April Golf Trip - Big Cedar / Casa de Campo / Other

[416lou]

Hi All,

 

Our group of apx 8 people is looking to do our 1st golf trip from Toronto, Canada in April for about 3 or 4 nights

 

The group is leaning toward Casa de Campo but I would like to explore other options

 

Coming from Toronto our biggest obstacle is direct flights, as I do not believe this group would be open to connecting

 

Pinehurst is not an option as one member will already be going there in the fall

 

The landscape of Big Cedar looks attractive to me, but there are no direct flights

 

Let me know if you have any suggestions , thanks

[Abh159]

Most of the "major" golf resorts (Bandon, Streamsong, Sea Island, and etc.) are already going to be booked solid for April so I wouldn't even bother with those.

 

I think you rule out Big Cedar as well. No direct flights (as you mentioned) plus I imagine coming from Canada you all are wanting to be someplace warm and that isn't necessarily guaranteed in Missouri in April. 

 

If Casa isn't booked already that might be a good choice for you. Other than that you might want to look into places like Myrtle Beach or Phoenix/Scottsdale. Those aren't resorts, but they would have plenty of golf options in the area and should be warm that time of year. FWIW I don't know about the direct flight possibility to Myrtle Beach.

[snakano]

We did a relatively last minute trip to Kiawah in November, which might be worth checking out for your group if there's a direct flight.

 

Of course there is a bit of travel time between Charleston, SC and the island/resort, but you can get a shuttle.

 

Plenty to do once you're on the island and 5 courses to choose from. Ocean is a must. The other 4 will be in good shape yet, while fun, I don't think they're that noteworthy.

 

Good luck and hope you have a great trip.

[ArtMBgolf]

 You don't have to go as far as Casa for warmth.     
 
If all looks good for Pinehurst, one guy repeating later should not stop you.  
You could even plan different courses from his fall trip.   
 
Myrtle Beach is like a big resort.  It has some direct flights from some places. 
PH + MB are plenty warm enough in April.   
 
Florida has a lot of direct flights from a lot of places.     

Edited January 14, 2023 by ArtMBgolf

[krtgolfing]

16 minutes ago, snakano said:

We did a relatively last minute trip to Kiawah in November, which might be worth checking out for your group if there's a direct flight.

 

Of course there is a bit of travel time between Charleston, SC and the island/resort, but you can get a shuttle.

 

Plenty to do once you're on the island and 5 courses to choose from. Ocean is a must. The other 4 will be in good shape yet, while fun, I don't think they're that noteworthy.

 

Good luck and hope you have a great trip.

 

There will be no direct flight to/ from Toronto to Charleston... I live in Charleston. 

[416lou]

12 minutes ago, krtgolfing said:

 

There will be no direct flight to/ from Toronto to Charleston... I live in Charleston. 

 

Thanks for all the quick replies and great suggestions

 

I played Ocean Course @ Kiawah this past summer and loved it, unfortunately no direct flights

 

[Robby_Hughey]

Getting to Branson, MO is not easy. Living in Kansas City I'm a 3 1/2 drive and played Payne's and Ozarks National last August. April in south/central MO is hit or miss. It could be 70 degrees with a likely stiff south wind, or it could be 40 and cloudy. Both tracks are zoysia so the fairways will likely still be dormant. 

With that said it's definitely worth going to Big Cedar. Unbelievably great service and fun courses between the three 18 hole tracks and 2 short course/par 3's. Johnny Morris did it the right way. Branson "airport" is small, and more of a regional jumper facility. The airport you'd likely fly into is Springfield, about an hour drive on US-65. 

[App Alum]

1 hour ago, ArtMBgolf said:

Is Casa Mexico?   You don't have to go that far for warmth.     
 
If all looks good for Pinehurst, one guy repeating later should not stop you.  
You could even plan different courses from his fall trip.   
 
Myrtle Beach is like a big resort.  It has some direct flights from some places. 
PH + MB are plenty warm enough in April.   
 
Florida has a lot of direct flights from a lot of places.     

Casa De Campo is in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Home of Pete Dye’s Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore. From Canada you likely lay over in either Charlotte or Miami, then to Punta Cana. 45 min ride from there to La Romana. Don’t believe I could think of 2 more opposite trips than Casa and Big Cedar. Casa De Campo is a bucket list destination.

[hammergolf]

Orlando would be a good spot, and 1.5 hour shorter flight. Obviously tons of golf options and nightlife. 

[grm24]

1 hour ago, ArtMBgolf said:

Is Casa Mexico? 

No. Casa De Campo is in the Dominican Republic. It's where the Latin America Amateur Championship is being played currently. Winner gets invites to many major golf events including The Masters, The US Open and The Open Championship.

[Orange Hog]

I'd avoid Branson in April.  It can be very hit or miss with spring time weather.  I say that because I typically go up there the last week in March or early April for my birthday.  Sometimes it's pleasant but I've had more sh*t weather than good weather, ranging from low 30's and breezy to torrential downpours.

 

If you're planning a group golf trip I'd go somewhere that you can sort of guarantee decent weather.  We usually do a guys trip to Orlando that time of year and it's consistently very nice.  Myrtle Beach and Kiawah are also really nice that time of year.  Obviously anything south of the border in Mexico or the Caribbean will be really nice.

[wrigley]

You can get a direct flight from Toronto to LaRomana, airport is close to the resort.  Porter Airlines flies direct from the Toronto Island Aiport into Myrtle Beach, flght time is a little over two hours.  I think they only fly in March and April.

[sleuth]

5 hours ago, 416lou said:

Hi All,

 

Our group of apx 8 people is looking to do our 1st golf trip from Toronto, Canada in April for about 3 or 4 nights

 

The group is leaning toward Casa de Campo but I would like to explore other options

 

Coming from Toronto our biggest obstacle is direct flights, as I do not believe this group would be open to connecting

 

Pinehurst is not an option as one member will already be going there in the fall

 

The landscape of Big Cedar looks attractive to me, but there are no direct flights

 

Let me know if you have any suggestions , thanks

Your bigger issue with Big Cedar is being able to make a reservation this late. You will see this problem with any major/popular resorts in the USA. You typically need to plan these, at least, 12 months in advance.

 

WIthin the USA look at the Phoenix/Scottsdale or Las Vegas. You're flying from another country and you need to find a city with a big international terminal.

 

Otherwise Casa de Campo is fine. And if AIr Canada flies direct to Cancun, Mexico is another option. The Riviera Maya area has a few great courses within a good proximity - El Camaleon, Gran Coyote, PGA Riviera Maya, and Playa Paraiso Golf Club.

[416lou]

All great replies

 

Toronto flies direct to Punta Cana (1 Hour drive from Casa)

 

Based on the replies Casa de Campo is still sounding like the best option

 

Will follow up if we make it out of the group chat

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, 416lou said:

All great replies

 

Toronto flies direct to Punta Cana (1 Hour drive from Casa)

 

Based on the replies Casa de Campo is still sounding like the best option

 

Will follow up if we make it out of the group chat

Casa is GREAT! 

[sabram]

If you can afford Casa de Campo and they have availability, go for it. It's one of the best resorts in the world and Teeth of the Dog is  one of my favorites. The other courses there are also good, but not in the class of "Teeth".

 

If you don't do Casa de Campo, you can do Punta Cana and play Punta Espada, Corales and La Cana. That's also expensive, but great weather, great resorts and Punta Espada in p[articualr is beautiful

 

If you want something less expensive, I'd do Orlando. I think Streamsong is fully booked, but you can rent a beautiful house that sleeps eight at reunion or Championsgate and play a number of really good golf courses in close proximity. Three at Reunion, three at Championsgate and Southern Dunes. Another option would be Mission Inn which has two nice courses on site and several others not too far away.

 

Check my site for photo tours of all of these courses: SA Golf Course photos

Edited January 14, 2023 by sabram

[TK3]

If I may be blunt, tell your buddies to “Buck Up” and be open to 1 connecting flight. 
 

As mentioned, all the resorts with multiple courses are no where near big city airports (Baandon, Streamsong), and drive time after landing will be at least an hour. 
 

So many more options with a connecting flight…But Scottsdale would be my best suggestion for a direct flight destination - warm, awesome courses and very little driving once you get there. 
 

Enjoy

Edited January 14, 2023 by TK3

[sleuth]

16 hours ago, 416lou said:

All great replies

 

Toronto flies direct to Punta Cana (1 Hour drive from Casa)

 

Based on the replies Casa de Campo is still sounding like the best option

 

Will follow up if we make it out of the group chat

When ya'll figure out 2023, if this is a good group start discussing 2024.

 

This time last year (Jan 2022) I was able to book an 8-man for Bandon in Nov 2023. Yes they are that far out for lodging reservations. For a majority in the group it'll be their first trip to Bandon so the first experience has to be on-site. It's a bit more flexible if you stay off-site.

[tim_harris]

To give you an idea of how much of a crap shoot the weather will be that time of year…. I live 30 minutes from Big Cedar and headed to Casa de Campo in late March just to guarantee I get warm weather.  Sure it might be nice at Big Cedar in April but it also may be cold, wet, and miserable.