In celebration of Mother’s Day, and for all the moms who like to take to the links just as much as the dads do, this month’s column is devoted to female-friendly courses. Both Golf for Women magazine and the Executive Women’s Golf Association list specific criteria for rating courses’ suitability for female players. The following venues have been lauded by those experts, host LPGA tournaments, or were at least partly designed by female architects. Men, you can play these courses from the forward tees this month (and we bet your scores won’t improve).
Boyne in the ’Hood
Three hours north of Grand Rapids, Mich., Boyne Highlands offers golfers marshes, woods, mountains, bluffs, and dunes. Golf for Women ranks the Heather Course among its favorites, though the Donald Ross Memorial, with replicas of 18 of Ross’ best holes, is also quite perky. boyne.com
Queen for a Day
Forty-five minutes northwest of Norfolk, Va., the River Course at Kingsmill Resort and Spa is home to the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open. Golfers will appreciate the multimillion dollar facelift applied by course architect Pete Dye. The resort’s Plantation Course, designed by Arnold Palmer, encompasses landmarks from a 1736 plantation. Tom Clarke’s Woods Course presents a secluded parkland layout. And all fairways lead, eventually, to the property’s deluxe spa and well-appointed guest rooms. kingsmill.com
Rose, Hip
Near Oklahoma City, Rose Creek Golf Club is approved by the Executive Women’s Golf Association for meeting both playability and customer service requirements such as having two tees for women (totaling 4,600–5,800 yards), drop areas, and limited forced carries. Other welcoming features at the Arthur Hills layout include sassy links styling, tree-lined creeks, and a coiffure of native grasses. rosecreekgolf.com
Half Moon Bay Golf Club
Shooting the Moon
Golf for Women ranks Half Moon Bay Golf Links, 30 miles from San Francisco, as one of the top women-friendly golf facilities in the nation. Maybe it’s the Old Course, a parkland layout lined by cypress trees. Perhaps it’s Arthur Hills’ Ocean Course, a links-style venue with views of the Pacific from every hole. Or maybe it’s just the 19th-century elegance of the affiliated Ritz-Carlton Hotel. halfmoonbaygolf.com
Annika’s Japonica
Seta Golf Club, an hour and a half from Nagoya, Japan, is a great venue for women, and it’s been especially good to Annika Sorenstam, who won her fifth consecutive Mizuno Classic on Seta’s wide, receptive North Course. The lady pros play it at 6,450 yards, but you can slim down the total yardage to 5,139. Two other courses are also located on site.
Designing Women
Tom Fazio is one of the few male golf course architects who’s demonstrated a belief in the importance of a woman’s touch. Fazio developed the Ryder and Wanamaker courses at PGA Golf Club, north of West Palm Beach, with the help of Jan Beljan, one of only a few women designing golf courses anywhere in the world. Beljan was the second woman elected to the American Society of Golf Course Architects. The Ryder Course plays through rolling pine hills and exudes a Carolinian feel. pgavillage.com
Classic Golf
Joe Finger’s course at the Guadalajara Country Club will play host to the Lorena Ochoa Invitational LPGA tourney in 2008. It’s the course Ochoa grew up playing — perhaps it will make you into a champion as well. Though private, some outside play is allowed. The classic-style course features minimalist bunkering and plenty of water. gcc.com.mx
From Slopes to Slope Ratings
Southeast of Rutland, Vt., almost two hours from Burlington, awaits the Okemo Valley Golf Club, a heathland layout designed by Steve Durkee and ranking among Golf for Women’s top 50 courses for women. Five thousand-plus yards of rolling hills, wide fairways, green-to-tee bentgrass, and a par of 70 make playing the course as much fun as cruising the well-stocked pro shop. okemo.com
Remember the Albatross
Just beyond San Antonio, La Cantera Golf Club offers 36 holes of Hill Country golf that have been endorsed by the Executive Women’s Golf Association. The Resort and Palmer courses play among streams, waterfalls, live oaks, and limestone outcroppings, and the 508-room luxury resort boasts six pools and a fine spa. westinlacantera.com
— Jeff Wallach
Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Front Nine” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your trip, contact Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.
