Latest news with #golfcourses
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
The Top 7 Most Exclusive Golf Courses (and How Much They Cost)
Have you been dreaming of hitting the most challenging golf courses on earth? Or do you love the idea of playing where the best play? Perhaps you're hoping to network with some of the wealthiest golfers. Read More: Find Out: The most exclusive golf courses in the world aren't necessarily the hardest to play. Sometimes it's the view. Other times it's the designer. And still other times, it's the perks that come with golfing there. In any case, here are the seven most exclusive golf courses, and how much you'll need to cough up to play. Frequently ranked as one of the best golf courses in the world, Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey is among the most exclusive and elite as well. It's a private club, and non-members can only play if invited and accompanied by an active member. Pine Valley is located in Pine Hill, New Jersey, and it's only a nine-hole course. Founded over 100 years ago, the club only recently voted to admit women as members. This is a rule the club was allowed to get away with, despite the obvious discrimination, because it is private. Another aspect of this being a private club is that the fees are closely guarded. There are obviously no set green fees as members can come and go as they please. However, the New York Post reported that initiation fees run $250,000 and annual fees are $32,000. Discover Next: Designed by world-renowned architect Greg Norman, the Ellerston Golf Club is known for its challenging nature as much as its exclusivity. The layout is difficult across its 18 holes, making it one of the most difficult courses in the world. The course is mostly private, with entrance allowed only to members and their guests since it was built originally for an Australian businessman, Kerry Packer. The course is now managed by Packer's family. This course is so exclusive, to this day, that it is one of the few courses in Australia that doesn't offer open days to the public at least a few times a year. Australian Golf Digest reports that the only way to get on the course without a direct invitation from a member is to take your chances to purchase a round at a charity auction. Of course, the French have one of the most highly sought-after country clubs in the world. Morfontaine is located in Paris, the enchanted city, so of course it has an enchanting golf course. The club has two courses, one that follows a classic, traditional design and has 18 holes. The other course has only nine holes and is known for having a fairytale-like setting. The club was established in 1927, and architect Tom Simpson designed the layout with strategic bunkering, creating a challenging yet beautiful course. Golf de Morfontaine has a $100,000 initiation fee for members. Getting onto the green can be extremely difficult, but UK Golf Guy recommends putting together a package through the exclusive French travel agency, Private Golf Key, which will cost you a pretty penny. Designed by architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, Shanqin Bay Golf Club is located in Hainan Island, China, and sits on a cliff overlooking the East China Sea. The course is known as one of the best in the world thanks to its panoramic view, challenging course, and luxurious amenities. The course has 18 holes and offers strategic playing on each one, including blind tee shots and large contoured greens. According to JJ Keegan, initiation fees are $1.4 million, and membership includes a $30,000 annual fee. It is not possible to play the course without membership, so you'll need to be a member or the guest of a member. The club also has no website. The organization known as the Society of St. Andrews Golfers was founded in 1754. It has become the governing body for golf around the world, now including the U.S. and Mexico, which the USGA governs. King William IV officially recognized the club as the 'Home of Golf.' The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) clubhouse overlooks the famous Old Course, and membership is by invitation only and extremely exclusive. The course has 18 holes and is played as 'nine holes out and nine holes back.' Membership has an initiation fee of $200,000, which is all well and fine if you can even get an invitation to join. Cypress Point Club is, of course, in Pebble Beach, California. Its 18-hole course consistently ranks as one of the best in the world. It offers dramatic, sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and has become a mecca of sorts for golfers around the world. The highly exclusive club is extremely private, and membership is limited. It was designed by the famous architect Alister MacKenzie, who created the 18-hole course with a mix of links, forest holes, and dunes. It's known for being challenging and rewarding. It reportedly costs $250,000 to join Cypress Point as a member, and an additional $48,000 per year, but it's hard to gain entry. There are currently only 250 members. And it is next to impossible to play unless you're a member or a guest of a member. And last, or first, on this list is Augusta National Golf Club, perhaps the most exclusive golf club in the world. Located in Georgia, it has a similar membership process to that of the R&A, where members must be invited to join; even then, they undergo a highly selective screening and interview process. The course has a long history dating back to 1933 when it first opened for play, and only a year later, the Augusta National Invitation Tournament began, an event now known as The Masters. The best golfers in the world now play The Masters once a year, and the winner is awarded a green jacket, an exclusive article of clothing given only to members. The initiation fee of $40,000 is not the problem with Augusta. It's the exclusivity. Fortunately, there are a few ways non-members of the elite class can play, including volunteering to work at The Masters or working as a caddy on the course. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Says Trump's Executive Order To Lower Medication Costs Has a 'Real Shot' -- Here's Why This article originally appeared on The Top 7 Most Exclusive Golf Courses (and How Much They Cost)
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hear from Howell's Luke Downing after winning KLAA golf championship
Does the PGA Championship need a new identity? The Live From crew analyzes the identity of the PGA Championship, declaring that the prestigious major "annually has the best field in all of golf" and discussing how the host club can impact the feel of the tournament. 4:06 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Texas Tech golf coach Greg Sands recaps team's low round of the day at NCAA championships
Does the PGA Championship need a new identity? The Live From crew analyzes the identity of the PGA Championship, declaring that the prestigious major "annually has the best field in all of golf" and discussing how the host club can impact the feel of the tournament. 4:06 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Bill to protect state parks from development of pickleball courts, golf courses signed by DeSantis
After a public outcry last year about a Department of Environmental Protection proposal, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill designed to prevent construction of golf courses, resort-style lodges and sports facilities in state parks. Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill during this spring's legislative session, and information on House and Senate websites said DeSantis had signed it. The measure will prohibit building golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts and ball fields in state parks. It will allow building cabins but not large facilities such as lodges. The Department of Environmental Protection proposal last year, dubbed the "Great Outdoors Initiative," was pulled back amid public opposition. It would have affected nine state parks. Perhaps the biggest target of opponents was a proposal to add three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, which is in the district of the Republican bill sponsors Rep. John Snyder and Sen. Gayle Harrell. Other parts of the initiative that drew heavy criticism included proposals to construct lodges with up to 350 rooms at Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County.
Khaleej Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Trump Organisation breaks ground on $1.5 billion golf club in Vietnam
Vietnam's prime minister and US President Donald Trump's son Eric held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for a $1.5 billion luxury residential development with three 18-hole golf courses outside Hanoi. The US president's Trump Organisation family business and its local partners received approval for the project last week from the Communist authorities in Vietnam, which is separately negotiating over tariffs with Washington. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Eric Trump's visit "motivated us to expedite this project", and urged local authorities to provide maximum support and facilitate the completion of the 990-hectare resort within the planned timeframe by the end of 2027. Eric Trump is also set to meet Ho Chi Minh City officials on Thursday to explore plans for a skyscraper in Vietnam's southern business hub, according to an internal schedule seen by Reuters. Projects to be developed in Vietnam will be "the envy of all of Asia and of the entire world", said Eric Trump, who is a senior vice-president of the Trump Organisation. He praised its Vietnamese partner, real estate firm Kinhbac City, and promised to visit the country "very often". The collaboration, whose terms are not public, "will focus on developing 5-star hotels, championship-style golf courses, and luxurious residential estates and unparalleled amenities in Vietnam," the consortium said in a statement in October. Vietnam was meant to be hit with some of the highest US tariff rates of any country at 46 per cent when President Trump announced his 'Liberation Day' plan for global tariffs on April 2. Trump has since postponed the tariffs for 90 days. Vietnamese trade negotiators are in Washington to discuss compromises. Offers made include lowering tariffs and non-tariff barriers, intensifying the fight against trade frauds and counterfeiting, and providing favourable conditions to Starlink, owned by Trump's close ally Elon Musk, to roll out satellite internet services in Vietnam. Organisers said the golf project in Hung Yen, a few kilometres south of Hanoi along the Red River, swiftly obtained approvals from local authorities. Local people interviewed by Reuters outside the venue showed support for the project but some expressed concern over financial compensation. "Hopefully, we will get a reasonable compensation when they take the land for the project," said Ha Nho Son, a 61-year-old farmer. Chinh repeatedly said local people would be fairly compensated. The Trump Organisation has luxury golf projects, completed or under development, in countries from Indonesia to the Middle East.
