Spyglass Hill Golf

    1. Spyglass Hill Golf Course Review


    What to expect playing the Spyglass Hill? Well, the Spyglass Hill will definitely make for a once in a lifetime golfing endeavor, as it sits very close to some of the best tracks in the world, the likes of MPCC, Cypress Point or Pebble Beach, yet it manages to deliver a truly unique experience, very different from the surrounding resorts, which are also as good as they come. The Spyglass Hill's first 5 holes are world-class from all points of view and they'll deliver everything you'd expect from playing a coastal course, along the ocean. The final holes will take you through the lush Del Monte Forest, and you'll definitely enjoy the sloping fairways, challenging doglegs, the undulating putting surfaces and the ponds guarding greens, which will intrigue you round after round. As far as coastline golf resorts go, the Spyglass Hill is among the best, due to its challenging layout which follows perfectly the natural flowing terrain.

    Stanford Golf

    2. Stanford Golf Course Review


    The club was first opened for players in 1930 and it was an instant hit, being ranked high, among America's top fifteen best golf courses at that time. The course features subtle elevation changes and a gently rolling terrain; there's also a meandering creek crisscrossing the property, while the bunkering is strategic, in good old-school tradition. The fairways at Stanford University's golf course are spacious, with subtle contours and large greens, while the 11th and 18th tees will delight you with spectacular panoramic views. If you're lucky enough, you can spot San Francisco on a clear day, as it's just thirty miles to the north. The golf course's layout is minimalist, pretty straight forward and simple, requiring players to shoot good shots to score, there's no way around it. The Stanford University golf course is consistently ranked high by prestigious golf publications as one of the best in the world and during its long and rich history it produced a lot of influential golfers, not to mention business leaders, including Tiger Woods, Bob Rosburg and Shelley Hamlin.

    Stanwich Club

    3. Stanwich Club Course Review


    The Stanwich Club is a private facility, available for its members and their guests only, so keep that in mind before showing up with your golf paraphernalia, plan ahead. As per accolades, the Stanwich was the host for US Mid Amateur Championship in 2002 and if that doesn't sound like much, well, thing is this course is a hidden gem, being one of the “under the radar” courses in the US , despite the fact that there's no shortage of great holes here, with the best of the bunch being the par 3 13th which plays initially over a small creek and then a pond, with a L shaped/raised green and featuring a wickedly undulating terrain and tough bunkers. The conditioning and the staff are superb, world class and the whole nine yards and the golf course makes for the perfect combo between conditioning, shot values and challenge.

    Springfield Golf Club

    4. Springfield Golf Club Course Review


    The golf course is quite a daunting track, despite sitting at just under 7,000 yards. Springfield opened in 2001, and was designed with the classic 1920s layout. The moment you step foot on the first tee, you get the feeling that you are playing a classic track, and it truly is rewarding. There really is not a lot of quirkiness at this track, and it really allows for golfers to enjoy the day. The course is Bermuda from tee to green, which ensures strong course conditions throughout the entire year, especially during the hot summer months. The only downfall at Springfield is the amount of traffic they get during the summer. They get extremely packed, and I would recommend avoiding during the weekends especially if you are looking to tee it up after 2 pm. During the week, on the other hand, I recommend stopping in and giving Springfield a run. It truly is a classic masterpiece tucked in the heart of Fort Mill, SC.

    Starmount Forest Country Club

    5. Starmount Forest Country Club Course Review


    The driving range is quite small, and you will not have the ability to work on any club higher than a 2-iron. The short game area consists of two putting greens, and no bunkers. One of the greens is quite undulated, which does allow for golfers to work on their chipping and putting with a variety of shots. The second of the two putting greens is tucked in the middle of the parking lot, and is very flat and tends to burn out from the heat. I would personally not recommend going to Starmount if you are looking to practice for a few hours, but if you are looking for a solid golf course and strong scoring this is the place for you. The golf course at Starmount is fairly straight forward, and lacks the quirkiness most courses have today. The first hole is dead straight, and is about as easy as it gets in terms of opening holes. The rest of the front nine is about the same, with the exception of the 5th hole, which is a strong dog leg left. With that said, you will need nothing more than a 5-iron off the tee, and then a short wedge shot awaits. The rest of the round goes back to the straight shots and easy golf that most members enjoy, with low scoring always in the bag.

    Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club

    6. Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club Course Review


    The Superstition Mountain golf club was built in 1998 with members in mind, offering accessible greens and generous fairways, aiming at providing courses which are both challenging and playable, but without being excessively penal, which is the case with a lot of target style desert courses. It's also worth mentioning that the Superstition Mountain was the host for the LPGA Safeway International for five years in a row, between 2004 and 2008. These 2 Jack Nicklaus courses are built over 900 acres or real estate which is basically rocky desert terrain, being highlighted here and there by saguaro cactuses, but the main “selling point” of the Superstition Mountain is represented by its impressive mountain backdrops. Both courses are relatively flat, highly playable for golfers of all skill levels and always in top notch condition , with fast and pure greens and gentle elevation changes which makes them highly walkable, provided the weather is not too hot.

    Sutton Bay Club

    7. Sutton Bay Club Course Review


    To describe it in a few words, the Sutton Bay Club Golf makes for the ultimate golfer's retreat, being located in the middle of nowhere, out of the way sort to speak, on the Missouri river, very close to Agar, SD. The Sutton Bay Club Golf is a private resort, but there are opportunities to join or to visit if you're really interested. Together with 18 awesome holes, the Sutton Bay offers recreational opportunities, the likes of 10,000 acres for hunting aficionados and two hundred miles of lakeshore for fishing enthusiasts. The old-school routing and layout of the Sutton Bay are everything about the original inlands links golf, offering a unique experience, being rewarding, fair, challenging and pure in the genuine true-golfing tradition.

    Taconic Golf Club

    8. Taconic Golf Club Course Review


    Gil Hanse was retained to do the respective job and he really managed to restore the Taconic's original feel, which reminds players of the classic Golden Age in terms of golf design, with the course's back to front sloped greens on almost every hole. Playing the Taconic makes for an epic journey, an intimate experience through its tree lined fairways, despite the fact that the layout spreads over just 109 acres of rolling terrain. Due to its masterful routing, you'll be able to admire the stunning views offered by the Berkshire mountains during your game, and the pacing is even more impressive than the routing. There aren't many golf courses to match the Taconic in terms of pacing, routing, character and overall ambiance, as I hold this baby to be very close to the ideal in terms of epic course-design.

    Tega Cay Golf Club

    9. Tega Cay Golf Club Course Review


    If you are looking to do a little tune-up to your game, then you have come to the right place. You can begin at the massive putting green, which offers both undulated putting, and flat putting. Here, you can work on a number of putts from 40 feet and in. Once you move from there, you can make your way to the short game area, which offers golfers with the ability to practice any type of shot from 30 yards and in. If you are looking to just work on your ball striking, the driving range is equipped with alignment sticks to help you along the way, while allowing for 40-50 people to hit at the same time. Once you have moved along to the course, you have an ample amount of paths to take. My personal favorite is the Cove Course, which allows for you to work on a number of iron shots, and put up a pretty decent score at the same time. As you make your way to the end of the round, you will find yourself on the par 3 seventh hole which is in one a cove. The views here are stunning, and if you are playing later in the day then you have hit the picturesque jackpot.

    The Bears Club

    10. The Bears Club Course Review


    The course at Bears Club is covered with palmettos and old pine trees and theres also a twelve feet high sandy ridge stretching across the terrain. Nicklaus enhanced it quite a bit and also added a couple of extra ridges, which look equally natural. Needless to say, the architect managed to melt the design of the golf course into the natural environment for as much as humanly possible, and he did it by retaining the native vegetation when it was doable, whilst keeping the playing areas separated via transition corridors of pine straw and sand. The golf course features high banked/strategically placed bunkers that were built using a special sand from Ohio, which doesnt wash out with rain. Unlike other works signed by Jack Nicklaus, the golf course at Bears Club was built for the sole purpose of being a private oasis where golf is king and everything is about the purest golfing experience possible, as opposed to being a tournament-aimed golf course, making perhaps for Jacks legacy. And indeed, the Bears Club instantly became recognized as one of the worlds best private clubs, a first rate golfing facility by any metrics and making for a very special retreat for its visitors.