Destination Golf

TIME IN THE SUN

As the warm shades of Fall harden into the cold tones of winter, as the gates close on many of the great golf courses of the American north, blessed are the migration spots of southern climes. It is time to fl y

MOUNTAIN LAKE Florida

Understated compared to many less meritorious golf courses in Florida, Mountain Lake is a private community that remains something of a secret treasure in Lake Wales, 50 miles south of Orlando and 60 miles east of Tampa, right in the heart of the Sunshine State. Mountain Lake off ers much of what most Florida courses miss: rolling ground that lends beautifully to golf, real estate that does not dominate the course, and an impressive heritage that itself rolls back more than 100 years. Mountain Lake is one of the fi nest designs by early 20th century architect Seth Raynor—who learned his trade from the legendary C.B. MacDonald on courses like Shinnecock Hills—and in recent years the original layout, dating back to 1916, has been vigilantly restored by Gil Hanse.

Life at Mountain Lake revolves around the Colony House, featuring a 36-room inn, food and beverage outlets and other amenities, which also dates back to 1916 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mountainlakeflorida.com

Mountain lake’s 18th hole, leading up to Colony House

CLASSIC CLUB Palm Springs

The Classic Club in Palm Springs lives true to its name. This famous Arnold Palmerdesigned golf course opened in 2006 and was immediately rewarded when the PGA Tour brought its Bob Hope Desert Classic to the club, in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Classic Club represents desert golf at its very best, with the rust palette and wild west beauty of the Coachella Valley and San Jacinto mountains contrasting with the immaculate yet environmentally-sensitive carpets of golf course green. The painstaking development program at the Classic Club has earned recognition as a Certifi ed Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, thanks to its wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction and water quality and conservation.

Just two hours from downtown Los Angeles, the championship course off ers wide landing areas and fi ve tees on every hole, allowing golfers of any skill level to enjoy the tour-level challenge. Elevated tees and desert panoramas are enhanced by 30 acres of lakes and streams, 14 stone bridges, thousands of California pepper, pine and olive trees, with the setting completed by the Tuscan village clubhouse as the centerpiece. Classicclubgolf.com

PORT ROYAL Bermuda

For an Atlantic outpost occupying just 21 square miles, Bermuda shows great devotion to golf, neatly fi tting seven golf courses into its limited dimensions. The most famous of the septet is Port Royal, one of the fi nest public golf courses anywhere in the world, and former TV star as host venue of the PGA Grand Slam for several consecutive years. Perched high above the Atlantic surf and just down the road from Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse, along Bermuda’s southwestern reaches, Port Royal is home to one of the most photogenic holes in golf: Its tantalizing, 235-yard, par-3 16th. There are four tee boxes serving golfers of all levels so for goodness’ sake, don’t try to be the back tee hero unless your game is really on. The tee shot has to take on the cliff ’s edge to fi nd a small green occupying its own peninsula. There is room to bail-out to the right of the green, but sand traps await and a bunker shot towards the ocean is not the shot of your tropical dreams. Portroyalgolfcourse.com

The signature 16th hole at Port Royal