Have you ever been to a boutique golf resort?
If not, I highly recommend you experience one.
With only, say, 12-100 rooms and usually one golf course, the vibe and experience are very different than what you're probably used to.
Like when people greet you warmly by your name?
And having a golf course entirely to yourself?
If so...
Again, at boutique golf resorts, it's not about getting thumbnail sketches of as many courses as possible.
It's about getting to know the nuances of one excellent golf course...while the highly attentive resort staff gets to know you and your preferences for a great golf vacation.
Here are my picks for 9 of the best boutique golf resorts east of the Mississippi (next week I'll cover the West)...
Barnsley Gardens Resort - Adairsville, Georgia
Set on the site of an antebellum manor with elaborate attendant gardens, Barnsley Gardens is secluded and special. A group of 65 on-site cottages give the resort a quiet, Southern village feel to complement the Jim Fazio-designed course.
BarnsleyResort.com
Bay Hill Club & Lodge - Orlando, Florida
Despite its Orlando address, Bay Hill manages to be low-key enough to feel like a true escape. Thank Arnold Palmer for that - the King can often be found personally overseeing the operations of the place, ensuring guests' enjoyment of their stays.
BayHill.com
FarmLinks at Pursell Farms - Sylacauga, Alabama
Each of the Hurdzan/Fry circa-2002 course's 18 holes features different strains of golf course grasses. Lodgings include the 8-suite Parker Lodge and a number of outlying cottages and cabins for groups of varying sizes. Other on-site activities include sporting clays shooting hunting for dove, duck, quail and turkey and fishing.
PursellFarms.com
Gasparilla Inn - Boca Grande, Florida
Gasparilla is definitely a cure for the common Florida golf resort. The inn dates to 1913 and the course to 1928. About a decade ago, Pete Dye was asked to make some refinements to the layout and he roundly succeeded. Guests who wish to play the course need not reserve tee times.
The-Gasparilla-Inn.com
Keswick Hall - Charlottesville, Virginia
Situated quite close to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home, Keswick is a stately boutique hotel set on 600 acres. The golf course is undergoing a complete renovation by Pete Dye (it's essentially a new course as only the routing remains the same) and will be ready for play late this summer.
Keswick.com
Linville Golf Club/Eseeola Lodge - Linville, North Carolina
The golf course, a Donald Ross classic, dates to 1926. It sits above 3,800 feet, so expect some extra carry. More than half the adjacent Eseeola Lodge's guests are repeat visitors, a testament to both its quality and friendly environs.
Eseeola.com
May River Golf Club/Inn at Palmetto Bluff - Bluffton, South Carolina
Arguably the Lowcountry's most luxurious resort, Palmetto Bluff is quiet and pristine, with a stellar Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and numerous other activities and amenities to match.
PalmettoBluff.com
Old Waverly Golf Club - High Point, Mississippi
The Bob Cupp-designed course hosted the 1999 U.S. Women's Open and has appeared on numerous "Top 100 Courses" lists since opening in 1990. An expert culinary staff and gracious accommodations in the form of cottages, villas and condos completes the scene.
OldWaverly.com
Primland - Meadows of Dan, Virginia
With a Donald Steel-designed course set on top of a mountain with world-class dining, spa and lodgings, Primland is blissful seclusion personified, with a European feel thanks to the vision of its Swiss billionaire founder, Didier Primat. The Lodge, Fairway Cottages and Mountain Homes offer a range of accommodation options. There are no wrong answers.
Primland.com
What are your picks for best boutique golf resorts -- in the USA or around the world?
Please share your thoughts or read what others are saying below.
Nothing in the Northeast?
Check out The International in Bolton, Ma.
I vote for Samoset Resort, "the Pebble Beach of the East". My second choice would be Bristol Harbor Golf Club, in the Finger Lakes region of NY state.
George mentioned Balsams Resort in Dixville Notch NH... It was a classic spot... grand old hotel with lots of history and a Donald Ross was there designed golf course...
Both are currently and sadly closed ... the hotel for "renovations
Bandon is great I have been there many times but it is golf. The different lodges are great but it is still golf that you can not beat.
Small inns with golf? Gotta look at VT. The elegant Woodstock Inn and Resort is the definition of timeless. It was formerly the playground of John D. Rockefeller. The course is old and quaint, with a lovely creek bisecting many holes. The Inn is high-service with great food. The nearby streams are perfect for dropping a fly line after play. While you are nearby, Stowe and the Equinox are nearby and probably as good, but without the tradition of Woodstock. Great towns for shopping and sightseeing, too. There is better pure golf in other places, but no place will beat the atmosphere of these old, small New England inns.
Primland...been there, love that
One course, and a smaller hotel...Erin Hills in WI definitely fits the bill. Awesome track and a very well run facility. Also the Leatherstocking Golf Course at the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown is unique and has another small attraction nearby.
Craig,
Have you ever played the 9 holes at the Mohonk Mountain House up in New Paltz? Lovely 9
Any "Best ..." list is going to omit some deserving inclusions. Let me add the Homestead at Hot Springs, Va. and Callaway Gardens in Georgia to the deserving unincluded here.
I've been to Primland. It is absolutely one of the best places to play golf, dine and have a massage. Upon entering the gate it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get to the Lodge. The Lodge is an incredible place to spend a few days. The food is excellent and they treat you the right way. Would highly recommend.