Family Golf Vacations
Don't Leave the Kids with Grandma!
Take a Golfing Vacation for the Entire Family.
Attention women golfers - If you thought that having a family vacation meant that you would have to give up golf for the duration, nothing could be further from the truth. Some of your favorite golfing vacation courses are also rated as top family friendly courses according to Golf Travel + Leisure’s readers survey including:
| United States Golf Vacations (family friendly) |
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| Other North American Golf Vacation Destinations |
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What Sets These Resorts Apart
What sets apart these family-friendly golf destinations and makes them appropriate for your family holiday is their understanding that children are not just small adults. These family friendly golf resorts offer instructional programs specifically for children, club fitting and courses that suit shorter hitters. The atmosphere is different, too. The entire family is welcomed, not just Mom and Dad. The area around the golf resort also hosts family friendly restaurants, parks, and other recreational activities.
The Grand Wailea Resort
Take for example, the fabulous
Grand Wailea Resort
on Mauii. As part of the Waldorf-Astoria collection, the accommodations are 5 star all the way - from single rooms to grand suites - all are designed for families when appropriate. There are four challenging courses for men and women golfers: The Wailea Blue, The Wailea Gold, The Wailea Emerald and Makena Golf. In addition, they offer a David Leadbetter Golf Academy.
Here's the best part: They boast the "Camp Grande" exclusively for kids ages 5 to 12 as a mini resort in a 20,000 square foot facility (with or without parents). Their facilities include:
- Whale-shaped wading pool
- Movie Theater with wide selection of movies
- Nintendo game room
- South Shore Break Snack Bar
- Coin-operated video arcade
- Foosball and ping pong tables
- Kiddieland - indoor play area with Lego blocks and board games
- Large crafts room
If you just want to go to the pool -- no problem. They have more than just a few to choose from. The Hibiscus Pool is a 4,850-square-foot adult pool with two Jacuzzis and covered in Mexican glass mosaic tile. The Canyon Activity Pool is HUGE. It has nine free-form pools with a river, whitewater rapids, slides, swings and on and on. Talk about fun. I want to go NOW!
Nothing says vacation to a child like Disney. The Walt Disney World Resort is a dream destination for the family as well as a golf destination for all. The Disney World Resort map shows the location of all the golf and amusement destinations in the Disney World complex including the Magnolia and Palm men and women golfers' courses and the family friendly Oak Trail Golf Course.
The Oak Trail Course is a 2,913 yard, nine-hole, par-36 walking course, and is located by the Magnolia golf course. Designed by Ron Garl, it's a place where the whole family can have fun. The Oak Trail course offers a children’s golf camp in June each year. Instruction by members of Disney's PGA Teaching Staff the camp emphasizes rules, safety and golf etiquette. Children will experience on-course play time and swing drills, teaching aids and playing competitions, all designed to improve each student's abilities through individual and group instruction.
The Magnolia Course offer many challenges to the women golfer and is the longest of all the Disney courses. The design is classic with wide fairways, elevated tees, and greens and rolling terrain. This superb, scenic course is the setting for the each year for the final round of the Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart at Walt Disney World® Resort. It is rated four stars by Golf Digest.
Or, you can experience the natural beauty of the Florida woodlands on the Palms Course. This is a tough course for men and women golfers featuring sparkling lakes and tropical sand, all in a gorgeous golf landscape populated with strategically placed palms.
Off the course, Disney World offers the family a vacation treat that includes the world-renowned Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, water parks, hundred of eateries, and more fun activities than any family vacation can accommodate in the time you visit. There are Disney package vacations for the family that begin at under $100 per person per night and range to $250 depending on the activities included.