Don’t know what to get the discerning golf enthusiast in your life this holiday season? How about booking them a trip to a phenomenal golf resort where they can leave Old Man Winter’s wrath far behind and hit the links for a truly spectacular winter getaway!
While we’re shoveling our way through the cold and long months of January and February, avid golfers can seek refuge in posh locales like Palm Beach, Florida, and St. Simon’s Island, Georgia.
Walking in Footsteps of Golf Greats
Give the champion in your life the gift of an unforgettable golf experience this holiday season by booking a trip to the PGA National Resort & Spa, which has hosted the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. The resort and spa also was named the “Best PGA Course You Can Play” in 2010 by Golfweek and got the publisher’s top nod that year as the “Best Course You Can Play” in Florida.
Recently revitalized through a $65 million renovation, the resort is AAA Four-Diamond rated and features a vibrant and spacious lobby. Following a day of play, guests can enjoy a cocktail in the savvy and sophisticated iBAR and dinner in the Ironwood Grille, a premier restaurant featuring superb fare. With eight other restaurants and lounges to choose from, golfers can find the meal, drink and ambience to suit their tastes. When not swinging their clubs, golfers may opt to take advantage of the resort’s exclusive “Waters of the World” mineral pools or its Health & Racquet Club.
Right now, book a Fall Escape and Play getaway for just $199 per person per night (offer valid through Jan. 12, 2012). The package includes unlimited daily golf on The Palmer, The Squire, The Haig or The Estates courses, with complimentary replay booked after first-round completion; 50 percent off at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy daily clinic; gratis club storage and access to tournament-quality practice facilities with unlimited practice ball; and daily breakfast for two at The Citrus Tree café, which features a variety of hot and cold selections to prepare golfers for their day on the links. Visit www.pgaresort.com for terms and conditions on this offer.
Golf Play Every Day
When golfers travel south for the winter, they’ve got one thing on the mind: playing the game they love, of course! That’s why our other pick for winter golf getaways also features a play-every-day component.
Imagine the look on your golf enthusiast’s face when he or she learns that you’ve booked a trip to The Sea Island Golf Club. Situated on pristine St. Simons Island in Georgia, this club is the home course for some of the best professional golfers of today. It features three championship 18-hole courses: Plantation, Retreat and the historic Seaside, and it’s been rated number one in the United States among the “World’s 50 Best Golf Hotels” by Golf Digest Index.
Golfers who opt to play on Plantation will wind through marsh and forest. On Retreat, they’ll experience a challenging course cultivated by Davis Love III and Mark Love. Seaside, which hosts the PGA Tour’s McGladrey Classic, is a links course graced by majestic ocean vistas in the tradition of St. Andrews.
In their off time, golfers will be dazzled by Sea Island’s Forbes Five-Star rated Cloister Spa and Fitness Center, which features 65,000 square feet of amenities and one of the finest treatment programs in the world—from reflexology to yoga and numerous revitalizing highlights in between. Also, they may choose to take advantage of tennis, hiking, kayaking, boating, fishing, nature tours, shooting facilities, horseback riding and more.
At the Flip Flop Bistro and Big George’s, they’ll enjoy casual fare. For a Forbes Five-Star dining experience, try the Georgian Room, or Colt & Alison for some dry-aged steak.
Sea Island features a varied setting, including oceanfront, riverfront and golf-side accommodations, and from Dec. 1, 2011 through March 14, 2012, packages are available for $475 per night, single occupancy, or $575 per night, double occupancy at The Cloister or The Lodge, both luxurious destinations in their own right (two-night stay minimum; a $35 nightly resort fee and tax are not included in the special room rate). Guests will enjoy one round of golf per day on the Seaside, Plantation or Retreat courses and will be assigned a forecaddie for one 18-hole round of golf per day. Visit www.seaisland.com and click on Resort Promotions for additional details on Sea Island’s Play Every Day Package.
By Laura Starczewski
