Anyone who loves golf and travel has a few bucket list golf courses on their minds, like The Old Course at St. Andrews or Pebble Beach. But when you are truly devoted to traveling the world to play golf, you start to crave new challenges. Here are our top five up-and-coming golf destinations to add to your list for 2020.
Maximize sustainability at Rancho San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas in Mexico is known for its natural beauty, and the architects of Rancho San Lucas vowed to take that into account when building their new beachfront links-style course. The Greg Norman Signature Course works with both the natural layout and the fact that the Mexican weather is not the same as golf’s originating landscape of Scotland. The end result is a challenging course that will surely elevate the level of play in Los Cabos. And the accompanying private resort community is one more reason to add this destination to your list of golf adventures.
Go fully modern with Siam Country Club Pattaya Rolling Hills
The fourth course at the beautiful Siam Country Club Pattaya, Rolling Hills, opened in January 2020 as a distinctly modern offering. Already one of the premier golf destinations in Thailand, the course adds a new level of challenge with fewer distractions, thanks to the lack of real estate surrounding it. They’re already touting hole 15 as “The Wall of Death”, a double zig-zag fairway that slopes uphill with a 19-foot bunker between you and the green, just to keep things interesting.
Experience five-star luxury at West Cliffs
As a rare woman-designed course, West Cliffs outside Lisbon, Portugal boasts expert design by Cynthia Dye McGarey, who grew up coloring golf maps in the office of her father and uncle, Anderson and Pete Dye. Her goal to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape has resulted in a beautiful ocean-side links that keeps local ecology in mind. The accompanying five-star resort extorts you to get out into wild nature, and you may just feel that vibe as you’re teeing off.
Lose your breath at Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort
“Breathtaking” is certainly one way to describe the seaside cliffs that make up the Gary Player Signature Golf Course at Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort in Bulgaria. The Black Knight himself has predicted that the course will become one of the top three in the world, and it’s certainly the crown jewel in the three courses on Cape Kaliakra. Already a resort destination unto itself, the new course makes Thracian Cliffs a must-play for luxury travelers and golf enthusiasts.
Enjoy the charms of Rome at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club
Rome is already a prime spot for world travelers, and golf lovers can add the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club to their list of reasons to visit. While we love the Lake Como and Lake Maggiore golf resorts for a full escape from the city, Marco Simone is a delightful way to play some challenging golf while staying within reach of the Coliseum. And as the official host of the 2022 Ryder Cup, we’re sure to see more about the club in the coming years.
As a new year and a new decade, 2020 is a perfect time to upgrade your golfing bucket list with these five new, beautiful courses in exciting locales.
Ravi Coutinho is Founder and Lead Golf Travel Expert at Worldwide Golf Adventures. Worldwide Golf Adventures is a luxury golf tour operator that arranges custom golf vacations for clients around the world.
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