Travel
Tee Off at 7 of the World’s Best
Golf Courses
With lush terrains and rocky coastlines,
one could easily travel from California
to Australia on tour to visit the world's
best golf courses. Any true golfer probably already has a personal list of
dream spots, whether it's a course right
around the corner or halfway around
the world; but these are our seven picks
for the best in the world. Some are
known for their iconic history and others for their challenging courses, but all
of them are renowned the world over.
Photo Courtesy of Masters Tournament
Augusta National Golf Club Augusta, Georgia
Augusta National Golf Club is synonymous with
the Masters Tournament because it has been the
host since 1934. As one of the most famous golf
courses in the world, Augusta was founded by
legendary amateur champion Bobby Jones and
New York investment banker Clifford Roberts, and
designed by Jones and British architect Alister
MacKenzie.
Having opened back in 1933, this club is pretty
exclusive which has been followed by criticism
in the past mainly due to their refusal to admit female and black members up until 1990. With only
around 300 members at a time, there is no application process and membership is by invitation
only. Costing anywhere between $10 and $30K a
year, current notable members include Bill Gates
and Condoleezza Rice
Augusta National Golf Club
St Andrews (Old Course)
St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Old Course at St
Andrews is pretty famous
across the world as one of
the oldest around, drawing
in golfers of all pedigrees
because of its challenging
North Sea dune terrain.
Found on Scotland's east
coast, this 6,721yard, par
72 course is actually open
to the public despite its
iconic history among the
greats (like Old Tom Morris, Seve Ballesteros and
Jack Nicklaus). St Andrews
also has four other 18-hole
courses, a 9-hole course,
and a practice center for
golfers of all skill levels.
Though they are all public,
you have to make reservations ahead of time
Gullane, Scotland, United Kingdom
St Andrews (Old Course)
22 | Choice Options
Muirfield Village Golf Club
Muirfield Village Golf Club in Scotland is one of the oldest
clubs in the sport alongside St Andrews, with its beginnings
tracing back to 1744. It is also the home of the Honourable
Company of Edinburgh Golfers. A links course (developed
in Scotland and characterized by dunes, uneven surfaces and sandy coil), Muirfield is the host of many major
championships (11 Amateur Championships and 16 Open
Championships), and is where Jack Nicklaus actually won
his very first British Open.
It has an unusual layout and was one of the first courses to
deviate from the standard of running links courses along
the coast and back again for two sets of nine holes (with
the holes in each set facing in the same direction). Instead,
Muirfield is designed with two loops of nine holes, one
clockwise and the other counterclockwise meaning that
each hole will have a different wind direction from the tee,
assuming the wind remains blowing the same direction
throughout the course of the game.
Sorry ladies, this one only accepts male memberships.