Where The Grass Is Always Greener: Best Golf Courses for Father's Day
Though we'll miss Tiger in the U.S. Open this year, the golf craze carries on. These hotel golf courses will impress any golfer, from pros to amateurs. Play your best game seaside, waterfall-side or mountain-side.
Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, Kauai, Hawaii
Next to two golf courses, including the Prince, Golf Digest's No. 1 Hawaii course, Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas is the place to stay for golf lovers. Two well-regarded courses are adjacent to the Westin Princeville. One, the Prince, has breathtaking views along Princeville's cliffs. The second, Makai, a 27-hole monster, was renovated in 2009. The Prince Golf Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. 18 holes, 7,309 yards, par 72, on 390 acres. The golf carts equipped with GPS systems.
Casa De Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic
The signature course, Teeth of the Dog, at Casa De Campo is arguably the best in the Caribbean. There are also two others, and all are beautifully maintained. In 2008, Travel & Leisure Golf ranked Casa de Campo the top golf resort in the Caribbean. The resort's signature course, Teeth of the Dog, which was redesigned in 2006, is ranked No. 43 on Golf Magazine's top 100 courses in the world. All three courses on the property were designed by World Golf Hall of Famer Pete Dye. Each course has 40 groundskeepers assigned to it, which doesn't come as a surprise as the grass is superbly maintained.
Wynn Las Vegas, The Strip, Las Vegas
Designed by Tom Fazio, the Wynn has the only 18-hole golf course on the Strip. The 7,042-yard, par-70 course comes with waterfalls, water features and well-maintained greens. Golf carts come stocked with beverages at The Wynn, and there are food and beverages available on holes nine and 13. Callaway loaner clubs are available, as are caddies.
Marriott Orlando World Center Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Orlando
An 18-hole, par 71, 6,600-yard course named Hawk's Landing surrounds the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort. The Bill Madonna Golf Academy at the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort has covered bays, putting and chipping areas, bunkers, and manicured grass tees.
Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate, South of Disney, Orlando
The Omni Championsgate has great greens -- just outside the door. Guests can choose from two 18-hole golf courses as well as enjoy the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. The nine-hole par-3 course is illuminated at night, unlike most other courses in Orlando.
The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica
At the peak of a mountain, with 16 of 18 holes overlooking the Caribbean Sea, White Witch golf course at The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort mocks the low-lying, much easier courses below, including the Half Moon golf course. According to most guests at the hotel (as well as Travel + Leisure), the White Witch golf course is about the best golf course in the Caribbean (athough Teeth of the Dog at the Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic is worthy challenger).
Makena Beach and Golf Resort, Maui, Hawaii
As the highest-elevated course on Maui's south shore, Makena Golf Course gives players stunning views of Mount Haleakala, the island's dormant volcano, and the Molokini and Lanai islands. Like the Wailea Golf Club's Emerald and Gold courses, the 18-hole Makena course is designed by famed golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. But the 6,914-yard Makena, with its narrow fairways, is considered the most challenging of the three.
Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
The Four Seasons' par-72 championship course, designed by pro golfer Arnold Palmer, has panoramic ocean views from several of its holes, and the surrounding forests are rich with wildlife (including both howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys). The course is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, meaning its construction was, and its operation is, more environmentally sensitive than your typical golf course.