GOLF.COM: PUNTA ESPADA IS A GOLF TOP 100 & 25 BEST FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE
Source: Golf.com | General Excellence
TOP 25 FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE
Historically, golf doesn’t glorify broad-based performance the way, say, track does, where the Olympic decathlon champ is considered the world’s finest athlete. Still, Rory and Brooks topping the All-Around stat this season reminds that being versatile produces winning results. The same can be said for resorts. Warm welcomes, friendly yet polished service, superb golf, high-end amenities and off-course experiences — it’s a sign of greatness to be good at it all.
Without further ado, here are GOLF’s 25 best resorts for General Excellence.
Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
Best time to go: December through April is peak season. Summer offers incredible value (depending on your heat tolerance). Daily stay-and-plays start at: $750. Golf experience: Punta Espada (Jack Nicklaus). Best non-golf amenity: Scape Park features zip lining, lagoons, iguana, parrots, monkeys, caves and more. While you’re there: Dine at the new Blue Grill + Bar at Eden Roc, led by Chef Adriano Venturini. Insider tip: Fly into Punta Cana International Airport, a mere 15 minutes from the first tee. Also good for: Families
TOP 100
In one of the biggest editorial projects GOLF has ever undertaken, we culled the names of 243 rank-worthy resorts spread across North America. Under the expert guidance of resort industry veterans and our stable of well-heeled travel writers, we placed each resort into at least one of four experience categories: Luxury, Buddies, General Excellence and Families.
Then, with the help of 3,700-plus golfers just like you, we conducted an online poll, asking GOLF.com readers to rate each resort based on five key variables: golf experience, accommodations, service, food and ambience. The results of this poll were then weighed against the opinions of a select group of GOLF’s Top 100 Courses panelists and those of internal travel and editorial teams to list destinations in each category (Nos. 1–5, then alphabetically), generating GOLF’s first-ever ranking of the Top 100 Resorts. Yep — we’re in need of a vacation, too.
Below is an easy-to-reference list of GOLF’s Top 100 Resorts in North America for 2019-20.
THE 25 BEST RESORTS FOR LUXURY
1. Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, Calif.
2. The American Club, Kohler, Wisc.
3. Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Ga.
4. Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, Lana’i City, Lana’i, Hawaii
5. Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico
Best of the rest, A-Z
Albany, Nassau, The Bahamas
Amanera, Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic
Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain, Marana, Ariz.
Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego, Calif.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii
The Inn at Bay Harbor, Bay Harbor, Mich.
Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Teton Village, Wyo.
The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
Rosewood Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Montage Palmetto Bluff / May River GC, Bluffton, S.C.
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Nassau, The Bahamas
One & Only Palmilla, Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S, Mexico
The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach, Calif.
Primland, Meadows of Dan, Va.
Pueblo Bonito Beach, Resorts / Quivira, Los Cabos, B.C.S, Mexico
Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Punta Mita, Nyarit, Mexico
The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds, Lake Oconee, Greensboro, Ga.
Sandy Lane Resort, St. James, Barbados
THE 25 BEST RESORTS FOR BUDDIES
1. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore.
2. Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, N.C.
3. Cabot Links Golf Resort, Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada
4. Sand Valley Golf Resort, Nekoosa, Wis.
5. The Resort at Diamante, Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
Best of the rest, A-Z
Arcadia Bluffs, Arcadia, Mich.
Barefoot Resort and Golf, North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, Tex.
Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, Birmingham, Ala.
Boyne Golf, Boyne Falls, Mich.
Caledonia / True Blue Plantation, Pawleys Island, S.C.
Erin Hills, Erin, Wis.
Forest Dunes, Roscommon, Mich.
Gamble Sands, Brewster, Wash.
Innisbrook, A Salmander Resort, Palm Harbor, Fla.
Pine Needles Lodge / Mid Pines Inn, Southern Pines, N.C.
The Prairie Club, Valentine, Neb.
Pursell Farms, Sylacauga, Ala.
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Streamsong Resort, Bowling Green, Fla.
Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Ore.
Talking Stick, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Trump National Doral Miami, Miami, Fla.
Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, N.Y.
Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa / TPC Danzante Bay, Loreto, B.C.S, Mexico
THE 25 BEST RESORTS FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE
1. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2. The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.V.
3. Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, Alberta, Canada
4. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, S.C.
5. Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Best of the rest, A-Z
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch / Red Sky, Avon, Colo.
Baha Mar Resort, Nassau, The Bahamas
Omni Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford, Penn.
Cabo del Sol Beach & Golf Resort, Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic
Fairmont Chateau, Whistler, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Rosewood CordeValle, San Martin, Calif.
Gasparilla Inn & Club, Boca Grande, Fla.
Grand Wailea, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C.
The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, Alberta, Canada
La Quinta Resort & Club, La Quinta, Calif.
Las Colinas, Irving, Tex.
Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Penn.
Princeville Resort Kauai, Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii
Pronghorn Resort, Bend, Ore.
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, Scottsdale, Ariz.
THE 25 BEST RESORTS FOR FAMILIES
1. Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Mo.
2. Colonial Williamsburg Resort, Williamsburg, Va.
3. The Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies Valley Ranch, Seneca, Ore.
4. French Lick Resort, French Lick, Ind.
5. Omni Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, N.H.
Best of the rest, A-Z
Beaver Creek Resort, Beaver Creek, Colo.
Rosewood Bermuda, Hamilton, Bermuda
The Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, Id.
Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort, Biwabik, Minn.
Grand Isla Navidad Resort, Isla Navidad, Mexico
Grand View Lodge, Nisswa, Minn.
Hammock Beach, A Salamander Resort, Palm Coast, Fla.
Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, Va.
Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay, Tex.
The Hotel Hershey / Hershey CC, Hershey, Penn.
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, Calif.
Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, Clif.
Rodd Crowbush Golf & Beach Resort, Morell, Prince Edward Island, Canada
The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, N.Y.
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa / TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex.
Seaview, A Dolce Resort, Galloway, N.J.
Sun Valley Resort, Sun Valley, Id.
Taboo Muskoka Resort & Club, Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, Tucson, Ariz.
Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Fla.