If the siren call of rolling greens and crisp mornings filled with birdie opportunities set your heart aflutter, we have a list that will make any golf enthusiast pack their bags with undue haste. With 2024 offering a bouquet of new destinations, we’ve pitched our tent at the crests of golf luxury to bring you the gold standards of golf resorts. Here’s a look at two resorts that your scorecard would proudly call home.
The Ocean’s Sighs: Pebble Beach, California
Imagine standing at the edge of Enchanted Rock, the surging expanse of blue isn’t the only thing transfixed before you. The coasts of Pebble Beach Golf Links unfurl along the Monterey Peninsula, its fairways almost kissing the rugged cliffs overlooking the Pacific. One would be forgiven for thinking its beauty a mirage, were it not for the yearly migration of golf’s elite, who gather here for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The accolades for Pebble Beach are a chorus; the par-5 18th, a symphony. It’s as if its very design conspired with the elements to provide the most breathtaking curtain call to your round.
The Harmonious Design
Recently, Pebble Beach surprised us with a reimagined, resculpted 18th hole that marries design with the coastline’s natural contours, offering sightlines that verge on the poetic. The new challenge resonates with first-time visitors and veteran golfers alike, making the thrill of the game an inescapable and beautiful reality.
Tradition Meets Technology: St. Andrews, Scotland
To speak of golf without a reverent nod to the birthplace of the sport is to miss the mark entirely. St. Andrews Links in Scotland is not just one course but a collection of storied grounds, where the whispers of golf’s history are as tangible as a club in hand. With the newest addition being the Castle Course, which joined the lineup in 2008, St. Andrews does not shy from merging centuries of tradition with the cutting-edge demands of modern golf.
The Legacy of Greens
The Castle Course stands as a beacon of sustainable design, a necessary synergy for a sport so deeply entwined with environmental aesthetics. This marriage between tradition and innovation has not only produced one of the most challenging courses on the Links, but it also testifies to the longevity of golf as a sport that must and will adapt.
What’s Par for the Course in Your Future of Golf?
The lush landscapes and meticulously maintained links weaved by resorts like Pebble Beach and St. Andrews are more than just scenic backdrops to your game. They are living testaments to the tapestries of joy and challenge that golf, at its best, provides. They serve as the foundations for emerging technologies, eco-friendly initiatives, and notably, cherished memories. And these are some of the things you can look for in the best golf resorts in Florida, California, and all over the world.
In the upcoming years, we anticipate golf resorts will persist in innovating, providing players with more than just a round of golf, but a comprehensive experience. Whether you’re trekking the coastal classics or wandering the ancestral greens, the future looks well grounded for those who seek to find their patch of golfing paradise. Your clubs deserve it.