4 Buddy Golf Trip Destinations For Spring 2025

Golfers awakening from winter slumbers are more than eager to make up for lost time by planning an extended trip with their fellow turf travelers. After a months-long layoff, chances are good you and your confederates might be up for the proverbial buddy trip—where daily golf, copious libations and the odd friendly bet are in order, if not required.

There are various strategies to employ when planning such a getaway, like visiting a temperate region where snow and ice haven’t impacted the conditions too severely and where golf is central to tourism—think Florida, Arizona and California for starters. Longer days also mean the ability to squeeze in a couple of rounds daily for the truly golf-obsessed. A two- or four-day jaunt could add up to a half-dozen rounds, justifying the sometimes considerable expense of travel, food and lodging.

Scottsdale, Arizona: Great Weather And Plenty Of Options

Scottsdale, Arizona is hard to beat when like-minded men and women are planning an invasion with their “weapons of grass destruction” (i.e., golf clubs). Not only does the Sonoran Desert region offer over 200 different courses for players of all levels, but spring weather is optimal before the arrival of grueling summer heat. Still and all, sunblock and plenty of agua are always a good idea in this sun-drenched region.

Depending on budget and ability, you could start at the top and play the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, the notorious scene of the annual Waste Management Phoenix Open, where Woodstock-era revelry meets the more genteel folkways of golf culture. It is a long and challenging Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish design that fans of the PGA Tour will particularly relish, especially the par 3 16th hole, where beer-fueled spectators behave like boisterous hockey fans by cheering and booing depending on the quality of play. A good gambling hole, to be sure. And for convenience and comfort alike, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort adjoins the course and is the veritable lap of luxury.

You might want to tune up your game and shake off the seasonal cobwebs at a less challenging layout before tackling TPC Stadium, in which case the city-owned Phoenix course, Papago, is a fine choice. Just 15 minutes from downtown and Sky Harbor Airport, it is rife with austere desert scenery and some treacherous second shots if you miss the fairway from the tee. Salve for your wounds comes in the form of a great green chile cheeseburger at Lou’s Bar & Grill after the round. Other great spots for golf include We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, where two 18-hole masterpieces are both visually stunning and unspoiled by nearby hulking homes. And the adjoining Casino Resort could be a great HQ for activities on and off the course. Double-zero at midnight is my personal roulette ritual, if anybody’s daft enough to follow my thoroughly unscientific methodology.

California: Ocean Views And Natural Splendor

California is also a great choice for an extended buddy-odyssey, and the consistently sunny weather is always welcome. San Diego enjoys seasonable temperatures year-round and is bursting with golf options. Torrey Pines is a municipal facility and home to the PGA’s Genesis Invitational, and while it can be pricey, is located just above the craggy cliffs of the Pacific Ocean and offers an incomparable outdoor experience.

The Omni La Costa Resort, like Torrey, offers two superb eighteen-hole courses – current home of the NCAA golf championships–and is also a great luxury retreat for friends and family alike. And consider a day at Aviara Golf at the Park Hyatt Resort. The Arnold Palmer-designed track is playable for all skill-sets and explodes with floral color come spring. Maderas Golf Club in nearby Poway is a Johnny Miller/Robert Muir Graves design and also worth a visit–three lakes and five waterfalls make for some brain-bending strategic choices.

Though the weather is less predictable, the Monterey Peninsula is a haven for higher-end golf and a perfect spot to while away four days of grass-fed torture. Pebble Beach Golf Resort requires a hotel stay to play its eponymous signature course, though Spyglass Hill is considered by many to be an even better, more varied experience. And Tiger Woods’s remake of the par 3 Hay Course is a bite-sized golf dessert and you can even bring your leashed dog along for the easy walk.

Make sure to visit nearby Seaside, where the Black Horse and Bayonet courses are notorious for degree of difficulty and nonpareil conditions (and also offer an affordable 36-hole package for $230). After golf, visit the legendary Sardine Factory in Monterey, both for the elegant atmosphere and some of the best steak and seafood in town. You will be in the company of many other boisterous, post-round golfers whooping it up but good. John Steinbeck himself would be right at home here.

World-Class Golf Outings In Oregon And Florida

More intrepid groups may head to the legendary Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in coastal Oregon, where a half-dozen world-class courses are inspired by Scottish links-style golf and are so popular they require booking a year in advance. Same goes for the three course-collection at Streamsong Resort outside of Tampa, Florida, where vanguard designers like Tom Doak and Gil Hanse have crafted architecturally significant layouts mindful of legends like Alister MacKenzie and A.W. Tillinghast. I hate the term “bucket list,” but the word Streamsong is often mentioned in the same breath for good reason.

Remember to pack an all-weather wardrobe (including rain gear) and plenty of golf balls, as well as the menthol salve of your choice for achy joints. Bandon Dunes and Streamsong are for walkers only, and the mileage on one’s feet can add up quickly. Lastly, choose your companions carefully—one bad egg in an otherwise collegial foursome can spoil an otherwise divine getaway. Remember, it ain’t warfare, it’s only a game—but a great one at that. Play away!