Golf Course Timeshare Resorts
You will find timeshare resorts built around lavishly sculpted golf courses everywhere from Arizona to Aruba. Some timeshare units line links-style courses, which overlook the ocean, while others are inland and offer pristine views of mountainsides and riverbeds.
Other key amenities to look for are the number of golf course holes (eighteen will do, but thirty-six unique holes are better), the golfing benefits that come with timeshare unit ownership (such as preferred tee times), and the view of the course from your unit's private balcony.
Marriott's Shadow Ridge
Located in Palm Desert, California, this timeshare resort has an eighteen-hole, Nick Faldo —designed golf course on site. It is a par-seventy-one course of 7,006 yards, challenging enough for most people but not so difficult that it will leave you hurling your brand-new irons into one of the many scenic lakes on the property. A driving range and putting green are also on site, and equipment rental and golf lessons are available at the Faldo Golf Institute on the resort's property.
What is nice about this Southern California timeshare resort for golfers is that in addition to the Shadow Ridge course, there are seven other nearby golf courses from which to choose a day of play — adding great variety to any vacation. Some are 18-hole courses, others are 36-hole courses; some are highly challenging, while others are easier designs.
Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort
This Starwood property is located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, about forty-five minutes north of Palm Beach. The resort is literally in the backyard of the PGA Village, which is owned and operated by the Professional Golf Association. For golfers, it simply doesn't get much better.
PGA Village includes three courses, two designed by legendary golfer Tom Fazio and one designed by equally impressive golfer Pete Dye. PGA Village also offers a historical center, a six-hole short course, three practice putting greens, a separate practice range, stations where you can receive videotaped analysis of your swing, a private instruction area for lessons with a PGA professional, a PGA golf shop, and a golf-themed restaurant.
TRAVEL TIP
When buying a timeshare unit at a golf course resort, pay close attention to the name of the golf course designer. Courses that were created through consultation with members of the Professional Golf Association — such as PGA greats Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Nick Faldo — will be more in demand than courses without such star power to their names.
In addition, the village includes the PGA Learning Center, a thirty-five-acre golf park where you can practice at chipping and bunker stations, learn workout techniques that will improve muscles specific to golfing, testing areas for different kinds of golf balls and the newest brand-name equipment, and more.
Willowbrook at Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania
This Interval International resort in Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, has earned the exchange company's Five Star Award and is part of its Golf Resort Program, which includes discounted greens fees, discounted lessons, advance tee times, and more for the exchange company's members. There is a twenty-seven-hole championship golf course on site, and the 585-yard eleventh hole is said to offer one of the most spectacular views of the rolling Pocono Mountains in the entire Northeastern United States. Carts are provided, as the holes are generously spaced. The resort's dedicated Web site,
The closest airport is in Scranton, Pennsylvania, about thirty miles away. Additional amenities at the resort include boating, fishing, bicycling, tennis, and more. There are several restaurants on site, and organized children's activities are available.
