The top golf resorts in the continental U.S.: Plan your perfect fall golf getaway!
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Orlando
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The Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes
- 18-hole; 7,122 yards; par 72
- Kids play free with each paying adult
- Kids' golf etiquette class for ages five to 12
- Driving range
- Practice putting green, full-size bunker, and short-game area
- Calloway- and Taylor-made clubs, and FootJoy shoes available for rent
- $145 green fee for hotel guests, (includes golf cart and driving range)
- Twilight rate of $95 after 2 p.m.
Stay: Located about 15 minutes from both Disney and Universal Studios on the beautiful (and massive) Grande Lakes resort grounds, the Ritz-Carlton Orlando is one of the best luxury hotels in the city, with swanky rooms, great pools, and a giant spa. -
Reunion Resort
- Designed by Arnold Palmer, the 6,916-yard Legacy Course has more than 50 feet of elevation change, a rarity in Florida.
- The 7,244-yard Tradition Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is notable for its 18 flat, parkland-style holes.
- The Independence Course, at 7,154 yards, has garnered a number of accolades from the golf press.
- Green fees are $180, which includes the cost of a cart.
- On-site ANNIKA Academy has golf lessons and training, including sessions with Annika Sorenstam herself -- for those that can afford her time.
- Callaway rental equipment is $50 per 18 holes.
- A clubhouse with a restaurant, bar, assorted golf gear, and locker rooms is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Stay: Just 15 minutes south of Disney, the sprawling 411-room Reunion Resort is one of Orlando's best condo resorts. Its beautiful one-bedroom villas with full kitchens, daily kids' activities, huge water park, 54 holes of golf, excellent restaurants, and polished service make it well worth the price. -
Las Vegas
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Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
- It can cost $375 to play the 7,042-yard, par-70 course, but it comes with a landscape dominated by waterfalls, streams, and a forest of trees.
- Extremely well maintained
- Golf carts come stocked with beverages and there are food and beverages available on holes nine and 13. Callaway loaner clubs are available, as are caddies.
- One of the top courses in the greater Las Vegas area
Stay: The 2,716-room Wynn is one of the Strip's most extravagant luxury hotels. It features remote-controlled drapes in the giant rooms, eight premier restaurants, and of course the 18-hole golf course. The course is shared by neighboring Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, which has giant rooms that one-up even the Wynn's. -
Miami
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Marriott Doral Golf Resort And Spa
- Winner of numerous honors, including being named one of the 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America by Golf Digest, the Doral features five world-class courses, including the Blue Monster (named for the oversize lake in the middle of it), Greg Norman's Great White, and Raymond Floyd's gold course.
- The Doral also plays host to a Jim McLean golf school. Expect to pay a pretty penny for private lessons, but free lessons are run for one hour Wednesday through Sunday afternoons.
- Upwards of $175 per round in high season.
Stay: Something for everyone: for the guys, world-class golf; for the ladies, a full-service spa; for the kiddies, a 125-foot waterslide. And it's all graced with warm, friendly service in a scenic resort setting. -
Fisher Island Hotel and Resort
- The Pete Dye-designed course is only nine holes, but it's a stunner, with Scottish bunkers and views of the ocean, Biscayne Bay, and the Miami skyline.
- Greens fees are in addition to the resort fee and run $65 for nine holes and $125 for 18.
- Features a two-tiered driving range and practice putting green.
- Free weekly clinics are open to guests, and lessons can be scheduled throughout the week.
Stay: This 45-room Fisher Island Hotel and Resort is located among homes of the super-rich on a lush, private island that's a 10-minute ferry ride from the Miami mainland. It doesn't have the party scene, the high-design rooms, or the gourmet restaurants of the mainland luxury hotels. But its history, charm, and beautiful golf and tennis facilities make it a great choice for couples and families looking for something special. -
Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club
- Two courses, the Soffer and Miller courses
- Recently hosted the NBC/ADT Golf Skills Challenge and The Stanford International Pro Am (LPGA)
- Green Fees complimentary for guests during the summer season (June 1-September 30)
- Recently added a 64-foot waterfall (the largest in the state) to the Soffer Course 18th hole island green
Stay: An award-winning golf course, beautiful pools, elegant rooms and an amazing spa make the Fairmont Turnberry a true luxury retreat. -
Los Angeles
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Terranea Resort
- Nine holes, 1,239 yards, par 27
- $30 fee Monday through Friday, $35 on weekends, $50 for 18 holes Monday through Friday, $60 on weekends
- Clubs, pull carts available for rental
- Individual lessons $75 an hour, semiprivate lessons for two to four people $40 per person
- Trump National and Los Verdes Golf Course, both 18-hole courses, are within three miles of Terranea
Stay: One of just a few true mega-resorts in Southern California, the 100-acre, 582-room Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes offers a range of features that's unrivaled among Los-Angeles-area properties, including a top-tier spa, nine holes of golf, five restaurants, three pools, and gorgeous, manicured grounds. Plus, it opened in June 2009, so the rooms and facilities still sparkle.
It's getting to be that time of year: the time to pull out your heavy jackets and prepare for the winter months ahead. For those who love to golf, this is always a sad time of the year -- but then again, it's also your last chance to plan your perfect golf getaway, before the weather turns too cold. Oyster features over 50 hotels with golf courses, and the hotels below feature some of the best of the best.
Play: The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Great Lakes is a beautiful Greg Norman Signature Golf Course surrounded by the woods, lakes, and wildlife of the Grande Lakes property.
Play: Some of the best golf in Orlando, featuring 54 holes designed by pros even non-golfers would recognize.
Play: The Wynn Golf Club was designed by legendary course designer Tom Fazio. It is also the only 18-hole golf course on the Strip.
Play: Five championship courses, including the famed Blue Monster, which is used in the PGA Tour's WGC-CA Championship.
Play: Golf is both literally and figuratively at the center of Fisher Island life, so much so that a button on guest-room phones puts you through to the golf club for arranging tee times.
Play: Set among 300 tropical acres, this Raymond Floyd design features two recently revamped 18-hole courses.
Play: Terranea has its own nine-hole course, "The Links." The mellow course, appropriate for all skill levels, looks over the hotel property and has views of the ocean.