SOUTHEAST
Golf is a major draw at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, thanks to a beautiful 18-hole, par-72 course created by the Arnold Palmer Design Co. This 7,200-yard layout caters to golfers of all levels and features elevated greens and strategically placed bunkers, all surrounded by enchanting flora and wildlife. Those looking to up their game will enjoy the on-site Shingle Creek Golf Academy, with its new state-of-the-art swing-analysis and game-improvement technology in the indoor hitting bays.
Just 10 minutes from Orlando International Airport, the 1,501-room resort has much to offer off the course, as well, including succulent steaks at A Land Remembered, Tuscan-inspired fare at Cala Bella and an elaborate breakfast buffet at Café Osceola. Other amenities include a nature trail, four swimming pools, fishing and tennis, while meetings take place in more than 524,000 square feet of flexible space in a variety of venues.
Legendary golf champion Tom Fazio was the force behind the two expertly designed 18-hole courses at the 606-room Wild Dunes Resort, which spans 1,600 acres on Isle of Palms in South Carolina. Bordered by the intracoastal Waterway, the Harbor Course has picture perfect views from each hole, while the Links Course is lined by rustling palm trees linking lush, rolling fairways. With 35,000 square feet of meeting and event space, the resort offers easy access to a serene beach as well as colorful downtown Charleston.
Gently undulating hills and meticulously manicured greens winding around 14 lakes are among the hallmarks at the 18-hole, par-72 golf course at the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. Designed by Robert Cupp, the layout lies right between the Gulf of Mexico and Vanderbujit Bay and affords some gorgeous views. The resort also sports 189 elegant guest rooms and more than 8,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, plus seven outdoor gathering spots.
At the the 250-room Kiawah Island Golf Resort on a pristine barrier island off South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast, no less than five top-flight courses were designed by some of the biggest names in golf, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Fazio. The 18-hole, par-72 Ocean Course by Pete Dye, for example, has the most seaside holes in the Northern Hemisphere, not to mention sparkling ocean views (and challenging ocean breezes). The resort has nearly 90,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
MIDWEST
Ensconced within the secluded beauty of Northern Illinois' Galena Territory, the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa has three award-winning 18-hole championship golf courses, including the legendary General, its rolling wooded hills and 250 feet of elevation changes providing scenic views of three states — Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. Also on tap are an additional nine-hole course and assorted golf clinics and club fittings, instructions by PGA pros and a Trackman Simulator for guests who want to improve their game off-season. The resort’s staff can organize innovative team-building programs as well.
Along with 80 guest rooms and more than 15,000 square feet of meeting space, the property is a leader in sustainable hospitality (including cutting down on nighttime “light pollution”) and offers three restaurants that partner with local farmers, butchers and fishermen, plus the Stonedrift Spa with 10 treatment rooms.
Two 18-hole championship golf courses grace the 356-room Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wis. The Brute course, at over 7,000 yards, is one of the most challenging in the Midwest with 68 bunkers and huge rolling greens. The Highlands is a links-style course with scenic hills, trickling creeks and lush foliage. The resort also has 62,000 square feet of meeting and event space able to accommodate up to 1,500 people, plus the Well Spa + Salon offering a wide range of body treatments and massage services.
In the heart of Missouri's Ozark Mountains just south of Branson, Mo., the 317-room Big Cedar Lodge is a wilderness resort as well as a golf destination, thanks to five courses from the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw. The new Payne’s Valley course is the first public layout designed by Tiger Woods, with 18 holes marked by rock outcroppings, mountain ridges, pristine steams and stately mature trees. The property has more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space across more than 20 venues, including a conference center that can host up to 1,000 people.
SOUTHWEST
Set on 125 acres of Sonoran Desert terrain in Arizona’s Paradise Valley, the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa is home to the Camelback Golf Club — 36 holes of championship play divided among two courses, the 7,225-yard Ambiente and the 6,903-yard Padre, both par 72 and featuring native grasses, lakes, lofty tees and impressive mountain views. Full-service practice facilities, private instruction by PGA-certified professionals and a 36,000-square-foot pueblo-style clubhouse complete the package.
The resort also is home to 453 newly renovated standalone guest casitas and suites, each with a garden patio or balcony; a 32,000-square-foot spa; six tennis courts; two heated outdoor swimming pools, and seven restaurants and lounges. Total on-site meeting space comes to 127,500 square feet spread among 26 meeting rooms, including the 15,000-square-foot Paradise Ballroom, with idyllic views of the Arizona desert.
The 784-room Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., celebrates over 100 years of golf legacy, its golf club festooned with historic décor and memorabilia. The two on-site championship courses were designed by Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, Sr, respectively. For meeting and incentive groups, the Broadmoor offers a tournament-services program that includes complete planning, personalized scorecards, specialty contests, awards, corporate logo merchandise and more. The property has over 315,000 square feet of event and convention space.
Perched atop a mesa in Colorado Springs overlooking snow-capped Pikes Peak, the 116-room Garden of the Gods Resort and Club features the renown 27-hole Kissing Camels Golf Course with its immaculately groomed fairways, bunkered greens and towering pines. With instruction available for all levels of play, the resort also offers the Strata Integrated Wellness and Spa, six tennis courts, three outdoor pools and multiple dining experiences, plus over 22,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor venue space.
FAR WEST
On Oahu in Hawaii, the Hawaii Prince Golf Club at the Prince Waikiki hotel has 27 serene holes designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, with three interchangeable nines that create a variety of playing conditions for all skill levels. The course’s 270 acres include stunning views of the rain-carved Waianae Mountains, and its long, verdant fairways are lined with white-sand bunkers and glistening lakes. The resort recently debuted a driving range in partnership with the Island Pacific Golf Academy and USTA Hawaii Pacific.
Also on-site are 521 redesigned guest rooms and suites, all facing the Pacific Ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, while dining takes place both at the signature 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar and Katsumidari Sushi Tokyo. An infinity pool overlooks harbor sunsets, while a 700-square-foot fitness facility includes an indoor golf simulator. The resort has event space for up to 200 guests and is just around the corner from the Hawaii Convention Center.
Founded in 1926, the 617-room La Quinta Resort & Club in California’s Coachella Valley offers five 18-hole courses on-site and at nearby PGA West, including the spectacular Mountain Course by Pete Dye at the base of the majestic Santa Rosa Mountains, featuring pot (aka pothole) bunkers, rock formations and well-bunkered greens. The resort sits amid 46 acres of beautiful vegetation and has more than 190,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space able to host up to 2,000 guests.
In North County San Diego, just 10 minutes from the city’s many beaches, the 287-room Rancho Bernardo Inn has three pools, a full-service spa, meeting space for up to 500 attendees and an 18-hole, 6,631-yard championship golf course. As designed by William Francis Bell in 1964, the layout is crisscrossed with old-growth trees that provide a dramatic canopy of shade and sun-dappled light throughout. The course also has the unique distinction of having hosted both PGA and LPGA events.
INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. TERRITORIES
.jpg?tr=w-920%2Cfo-auto "Stella Awards 2022 Best Golf Resort 6")
About 40 minutes east of San Juan, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort has two 18-hole golf courses overlooking an ocean (the Atlantic), a river (the Mameyes) and a national forest (El Yunque). The 6,716-yard, par-72 Ocean layout from Tom and George Fazio is known for being both gorgeous and notorious thanks to its breathtaking views and challenging bunkers and water hazards, while the 6,945-yard, par-72 River Course was designed by Greg Norman to expertly blend the holes into the existing foliage.
For meetings and events, the resort has more than 48,000 square feet of indoor event space along with scenic outdoor areas ripe for team building and other group activities. All 400 spacious guest rooms and suites offer balcony views, plush bedding and a general air of tropical tranquility.
On the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, the 247-room Casa de Campo is a 45-minute drive from the capital of Santo Domingo to the west and resort enclave of Punta Cana to the east. Guests in search of golf will find themselves surrounded by pristine Caribbean waters on any of the three masterfully designed 18-hole courses crafted by the legendary Pete Dye: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore and The Links. The property also has all manner of water sports and 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space.