The Anatomy of Resort Golf: A Guide to a Can’t Lose Golf Course
Examine the heart of resort golf and how picking the right course for the group can lead to almost guaranteed enjoyment for all skill levels
Vacations are associated with relaxation, a time to step away from the stressors of life for a moment and take in the scenery. Proper resort golf embodies these same principles.
Resort golf anatomy encompasses a few key elements: wide fairways, angles off the tee into the green, sloped fun greens, nature and beautiful visuals, amenities, lots of tee options, and ease of cart access.
Resort golf much like your vacation is meant to be fun and forgiving. Wake up a little late, breakfast runs up until lunch starts, miss-hit a drive, the fairway is 50 yards wide, you will find it. Golf is a tough sport and the narrow competitive fairways of your home city provide a good challenge, but vacations are not about that. Resort courses should maintain wide and forgiving fairways that allow the casual/recreational golfer the opportunity to hit them. New experiences are why people go on vacations and hitting nearly every fairway is a new experience for most golfers.
Courses need to remain difficult to hold value. A golf course without challenge will lack shot making potential and that potential creates memories. That wild green side bunker shot that lipped out, that slice around the tree the carry that was barely cleared all stir conversation post round. With wide fairways, preferred angles are needed to introduce challenge back into golf courses. Angles can be achieved with doglegs, hazards and preferred angles into the green.
The green! Finally! Other than a few easy to miss hazards, the greens on most resort courses should be easy to reach, but once found, the fun begins. Putting takes up a huge quantity of strokes on any golf score and at a resort course this is no exception. In an effort to create memories, the greens on a resort course should be the toughest feature. Putting is a common denominator in most golf games in that people aren’t particularly good or bad and for the very casual golfer it may be the only thing they feel comfortable doing. Wild slopes whether all in one direction or a multitude of breaks keep things entertaining on and around the greens. In an effort to create memories, snaking in a 20 footer with 4 feet of break is high on the list. A heavily sloped green will also guard against the course being too easy for better golfers who also want to enjoy their experience and not worry about their handicaps being dinged due to easy conditions.
Vacation destinations tend to be in great parts of the world. Next to mountains, by the ocean or tucked into the forest, tourist towns have scenery in spades. The resort course accompanying your stay should have the same. Unbound by the time constraints of regular life, resort golf can isolate itself from a needed short commute to fit within real life’s schedule. This isolation helps resort courses find unadulterated land to mold into a beautiful course. A lot of golf is the ability to become one with nature, to get fresh air and to appreciate your surroundings and the resort course has to distinguish itself from other activities that can offer the same.
Golf is a luxury sport. Often associated with high prices, golf is expected to come with certain amenities. High prestige courses come with comfier cart seats, custom included tees and towels, high end range facilities and locker rooms nicer than most homes’ living rooms. Some clubs go to extreme degrees, providing private bar and dining facilities within the locker rooms. Others will use their fantastic views to provide a backdrop for an after-round drink or food. Big Cedar Lodge provides its guests scented steam showers complete with soft light show, heated floors and embroidered towels. Good round or bad round, the facilities to relax in after the on-course experience can solidify the memories made and, in some cases, turn around the day.
Tee options and selecting the right one is key for success and enjoyment on the course. Boasting a 7400 yard back tee length can be impressive but if it leaves the rest of the players choosing between 7200 and 6300 yards, the course has missed the mark on most golfers. Having a variety of tees from 6900-5800 total yards caters the largest number of golfers and ensures there are plentiful options to score or feel challenged. Limiting forced carries on the more forward tees can also help with pace of play and experience for the less skilled golfer. The further back the tees more the forced carries are allowable.
Vacation should be low stress and low movement. Golf resorts will likely offer a host of wellness programs ranging from fitness classes, yoga and a fitness studio. The golf course should not be a mandatory exercise arena. Having highly mobile golf carts and well paved paths keep pace up and players happy with access to their shots. Reminder that they are likely in the fairway. Limiting forbidden areas and increasing cart speeds helps with player experience.
Resort golf is a different beast. Courses are wide and forgiving off the tee, have architecture that creates complexity with angles, has challenge on the putting greens, magnificent views, amazing amenities from included to extra cost, tee options and fast robust carts. Finding yourself at a resort with a course with these qualities is guaranteed fun.