Four Legendary Golf Venues With Great Off-Season Deals
Courtesy of The Greenbrier
This story originally appeared on Money.
Sure, the weather is turning colder in most parts of the country, but that doesn't mean it's not a great time for a round of golf. After all, a chilly wind never stopped anyone in Scotland from a day on the links.
In fact, there are great deals to be had at this time of year, even at some of the country's most storied courses. Some are offered by the resorts themselves, and you'll also find plenty of gems on golf-centric sites such as Premier Golf, Golf Zoo, TeeOff.com, Tee Times, Golf Now, and even on general travel sites with golf specials such as Orbitz.
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For snowbirds, Florida offers more than 1,200 courses for year-round golf, the most of any state. Websites with Sunshine State specific seasonal specials include Play Florida Golf and First Coast of Golf.
To get you started, we've put together a mini-tour of four great courses where you'll find some winning off-season deals.
Greenbrier
Located in the majestic foothills of the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, the Greenbrier is a National Historic Landmark and award-winning resort that has welcomed guests since 1778. While it was the magical healing powers of the natural mineral springs that first drew guests here more than two centuries ago, four championship golf courses have added to the allure. The Old White TPC, home to The Greenbrier Classic, is the oldest course currently in use for a PGA tour event and the only course designed by C. B. Macdonald—the father of American golf course architecture—available to the public. Greens fees that start at $175 (March-April and November), compared to $225 during peak season.
The Greenbrier's Unlimited Golf Experience gives unlimited rounds on The Meadows, The Greenbrier, Oakhurst Links, and Oakhurst Links courses including golf cart rental on all days of the stay including arrival and departure days.
"Assuming that a guest plays one round on arrival, two rounds per day during their stay and one round on the day of departure, the average savings for a two night stay would be $665 on the golf versus our standard pricing," says Burt Baine, Greenbrier's director of golf.
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Whistling Straits
Located along two miles of windswept terrain on Lake Michigan, Whistling Straits played host to the 2015 PGA Championship and will be the home for the 2020 Ryder Cup. The Dye-Abolical package, named after course designer Pete Dye, includes three nights at The American Club, The Inn on Woodlake, or Sandhill along with four rounds of golf on The Straits and Irish courses at Whistling Straits, and The River and Meadow Valleys courses at Blackwolf Run.
The package also includes the golf cart fee at Blackwolf Run, caddie fees at the Straits and Irish courses (does not include caddie gratuity), a pouch with several Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits logoed items, a 1/2 hour golf lesson with a Kohler Golf Academy instructor and unlimited use of practice and locker facilities. Rates start per person for The American Club at $1,285 and Inn on Woodlake for$1,165.
If you're looking for a quicker getaway, the Golf Escape package includes one night at The American Club (starting at $611 per person) or Inn on Woodlake starting at $570 per person) and a rounds on both The Straits at Whistling Straits and Meadow Valleys at Blackwolf Run along with a 1/2 hour golf lesson with Kohler Golf Academy instructor.All packages include discounts at the Kohler Waters Spa.
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach Golf Links is on the bucket list of almost every serious golfer (and plenty of duffers, too). The legendary course will make history once again on its centennial as the host of the U.S. Open Championships in 2019.
Package rates between November 22, 2015 and March 31, 2016 start at $2,035 for The Inn and $2,365 for The Lodge, plus a $100 resort credit per package. Stay a third night and receive a 25% discount and play a round for free on The Links at Spanish Bay.
Beyond Pebble Beach, there are 26 courses in Monterey County. At Poppy Hills, greens fees cost $210 for the general public.
Off the Monterey Peninsula, there is also the Carmel Valley Ranch, which offers reduced rates for resort guests. Carmel Valley Ranch's Unlimited Play package offers their clients all the holes they can play in a day along with a cart on their 18-hole championship golf course designed by Pete Dye. The course's spectacular back 9 winds its way up, down, and around the hills of the Carmel Valley.
In addition to golf packages offered at Quail Lodge, the Quail Lodge Golf Academy offers a Beginner's Clinic exclusively for their guests on Saturdays for $25 and a $119 five-day "Get Golf Ready" program for $119.
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Poipu Bay Golf Course
Poipu Bay Golf Course was home to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 to 2006 and is consistently rated among the top golf courses in the U.S. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the course includes three holes that sit right on the biggest natural hazard of them all—the Pacific Ocean. Not to be outdone, the Jack Nicklaus-designed Kauai Lagoons has the longest continuous stretch of oceanfront holes of any golf course in Hawaii.
The Makai Golf Course at Princeville, which re-opened in 2010 after a multi-million dollar renovation, has such dramatic views of towering mountains and dramatic cliffs that golfers have a built in excuse for taking their eye off the ball. Puakea Golf Course also boasts abundant natural beauty and is adjacent to where Steven Spielberg filmed Jurassic Park. (Consider yourself warned.)
The Kauai Golf Trail Card provides players a savings of more than 15% off standard green fees. For $450 including tax (until December 1, 2015 after which the price becomes $475) players can choose three rounds to play from among Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, Puakea Golf Course, Princeville Makai Golf Club, and Poipu Bay Golf Course. The rounds must be played at three different courses.
Additionally, cardholders receive a 10% merchandise discount on regular-priced items on the day of play. A round at Puakea also includes a $50 golf shop credit, which can be used for merchandise, rental clubs, or green fees.
