There’s no better way to work up an appetite than a rewarding round of golf in a picturesque location. And we’ve never been hungrier than after a spectacular par or long putt on the 18th hole. Luckily, golf courses across the globe understand the need to satiate ravenous players with unique meals.
Keep reading for some of our favorite foodie finds that we just happen to enjoy not too far from the fairways.
Barbecue at Crossroads
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Montage Palmetto Bluff, in South Carolina, offers two golf courses. Crossroads, the nine-hole reversible layout, features a food truck that’s more than a turn shack; it’s a destination that players look forward to. Pulled pork sandwiches, brisket tacos and mid-round ribs are on the menu. The Food Truck at Crossroads also turns out four types of housemade barbecue sauces and a satisfying array of classic sides like mac and cheese, street corn and potato salad.
Wood-fired pizza at Camp Creek Inn
Florida’s Camp Creek Inn, on the lush Emerald Coast, contains three incredible golf courses. At the namesake course, a Tom Fazio-designed par 72, the 12th hole doubles as a culinary destination. A 1958 Chevrolet Viking truck was transformed into a wood-fired pizza oven that churns out delectable pies for players who want to rest before heading to the 13th hole.
There’s no set menu, but that’s part of the stop’s charm. Expect inventive pizza toppings — buffalo chicken ranch, taco, Parmesan white sauce with Italian-seasoned chicken and Philly cheesesteak, to name a few — along with other hand-held winners, such as barbecue hamburger sliders and soft pretzels served with beer cheese.
Hot dogs at Olympic Club
At San Francisco’s famed Olympic Club, first-time players must visit Hot Dog Bills. Near the 10th green of the Lake Course, diners discover a cheeseburger shaped like a hot dog. A quarter pound of high-quality ground sirloin and chuck makes up the rectangular-shaped patty. The “bugerdog,” as it’s affectionately known, dates to the early 1950s when Bill and Billie Parrish opened a stand outside the course. Their creation was so beloved that the Club invited the Bills to set up shop alongside the greens.
Today, the family-owned spot has expanded outside the Olympic Club. Grab one at the Golden Gate Park Golf Course, which is open to the public, and bring it back to your hotel room. Speaking of which, Hotel Drisco sits close to the Presidio course.
Cookies with the Cabot Collection
The Cabot Collection is a portfolio of international golf destinations with courses in Florida; the Caribbean; Scotland; Canada’s Nova Scotia and British Columbia; Norway; and France’s Bordeaux. Cabot founder Ben Cowan-Dewar believes that each golf round should start with an unexpected, nostalgic and homemade treat. Thus, at each course, golfers are offered a warm cookie before they hit the first tee. The sweets vary from course to course, with local traditions inspiring the flavors.
Scotland’s Cabot Highlands, for example, welcomes golfers with a buttery Scottish shortbread from The Three Little Bakers, a nearby bake shop. Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia hands out a “cracker Jack” cookie made with oatmeal, coconut and cinnamon. And at Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida, players will find an orange-flavored sugar treat supplied by the local Bread Box Bakery.
Cocktails at The Swing
Food isn’t the only thing players enjoy on the course. They also appreciate a cool cocktail between chip shots. At The Swing in Frisco, Texas — Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa’s 10-hole short course that’s open at night — a one-of-a-kind beverage station delivers ice-cold beers and signature Casamigos tequila cocktails from specially designed taps.
A remodeled 1948 Chevy pickup is near the fourth and seventh holes and serves White Claw and High Noon, ranch waters, margaritas, mint mezcal lemonade and more.
Tex-Mex at The Hay
At Pebble Beach, the renowned Northern California golf haven that’s home to eight distinct courses, you’ll find The Hay, a newer par-3 playground from Tiger Woods. After taming a few holes, make your way to Hay’s Place, a fun eatery known for its delicious Mexican cuisine. The tin can nachos provide an Instagrammable dining moment: a large tin can gets packed with layers of corn chips, queso blanco, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and salsa (you can upgrade it by adding lobster, skirt steak or short rib), and then it’s poured out tableside, creating a mountain-like avalanche of delicious Tex-Mex comfort food.
Afterward, retreat to the nearby Casa Palmero, The Inn at Spanish Bay or The Lodge at Pebble Beach, which overlooks the dramatic 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links, arguably golf’s greatest finishing hole.
