What do you look for in resort courses?

[Neal_Meagher]

Just wanting to know what this august group thinks/feels about resort courses and which features separate the truly good ones from the pretenders.

For instance, is there a preponderance of weight placed on ease of play and wide fairways?  Are the green surfaces mostly devoid of authority?  Is there still a modicum of challenge left considering the relative lengths of "resort" courses?  Are there usually too many "whiz-bangs" such as cutesy little planter boxes and the like for most of your tastes?

If you could design, build and RUN your own resort course, how would it differ from the usual.  p.s. I wouldn't place The Plantation Course at Kapalua and Pacific/Bandon Dunes in the usual category.  I'm talking about many of the rest.

As long as we're at it, which resorts you have been to do the best job of integrating the golf with the lodging accommodations.  And for what reasons?  Which resorts would you hold up as a barometer for all of the rest?  And, conversely, which ones ought to completely rethink things?

[Jim_Kennedy]

Neal,
Pine Needles. A first rate course(s), speedy play, friendly staff, exceptional food three times a day, most comfortable chairs ever at a bar, will go out of their way to make you feel at home (I remember a rainy day and a staff member driving several of us around on a sight seeing trip), quiet location, nice little town close by with a couple of good bars  

I haven't been there in too long a time but I remember it as almost perfect for my tastes. Why am I not there now?    

[A.G._Crockett]

Redanman,
Do they have to be redheads?

[A_Clay_Man]

I assume Neal has a reason for asking, So I'll try. Resort course conjurs up connotations of fairway tee to green. All lateral nothing centerline but green green grass, basically the stuff that causes Behr to rest uneasy wherever he is. But recently I was shocked to see Twin Warriors call themselves a resort course because of all the line of charm nastiness. As for the surrounds TW also has it down, with nothing visible from the course cept in a long background sense.

Knowing Spanish Bay so well, I'd say they have a pretty good model for the perfect combo of $ associated with hotel and condo's and the golf. (we know Pat) Part of the intelligent use of that site is that the golfer is only subjected to eyesores (hardly) on a very limited number of holes. And, all but #13 have very little to no impact on play. Come to think of it, with all the centerline nasty's on that course combined with the groups of holes where its just you the spindrift and the vast pacific,  makes me think those who lament the "coulda's woulda's and shoulda's" haven't considered the revenue flow from the hotel and the mil+ condos. I'd say they did it right from a business stand point. ( but I dont have the numbers, do you?)

[ian]

Great golf in a setting that I can not find out at home.

in my order of preference:
1. Mountains
2. Ocean
3. Desert

[cary lichtenstein]

I look for the best golf I can find with good weather. The accomodations and food are secondary. If it's a short trip, then I look for airport accessibility e.g., I was looking to go to Casa de Campo and Barbados in the same trip, but I checked out Orbitz, and it is just not possible, so one has to go.

Bandon is great, but the weather is tough. We went once, we'll probably go back, but with the weather cold and windy, and it's a tough place to get to, it's hard to return for a second time.

[Bill_McBride]

Cuscowilla is hard to beat.  Wide fairways but challenging strategies and lots of ground game opportunities.  Great housing (golf villas) and a very relaxed style.  Walking with caddies was the prevalent choice.  To me that makes the difference.  There are so many resort courses where they operate the carts like a fleet, it's all about riding in carts.  That's what I object to most at resorts.  Certainly places like Innisbrook or Doral, TPC of Scottsdale, most of Palm Springs, you could walk anytime except summer, but it's all cart golf.  

End of rant.

[Don_Mahaffey]

Forget resort, just build something awesome

The truly good ones are the ones worth going the extra mile to get to, and it's not because they fit some formula, other then a great course on a great piece of land.