The Top 10 Golf Resorts In The U.S.

The Top 10 Golf Resorts In The U.S.

Eight states share a part of the Top 10 Golf Resorts in the United States for 2007. Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, Hawaii, Oregon, Florida, California, and West Virginia.

Our #1 golf resort resides in Pinehurst – North Carolina. The Pinehurst Resort ranks best in golf resorts for the South East, and best resorts for buddy trips in the South East.

Pinehurst Resort Description:
Now that the 2005 U.S. Open has come and gone, Pinehurst can return to its customary role as the pristine, unofficial home of golf in America. The resort has eight timeless courses set in gently rolling sandhills framed by tall longleaf pines.

Where to Play:
The No. 2 course, a subtle test void of conspicuous drama (except around the turtle-back greens), is Donald Ross’s masterpiece. Play it at least twice, with a caddie. No. 4, redesigned by Tom Fazio and the site of the 2008 U.S. Amateur, is also quite good, as are Nos. 6, 7 and 8. Need a confidence builder? Tee it up on No. 1, a 6,128-yard charmer opened in 1898.

Ranked #2 – Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Located in the Beaches of South Carolina this course ranked No. 2 in Best Golf Resorts, The Southeast. No. 2 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, The Southeast. And No. 1 in Best Resorts for Family Trips, The Southeast.

Description:
This 10,000-acre South Carolina coastal retreat offers miles of private beach and marsh-lined forested paths, not to mention proximity to Charleston; but golf unquestionably is the top draw. Although all five of the resorts courses are worthy, the Pete Dye–designed Ocean course is the main attraction.

Be Sure To:
Play the Ocean course on foot with a caddie … Stay at the two-year-old Sanctuary hotel. Its twin staircases off the lobby ooze Gone with the Wind … Indulge in the “ocean fossil” mineral therapy at the Spa at Sanctuary … Dig into a plate of shrimp and grits at the seaside Jasmine Porch.

Ranked #3 – Pebble Beach Resorts
Residing in Pebble Beach, California Pebble Beach, an icon of golf, has an uninterrupted stretch of cliff top holes from four through ten along with perhaps the game’s greatest finish. Play it at least twice, with a caddie. Spyglass Hill, which opens in rolling dunes before burrowing into a pine forest, is a swashbuckler. Spanish Bay swings to and from the sea, its undulating fairways parted by man-made dunes. It, too, is worth a round.

Description:
There are many wonderful golf destinations sprinkled across America, but the Monterey Peninsula, with its power troika of Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay (under the aegis of Pebble Beach Resorts) is unrivaled in terms of scenery, challenge and aura.

Ranked #4 – Kapalua Golf Resort
Located in Hawaii this resort was rated No. 1 in Best Golf Resorts, Hawaii. No. 1 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, Hawaii. And No. 2 in Best Resorts for Family Trips, Hawaii.

Description:
This eco sensitive resort in the West Maui Mountains offers fifty-four holes spliced between pineapple fields and the deep-blue Pacific.

Where to Play:
The recently renovated Plantation course, home of the Mercedes Championships, is a grand-scale Bill Coore–Ben Crenshaw design that rambles across verdant, heaving terrain high above the ocean. Forget the yardage book: The pitch and roll of the terrain, plus the brisk trade winds, determine the shot. The Bay and Village courses are scenic second choices.

Ranked #5 – Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Located in Oregon, Bandon Dunes ranked No. 2 in Best Golf Resorts, The West & Northwest. And No. 1 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, The West & Northwest.

Ranking #6 – Princeville Resort
Located in the Beautiful Islands of Hawaii Princeville Resort Ranked No. 2 in Best Golf Resorts, Hawaii. And No. 2 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, Hawaii.

Ranked #7 – Doral Golf Resort & Spa
This little gem located in Miami, Florida palm-lined Miami resort, opened in 1962 and a mainstay on the PGA Tour’s Florida swing, remains the standard-bearer in the Sunshine State: five golf courses, numerous fine restaurants and a state-of-the-art spa. Ranked No. 1 in Best Golf Resorts, Florida and No. 1 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, Florid.

Ranked #8 – Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona it was ranked No. 1 in Best Golf Resorts, The Southwest and No. 1 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, The Southwest.

Ranked #9 – The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa
Located in Carefree, Arizona this renowned desert hideaway north of Phoenix seems to have been airlifted into another world dotted with granite boulders. The thirty-six-hole golf club is complemented by a 33,000-square-foot spa. Ranked No. 2 in Best Golf Resorts, The Southwest.

And Coming in at #10 – The Greenbrier
Located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Take the service of Manhattan’s finest hotels, blend it with equal parts historic West Virginia and rural charm, then toss in remarkable golf and you have the Greenbrier. The resort is also renowned for its spa, which dates to 1778, when its healing sulphur springs were first discovered. The Greenbrier Sporting Club offers luxury homes plus the private Sam Snead course as well as fly fishing, horseback riding, hunting and other outdoor pursuits. Ranked No. 1 in Best Golf Resorts, Northeast & Mid-Atlantic and No. 1 in Best Resorts for Buddy Trips, Northeast & Mid-Atlantic.

Sources: Travel + Leisure Golf

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