La Quinta Resort & Club, La Quinta, California
This year is the 90th anniversary of La Quinta, making the iconic property the longest running resort in the Palm Springs area. In preparation, a multi-million-dollar renovation has given the entire place a modern look, combining history with the relaxed, desert vibe. All 620 rooms and 98 villas were upgraded and refreshed, there’s a new executive chef, and the three golf clubhouses were refurbished. Resort guests have access to five courses—from Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, and Greg Norman—which recently received $10 million in improvements, part of a long-term redesign/enhancement project that was overseen by Mr. Dye (who is also 90). Included in the renovations were the fabled TPC Stadium Course at PGA West and the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, which together hold the PGA Tour’s Career Builder Challenge each winter. WEBSITE
Reynolds Lake Oconee, Greensboro, Georgia
Formerly known as Reynolds Plantation, this property midway between Atlanta and Augusta has done much more lately than just change its name. Over the past four years, a multi-million-dollar investment plan has seen substantial improvements to its five golf courses—The National (Tom Fazio), Great Waters (Jack Nicklaus), Oconee (Rees Jones), and The Landing and Plantation (both Bob Cupp)—as well as property-wide refurbishments and the debut of the National Village with shops and restaurants. Opening this month are eight National Club Cottages, each four bedrooms with full kitchen, large porches, and all the modern refinements for a foursome or family. Other on-site amenities include Lake Oconee for fishing and boating, tennis, wellness programs, and the recently expanded Reynolds Kingdom of Golf presented by TaylorMade, which offers the latest game-improvement and club-fitting technology. WEBSITE
Amanera Resort, Playa Grande, Dominican Republic
The south shore of this Caribbean island has long been famous for great golf like that at Casa de Campo. Now the north shore is getting into the act with the opening of Amanera. Located along the crescent-shaped Playa Grande Beach, the resort includes a new Aman hotel and the redone Playa Grande Golf Course, which was originally designed in 1995 by Robert Trent Jones Sr. (it was his last non-U.S. creation) and recently “revived” by his son, Rees. The layout’s undulating landscape features 10 holes along the ocean, including a run from the 14th green to the final putt along cliffs high above the Atlantic. The 2,000-acre property ranges from jungle to mountain, and also offers a beach club, nature reserve, trails, water sports, tennis, a spa, dining, and villas for sale. WEBSITE
Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, Pinehurst, North Carolina
It’s been a busy summer at Pinehurst. The greens at course No. 5 were just converted to champion Bermuda, making it the fifth of the resort’s courses to change over (No. 2 made the switch in 2014, right after the back-to-back U.S. Opens finished). Also, rooms have been renovated and the restaurants are relying more and more on source-grown and farm-to-table ingredients. But for golfers coming off the 18th green the happiest news might be the September 1st opening of The Deuce, a new indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant so close to the final hole of the fabled No. 2 that those relaxing on the open-air verandah will be able to hear the trash-talking of players coming up the fairway. The Deuce will showcase vintage photographs and memorabilia while serving lunch every day as well as appetizers throughout the afternoon and evening. WEBSITE
We-Ko-Pa, Fort McDowell, Arizona
In Phoenix, the two courses at We-Ko-Pa, next to the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation-owned resort of the same name 20 minutes east of downtown, are among the region’s best public venues. The 15-year-old Cholla course, designed by Scott Miller, reopens September 16th after a million-dollar renovation. All 18 greens have been regrassed with faster rolling MiniVerde, bunkers have new sand and drainage, the irrigation system was upgraded, and six acres of turf were replaced with plants native to the surrounding Sonoran Desert. And some holes were tweaked, notably the par-five 8th (shown), which makes taking the risk-reward challenge across an arroyo even more tempting. WEBSITE
