Escape Reality with the Best All Inclusive Golf Resorts in the USA
While everyone enjoys a festive snow, the novelty of wintry precipitation quickly wears off in a slurry of dirt, ice, and mud. That’s when golfers start counting the days to spring, especially if they live in the half of America that experiences all four seasons. So if visions of sunny February golf are dancing in your head, this guide to the best all inclusive golf destinations in America might help your decision making process. We’ve broken them down by region and given each a “best for” label so no matter what type of getaway you’re planning, you can find a suitable destination for that snowbird itch.
All Inclusive Golf Resorts in the Southern United States
It's hard to beat the sheer variety of golf in the American south. From the Carolinas down to Florida, there's much golf to be had. Whether you're a city-slicking east coaster or a Midwesterner tired of snow blowing the driveway, a trip down South will surely give you the vitamin D you need to make it through April.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort – Kiawah Island, SC
Gators won’t distract you from sun and excellent golf in Kiawah (but let them play through). Image Credit Alanya Seeburg, Wikimedia Commons.
If you know and love golf, chances are you've dreamt of playing Kiawah Island. This legendary "facility" boasts some of the most popular bucket list golf courses in America, alongside a 5-star hotel experience, villa rentals, spa packages, and more. Whether you're longing for an unforgettable family vacation or one of the most legendary golf bachelor parties ever conceived, Kiawah is worthy of strong consideration. Kiawah is a very popular destination, so get your reservations and book your flights well in advance!
Best All Around Golf Resort
Legends Golf Resort – Myrtle Beach, SC
With five championship courses, you could set up shop in Legends Golf Resort for the entirety of winter and be the envy of your summer foursome. Sprawling across the Myrtle Beach area, and even into bordering North Carolina, Legend's links style courses are all nestled within the "grand stand" area famous for its long beaches, great nightlife and fun dining. Legends offers packages to play and stay, and have a lovely Scottish inspired cottage for golfers looking to kick back and stay a while. As far as amenities go, while staying and playing, guests receive "unlimited use of the 30-acre practice facility, driving range, breakfast buffet, lunch and two beers or other beverages". When paradise is calling, you better pick up the phone.
Best for Golfing, Nightlife & Buddies Trips
Club Wyndham Dye Villas – Myrtle Beach, SC
Another Myrtle Beach staple, The Club Wyndham Dye Villas offer access to four award winning courses, plus all the amenities that you'd expect from a luxury resort hotel – including a pool, hot tub, gym, and clubhouse. The courses surrounding Dye Villas are each of excellent pedigree, having been designed by Davis Love III, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio, and of course, Pete Dye. With so much choice, and fun for the whole family, this is an all inclusive golf resort that will make you forget that snow even exists. Myrtle Beach is all about tourism, so flights are typically affordable any time of year.
Best Value All Inclusive Resort
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort – Hilton Head, SC
Hilton Head is already a top destination for the snowbird set, so throw in a few rounds of legendary golf and you've got the makings of a real paradise. The oceanfront Palmetto Dunes is a resort town all in itself, complete with tennis courts, pickleball, cycling paths, a handful of restaurants, boat rentals/fishing, cruises, and kids activities. Unsurprisingly, it also has three championship-caliber golf courses: a lagoon-infused Robert Trent Jones, a low-country Arthur Hills, and a challenging but beautiful George Fazio. Palmetto Dunes offers packages to eat, play, and stay from one to three of these courses, and they've even got some with access to the pickleball courts thrown in.
Best for Golfing Families Who also Want to Beach
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Another bucket list golf course for anyone keeping track at home is TPC Sawgrass. Well, staying at the Sawgrass Marriott might be the easiest way to enjoy one of the world's top courses, site of THE PLAYERS Championship. Affectionately known as golf’s fifth major, the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass is open to the public (but prepare yourself for $600+ greens fees) and ideal for serious golfers looking to experience one of the toughest tests in golf. As you might expect from any Marriott Resort, the relaxation facilities are also top notch with a spa, fitness center, fine (and casual) dining, bars, a pool and more.
Best for Bucket List Golf Course Hunters
One of the most iconic holes in golf, #17 at TPC Sawgrass. Image Credit Craig ONeal, CC SA 2.0
Reunion Resort – Kissimmee, FL
Florida really knows how to do a resort. Case in point: Reunion Resort. Like many of the other all inclusive golf resorts on this list, Reunion offers non-golf fun like pools, tennis/pickleball courts, restaurants and biking. But it also boasts family friendly amusements like footgolf (an awesome discovery), minigolf, bocce ball, playgrounds, and a whole mother loving waterpark! The golf ain't bad either. Boasting three courses designed by golf legends Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Jack Nicklaus, if you book a golf package at Reunion Resort, you might just forget to leave.
Best for Active Families
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge – Orlando, FL
Attention golfers who like to fish: Bay Hill could be the vacation of your dreams. Not only does this incredible lodge-style oasis proudly claim world-class golfing, spa, fitness and dining facilities, it has some of the best bass fishing Florida has to offer. With the onsite marina, you can charter a boat, or hire out a guide to make sure you catch something good.
Palmer's pride and joy, Bay Hill was originally a failed orange grove before the golf legend shaped it into a championship level course, and made it the home of the Arnold Palmer Open. Renovated in 2009, this challenging and beautiful course is an all around crowd pleaser.
Best for Golfing Anglers
Innisbrook Resort –Tampa, FL
Sandwiched between Lake Tarpon and St. Joseph Sound, Innisbrook Resort sits just north of Tampa, offering some premier golf on the Gulf. Notwithstanding all that a city as large as Tampa has to offer, Innisbrook is a fully stocked resort with all the tennis, dining, and aquatic fun that you'd imagine. With four courses to choose from (Copperhead, Island, North and South), and all inclusive golf packages that include a round per day, what more could a sun-loving golfer ask for?
Best for Playing Like the Pros Play
Disney's Saratoga Springs – Lake Buena Vista, FL
The Saratoga Springs Disney Resort offers sunshine, golf, and entertainment for children. Image Credit Jeff Kays, CC-BY-2.0.
Disney + Golf = the stuff dreams are made of. Disney's Victorian-inspired Saratoga Springs is right in the middle of Florida's tourism hotspot, and offers pretty much anything you can imagine. Transportation to any of the parks, dedicated concierges, amusements galore; Disney has really built its reputation on providing the best guest experience money can buy. Lake Buena Vista golf course is located in an Audubon certified wildlife sanctuary, and has been given the four-star seal of approval by Golf Digest.
Best Golfing Resort to Keep the Kids Busy
Golf Resorts in the Southwest
Maybe the ocean isn't quite your style and you prefer the dry heat of the American southwest. With incredible food, and those sprawling desert vistas, booking an all inclusive golf resort in the southwest is just what the doctor ordered.
Boulders Resort & Spa – Scottsdale, AZ
We've previously talked about how good the golf in Scottsdale is, so if you're going to embrace the snowbird lifestyle, you might as well go all the way. Nestled in the Sonoran Desert, Boulders Resort and Spa is an oasis of relaxation. Complete with spa packages, fitness getaways, and everything from stargazing to hot air balloon rides, this picturesque resort is a top contender on our list. Not to be outdone by its desert-themed amenities, Boulders has two world-class courses designed by Jay Morrish that promise some of those challenging, low-scoring rounds that we all crave.
Best for Golfing Couples
The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa – Las Vegas, NV
Saratoga Springs might be a great choice for migrating golfers that want their kids to have an even better time than they do, but for the adult crowd, nothing beats Vegas. The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa is located 20 miles outside the hustle and bustle of the Strip, on Lake Las Vegas. As a Marriott property, it comes replete with everything you'd expect from an upscale hotel chain, and includes something you wouldn't necessarily expect from an all inclusive golf resort in Vegas: a beach! On site, you'll find Reflection Bay Golf Club: a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design course that boasts canyon views, desert hills, and lush lakeside greenery. Check out these all-inclusive packages from Expedia to simplify your booking experience.
Best Combination of Golf and Adult Entertainment
Horseshoe Bay Resort – Austin, TX
We've covered the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama before, but few know that Texas, by way of Horseshoe Bay Resort, has three RTJ courses all to itself. Perched on the side of Lake Lyndon B. Johnson on the outskirts of Austin, this all inclusive golf resort offers everything you could want in a vacation. With five courses in total, Horseshoe's Summit Rock is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, and Whitewater is a playfully unique miniature unlike anything you've ever seen. As the saying goes, even miniature golf is bigger in Texas….
Best for Golf, Nightlife & Foodies
Golf resorts in the Pacific
The Pacific region is home to at least a handful of golf courses that sit atop most people's bucket lists – and not without reason. The cold Pacific currents meet the warm desert sun to create some of the most picturesque courses in America.
La Quinta Resort & Spa and PGA West – Palm Springs, CA
Another all inclusive golf resort with an astounding five courses under its belt, La Quinta / PGA West is a veritable golfer's paradise. As you'd expect from Palm Springs, packages include everything from spa/yoga retreats, glamping in Joshua Tree, and even a private jet that promises to make sure you arrive in immaculate style. Courses from Legends like Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and three (!) by Pete Dye really round off the offerings at La Quinta Resort / PGA West, all but guaranteeing the time of your life.
Best for High Rolling Golfers
The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa – Palm Springs, CA
While we're in Palm Springs, why not visit another Pete Dye masterpiece: Rancho Mirage. Tucked amongst the rolling hills of the picturesque California town, this lush green course is legendarily much easier/fun to play than it looks. With some challenging pin locations and difficult greens, golfers have described play as deceptively hittable. And with the surrounding Palm Springs area at your disposal, you can find plenty more to do than swing the sticks.
Best for Nearby Amenities
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa – Carlsbad, CA
For some of us, the option to play 90 different holes is too much choice. For those of you who agree, I suggest the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa's modest, yet potent 36 holes. Located just north of San Diego, you can be all but absolutely certain that any vacation booked here will include some sunshine.
Best for Perfect Golfing Weather
Pebble Beach Golf Resorts – Monterey, CA
As it turns out, one of the world's greatest golf courses is also one of the world's greatest golf resorts. What can you say about Pebble Beach Golf Links that hasn't already been said (here, and also here)? Sporting not one, not two, but FIVE of the world's best places to golf, if you're inclined to go all the way with an all inclusive golf resort holiday, you might as well make damn sure that all of your buddies will be extremely jealous.
Best for Serious Golfers
All inclusive golf resorts are a great way to pay your way onto some of the nation's best private courses, as well as to escape the harsh winter in search of warmer climes. Whether you're making the full time retirement leap, or just trying on the snowbird life to see how it fits, a weekend at a golf resort (or even just reading about one) is enough to make all your wintery cares melt gently away. And if you're interested in planning a golf trip, check out GolfTrip.AI. With cutting-edge AI technology, they can generate personalized itineraries in seconds, taking the hassle out of trip planning. Click here to get started!
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