By Daniel Bukszpan
CNBC.com
Donald Trump has long dreamed of building a luxury golf resort in Scotland, the birthplace of his beloved game. The $1.2 billion course was scheduled to open in July 2012, but according to statements to the UK press on June 20, 2011, it's on hold until the financial crisis blows over. "The world has crashed," the real estate mogul said, and finishing the project "will depend on the markets."
Luckily, avid golfers don't have to wait until the economy finally turns around, as there are plenty of impressive facilities right here in America.
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| Slideshow: Ten luxurious golf courses |
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of the best known courses in America. In fact, Golf Digest magazine said that it "may be the best known course in the United States," and ranked it the number one golf course in the country in 2001, a first for any public course. Opened in 1919, it's hosted the US Open five times and it's scheduled for a sixth time in 2019, in observation of its 100th anniversary. Located in Pebble Beach, Calif., the par 72 course has a 5th hole redesigned in 1999 by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, and it offers awe-inspiring views of the Pacific Ocean. The one drawback of the oceanside location is a breeze substantial enough to affect club selection. But as problems go, that's not a bad one to have, and it hasn't discouraged anyone from paying the $495 fee to play on the green.
Shadow Creek Golf Course
North Las Vegas' Shadow Creek Golf Course has a green fee of $500, making it the most expensive in the United States. It's only open to MGM Resorts International guests, and that exclusivity keeps it calm and uncrowded, and therefore a welcome reprieve from the volume and neon of the Strip. If that's not enough, it's surrounded by a high berm that makes it impossible for anyone from the outside world to see in. Shadow Creek was designed by legendary golf course architect Tom Fazio and built by casino mogul Steve Wynn in 1989. Wynn lived in a four-bedroom house near the 18th hole until 2005, and the course was renovated in 2008 at a cost of $17 million , which added 450 yards to its original design, in addition to brand new fairways, bunkers and tees. It also has waterfalls, pheasants and over 200 types of trees for good measure.
Tournament Players Club At Sawgrass
The Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass is located in Pont Vedra Beach, Florida, near Jacksonville. It has two facilities for golf, the Stadium Course and the Valley Course. However, it's the Stadium Course that's the most well known. It was specifically designed to challenge pro golfers, and at first it actually did the job a little too well. The entire course was a treacherous landscape of marshes, craters and rough that was almost unplayable, prompting golfer Ben Crenshaw to describe it as "Star Wars golf designed by Darth Vader."
Seaside Course
The Seaside Course is one of two at Georgia's Sea Island Golf Club. The island resort is situated off the coast of the Peach State and is one of its Golden Isles, along with Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island and Little St. Simons Island. Due to the isolation provided by the surrounding marshes, Sea Island hosted the 2004 G8 Summit, which was free of incident precisely because protesters couldn’t get access to it. The Seaside Course was designed in 1929 and redesigned in 1999 by Tom Fazio. According to the resort's website, the course boasts "Sea Island's most demanding layout," and it will host the PGA Tour's McGladrey Classic in October 2011. The green fee for this oceanside course is $295.
Click ahead to see the complete list of the most luxurious golf courses in the United States.
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