Golf Vacation Destinations: The Costa Del Sol

The Costa Del Sol is a region in the south of Spain that is a great golf vacation destination. The Costa Del Sol has approximately 70 golf courses along its Mediterranean coastline, and some great golf vacation resorts. Malaga and Marbella are two of the cities in the Costa Del Sol with sandy beaches and excting golf courses. Among the most famous golf courses in the Costa Del Sol is that of the Vaderrama golf course which has hosted some great golf championships such as the Ryder Cup.

Whilst Vaderrama is a private golf course, there are plenty of exciting public golf courses at the Costa Del Sol. Among them is the Marbella Golf and Country Club, which is located in Marbella! This resort's course is an 18 hole par 72 that is a relatively short 5867 yards from the white tee box. The course was designed by  R Trent Jones, and has a variety of lakes set alongside its rolling green hills and olive trees. The course rates can vary from 65 euros to 49.

Check out the Marbella Golf and Country Club website for further details. Or alternatively, the Costa Del Sol website is also worth noting.

Golf Travel Websites

There are a variety of great golf resorts in the United States and Europe. Golf resorts such as Pebble Beach Resort and Pinehurst have top class golf courses which have hosted Major championships. As such, there are also a number of great online resources. Read Golf Travel Websites.

Golf Desktop Icons

After you've added a golf theme, such as this one, you can further customize your desktop with golf desktop icons. Look no further than the golf desktop icon pack, which you can find further details on here. Then, the following golf desktop icons can be added to your desktop.   

Alternatively, you can also find some further golf desktop icons here. To change any desktop icon, right-click it and then select properties. Then select change desktop icon, open the folder which includes your golf desktop icons and select a golf desktop icon.

The History of the Masters Golf Tournament

While the Masters may not have quite the history of the British Open, in respect of length at least, the tournament still holds a special place in golfers' hearts. Since it began in 1934 it has become renowned for its quality, and has established itself as one of the world's best golf tournaments, if not the best. Read The history of the Masters Golf Tournament.

The 200 ft Golf Putt

"For example, you may be surprised how far you can putt a golf ball. In very dry conditions you can certainly putt over 25 yards and potentially up to the 50 yard mark." That's what I said in this previous Amateur Golfer blog post. In actual fact, you can putt a golf ball even further than 50 yards as this fantastic golf putt highlights. 

What a putt! This 200 ft putt covers approximately 66.66 yards on the green. So, who needs to chip from off the green? 

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail

Robert Trent Jones is a famous golf course designer. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama is one of the largest golf construction projects attempted. The 11 golf clubs stretch from the Lakewood Golf Club in the south, to the Shoals in the north. In total, the trail extends 384 miles.

Lakewood Golf Club

Starting in the south, Lakewood Golf Club is a private club with two courses comprising 36 holes. This course has undergone extensive renovations and can be considered the most recent addition to the trail. It has considerable water features, and is lined with 200-year old oak trees.

Magnolia Grove

Just beyond Lakewood, you can find Magnolia Grove. This boasts three courses, the Crossings, Falls and an 18-hole par 3 known as the Short Course. The Short Course is regarded as one of the best par 3s in America while the longer ones are championship courses.

Highland Oaks

Highland Oaks is special for its 9-hole courses. It has four golf courses in total, with three championship courses and a short par-3 course which is most notable for its putting greens and bunkers.

Cambrian Ridge

The Cambrian Ridge also focuses on 9-hole courses. Take a look at The Sherling Trail, which may well be the best nine on the trail. The ninth hole features an uphill hole with a deep ravine, and shares a double green with Canyon's nine.

Capital Hill

Capital Hill, as the name suggests, does have a certain theme. With three courses appropriately named: The Senator, The Legislator and The Judge. These are three 18-hole championship courses, with The Senator having a Scottish style links layout.

Grand National Club

If looking for a longer par 3 course, the Grand National Club will be worth a look. It has an 18-hole par 3 course, in addition to two 18-hole championship courses. The links course is the cornerstone course, and has perhaps the hardest finishing hole on the trail. Spanning across a lake on the left, the tee shot requires a shot across the left side to make the fairway.

Ross Bridge

Ross Bridge has just the one 18-hole links course, the fewest number of holes for any club on the trail. It is designed for tournament play and has considerable elevation changes, combined with water and natural hazards, to provide a test.

Oxmoor Valley

For scenic forests, and numerous creeks, you might consider trying Oxmoor Valley. It boasts 56 holes, across three 18-hole courses. The short course provides elevation changes, and many downhill holes.

Silver Lakes

Silver Lakes provides four 9-hole golf courses. With some especially scenic golf, the Heart-breaker nine is considered to be the most challenging nine on the trail from the pro tees.

Hampton Cove

Hampton Cove has three golf courses on offer. The most unique of these is the River Course, the only Robert Trent course without a single bunker!

The Shoals

This brings us to the furthest northern course on the trail - The Shoals. It has two 18-hole courses, and Fighting Joe is an especially long one. As the first on the trail to break 8,000 yards, it is long trek.

These 11 golf clubs provide a number of fantastic championship and short courses for the average golfer to try their hand. Be careful on the harder ones, they are not ideal for the beginner, but the shorter courses can be suitable. One thing is certain; you will not be lost for choice, for the trail has a total of 26 golf courses on its 11 sites! Check out the Trent Jones Trail website for further details. 

The Best Golf Courses beyond the United States

I have included a few of Golf Digest's fascinating golf course rankings on this blog, and here is another. These are the top 10 golf courses beyond the United States:

1. Royal County Down G.C. Newcastle, N. Ireland
2. St. Andrews Links (Old) St. Andrews, Scotland
3. Muirfield Gullane, Scotland
4. Royal Portrush G.C. (Dunluce): Portrush, N. Ireland
5. Turnberry Resort (Ailsa) Turnberry, Scotland
6. Royal Dornoch G.C. (Championship) Dornoch, Scotland
7. Ballybunion G.C. (Old) Ballybunion, Ireland
8. Carnoustie G. Links (Championship) Carnoustie, Scotland
9. New South Wales G.C. Sydney, Australia
10. Sunningdale G.C. (Old) Sunningdale, England

As such, Royal County Down G.C. in Newcastle N.Ireland is ranked the best course beyond the United States. This is one of the older golf courses set in the backdrop of the Mourne Mountains that dates back to the 19th century, is just over 7,000 yards in length and has some great holes.

There are also plenty more UK courses which dominate the list, and most are links golf courses with plenty of sand. Of these, Scotland has the most in the top 100 with 17 courses in total. Only one from beyond the British Isles is included in the top 10, and that is New South Wales golf course in Australia.

The 1,410 feet Tee-Shot

Yup, that's right, this par-3 hole includes a tee at the top of a mountain with a 1,410 feet elevated tee-shot. Check out the video below for further details. 

Or you can visit the Legend Golf & Safari Resort where the hole is located. Here you can gain a glimpse of the mountain which dominates the course's skyline.

Golf Vacation Destinations: Pinehurst Resort

Pinehurst Resort, in North Carolina, is a golf resort which boasts up to eight golf courses. Prominent golf course architects such as Rees Jones, Ross, and Fazio have all played a hand in the design of the Pinehurst golf courses. As such, the resort certainly does not lack variety. The no 2 is the championship golf course that has staged a few Majors. Other courses, such as the first which dates back to 1898, are also more historic and have classic designs.

You can take your pick from the variety of golf courses. However, Pinehurst is not just about golf, with tennis courts, lawn sports, wine festivals, and the Pinehurst Beach Club which is a 200 acre private freshwater lake. Spa and fitness suite are also available, along with dining options such as the 1895 Grille. As such, Pinehurst has a variety of packages including golf, spa, and other recreational options linked with its accommodation options.

The Pinehurst No.2 sign. The first line, "I sincerely believe this course to be the fairest test of championship golf I have ever designed."