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Growing up in Connecticut, the falling-back of the clocks was a sad moment each year, heralding the effective end of the golf season. Some courses would stay open as long as they could and there would be the odd balmy lagniappe golf day, but for all intents and purposes, November meant curtains for one's golf opportunities until April, or the latter half of March if we were lucky.
Fall malaise up north means winter golf trip plans start spinning up in earnest. A golfer can only stare at bare trees and snowdrifts for so long before it becomes necessary to break free of that cooped-up feeling, if only for a long weekend.
Planning a winter golf vacation can be a bit of a gamble, though. Even the typical Sun Belt across the continental United States is subject to freak freeze-outs and turbulent winter weather. When it happens, it feels like a gut-punch that no rain-check can salve. There are places that are close to guarantees for good winter golf weather, but they tend to be farther away and more expensive.
Another wrinkle specific to winter golf plans as 2026 gives way to 2027 is the strong El Niño cycle currently churning up warmer-than-usual water around the Equator in the Pacific Ocean. These currents have implications for weather hundreds and thousands of miles north and east - right where golfers will be contemplating visiting.
This year's slate of recommended winter golf destinations keeps all of this in mind, as well as the typical cycle of golf course renovations and new builds, plus hotel and resort reinvestment. If this list prompts you to action, GolfPass' own travel department may be an ideal resource. You can survey dozens of resorts and destinations and custom-build your own lodging-plus-golf packages there.
10 best winter golf trips for 2026-2027
Dominican Republic
The D.R. keeps leveling up as a winter retreat for golfers. I had a chance to experience Casa de Campo for the first time this past March, to play the freshly restored Teeth of the Dog course, one of the masterpieces in the portfolio of architect Pete Dye. It is sensational, the Links course is supremely underrated and the accommodations and overall vibe of Casa de Campo left a strong impression. On the Punta Cana side of the island, the long-anticipated companion course to Jack Nicklaus' famed Punta Espada Golf Club is set to debut this winter. The new Las Iguanas course features multiple holes on the Caribbean and should turn the Cap Cana resort district into a true 36-hole destination. The island's other courses and resorts keep chugging along as well.
Los Cabos, Mexico
Los Cabos is one of the most restless golf destinations in the world. This is often a good thing, but in recent years it has meant multiple properties limiting non-member access to their golf courses, making it more challenging than ever to play a few different places in the space of a single trip. On the other hand, there is always excitement when a new course opens, as is the case with the Ernie Els-designed Oleada Golf Links. And for high-rollers, Diamante Cabo San Lucas, whose El Cardonal hosts the PGA Tour's World Wide Technology Championship, is soon to open its second 18-hole Tiger Woods Design, the Legacy, as a private-club-within-the-club.
Puerto Rico
Hurricanes have battered Puerto Rico multiple times in the last decade, but the island's winter golf scene remains popular and strong. On December 1, the inland Caguas Golf Club, about 40 minutes south of San Juan, is expected to reopen after a lengthy renovation project overseen by architect Bob Cupp, Jr. The recent rejuvenation of Dorado Beach's West course is also of interest to visitors to the chic resorts that enjoy access as a perk. In the meantime, work continues on the ultra-high-end Moncayo property, which will be part of the Discovery Land portfolio.
Florida's "First Coast of Golf"
The northernmost third of Florida's east coast can sometimes be a little chilly in the winter, but the quality of courses and resorts on offer makes it a worthwhile stop, although visitors this winter might want to consult the long-range forecast or wait until the El Niño cycle abates (November is off to a very wet start in some spots). When they do visit, they'll find millions of dollars in fresh renovations at the venerable Ponte Vedra Inn resort as well as a maturing Oak Marsh course at the Omni Amelia Island resort. And properties like World Golf Village and Hammock Beach remain popular.
South Florida
South Florida is typically a better guarantee of warm winter weather, but the trade-off is often higher, sometimes eye-watering prices. However, some recent course renovations may make such a trip enticing enough to stomach the expense. Not far from the Miami Airport, Miami Lakes Golf Club is receiving good reviews in the wake of a Bruce Hepner-led renovation of its golf course. Closer to Fort Lauderdale, architect Richard Mandell unveiled his redo of the compact but fun Hollywood Beach Golf Club this past spring, a project that is maturing into its first winter season. Farther north, Architect John Sanford is finishing up a unique project at Delray Beach Golf Club: nine Donald Ross holes and nine by Dick Wilson, honoring both architects who influenced the design of the city muni.
East Texas
This might be another weather gamble, but it is difficult to keep ardent traveling golfers away form as engaging a brand-new course as Wild Spring Dunes, a new Tom Doak design that launches the latest project by Michael Keiser, Jr. Just about 40 minutes south, a lesser-known stay-and-play opportunity is worth pairing with Wild Spring Dunes: Crown Colony Country Club, a 1970s Robert Von Hagge design that has been highly ranked in Texas. Normally a private club, Crown Colony opens some tee times to guests who stay on property. Students of golf architecture would find fascinating contrasts between these two courses and properties.
Hawaii
With The Sentry and the Sony Open having pulled up stakes, Hawaii will be looking for new ways to market itself to golfers beyond the glow that the PGA Tour lent for decades. One way in which visiting golfers may benefit is at Kapalua, where adding a new LPGA Tour in March has opened up the December and January timeframes as prime resort-golf periods.
Phoenix/Scottsdale
It's an obvious choice, but Phoenix/Scottsdale is so vast that there is something new to catch golfers' fancies every year. This winter, a renovation effort at SunRidge Canyon Golf Club is on display, as is the new Scottsdale Golf Retreat, which seeks to bring a stay-and-play feel to the upscale golf delights at Troon North Golf Club.
Palm Springs
With the Hawaii events excised from the schedule, the 2027 PGA Tour season will begin January 21-24 in La Quinta at PGA WEST's Nicklaus Tournament Course, Pete Dye Stadium Course and La Quinta Country Club. In the meantime, Indian Wells Golf Resort's recent Players course renovation is continuing to mature as the 36-hole facility becomes the home of the Epson Tour Championship through 2029. SilverRock Resort, a prominent public play, recently completed the second phase of a two-summer re-grassing project at its Arnold Palmer-designed course. Trilogy Golf Club continues to bed in after reopening in late 2024 following a multi-year closure, and enjoys a strong 4.7 Rating Index. The South course at Shadow Hills Golf Club underwent a renovation project this past summer targeted towards reducing some bunkering and restoring greens to their original sizes. The Coachella Valley's night-golf scene has also received a boost in the form of a new clubhouse at the Lights at Indio, the area's only fully-lighted golf course.
San Diego
Some of the best year-round weather in the U.S. can be found in San Diego, as can a full range of satisfying golf experiences from the oceanside Torrey Pines to some more hidden gems (San Vicente is a standout to me). Brand-new golf investment isn't so much the story here as the continued strength of the existing offerings, although every year that passes brings more maturity to Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner's transformation of the North course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, which is confirmed as the home of golf's NCAA Championships through at least 2028.
Comments (1)
When considering a trip to East Texas and Wild Spring Dunes near Mount Enterprise, the better course to consider is Pine Dunes in Frankston. Expanded and improved from 9 holes to 18 holes in 2001, this was the original course created on sandy ground in the pine woods. Tom Doak listed it in an article about the most interesting, unknown courses around the nation, along with Wolf Point. Rates in the $89 to $149 and on-site lodging and you're only an hour away from WSD.
When considering a trip to East Texas and Wild Spring Dunes near Mount Enterprise, the better course to consider is Pine Dunes in Frankston. Expanded and improved from 9 holes to 18 holes in 2001, this was the original course created on sandy ground in the pine woods. Tom Doak listed it in an article about the most interesting, unknown courses around the nation, along with Wolf Point. Rates in the $89 to $149 and on-site lodging and you're only an hour away from WSD.