TOP GOLF DESTINATIONS FOR WINTER MONTHS

When the weather gets colder, it is easy for an avid golfer to become depressed. Colder weather means a lot fewer swings on the golf course unless you get creative about where you decide to practice your game.

The reality is that during the winter of the northern hemisphere, there are several places that remain warm enough for golfing. The winter of the northern hemisphere is also the summer of the southern hemisphere, leaving half of the world with plenty of sun and warm weather for golfing.

To help you plan your next golfing holiday, here are the top golf destinations for winter months:

ROYAL MELBOURNE GOLF CLUB – MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Australia offers some of the best golfing for anyone who wants to escape the winter cold. The Royal Melbourne Golf Club is actually two separate courses, both of which have received awards for being one of the best golf courses in the world.

With two separate courses, challenging angles, and deep bunkers, this golf club will challenge both beginners and seasoned professionals. When you finish with these courses, you can then venture off to one of the many other golf courses available in Australia. Just make sure you bring plenty of golf cart accessories to ensure you can play comfortably.

SENTOSA GOLF CLUB (SERAPONG) – SINGAPORE, REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

Built on a swamp, this golf course was constructed throughout years of hard work moving sand and other unnecessary materials. These, of course, were replaced with nice fairways, greens, and even one of the most popular legendary backdrops in the sport.

This golf club was originally designed by an American traveler and is now under the careful watch of full-time caretakers, planners, and agronomists to keep its status as one of the best golf clubs in the world.

CASA DE CAMPO (TEETH OF THE DOG) – LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

If a Caribbean beach golfing destination is your dream, you might consider checking out the Casa de Campo. This course is also known as the Teeth of the Dog Golf Course, and it offers several holes just yards above the ocean. Of course, any hole on this course offers breathtaking views just about any direction you look.

Built in in the 1970s, it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times because of hurricane damage. Due to its natural beauty and difficulty, this course has led to the Dominican Republic being one of the top golfing destinations in the world.

DIAMANTE GOLF CLUB (DUNES) – CABO SAN

LUCAS, BAJA SUR, MÉXICO

Being one of the closest destinations on this list to the USA, Mexico is a great pick for anybody wanting to golf in a warm destination close to home. This course was designed to give you a golfing experience that is reminiscent of being on the beach. Although there is plenty of nice grass for the necessary parts of the course, much of the course doesn’t have any vegetation and is instead covered with sand.

If you decide to visit this course, you could golf in the morning and then relax by the beach for sunset, without requiring much effort at all. Mexico is the top international tourism spot for U.S. visitors, and this golf course is one of the reasons why.

KAURI CLIFFS – MATAURI BAY, NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand is also one of the better places to visit for golfing during the winter, being home to at least two world-renown courses. The Kauri Cliffs course is a natural masterpiece, which is a collection of ocean and canyon views, clustered around beautiful gorges of ferns and tall majestic trees.

Due to its varying climate, New Zealand offers both warm weather and cold weather activities during the summer. If you go to play a round of golf at Kauri Cliffs and then decide you would like to go skiing, you could absolutely do so. This is one of the wonderful things about New Zealand.

AMAZON GOLF COURSE – IQUITOS, PERU

If you are looking for a nice blend of adventure and fun, you might want to check out the only golf course in the Amazon Rainforest. Built by British and American expatriates in the heart of the jungle, this golf course has been open for just over a decade.

If dodging vipers and staying out of piranha-ridden water hazards sounds like your fancy, you will enjoy golfing at this truly one-of-a-kind golf course. The only downside to this course is it only offers 9 holes, due to the extreme difficulty of building and maintaining a golf course in the mighty Amazon. Make sure you bring plenty of floor mats with you; it can get pretty muddy in the jungle.

YAS LINKS – ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Yas Links golf course is perhaps the best golf course option available in the Middle East. Being part of an enormous entertainment complex, this golf course is right next to a theme park and a race track. These do very little to harm the atmosphere of the course itself, however, and you have 18 holes of golfing right next to the ocean, with some holes next to the water.

The final eight holes of this course are perhaps most popular for their incomparable views, which gradually inch closer to the Persian Sea as if you were making a pilgrimage of some sort while golfing. If you feel safe traveling to the Middle East, you will not regret playing this golf course a visit.

CABO DEL SOL (OCEAN) – LOS CABOS, BAJA SUR, MÉXICO

Being one of the top golf courses in Mexico, this one was modeled specifically after Pebble Beach. The only difference is this course is located on the Baja Peninsula and is studded with cacti to complement the desired scenery reminiscent of Pebble Beach.

If you are looking for a golfing option that will give you warm weather and a nice reminder of the courses back closer to home, this is a great option for you to consider. When you finish hole 18 on this course and wish to see other parts of Mexico, you will be happy to know there are many other quality golf courses available in Mexico.

SHADOW CREEK – LAS VEGAS, NV

Being perhaps the only viable winter destination for golfing in the USA, the desert of Las Vegas should provide the climate you are looking for during the winter months if you plan your tee time with a little care. When you do go, make sure your golf cart is able to supply some music, as it is a popular cultural thing to do while golfing in Las Vegas.

The Shadow Creek golf course is the result of enormous amounts of irrigation and terraforming to create a golf course in the middle of the desert. If it weren’t for the ridiculous amounts of money you can earn running a Las Vegas casino, the $47 million initially spent on this course in the 90s would probably never have been raised in the first place.

THE BLUFFS HO TRAM STRIP – BA RIA, VUNG TAU, VIETNAM

Going to Vietnam has recently become a popular thing for American golfers to do during the winter months. This Bluffs Ho Tram Strip, one of the top courses in the world, is a big reason why. Probably because of climatic similarities, this course was designed to be similar to a residential golf course in Florida.

If the scenery of the jungle is not enough for you, you will enjoy teeing off on the elevated par threes while imagining a clash between the Vietcong and U.S. Marines. If you get bored golfing in Vietnam, you will be within striking distance of some of the most relevant historical sites of the past century.

PUNTA ESPADA GOLF COURSE – CAP CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

If you prefer golfing next to a beach, this course will stick out as one that you need to visit. Located in the Dominican Republic, this course starts and then ends right on the beach. One noteworthy par three hole in the course forces you to drive over an ocean inlet to reach the green located on a tiny peninsula in the ocean.

Of course, the Dominican Republic is home to more than one premier golf course, so, if you are looking for more than one round of play, you will be able to easily travel to other courses in the region.

NIRWANA BALI GOLF CLUB – TABANAN, BALI, INDONESIA

Indonesia is one of the world’s most populated countries and also home to one of the world’s most popular golf clubs. The Nirwana Bali Golf Club is located on the Bali island of Indonesia and is located among palm trees and ponds with lily pads, and is an overall island paradise.

One of the more popular holes of this course forces you to drive over the ocean to the hole located nearby the ocean. The only problem with visiting Indonesia is that even though the weather is tropical, it can be difficult to explore the whole country since it is a giant collection of islands.

THE LINKS AT FANCOURT – GEORGE, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

Arguably the best course on the African continent, the Links at Fancourt is a perfect getaway golfing destination for anybody who wants a nice mixture of fun and adventure. This course has been internationally recognized for quite some time now, and it has even been the host to various professional tournaments.

If you would like to compare your game to the game of a professional, this is the kind of course where you can easily do so. All you need to do is look up the stats of your favorite player and then tee off. When you finish, don’t forget to check out the rest of South Africa.

SHANQIN BAY GOLF CLUB – BO’AO, HAINAN ISLAND, CHINA

Although China shares the winter months of the northern hemisphere, The Shanqin Bay Golf Club is an exceptionally great winter destination for golfing. Near the South China Sea, this course is closer to the equator than the state of Florida and, therefore, much warmer during the winter.

Built on land that was the location of a barracks in WWII, the Shanqin Bay Golf Club is now one of the best golf courses in the world. With mountainous terrain, blind shots, deep sand traps, and proximity to the ocean, this course is not for golfers who lack experience.

HIRONO GOLF CLUB – HIRONO, HYOGO, JAPAN

This course is also one of the best available in the world. The only downside about visiting Japan during the winter months is you may need to pick your tee time strategically. Since Japan is also in the northern hemisphere, some days can be cold, but this course stays open regardless.

This one made the cut simply due to its beautiful and surgical design. Located in a forest of pine trees, the sand traps, greens, and fairways are carefully carved and maintained to perfection. Even in the winter, when the grass’s color fades, it is carefully looked after to allow for optimal putting.

KINGSTON HEATH GOLF CLUB – CHELTENHAM, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

Australia seems to be the place to visit in the southern hemisphere with the most consistently quality golf clubs. The Kingston Heath is no exception to this rule and offers two courses which are both consistently ranked as one of the top courses in the world.

Of course, if you get bored at Kingston Heath, you can always venture off to one of the many other quality courses Australia has to offer. If you get through these courses and the Royal Melbourne courses, you will still find plenty of more options for nonstop golfing.

CAPE KIDNAPPERS GOLF COURSE – HAWKE’S BAY, NEW ZEALAND

The best course in New Zealand is also among the best in the world. Due to its presence on a canyon, the holes are very difficult and not for a beginner golfer. The ridges in the canyon make it easy to lose your ball, 500 feet below the plateaus, in the ocean.

If you have an accurate aim and can find tranquility on a course which would inevitably drive many golfers insane, you need to check out this course. Make sure to bring plenty of replacement balls so you have room for making mistakes.