and is a fun layout with some good design variety.
Courtesy of GolfBreaks
Just up the road are a few of Myrtle mainstays. The Dunes Golf and Beach Club is the highest-ranked course on Golf Digest’s list in South Carolina (public or private) and has limited availability to the public. The 1949 Robert Trent Jones design is 64th on Golf Digest’s latest America’s 100 Greatest Public rankings. Grande Dunes is also in the same neighborhood and has been on golfers’ lists of courses you need to play in Myrtle for years. Arcadian Shores (above), a challenging Rees Jones design just down the road, is also worth considering.
Interested in booking one of these trips? Click here to start pricing out your trip with our friends at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, or call them: (+1) 843.779.7134.
Southern Pines, N.C.
Any serious spring-golf articles should highlight one of the most golf-rich meccas in the U.S. The courses at Pinehurst are already on your radar, but in terms of budget golf, there are some of the best options on the East Coast.
Ryan Barnett/Courtesy of Southern Pines
Southern Pines is one of the best recent public golf restorations after Kyle Franz’s work was completed last year. One of the first Donald Ross original designs, Franz examined Ross blueprints to restore his signature greens, reconfiguring some for the game’s modern green speeds. Again, for less than $200 at peak on weekends, Southern Pines should be on every golfer’s list visiting the area.
Courtesy of Mid-Pines GC/kevinmurraygolfphotography.com
Another recent Franz renovation is Mid Pines Golf Club, another Ross original, which sits at No. 93 on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public. Franz worked on the crew in revitalizing Pinehurst No. 2 under Coore and Crenshaw and adapted those motifs into his 2013 renovation. Mid Pines is a must-play, as is Pine Needles, which is ranked even higher on our 100 Greatest Public (73rd). Pine Needles—which also underwent a recent renovation by John Fought—will host the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open, so a trip in the spring will allow you to play the course the pros play in the summer.
RELATED: The best golf resorts in the Carolinas
Brian Oar
And of course, one of our favorites in the area is Tobacco Road, the quirky but invigorating Mike Strantz design that sits at No. 49 on our 100 Greatest Public list. Though blind shots and unorthodox hole designs puzzle first-timers (and regulars), it’s one of the most fun courses if you embrace the unique challenge. As our Architecture Emeritus Ron Whitten once wrote: “Each hole looks intimidating from the tee but reveals plenty of elbow room for tee shots and approaches, as well as spin-outs and crash landings.” Go see it for yourself.
Interested in booking one of these trips? Click here to start pricing out your trip with our friends at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, or call them: (+1) 843.779.7134.
Orlando
Florida is an automatic in terms of cold-weather golf destinations. The only question is where to head to in the Sunshine State?
If you’re talking about budget trips, Orlando should be near the top of your list. There are few places in the state with such an abundance of solid golf. Some of it is more expensive than others (Streamsong, though closer to Tampa, is the highest-ranked option with three layouts on our Second 100 Greatest list, but might be out of the budget of value-seekers). We have done some work to find the most cost-effective places for your Florida trips.
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The Mission Inn Resort and Club is one of Orlando’s best, under-the-radar spots. The Campeón and Las Colinas courses are regularly under $100 and are two challenging but fair designs. The PGA Tour Latinoamerica Q-school was hosted at Mission Inn in the fall, and both courses have hosted a litany of other events. The resort at Mission Inn offers Spanish-style villas and decors—adding nice variety compared to typical golf lodging options.
J.J. Suftko
One of those more typical lodging options would be the Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando. You’re centrally located in Orlando here, making it easy to get to any of Orlando’s good golf options. Right on site is Shingle Creek (above), which was renovated in 2017 by Thad Layton, lead designer of the Arnold Palmer group. Shingle Creek is a fun but challenging layout (tipping out at 7,200 yards) with thoughtful green designs and bunkering with some reachable par 4s and par 5s.
About 20-25 minutes away in Kissimmee are a few solid options, including the three courses at Reunion, a Golf Digest Editors’ Choice winner for Best Resorts, and also Celebration, which features risk-reward options from Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Sr. Though a challenging test with forced carries, wide fairways provide options for all levels of player.
A natural for any Orlando trip is getting to the Disney area, and even if the theme parks aren’t a part of your itinerary, all the golf at Disney is worth playing. The Magnolia Course (above) was the host of a PGA Tour event for decades.
One more lodging option worth mentioning: Golfbreaks has curated homes and villas in the Orlando area with close proximity to a couple other Orlando options worth playing. Both Greg Norman courses at the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate—including the International course, the National and the par-3 Champions course—were all renovated in the past five years. Hawk’s Landing, located at the Marriott Orlando World Center, has been a go-to for Orlando goers for years. And there are dozens of other options worth trying to play, including the courses at Orange County National, also a longtime host of Q-schools, and of course Bay Hill, which wouldn’t be included in a “budget” type of itinerary, but a necessary mention in Orlando golf articles.
Interested in booking one of these trips? Click here to start pricing out your trip with our friends at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, or call them: (+1) 843.779.7134.
Miami
South Beach and ‘budget’ are usually not in the same sentence. But when it comes to golf, you can put together an affordable trip that’s worth taking.
Courtesy of GolfBreaks
A favorite of many Miami goers is the Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club, located about 25 minutes from downtown, which provides access to the Senator course (above). Any NFL fan will appreciate the nods to Shula’s 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only perfect team in football history. Another course worth tacking onto an itinerary is the International Links Melreese Country Club. Located minutes away from the airport, it’s the perfect course to tack onto the first or last day of your trip.
Jensen Larson
One of our favorites in the area is Crandon Golf (above) in nearby Key Biscayne. Tee times have increased with the popularity of golf, but for less than $200 at peak and the sterling views and design of this Robert von Hagge/Bruce Devlin design, it’s tough to beat for public golf in the state, ranking among our top 15 public options in our last ranking of public golf in Florida.
Interested in booking one of these trips? Click here to start pricing out your trip with our friends at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, or call them: (+1) 843.779.7134.
Kiawah Island
On the upper-end of golf vacations you can take, we’re here to provide some alternative ways to visit one of the nation’s best golf destinations.
The villas at Kiawah are a cheaper way to do Kiawah, rather than the five-star Sanctuary Hotel (which, of course, we’d recommend for those who can afford it). Staying at the villas allows you to build some of Kiawah’s other courses into your itinerary, and there are always decent stay-and-play options to explore. (Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR has done the work for you, contact them for more.)
Of course, you know the Ocean Course, which hosted last year’s PGA Championship in addition to the 2011 PGA and 1991 Ryder Cup. One of Pete Dye’s best designs is worth trying to build into your trip, though there are four other great courses worth playing, too.
In a soon-to-be-released Best Places You Can Play in South Carolina, three of the remaining four courses appear in our top 25.
