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From Sea to Shining Sea


Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series detailing several unique GolfNow courses that offer scenic views.

As the PGA Tour picks up this week in beautiful Sea Island, Ga., for the McGladrey Classic, it got us thinking about the most scenic places to play throughout the U.S. The following is a short list of GolfNow courses that offer pure coastal beauty. You can almost smell those warm ocean breezes!

The Makai course at  St. Regis Princeville Resort winds along the magnificent coastline with views of Bali Hai and Hanalei Bay. Photo by The St. Regis Princeville Resort

The Makai course at St. Regis Princeville Resort winds along the magnificent coastline with views of Bali Hai and Hanalei Bay. Photo by The St. Regis Princeville Resort

St. Regis Princeville Resort’s Makai Course – Beginning west and moving east, we start in Hawaii. Home to some of the world’s most amazing courses, the island of Kauai is also where you can find the St. Regis Princeville Resort’s Makai Course. This tropical paradise is one of Golf Digest’s top 100 public courses (#19). The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design maneuvers its way around peaceful lakes, dense woodlands and the magnificent coastline with views of Bali Hai and Hanalei Bay. The signature hole is the par-3 6th hole, a 213-yard carry over scenic cliffs onto a well-bunkered green that provides you with an outstanding view of the Pacific Ocean.

 

Photo by Crossings

At The Crossings at Carlsbad, the Pacific Ocean is less than a mile away, providing a salty-air, serene setting for your gofl round. Photo by Crossings at Carlsbad

The Crossings at Carlsbad – In Southern California, The Crossings at Carlsbad provides a unique and mesmerizing 18 holes of golf. Named one of the Top 3 courses in Southern California in 2012 by the Western Golf Alliance, the course traverses through coastal and ecologically diverse terrain, boasting five bridges along the way. With the Pacific Ocean less than a mile away, the Greg Nash-design provides a salty-air, serene setting for your round. For a great deal, try the stay and play packages at the adjacent Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa.

 

Photo by TripAdvisor

Voted the “Best” resort in Destin, Fla., the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort offers five unique courses with amazing views of the Florida coastline. Photo by TripAdvisor

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort – Switching coasts, the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Fla., is a golfing extravaganza, offering five different courses, each very unique. The most popular of the five is the Baytowne Golf Club which takes golfers from the beach to the bay side of the resort in Northwest Florida. The award-winning, Tom Jackson design (4 stars or more by Golf Digest four different times) is a manicured, challenging array of holes that will leave you wanting more.

 

Dunes_Ocean_Sky

Dunes Golf and Beach Club is located about four hours from Sea Island, Ga., and the course is very similar with its rolling, sandy terrain along the Carolina coastline.

Dunes Golf and Beach Club – Finally, we drive up the road to the Carolina’s, a mecca of coastal golf and the home of the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., (#46 on Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Golf Courses list). Located about four hours from Sea Island, GA,, the course is very similar in a number of ways with its rolling, sandy terrain along the Carolina coastline. The manicured, tree-lined fairways and well-positioned bunkers are hallmarks of a Robert Trent Jones designed-golf course and make for a challenging, but phenomenal day out on the links.

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