It’s hard to sink a six-foot put when your hands are shivering
in the cold. Golf is a warm weather sport, and come wintertime,
warm weather has a nasty habit of hiding like a Titleist sliced
into the knee-high rough at Shinnecock Hills. Yet golfers have a
nasty habit too—they want to play all year round, especially
in those frigid winter months.
When the golf itch strikes in the dead of winter, escape the frozen
tundra of your hometown and take a trip to one of these top golf
resorts compiled by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).
Some of the most travel-wise people in the world, ASTA members know
that you don’t get a mulligan on a vacation, so you should
get it right on the first swing.
Palmetto Bluff –
Bluffton, South Carolina
Photo:
Palmetto Bluff/Crescent Resources
The Inn at Palmetto Bluff sits along the enchanting May River in South
Carolina’s picturesque Lowcountry a few miles inland from
Hilton Head Island. “The Bluff” is one of the wildest
and most beautiful places in all of South Carolina, and the Inn at
Palmetto Bluff embodies that beauty, combining charm and luxury to
create a spacious retreat that will teach you to appreciate both southern
hospitality and cuisine.
But enough about the resort—it’s time to play golf.
The Jack Nicklaus signature course at the May River Golf Club at
Palmetto Bluff is a work of art. Meticulously laid out, the course
weaves through centuries-old oaks of the May River Forest with several
holes right on the waterfront. At 7,171 yards, this incredible course
spectacularly blends championship-level design with natural beauty
to challenge golfers of all skill levels.
Desert Ridge
Resort and Spa – Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona’s
largest luxury resort, the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa
unites the elements of nature—fire, water, earth and sky—into
its overall design to let every guest experience the pleasures of
the distinguished surroundings. When not playing golf, guests enjoy
the resort’s Revive Spa, a stunning, two-story oasis inspired
by water and set in the midst of the soothing Sonoran Desert.
The desert provides a dramatic backdrop to the Wildfire Golf Club’s
two championship 18-hole courses. Each course comes with its own
personality, for the Arnold Palmer-designed course is a relaxing,
scenic affair with expansive fairways and oversized greens to keep
your scorecard looking as good as you feel. The Nick Faldo-designed
course, on the other hand, surrounded by mountains and century-old
saguaro cacti, is reminiscent of the Australian sand belt courses,
with 106 sand bunkers to challenge all strikers.
Desert Springs Resort
– Palm Desert, California
Photo:
JW Marriott Resorts
The Desert Springs Resort is the quintessential desert oasis. Two
championship 18-hole courses—known as The Valley and The Palms
and designed by Ted “King of Waterscapes” Robinson—
are set against the towering backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
Robinson incorporated 35 acres of sparkling streams, lagoons, and
water cascades to challenge your skills and delight your eyes.
On both 18-hole courses, you can drive in one of the new, high-tech
golf carts. From the comfort of your own cart, you can use the onboard
computer to view graphic layouts of each hole, compute exact yardage
to the pin, monitor the pace of your play and solicit tips from
the course’s pro on playing a particular hole—not that
you need any tips. And before you tee off for the 18th hole, you
can use the computer to order lunch that will be waiting for you
at the Sand Trap & Wedge for the perfect end to a great round.
Kapalua Resorts
– Maui, Hawaii
Kapalua is not just a resort; it’s a state of bliss that only Hawaii can boast. A choice of accommodations will inspire relaxation in
the weariest of bones, and the three golf courses at your demand—The
Bay, The Village and The Plantation—may just inspire your
lowest score ever. All three are set amidst Maui’s magnificent
landscape, making the Kapalua Hawaii’s number one golf resort.
Each coarse has its on sense of natural style. The Bay boasts the
most ocean panoramas, and lush tropical terrain, while The Village
rises into the West Maui mountains, traveling through eucalyptus
and pine trees, and alongside ridges plummeting hundreds of feet
into deep green valleys. The featured course, though, is The Plantation,
set on 240 acres of striking terrain, challenging PGA Tour players
each January during the Mercedes Championships.
Your Vacation Caddy
On the golf course, your caddy is your trusted guide, helping you
make the right decisions every hole. Let a travel agent be your
vacation caddy to help you make the right decisions about your next
trip. Travel agents know how to take the stress out of planning
your golf getaway while saving you time and money, leaving you with
ample energy to grip it and rip it all day long.
A trusted travel agent can send your irons packing to one of the
above destinations or to a number of excellent alternatives that
fit your budget and exceed your expectations. For that’s what
travel agents do best—exceed your expectations—through
their extensive knowledge of travel and their personal contracts
across the globes.
Trade in your ice cream sandwich for a nice, clean sand wedge. Click here to find a travel agent
in your area to escape winter and start planning your next tee
time underneath the sun.
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