Which Golf Courses Offer the Best Scenic Views?
There are so many reasons to love golf and competition is right up there with them. The fresh air and beautiful scenery are appealing too though. If you enjoy golf, check out these seven courses, which are among the best and most picturesque in the U.S.
Pebble Beach, California
A name that most people (even non-golf fans) know. Pebble Beach, 200 kilometers south of San Francisco on the central California coast, has hosted five U.S. Open Championships and captivated players for almost a century with its difficult 18 holes and stunning ocean vistas. The 1998 Jack Nicklaus-designed fifth hole is one of the most beautiful. The Stillwater Cove view makes this beachside hole special. However, coastal winds may alter your club choice. After your round, drink at one of Pebble Beach Resort’s numerous restaurants or treat yourself to a treat at the spa.
Augusta National Golf Club
One of the world’s best courses, Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, hosts the Masters Golf Tournament. Golden Bell, the 12th hole, is famous for its tree-lined green and gorgeous azaleas. This course is tough for nonmembers to play, but the Masters, held every spring, offers incredible vistas. Augusta’s Civil War monuments attract history buffs as well as golfers.
Pacific Dunes
Pacific Dunes is one of six 18-hole golf courses at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on Oregon’s southern coast, 400 kilometers southwest of Portland. This gently rolling course has natural fairways and bunkers overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You’ll have ocean views from the tee on holes 2, 3, 10, and 11. If you have energy after your round, walk around Bullards Beach State Park north of town.
The Golf Club of Amelia Island
The Golf Club of Amelia Island, near Jacksonville on Florida’s northeast coast, opened 28 years ago. You won’t see Atlantic Ocean waves from the course, but the vistas are incredible. Oak trees and lakes line the first nine courses, while the latter nine are on marshes. Book your Amelia Island golf vacation in winter, when the air is drier, and temperatures are 19 degrees Celsius. Enjoy a swim at one of Florida’s numerous beaches after your game.
Pine Valley Golf Course
Pine Valley Golf Course in southern New Jersey consistently tops Golf Magazine’s world’s best golf courses. Some of the country’s most unusual and difficult holes are on the course, built-in 1913 by a few Philadelphia amateur players. This private course is only open to members, but you may witness the Crump Cup, an invitational amateur competition held in September, on its wide fairways and wooded scenery.
Hokuala Golf Course
Near Lihue Airport, Kauai’s Hokuala Golf Course overlooks the island’s rocky shoreline and high peaks. The club has part of Hawaii’s longest continuous ocean hole length. The fifth hole, part of the “amen corner,” is scenic: after overcoming the difficult challenges, you say amen and continue. Golfer Jack Nicklaus deemed hole 5 “one of the best holes anywhere.”
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Renowned golfers Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have participated in the PGA RBC Heritage, an annual event held at Harbour Town Golf Links. There are three 18-hole courses at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The course’s renowned 18th hole, which offers views of the island’s candy-striped lighthouse and the sparkling Calibogue Sound, is where golfers finish their game.
These and some other golf courses in Harbor Springs, Michigan, are always among the most picturesque, giving golfers spectacular views.
