Bucket list: These dreamy golf resorts deliver fairways to heaven and memory-making rounds.
by Michael J. Solender
With the world’s best professional golfers huddling at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club for the PGA Championship in May, many less-celebrated (read: mere mortal) golfers dream of exploring championship-quality venues to elevate their own game.
We’ve teed up three stunners you can play, each with a pedigreed course design, amenity-rich resort offerings and a top-tier golf experience that is anything but par for the course.
Quivira Los Cabos + Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts
Cabo San Lucas
Setup: Quivira Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is one of North America’s most visually stunning yet eminently playable resort courses. Voted one of Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses in the World in 2022, it sits at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.
The course layout is both awe-inspiring and seemingly impossible, rising nearly 400 feet above sea level and carved into a granite hillside. Quivira ascends above the ocean like a solitary kestrel, with jagged cliffs and lush fairways serving as hunting grounds for members and guests.
Ocean views are present on every hole — even the expansive practice area offers Instagram-worthy vistas, paralleling the Pacific. During late winter, migrating humpback, gray and blue whales can be spotted, adding an extra thrill to each round.
“We worked with the canvas of Mother Nature to create one of the most spectacular courses in the world,” Nicklaus said of Quivira.
With multiple tee boxes and immaculate maintenance, Quivira is incredibly user-friendly. The course routing and sight lines offer fair opportunities to score, with few forced carries and plenty of chances to go low.
Antonio Reynante Vega, director of golf, captures the essence of Quivira with the story behind its name, which comes from the mythical city where streets are paved with gold and the land is rich with treasures. “This is a course that touches your soul,” Reynante Vega says. “Golfers leave here with a special, satisfying experience they’ll remember for a lifetime.”
Quivira Golf Club
Stay & play: “Beyond Hospitality” is more than a tagline at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf Resort & Spa — it’s an ethos. The staff embodies this philosophy, offering a blend of high-touch service and amenities that create a casually elegant atmosphere, delighting guests at every turn.
The oceanfront adults-only resort is one of several lodging options at Quivira. The 47 Towers suites offer an all-inclusive resort-within-a-resort with 24-hour butler service; private terraces; fully stocked mini-bar with premium wine, beer, and sodas; a pillow menu; and
VIP lounge.
The resort’s Armonia Spa offers wellness-focused massages and signature experiences such as a healing ritual based on Baja’s ancestral practices. The resort also features a state-of-the-art fitness center with ocean views and a vast beachfront perfect for early-morning or late-afternoon runs.
Dining: More than a dozen restaurants and bars are available to Pueblo Bonito Pacifica guests. At LaFrida, head chef Anaisa Guevara brings contemporary flair to classic Mexican dishes. Guevara works her magic with a bounty of local produce to create dishes such as soft-shell crab tostadas, lobster and corn chowder, and duck mole with squash puree. Peninsula is a beachfront fine-dining venue featuring Mexican cuisine with an international twist. Specialties include short rib pozole, pan-seared sea bass and roasted salmon with yellow mole. The Market at Quivira is inspired by the great European food halls and presented in a hacienda-style setting. Fun dining options extend from Asian hawker-style to Italian to Mexican street food, along with ice cream, chocolates and tasty baked treats.
Local knowledge: Early tee times don’t require skipping breakfast at Quivira, as “comfort stations” throughout the course (included with your round) offer snacks like breakfast burritos, pulled pork sandwiches, muffins, rolls, coffee, juices, bloody marys, beer, sodas and a full bar.
GETTING THERE: Nonstop flights from Charlotte through American Airlines are offered daily to Los Cabos International Airport; the resort is a 45-minute drive away.
Photographs courtesy Quivira Golf Club and Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf Resort & Spa
Featured image: Quivira Golf Club. Photograph by Bill Hornstein, courtesy Quivira Golf Club
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California
Setup: La Costa is one of SoCal’s most storied golf destinations for a reason — make that many reasons. It’s the legendary scene of Darren Clarke’s match play takedown of Tiger Woods at the 2000 World Golf Championships final. The courses here (North and South) ranked in the 2024 Top 100 Courses You Can Play by Golf.com, are the host for NCAA Division I men’s and women’s championships through 2028, and were awarded Best Resort Golf Course Renovation for 2024 by Sports Illustrated.
Only 35 minutes north of San Diego International Airport, La Costa is known for its dry, sunny climate, gentle warm breezes and some of the best resort golf on the planet. Omni La Costa’s North Course was originally designed by Dick Wilson in 1965. Last year’s renovations led by Gil Hanse included eco-friendly updates and the addition of six tee sets ranging from 4,500-7,500 yards. The South Course features a parkland-style design and a history of victories by legends like Gary Player, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
Stay & play: The hotel offers 500+ guest rooms, including villas and suites. A multimillion-dollar renovation in 2024 emphasizes the resort’s historic Spanish architecture with a nod to outdoor living. La Costa’s spa and wellness programs have been known since 1965 as the “original destination for mind, body and sport.”
Dining: Several on-site eateries include local favorite Bob’s Steak & Chop House, a popular steakhouse known for extra-tender, juicy steaks and their fabled giant glazed carrot (yes, really).
Local knowledge: Beacon’s Beach in nearby Encinitas is a non-touristy spot for a seaside stroll with great sunset views.
GETTING THERE: American Airlines offers several nonstop flights to San Diego International Airport. La Costa is about a 40-minute drive from the airport.
Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
Frisco, Texas
Setup: Omni PGA Frisco debuted in 2023 with the christening of two 18-hole championship courses: Fields Ranch East and Fields Ranch West. These premium tracks designed by Gil Hanse and Beau Welling, respectively, are situated on the former 2,500-acre Bert Fields Headquarters Ranch, a traditional Texas cattle ranching operation.
Pros play here, with the East course hosting the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2027 PGA Championship — the first men’s major championship in the DFW area in more than 60 years. And in 2029, The Senior PGA Championship is set to tee off.
The resort also caters to novice players and guests seeking a less formal environment, with unique offerings including:
Trick Rider
The Swing: A 10-hole, par-3 course designed by Hanse and Welling, requiring only a wedge and putter. Distances range from 45-100 yards, and the course is lit for evening play, perfect for short-game practice or introducing beginners.
The Dance Floor: A lighted 18-hole, natural-grass putting course on 2 acres — one of the largest in the world — great for pre- or post-round fun.
The Lounge by Topgolf: A virtual experience with games like “zombie dodgeball” for a twist on the traditional game.
Stay & play: There are 500 guest rooms and suites just steps from each course. Ten four-bedroom Ranch Houses are designed for families or buddy trips. Contemporary Texas style welcomes with expansive views, soft tartans and earthen tones. Mokara Spa delivers zen with 20 treatment rooms, relaxation lounges, saunas, steam rooms, a private pool and a spa café.
Dining: From casual to elegant, there are 13 venues for on- and off-course dining, from The Apron (Texas and California fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner) to Trick Rider — a rodeo-themed bistro with steaks, seafood and lively libations. Yee-haw!
GETTING THERE: Just 30 minutes from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, golfers can easily make a midday tee time when leaving CLT in the morning.
Photographs courtesy Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
