Is there anything better than a gorgeous day on a pristine golf course during a relaxing vacation? Standout resorts all across the globe offer classes, access to top pros and state-of-the-art technology you might not have encountered at your home course. Many properties even have onsite golf academies to help with specific areas of your game. So, if you’re looking to improve your play in the midst of a palatial stay, set up a tee time with one of the following hotels.
Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa
The Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Palm Coast getaway has two golf courses and more holes along the ocean than any other Florida resort. The Ocean Course, which hugs the Atlantic and Floridian wetlands, was designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Conservatory Course, created by Tom Watson, features stonework, brooks and waterfalls in the British-link style.
The resort’s partnership with The Bird Golf Academy provides serious players with personalized learning experiences through golf school packages. Choose between 18, 24 or 30 hours with an instructor and prepare for immersive lessons focusing on everything from range practice to mental resilience.
Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst, one of North America’s most prestigious golf resorts, hosted this year’s U.S. Open. There are nine 18-hole courses and one nine-hole, par-three course for a total of 171 holes on the picture-perfect North Carolina greens.
The pros at the Pinehurst Golf Academy are well known for helping players lower their scores and boost their love of the game. The schools, which include weekend, weekday, short game and parent-child options, operate on Course No. 8. The two- and three-day programs include a complete golf immersion with a student-teacher ratio of four to one. Instruction is in the morning, and the group plays with a pro in the afternoon. Camaraderie is encouraged as attendees dine and play together.
Casa de Campo Resort & Villas
This exquisite Four-Star Dominican Republic escape boasts three courses along the shimmering Caribbean coast. At the resort’s Golf Learning Center, a 21-acre, all-grass facility, players practice putting, chipping and pitching. Two indoor hitting bays, with Trackman and BodiTrak technology, ensure rapid game improvement. Fifty-minute, two- and three-hour sessions and all-day schools feature learning center and driving range drills in the morning, lunch and course play in the afternoon. Ladies’ clinics take place Fridays from 9 to 10 a.m., focusing on a different swing each week.
The Resort at Pelican Hill
Total golf game evaluations, 3D swing analysis and putting stroke correction are all on the agenda at this Newport Beach golfing paradise. The Five-Star hotel has 36 holes, some with stunning Pacific Ocean views, and a dedicated Golf Academy. Seven professionals, including two women, Karen Tucker and Hae-Yoon Jung, lead weekly clinics that teach students everything from alignment to increasing distance. The team also utilizes cutting-edge technology, such as FlightScope and BodiTrak, to take lessons even further.
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
Troon North Golf Club, one of Scottsdale’s most impressive golf destinations, delivers two courses in the picturesque desert. A stay at the Four-Star Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is the best way to enjoy them both. Start by getting your clubs professionally fit at the Calloway Performance Center. After that, visit the Golf Academy at Troon North for one-, two-, three- or five-day programs that include video analysis, short- and long-game instruction and course coaching. Do your kids play? Troon is a family-friendly getaway, offering children under 15 complimentary rounds daily after 3 p.m.
After a long day of lessons, book a golfer’s massage at the Four-Star spa. The unique treatment uses warmed golf balls and stretching techniques to ease any soreness you felt while swinging.
The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort
Forbes Travel Guide Recommended The St. Regis Punta Mita, which recently debuted a $45 million new look, is steps away from the Punta Mita Golf Club. The club has two courses, Pacifico and Bahia, and a golf academy led by former European and PGA Tour star Jean van de Velde and putting expert and creator of the SAMPutt lab, Marius Filmalter. The duo believes in individual lessons so that each player’s needs are met. The team also offers a one-hour putter lab that utilizes Filmalter’s computer to audit your ability to read greens and realize the correct swing speed. Take what you’ve learned to Pacifico’s Hole 3B (affectionally called “The Tail of the Whale”), the world’s only natural island ocean green accessible at low tide.
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
British Open champion Greg Norman designed The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes’ course. The Four-Star resort is in the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, and the course is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, meaning the egret-spotting and heron-watching are spectacular. But when it comes to making more birdies, former PGA Tour player Larry Rinker oversees instruction, which includes one-, two- or three-hour lessons and one-, two- and three-day schools. Rinker uses the latest tech to realize the simple changes necessary to make your swing the best it can be. Everyone gets a personalized video to review after the session, no matter how long your class is.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
The first golf course Jack Nicklaus designed on the Big Island of Hawaii is at Five-Star Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. The breathtaking layout weaves through natural lava fields and winds along dramatic shoreline vistas. At the Hualalai Golf Hale, the resort’s golf school, elite instruction is combined with cutting-edge equipment to unlock every player’s potential. Various lessons are available, from individual classes to swing suite virtual experiences. The nine-acre driving range includes a putting green, a chipping and short game practice area and two sand bunkers. The pros also teach bi-weekly pitching, chipping and sand play clinics.
Mirbeau Inn & Spa Plymouth
Four-Star Mirbeau Inn & Spa Plymouth is a chateau-inspired property less than an hour outside Boston. The hotel is adjacent to the Pinehills Golf Club, where enthusiasts can choose from two courses, one designed by Jack Nicklaus and another from Ree Jones. The Pinehills Golf Academy curates an extensive list of classes, from beginner’s golf to advanced short-game group clinics. Mirbeau Inn is also a wellness destination, so after your lesson, consider indulging in a Nature’s Healer Massage or the Pure Zen Journey bath ritual.
