As a golfer and a beach bum wannabe, my favorite golf destinations are primarily by the sea. Occasionally, I am going to be writing about various golf travel ideas, so I thought I would simply start out with a list of my personal favorite golf spots.
Bermuda
Bermuda is probably my favorite golf destination because I simply love the island itself. I love the water, the beaches and just traveling about the island.
Bermuda is presently home to six golf courses, with Port Royal Golf Course being my personal favorite due to the spectacular ocean views.
At one time, Bermuda was known to have more golf courses per square mile than any other place in the world. However, a couple courses have closed in the last couple of years, so I am not sure this is still the case.
If you want to stay in the main city of Hamilton, I recommend the Fairmont Princess hotel. If you are more interested in staying at more of a beach resort, you can’t go wrong with the Fairmont Southampton Princess, Cambridge Beaches, or The Reefs.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston
Charleston is on my list because the city itself is awesome. Whether you are looking for excellent food, entertainment, shopping, or history, this town has it all.
Throw in its location by the Atlantic Ocean, and an outstanding selection of golf courses, and it’s easy to see why Charleston is on my list.
My favorite beach is Sullivan’s Island, but you have to go to Isle of Palms or Folly Beach for public facilities. These are all within about a 20 to 30 minute drive from Charleston.
Further to the south is Kiawah Island, where you can find the vaunted Ocean Course, as well as tremendous beaches.
The beauty of Charleston is that it is within about a two hour flight from New York, Boston and Washington, DC, so it is easy to get to if you just want to visit for a long weekend.
Puerto Rico
Royal Isabela – Puerto Rico
I was married in Puerto Rico in 2012 and fell in love with the island. The beaches are spectacular, and San Juan is a very cool city to visit. The people are also as nice as can be.
What I also love about Puerto Rico is that I can get a non-stop flight from the DC area and be there in about four hours.
Puerto Rico is also home to 23 golf courses, and prior to the Hurricane Maria disaster, was host to the Puerto Rico Open PGA Tour event. That is expected to return in 2019.
Fitting in all the best golf and scenery will be difficult to do in one trip, unless you plan on staying for a month!
If you only have time for a couple rounds, you must play Royal Isabela along the northwest coast and Bahia Beach Golf Club, about 25 miles to the east of San Juan.
Be sure you spend a day in Old San Juan for dining and shopping.
Florida’s Emerald Coast
Seagrove Beach, FL
I just had the chance to visit Florida’s Emerald Coast last year, just before Hurricane Irma decided to venture up through Florida.
The Emerald Coast stretches from Panama City Beach on the Panhandle, to Pensacola near the Alabama border.
The beaches there are truly spectacular, with the softest and whitest sand I have ever seen. The water has a greenish tint to it, but is as clear as any water sea water I’ve experienced. You can literally see your toes in chest deep water.
One pretty cool stretch along the Panhandle is referred to as “the 30A,” named for the local route that connects a few towns such as Seaside and Rosemary Beach. Seaside was the town where “The Truman Show” was filmed back in the late 1990’s.
The Emerald Coast is also a very solid golf destination, with over two dozen courses hugging the coastline from Panama City Beach over to Pensacola. You can also find more if you travel a bit further inland.
The Sandestin Resort near Destin is ground zero for golf along the Emerald Coast, so consider starting your trip there.
Now, a couple places on my list that I have yet to visit are Barbados and Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic
Teeth of the Dog
In the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic has become the most popular golf destination, and no wonder. Spectacular beaches and scenery abound, along with a vibrant culture to make the Dominican Republic a must visit for golfers.
The Teeth of the Dog, Pete Dye’s gem at Casa De Campo along the south coast, should be the first stop. This reputedly Dye’s personal favorite among the hundreds of courses he has designed in his career, so that is saying something.
Once you experience Case De Campo, venture back up to Punta Cana along the east coast, where many of the newer courses have been developed over the last 15 years. Among these are the Nicklaus designed courses at Punta Espada.
Punta Cana offers stunning resorts along the spectacular beaches found on that part of the island.
If you want to experience more city life, head to Santo Domingo on the south coast, to the west of Casa De Campo, where you can find several more, under the radar courses.
Barbados
Green Monkey Course
Not many Americans think of Barbados as a golf destination, but it is essentially the Bermuda of the Caribbean. It is not as easy to get to as Bermuda and Puerto Rico, but definitely worth a visit.
With six golf courses available, and absolutely spectacular beaches, Barbados has long been on my list of golf destinations.
The most renowned golf course on the island is the Green Monkey at Sandy Lane, which stretches to over 7,300 yards. The Green Monkey is always listed among the best courses in the Caribbean.
However, Apes Hill Golf Course, built in 2009, was ranked number 4 in the Caribbean in a recent ranking published by USA Today.
As I mentioned, Barbados also has some spectacular beaches, with calm waters on the west side of the island, which fronts the Caribbean, to the rough surf along the east side, which fronts the Atlantic.
Other Destinations In Mind
Quite honestly, I am one of the few golfers that won’t feel cheated if I never get to Scotland. I am a fair weather golfer now, having played in enough crappy weather in college to last me a lifetime.
For me, it’s all about good weather, great scenery and awesome beaches.
So, some of the other golf destinations that are on my bucket list include the south coast of Spain, Los Cabos in Mexico, California, and Hawaii.
I also want to give a shout out to my old home state, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas have some of the best golf courses IN THE WORLD.
If you enjoy classic American golf architecture, you can’t find better examples than Oakmont, Laurel Valley, Merion, Aronimink, Philadelphia Cricket Club and Pine Valley just outside Philly in New Jersey.
Of course, you probably need to know someone to get on any of these facilities as they are all pretty exclusive. So, if you have a connection, take advantage!
So there you have it, my current list of favorite golf destinations. Let me know some of yours!
