5 Places to Visit When Taking a Golf Road Trip
Forget flying. Don’t spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to travel from one place to the next — grab your girlfriends, load up the car and take a spontaneous golf road trip to amazing resorts and play on championship courses. The golf vacation of your dreams could be just up the road.
- Plantation on Crystal River
Take a golf road trip to Plantation on Crystal River, where you’ll find an exclusive Central Florida golf resort featuring 27 holes of competitive and challenging golf designed by course architect Mark Mahannah. He created a course with a variety of water and bunker obstacles, along with challenging fairways lined by mature emerald pine and oak trees.
This eco-friendly resort offers two-story villas, which is perfect for couples, families, or golf groups that want to enjoy golf courses in Crystal River.
If it’s a short course you prefer, “The Lagoons” is a great option to sharpen your short game. If you’re into hitting monster drives, try their “Championship Course” which consists of 18 holes of world-class golf.
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Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa
Beautiful sunsets, championship golf courses and warm weather — who could ask for more? Golf enthusiasts will be delighted to play on two champion golf courses at TPC Sawgrass — The Stadium Course and Dye’s Valley Course.
The Stadium Course
Carved out of the North Florida coast, Pete Dye’s Stadium Course was the first true “Stadium Course,” designed to improve the overall on-site fan experience. With its signature island green on the par-3, 17th hole being one of the most recognized in golf, this legendary track has captured the imagination of golf fans all over the world and is consistently named among the top courses worldwide.
Dye’s Valley Course
With wide rolling fairways, larger greens, challenging water holes and a peaceful, unassuming feel, Dye’s Valley Course is the perfect place to play a round of golf during your Ponte Vedra visit. Seasoned and casual golfers alike can benefit from the design of this golf course, with its wider fairways and larger greens. This is still a challenging course, as water comes into play on all 18 holes. There is even a chance for the long hitters to potentially reach some of the par-5 holes in two strokes. Golfers will also enjoy a less-crowded course and likely a faster round.
- Streamsong Resort
Streamsong resort is a retreat that is the ultimate escape for relaxation, enrichment and rejuvenationThis Par-73 championship layout arrives accompanied by The Gauntlet, a two-acre putting course, and The Roundabout, a free-flowing practice area, as well as a new clubhouse boasting the Bone Valley Tavern restaurant. Featured in Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S. (Streamsong® Red – #10 and Streamsong® Blue – #14) to Trip Advisor’s 2016 Circle of Excellence Award to Golf Week’s course of the year 2017 Streamsong Black, Streamsong continues to be recognized for its unparalleled courses, accommodations, and array of dining, recreation and activity options. If I were to choose, I would go to Streamsong Resort.
- Saddle Creek Golf Resort
Saddle Creek Golf Resort is one of California’s favorite and ideal golf destinations. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills just two hours east of San Francisco and two hours south of Sacramento, their 18-hole Championship golf course has received numerous awards and recognition since opening in 1993.
The journey from the first tee to the 18th green provides a serene, scenic, and memorable round of golf enjoyed by players of all abilities. No two holes parallel each other, and if you take the time to look around you’ll see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada range, Half Dome at Yosemite National Park, and fauna and foliage unlike anything you’ll see at your home course. You will enjoy superb playing conditions on our Carter Morrish-designed course, and marvel that each hole has its own unique design.
- Pacific Groove Golf Links
It shares a coastline with Pebble Beach, which is just six miles down the road, and its back nine gives you epic views of the the ocean. The Pacific Grove Golf Links is much more than a normal golf course. While a round at the famed track will set you back north of $500, Pacific Grove costs just $45 per player, making this municipal course the best deal on the Monterey Peninsula. Use your extra $$ to enjoy the dining and accommodations in nearby Carmel.
Road Trip Checklist
Tires / Tire Pressure
Don’t make the mistake of not reading your tire pressure before you head off to your destination. Fill them up or decompress if necessary.
Washer fluid
Ensure you re-fill your washer fluid.
Oil
If you’ve gone more than 3,000 miles since your last oil change, check with your owner’s manual to make sure you’re not due. If your vehicle is approaching a scheduled maintenance appointment, get it out of the way before you leave.
Car phone charger
Don’t forget it.
Documents
Driver’s license, proof of insurance, credit cards and all the rest of it. Now’s not the time to leave these things at home.
