Top Golf Resorts in the World: do you agree?

Conde Nast Traveler polled readers in the April edition for it's sixteenth annual list of top golf resorts in the world. Survey questions asked to over twenty-eight thousand participants related to golf course design, lodging, staff, food and service. "Great memories, if not a great score, are all but guaranteed."

The top-ranked Arizona golf resort on the list is Canyon Suites at the Phoenician in Scottsdale. Second on the same list is the Four Seasons Resort at Troon North. Since I have never stayed nor played golf in either resort, I cannot, with certainly, agree or disagree with the results.

Canyon Suites at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona

In addition to the top ten golf resorts in Arizona, the reader poll also lists:

Top 15 California Golf Resorts

Top 20 Florida Golf Resorts

Top 15 Hawaii Golf Resorts

Top 25 Southern Golf Resorts (nothing in Myrtle Beach?)

Top 20 Foreign Golf Resorts, in South Africa, Mexico, Bermuda, Ireland and more.

I have similar concerns with the remaining lists from California to Hawaii: if I choose to vacation, I would have to research these resorts on other websites as well (such as through Travelocity) and on Google in order to read about personal travelers' experiences.

I have always been interested in staying at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, for example, because it has been the season-opener for the LPGA and Champions Tour but, according to this list, Turtle Bay is ranked in fifteenth position, making me skeptical of its vacation value. Furthermore, Conde Nast placed no link within its site to the vacation destination which means the publication never reviewed it.

Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu

Subjectivity is the key word here, folks. Don't go to the top golf resort simply because of the findings of this poll and don't neglect the travel destination in fifteenth position either. Although the Conde Nast reader survey is a good starting point, do your research before you decide to travel and you will probably find hidden gems located within the same area as these top 121 golf resorts throughout the world.

By the way, do you agree with the results?

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on Facebook.

Photo Credits: Examiner.com, Agoda.net

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Will Tiger Woods attend Masters after-party golf gala in Myrtle Beach?

What do Annika Sorenstam, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk and Hootie and the Blowfish have in common? They will all be gathering at Barefoot Resort Dye Club in Myrtle Beach for the 18^th annual “Monday after the Masters” shindig. Will Tiger Woods be flying in to join his friends for the celebration?

Although Woods looked to be in decent form at the Tavistock Cup this week in spite of his Achilles injury (and the fact that his team stumbled to a last place finish), he proclaimed that he is ready for the Masters. It is understood that Tiger Woods will be performing at Augusta but a good showing in the first major of the year might make the difference between a quick jaunt into Myrtle Beach for a party or a flight home to sulk aboard his yacht.


While Tiger Woods and PGA Tour/Euro Tour players are making their way through the very treacherous yet beautiful Augusta National, many amateurs will happily be converging nearby in South Carolina to play golf in Myrtle Beach. This is the perfect time of year to hop a quick flight to this golf and beach destination; the weather couldn't be any better! Myrtle Beach also recently reached its three-millionth tee-time booking milestone and, with one-hundred finely manicured golf courses to play, the choices seem endless.

Among Golf Digest’s choices for America’s top-100 public golf courses in Myrtle Beach are Grande Dunes Golf Club (rated #46) and Tidewater Golf Club (rated #94), which I had the pleasure (?) of playing on a cold, rain-soaked day. Tidewater showed me early on in my golf learning curve that there are some golf courses that are meant for more serious golfers. Myrtlewood Palmetto Course was more for a beginner as I was when I played there several years ago, but I now think I am ready to take on Tidewater.

Tidewater




For golfers who want to "grip-it-and-rip-it", John Daly's Wicked Stick Golf Links may be your dream golf course. There are no fairway bunkers so players can hit from the "Daly tees" without being penalized for landing in (or around) the fairway while the shorter hitter will be encouraged by a wealth of shot-making opportunities.

 Wicked Stick Golf Links



For players seeking a resort feel, Barefoot Resort features four golf courses created by Norman, Love Fazio and Dye, each creating a unique golf experience. The Norman course features seven holes spread along the Intracoastal waterway. The Love course is lowcountry style is set among the ruins of an old plantation and features wide open fairways. Fazio also incorporates a lowcountry design while Dye's "semi-private design" is considered "beautiful yet treacherous." This is where the Monday after the Masters golf gala will be held so make sure to get your round in advance!


Here's a great idea... Why not fly into Myrtle Beach, rent a car, play a few rounds of golf, drive down to Augusta for the Masters, then drive back to Myrtle Beach and enjoy the big after-party with Tiger Woods and the gang! How often do you get this opportunity?



Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.


photo credit: Myrtle-Beachgolf.com, Golfnow.com

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous