Golf Courses in Leeds

Romantic Golf Restore– Cape Cod

 

When you’re looking for both golf and romance,where would you go? Here’s an idea: Head to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
 

 

Right after you cross the Bourne Bridge, it hits you: the salty smell of the sea air. Fresh, invigorating, it invites you to walk the sandy dunes, dig for clams or head out into the Cape Cod Bay for a moonlight sail.
 

 

The sweet scent of roses tumbling over stone walls, flowers peeking from tiny gardens tucked in nooks and crannies behind silvery gray-shingled houses, the cries of gulls and seafood in places like Clancy’s in Dennisport, the Yarmouth House Restaurant in West Yarmouth and a lobster dinner for .50 at Doyles Restaurant in South Yarmouth. Now that’s romantic.
 

 

But on Cape Cod, golf and romance is not an oxymoron. With 43 golf courses in a relatively small area, you can stay in one place and play a different course each day. From the recently renovated Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club in Brewster to historic treasures like Highland Links in North Truro, the Cape’s golf courses incorporate wetlands, pine-covered hills, hills and grassy dunes which have been sculptured into an array of golf holes by architect greats like Donald Ross, William Mitchell, Brian Silva and Geoffrey Cornish.
 

 

Here prices are relatively inexpensive with comfortable accommodations and golf for two nights for two starting as low as 0 and high-end properties offering two-night packages from about 0 to 0 per couple.
 

 

One good reason to stay at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Chatham is to be able to play the private Cape Cod National Golf Club. Ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top five private golf courses in the country, it’s a beauty. Expect it to be uncrowded, laid back, and challenging, more so if you try to out-think it.
 

 

The Wequassett resort is no slouch either. Set on a bluff overlooking the water, you stay in Cape Cod-style silvery gray-shingled cottages or spacious suites, many with decks. Focal point for the inn is the 19th century “Square Top” Eben Ryder House with its wide board floors, terraces and fireplaces. The inn also has a beautiful pool and beach with filmy-draped cabanas, fire pit, outdoor terrace, kayaks and other sports fun stuff, a large outdoor pool, four tennis courts, croquet court, and four choices to eat and drink.
 

 

The Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club  is another option combining a romantic ambiance with excellent golf. More than million under the direction of the Nicklaus Design Group has been spent to upgrade Ocean Edge’s old Brian Silva design which incorporated some of the original nine of Brewster Country Club designed by Donald Ross which over the years had become scruffy around the edges.
 

 

Today the track is in top condition. If you played the golf course before, you’ll probably notice there are a now lot more bunkers. Greens have been reshaped and challenge with tricky undulations and the course has been lengthened to 7,011 yards. But don’t worry: The new bentgrass fairways let your ball roll forever.
 

 

To play here, you’ll need to be a member or guest at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club. But that’s where the romantic quotient of the picture kicks in. Overlooking Cape Cod Bay, the centerpiece of Ocean Edge is the 1912 Victorian-style Nickerson Mansion which occupies a hilltop setting in Brewster. Relaxed and thoroughly inviting, 335 renovated rooms, suites and multi-bedroom villas are located in the hotel and in villas set on more than 429 acres along the Bay and fairways
 

 

Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club has four restaurants, tennis, fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, and a beautiful 700-foot slice of private beach.
 

 

Still you don’t have to join a club or stay at a resort to get a super golf & romantic fix on the Cape where there are close to 30 excellent daily-fee golf courses.
 

 

Owned by the town of Brewster, the two Brian Silva designs at Captains Golf Course, Port and Starboard, have enjoyed high ratings on the New England scene. Fairway bunkers are well placed to catch errant shots and plenty of greenside bunkers and tree-lined fairways up the challenge. Each course has one sharp dogleg, but for the most part, the holes run straight out.
 

 

Bayberry Hills Golf Club in West Yarmouth, designed by Silva and Geoffrey Cornish, is a tough track for short hitters, but the course has four tee boxes to even out the odds in spite of lots of bunkers, rolling fairways and plenty of trees.
 

 

Cranberry Valley Golf Course in Harwich runs through - not surprisingly - cranberry bogs along with kettle holes, wetlands and woods. And what about Blue Rock Golf Course? Just because it’s a par 3, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a serious play. Designed by Cornish, this is a gem with water, elevation and wetlands.
 

 

Dennis Highlands Golf Course is known for its no nonsense approach, generous undulating, multi-tiered greens and open fairways. Its back nine is longer by 400 yards and flatter than the front with some killer holes. Dennis Pines Golf Course is another good track and a test for target golfers.
 

 

Anyone who wonders what links golf is all about must play Highland Links Golf Course in Truro. The course is defined by deep natural rough, Scotch broom, dunes, grasses, craggy rocks, and shots through narrow gorse-like protected openings.
 

 

And do not overlook Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds Golf Course, Bass River Golf Course or Hyannis Golf Club. All are local favorites, well designed tracks at reasonable rates.

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Review on Cape Kidnappers and Clearwater Golf in New Zealand

Time Of Year

When you are planning a golf trip to New Zealand, remember that the warmest months in the region are December, January and February. The coolest temperatures that will warrant heavier clothing are in June, July and August.  These seasons make New Zealand a great place for holiday getaways! Many of the golf clubs will want to see your handicap certificate. Your certificate might not be needed, but it is wise to carry it.

Two Top Courses to Visit…

Cape Kidnappers at Hawke’s Bay

Kidnappers is a ‘Golf Magazine Top 100’ ranked course, and was voted to be the 27th best golf course in the world in 2005. Renowned course designer Tom Doak, President of Renaissance Golf Design Inc, designed Kidnappers using a minimalist design philosophy to keep the natural surroundings on Hawke’s Bay at the forefront of the golfing experience.

Cape Kidnappers isn’t a true links course. It has ridges that tilt the land towards the sea, jutting out on the edge of the cliffs. Pretty fierce at first glance. Yet, the play is seaside golf at its finest. The surface is fast and firm, the conditions can be windy as you are seaside, and the player who can best control their trajectory will be the master of the course. You will have the opportunity to hit shots over the tops of trees, and also play along the edges of deep ravines. If you stray on your approaches, you’ll actually hope to get caught in bunkers hanging off the green’s edge. Some of the bunkers are deeper than you’ve ever seen before.

Clearwater at Christchurch

The championship par 72 course layout at Clearwater is currently turning several heads in the golfing world, far outside of New Zealand. The Clearwater course was by John Darby in consultation with a New Zealand golfing legend, Sir Bob Charles. Clearwater combines elements of links golf inspired by the great Scottish courses consisting of parkland golf very reminiscent of Florida courses.
Clearwater states this course best…  The course consists of 15 lakes that are fed by several natural springs and crystal clear streams, many of which teeming with trout.  Water comes into major play on 14 holes and if the lakes don’t catch miss hit golf balls then the several acres of surrounding plant life will.
Clearwater is a true challenge and has been awarded the highest rating of any course in the country by the New Zealand Golf Association. It ranks as the toughest course in New Zealand at 76.8 off the black or championship tees.  There are also four other tee positions to suit players of all abilities, so this is a great golf tour selection for all walks of players.

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