Options for Annual Boys Trip

[MCL116]

This past October, 12 of us headed down to Alabama for a 6v6 golf show down and a college football game.

 

We stayed Wednesday to Sunday and played 36 holes Thursday, 36 holes Friday, Alabama game Saturday, 18 holes Sunday.

 

We all had an awesome time. The golf was amazing, the resorts were beautiful, the football game was one hell of an experience.

 

We're looking to start booking our next trip and I'm in charge.

 

We'd like to stick with the idea of a college football game to check out and the only other issue we had with the trip last year was the amount of traveling we did. We literally would get done with 36 and leave to drive an hour to the next stop everyday which was too much.

 

So I'm looking for a resort that has a minimum of 2 courses and is up to an hour and a half a away from either another resort or another top notch course(s).

 

Also within an hour and a half from a major football program or even an NFL team.

 

So far the ideas are somewhere near a USC game, Hilton Head (although the football is not really close), and Reynolds Lake Oconee...

[CheckJV]

Reynolds is not too far from UGA if you are into second rate football.

[007iron]

Austin would be a fun trip - I've heard great things about the golf and the food.

 

Great time of the year to visit Bandon, OR. Amazing golf and it would be a haul (2.5 hours to Eugene for a ducks game) but it would be a really solid combo of golf and football.

[txeconomist]

Austin, TX would be good with Barton Creek in Austin (4 total golf courses, 3 on site) and JW Marriott and / or La Cantera in San Antonio. Like above, Longhorns football kind of sucks right now so the football might not be the best experience. Maybe do Dallas for Texas / Oklahoma weekend, some good courses in the Metroplex and whoever wins the game will be out of their minds... October in Texas is usually nice weather too.

[txeconomist]

I guess you are talking about the Gamecocks but the Trojans play the Horns in Austin in 2018...so maybe save that destination for the year after. That would be awesome.

[jpthreesticks]

UGA is under an hour from Reynolds Lake Oconee. You could easily knock out the golf of 36 holes on Thursday and Friday, make the drive up on Saturday morning to the game, drive back down and stay the night and play 18 holes on Sunday and catch a flight out Sunday evening from the Atlanta airport (for those that need to fly) which is about an hour and a half away. You shouldn't hit much in the way of traffic on a Sunday unless there is some construction going on. If people get in early enough on Wednesday, you might be able to get in 18 holes or even better see if you can go check out The Kingdom while you are there.

 

You could easily find a place to rent on VRBO or cottages through the resort. With six courses there, you would have plenty of variety, and late summer/fall on the lake is awesome time to be out there. You could easily grill out, but there are plenty of good restaurants right in the area - especially make a stop at Silver Moon one night.

[crazy8golfer]

Reynolds is not too far from UGA if you are into second rate football.

 

https://www.visitathensga.com/events/uga-football/

 

Not as second rate as you think

[CheckJV]

Reynolds is not too far from UGA if you are into second rate football.

 

https://www.visitathensga.com/events/uga-football/

 

Not as second rate as you think

 

What do you get when you stand 3 female UGA cheerleaders shoulder to shoulder?

 

A full set of teeth!

 

Seriously a football game at Athens should be on everyone's bucket list.

[augustgolf]

Reynolds is not too far from UGA if you are into second rate football.

 

OUCH!

[MCL116]

Yea the more that I've looked into Reynolds Lake and a game at UGA the more it seems like the obvious choice.

 

Is there another course or two that's within 45 mins - an hour away from Pelican Hill in California if we were to do the trip there?

 

Will keep you guys updated!

[Roadking2003]

Austin, TX would be good with Barton Creek in Austin (4 total golf courses, 3 on site) and JW Marriott and / or La Cantera in San Antonio. Like above, Longhorns football kind of sucks right now so the football might not be the best experience. Maybe do Dallas for Texas / Oklahoma weekend, some good courses in the Metroplex and whoever wins the game will be out of their minds... October in Texas is usually nice weather too.

 

But we have hope for the Longhorns next year. We have a new coach.

 

Barton Creek would be good with four courses. Also, Horseshoe Bay with four courses is only an hour away from Austin.

 

Yes, October is usually good golf weather. November also.

[mallrat]

I saw Bandon and a Ducks game mentioned, 2nd that even from a Beaver fan.

 

Another option is doing a Ducks or Beaver game in Oregon then heading over to Bend. It's about a 2 1/2 hr drive from the game but you can get stay and play packages at Sunriver, right now the deal is $79 a night with unlimited golf. They have 3 on course properties, Crosswater being the most notable but within a 40 minute drive you also have 5 - 10 other fun very quality courses. Great brew pubs in town and a fun but subdued nightlife.

[chippa13]

This past October, 12 of us headed down to Alabama for a 6v6 golf show down and a college football game.

 

We stayed Wednesday to Sunday and played 36 holes Thursday, 36 holes Friday, Alabama game Saturday, 18 holes Sunday.

 

We all had an awesome time. The golf was amazing, the resorts were beautiful, the football game was one hell of an experience.

 

We're looking to start booking our next trip and I'm in charge.

 

We'd like to stick with the idea of a college football game to check out and the only other issue we had with the trip last year was the amount of traveling we did. We literally would get done with 36 and leave to drive an hour to the next stop everyday which was too much.

 

So I'm looking for a resort that has a minimum of 2 courses and is up to an hour and a half a away from either another resort or another top notch course(s).

 

Also within an hour and a half from a major football program or even an NFL team.

 

So far the ideas are somewhere near a USC game, Hilton Head (although the football is not really close), and Reynolds Lake Oconee...

 

Only fair if you follow Alabama last trip with Auburn this trip. RTJ Grand National is the next town over from Auburn.

[deadsolid...shank]

Here's a thought. October 7 Wisconsin plays in Lincoln, NE. Admittedly the Huskers are still down, but game day in Lincoln is a great experience.

 

The drive is a little more but you could do the Prairie Club, Wildhorse, and withnthe game probably being in the evening, play Quarry Oaks game day morning.

 

Edit: possibly even Dismal River or Sandhills. The weather is normally beautiful in early October

[johnnylongball]

Have you considered Kohler? You'd have to go early in football season before the weather turned cold but could do either a Wisconsin game or a Packers game.

[duffer987]

Yea the more that I've looked into Reynolds Lake and a game at UGA the more it seems like the obvious choice.

 

Is there another course or two that's within 45 mins - an hour away from Pelican Hill in California if we were to do the trip there?

 

Will keep you guys updated!

 

If you want a California trip, then how about Monterey + Stanford (or a 52-45 Cal track meet) would give you a chance to play some really fun courses (Bayonet, Blackhorse, Poppy Hills, Pacific Grove, San Juan Oaks, Pasatiempo) or take it up a notch and play Pebble, or at least buy a Dukes Card and play Spyglass Hill.

[MCL116]

I think places like Kholers and Pebble/Spy Glass are going to be a bit out of our groups price range.

 

Our Bama trip (played 2 rounds at Grand National, 2 rounds at Capitol Hill and a round at Ross Bridge), was super cheap.

 

I'm thinking places with $300 rounds is going to be out of our range?

 

Bandon is where we wanted to go but the rounds + caddies make it too expensive for us.

 

Reynolds Lake couldn't provide me a price quote for October 2017, but for 2016 it was $300 a night, but I'm not sure how playing multiple rounds in a day factors into that? Anybody know?

[leoh923]

Pinehurst / Southern Pines area. 9 courses at Pinehurst Resort, 2 at Pine Needles Mid Pines, and about 20 more quality courses within 15 miles. Carolina Panthers are about 2 hours away, NC State, Carolina, and Duke are about an hour away.

[SilverBullets]

Pinehurst / Southern Pines area. 9 courses at Pinehurst Resort, 2 at Pine Needles Mid Pines, and about 20 more quality courses within 15 miles. Carolina Panthers are about 2 hours away, NC State, Carolina, and Duke are about an hour away.

 

Yeah but they want a good college football experience....

[mallrat]

I think places like Kholers and Pebble/Spy Glass are going to be a bit out of our groups price range.

 

Our Bama trip (played 2 rounds at Grand National, 2 rounds at Capitol Hill and a round at Ross Bridge), was super cheap.

 

I'm thinking places with $300 rounds is going to be out of our range?

 

Bandon is where we wanted to go but the rounds + caddies make it too expensive for us.

 

Reynolds Lake couldn't provide me a price quote for October 2017, but for 2016 it was $300 a night, but I'm not sure how playing multiple rounds in a day factors into that? Anybody know?

 

For Bandon, you don't HAVE to take a caddy or can take a forecaddie. Also there are some very fun courses around there that are well under the Bandon price range and you can do it staying only 1 night on property. Example, drive in after the game and stay in town the first night, play Bandon Crossings and then the Preserve or head to the Bandon practice area and enjoy an afternoon at Shorty's and an evening putt off at PunchBowl. Then stay a 2nd night in town (about $100 a night max) then do 36 at Bandon the next day and stay that night on property to get the on property rate. Do 36 the next day and then drive up to Florence. Stay the night at 3 Rivers Casino (last week night i stayed was $49) and play Sandpines then drive back to Portland and fly out that night. Sandpines and Bandon Crossings will probably be $60-$80 and only staying 1 night on property will save you around $250-300 a room.

 

Or head to Bend where you can play all the courses you want pretty much under $100 with the exception of Tetherow, Brasada and Pronghorn. If you want you can splurge for a round or 2 there. You can also do a VRBO in Bend, which we did last time and got a great house that slept 4 comfortably and 6 bringing our own air mattresses. Plus the house had a hot tub and a hot single mom down the street who hit on us.

 

EDIT... remember replay rounds are either 1/2 price or $100 at Bandon

[sabram]

This is a suggestion from left field. How about a visit to the Hudson Valley and an Army football game at West Point? West Point is an amazing place to visit and the energy is high even if the quality of the game is not the same as a highly ranked team. The foliage in that area is gorgeous in the fall and there are several decent to excellent golf courses nearby at low cost with little driving. West Point has a good course. The pro there used to post here. Others are Mansion Ridge, which is a nice Nicklaus course, Garrison, Wallkill, Grosingers, Patriot Hills, and links at Unionvale. I could also arrange for you to play at my club.

[caniac6]

Pinehurst / Southern Pines area. 9 courses at Pinehurst Resort, 2 at Pine Needles Mid Pines, and about 20 more quality courses within 15 miles. Carolina Panthers are about 2 hours away, NC State, Carolina, and Duke are about an hour away.

 

Yeah but they want a good college football experience....

Pinehurst, and watch the SEC game on tv at night.

[Argonne69]

Here's a thought. October 7 Wisconsin plays in Lincoln, NE. Admittedly the Huskers are still down, but game day in Lincoln is a great experience.

 

The drive is a little more but you could do the Prairie Club, Wildhorse, and withnthe game probably being in the evening, play Quarry Oaks game day morning.

 

Edit: possibly even Dismal River or Sandhills. The weather is normally beautiful in early October

 

The problem is that it isn't a little drive. It's a 5 hour drive from Lincoln to the Sand Hills area. I drove it this past August.

 

Wild Horse and Awarii Dunes are probably doable.

[Argonne69]

I think places like Kholers and Pebble/Spy Glass are going to be a bit out of our groups price range.

 

Our Bama trip (played 2 rounds at Grand National, 2 rounds at Capitol Hill and a round at Ross Bridge), was super cheap.

 

I'm thinking places with $300 rounds is going to be out of our range?

 

Bandon is where we wanted to go but the rounds + caddies make it too expensive for us.

 

Reynolds Lake couldn't provide me a price quote for October 2017, but for 2016 it was $300 a night, but I'm not sure how playing multiple rounds in a day factors into that? Anybody know?

 

Kohler does offer discounted golf in October, but I think you'd be taking a chance with the weather. In recent years October has been decent, but you definitely run the risk of some cold wet weather. I'd stick to the southern states.

[jerebear21]

Ocala, Florida - PLENTY of great courses around the area.

 

45 minutes from Gainesville, Florida. The swamp is as good as it gets....

[MCL116]

Ocala, Florida - PLENTY of great courses around the area.

 

45 minutes from Gainesville, Florida. The swamp is as good as it gets....

 

Any suggestions on the best 4 or 5 courses to play in that area?

 

I like this idea! Good weather, good golf and good football sounds like a good deal!

[jerebear21]

PLENTY OF OPTIONS. Gator ALUM here and I'll gladly show you the way. =)

 

Wednesday - 36 holes - at World Woods, Pine Barren and Rolling Oaks - 45-55 minutes drive from Ocala but it's 36 holes property so no need to drive anywhere afterwards.

Thursday - 36 holes - Juliette Falls then drive 20 minutes to Royal Oaks

Friday - 36 holes - Stone Creek then drive 15 minutes to Candler Hills

Saturday - 18 holes - Book a morning tee time at the University of Florida Golf course. Yes you are allowed to play as a unaccompanied guest. It's an old Donald Ross course that's been renovated 5-6 years ago. You will have a blast. After your rounds, leave the golf clubs in the car and WALK to the tailgate.

Sunday- I would rest up and get ready to go home.

 

All the rates will be very reasonable. Ranging from 40-60 per round, except for the UF course. I believe it's about 70 that time of the year. But rest assure the quality is there.

 

FYI - I just looked at the Schedule. Oct 7, 2017 is UF Vs. LSU ( BIG BIG GAME), Oct 14, 2017 is UF Vs. TexA&M (Not a big game, but plenty of texas girls will show up lol)

 

There's no games 3rd week of october, and last week of october is in jacksonville against the Georgia Bulldogs.

 

If you want to do jacksonville, there's plenty of options there as well and you get UF VS UGA (they hate each other so much they need a neutral site game) and the Landings is the only place I know where a chinese restaurant lady will serve you beer from a keg on her counter the night before the game.

 

Let us know what you decide, but it's october and I don't care what anyone says; you can't beat the weather and an SEC game in the south.

[Daniel Noonan]

That's easy. Bandon Dunes and Autzen Stadium. #GODUCKS

 

Edit: Oooops just saw this isn't an option.

[MCL116]

PLENTY OF OPTIONS. Gator ALUM here and I'll gladly show you the way. =)

 

Wednesday - 36 holes - at World Woods, Pine Barren and Rolling Oaks - 45-55 minutes drive from Ocala but it's 36 holes property so no need to drive anywhere afterwards.

Thursday - 36 holes - Juliette Falls then drive 20 minutes to Royal Oaks

Friday - 36 holes - Stone Creek then drive 15 minutes to Candler Hills

Saturday - 18 holes - Book a morning tee time at the University of Florida Golf course. Yes you are allowed to play as a unaccompanied guest. It's an old Donald Ross course that's been renovated 5-6 years ago. You will have a blast. After your rounds, leave the golf clubs in the car and WALK to the tailgate.

Sunday- I would rest up and get ready to go home.

 

All the rates will be very reasonable. Ranging from 40-60 per round, except for the UF course. I believe it's about 70 that time of the year. But rest assure the quality is there.

 

FYI - I just looked at the Schedule. Oct 7, 2017 is UF Vs. LSU ( BIG BIG GAME), Oct 14, 2017 is UF Vs. TexA&M (Not a big game, but plenty of texas girls will show up lol)

 

There's no games 3rd week of october, and last week of october is in jacksonville against the Georgia Bulldogs.

 

If you want to do jacksonville, there's plenty of options there as well and you get UF VS UGA (they hate each other so much they need a neutral site game) and the Landings is the only place I know where a chinese restaurant lady will serve you beer from a keg on her counter the night before the game.

 

Let us know what you decide, but it's october and I don't care what anyone says; you can't beat the weather and an SEC game in the south.

 

Wow thanks for the run down!

 

The way we did it last year, which worked out really well was, we flew in Wednesday evening. Drove to our first resort, played 36, picked up and drove to the next resort, played 36 then drove to the last resort. Woke up Saturday morning and took a party bus to the tailgate early in the morning, partied, went to the game, partied. Woke up the next morning, played an early morning round, then drove back to the airport and flew home.

 

The one thing that everybody didn't like about last years trip was constantly traveling right after 36 and not staying at one place for at a minimum of 2 nights in a row to have time to relax a bit.

 

For the courses above, how far apart are they? If we could stay at one resort that is more centrally located and 45mins - 1 hour away from UF that would be the perfect scenario! We could stay at the one resort, play there one of the days, but easily drive to the others from that "home base", would give us all the great golf we need, the chance to relax a bit at a resort hotel, and put us in good driving distance to check out the game. Anything like that?

 

Anybody know how pricing might work at Reynolds Lake in terms of playing 2 rounds in a day but not the same course? They haven't released prices for 2017 yet, but they sent me something saying that it was $300 a night per person in October of 2016, so just trying to figure out a roundabout range I may fall into for this upcoming year...

[jerebear21]

I honestly would get an ARBNB in the middle of Ocala;

 

with exception of World Woods, everything is within 20-25 minutes city traffic. You can fly into Tampa from NY (Plenty of cheap direct flights), From tampa head straight to world woods; they have cabins there that can/will accommodate. Play your 36 holes, then drive to Ocala that night. And from your Ocala ARBNB, you can play all the courses I listed.

 

Ocala to Gainesville is 35-40 minutes.

 

The only traveling I see in this is when you land that evening and drive to World Woods. But that's just 50 minutes from Tampa Airport. And from World Woods to Ocala is another 50 minutes.

 

Once you're in Ocala, you can play 2 days of 36 holes without traveling much. And then Game day on Saturday.