Golf's truly unique accommodations

What kid didn't dream of having the ultimate treehouse to escape from their parents and teachers? Today, adults can live out their childhood fantasies at a pair of golf resorts on either coast - Primland, an Auberge Resort hidden in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains and Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge near the Oregon-Washington border.

Skamania's treehouses can be elevated up to 40 feet into the tall Douglas Firs in Stevenson, Wash., offering guests a small kitchenette with microwave and mini-refrigerator, a variety of board games and two s'mores kits for fireside fun. Its golf course shrank from a full 18 to a new 1,435-yard Gorge 9 short course, disc golf course and Little Eagle putting course.

Primland's golf course and treehouses are a bit more luxurious. The Highland course sits high on a mountain, offering incredible long-range views and extreme elevation changes.

Primland’s intimate treehouses cling to cliffs overlooking the Dan River Gorge. Designed in France by renowned treehouse architectural firm La Cabane Perchee – and built of aromatic red cedar – the 440-square-foot tree houses with expansive decks feel utterly remote at an elevation of 2,700 feet. They were built for couples who can enjoy complimentary daily continental breakfast delivered to their door and a wine-tasting experience. Of note: Accessing the tree houses requires a four-wheel drive vehicle, although complimentary shuttle services are available.

What's the coolest place you've ever stayed in on a golf trip? Let us know in the comments below.

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For U.S. golfers travelers, nothing beats staying in a castle overseas. There's centuries of real history behind every brick. No country does the golf and castle experience better than Ireland. Just minutes from the Shannon International Airport, Dromoland Castle boasts a really nice parkland course and a historic castle. Although it only boasts nine holes, Ashford Castle sells pampering to the max. Rory McIlroy was married there in 2015. Adare Manor, host of the 2027 Ryder Cup, might as well be a castle.

Technically speaking, Adare Manor a Neo-Gothic mansion called a "Calendar House," named for its 365 stained-glass windows for each day of the year, 52 chimneys for each week, seven pillars in the lobby for the days of the week and four towers to mark the seasons. Each bedroom is individually designed, paying tribute to the creative force behind the original Manor built in the 1830s – Lady Caroline Dunraven. Guests can dine by candlelight in the Oak Room or join the lively party and live Irish music in the Tack Room bar. Outside, the walled gardens and manicured trails around medieval ruins were enhanced during a massive, multi-million-dollar renovation five years ago to prep for the upcoming Ryder Cup.

Curious about that haunted castle I mentioned earlier? The Barberstown Castle Hotel is located outside Dublin down the road from the K Club, host of the 2006 Ryder Cup. I made the mistake of asking my waitress to share some ghost stories while dining alone by candlelight in the castle keep. She didn't disappoint, and I didn't sleep a wink.

Staying in lighthouses is popular among tourists around the globe. However, there's only one golf resort on the planet that delivers such a singular experience - Trump Turnberry in Scotland. Set on the ruins of Robert the Bruce's Castle in Ayrshire south of Glasgow, the Turnberry lighthouse was renovated from 2014 to 2016, adding the Norman Suite and the larger Lighthouse Suite, where a lavish living room with an extensive private terrace leads to a pair of bedrooms upstairs. Rates range from £1,260 and up. Martin Ebert, the architect who redesigned and rerouted several coastal holes on the famed Ailsa Course in 2017, has returned this winter to tweak the seventh and eighth holes to once again enhance the views of the lighthouse and the coastal cliffs.

Coming soon: A Hobbit House

Dining in the Hobbit Houses of The Preserve Sporting Club & Resort, a luxury 3,500-acre community in Richmond, Rhode Island, takes special occasions (anniversaries, weddings and graduations) to the next level. So why only live in this fantasy land created by JRR Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings movies for a few hours when you can savor life in Middle Earth all day and night? Preserve equity owner Paul Mihailides is putting the finishing touches on the first Hobbit House that allows guests to stay. Mihailides, who sketches his hobbit-inspired structures by hand before they come to life, gave me a personal tour of the house earlier this year. Once it's completed in 2025, golfers can stay to access The Preserve's gorgeous par-3 course, which is one of the best short courses in the country. Check out the resort website for updates.

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Sorry for the humble brag, but I've stayed in one penthouse in my life: the three-bedroom Lake View Penthouse at the Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, Mich. It was spacious and elegant, perfect for buddies trips. If you bring six golfers, two per bedroom, that could make the price worth the splurge. The Lake View Penthouse features a balcony overlooking Little Traverse Bay, plus a nice living and dining area open to the fully equipped kitchen with breakfast bar. Penthouses at U.S. golf resorts are rare finds, but here's a few other examples at Sandestin in Florida's Panhandle and Indian Wells Golf Resort in SoCal.

Michigan Golf Resorts

The Inn at Bay Harbor

The Inn at Bay Harbor made a splashy debut in 1998, instantly becoming one of Michigan's grandest resorts. The 116-inn, which includes one-, two- and three-bedroom suites, as well as 35 cottages, became a part of Marriott's Autograph Collection Hotels in 2016. Guests get pampered with a full-service spa and salon, two restaurants and a cafe, a…

Don't laugh, but in the early days of my golf writing career, I wrote for a publication called RV Golfer.

Needless to say, the magazine no longer exists, but the concept of staying in an RV during a golf trip remains a popular one. RV "resorts" are especially popular on the West Coast, where golfers can roam the fairways from Vancouver, Seattle and Portland in the summer down to southern California and Arizona in the winter. In fact, we include golf courses that offer RV hookups - like the new Bar Run Golf & RV Resort in Oregon - among the more than 800 golf resorts in our U.S. Golf Resort Guide.

How do you describe a foursome of golfers who stay in a tent while on their golf trip? They're either adventurous or cheapskates, depending on your point of view. But tent camping and golf pair particularly well at state parks throughout the country's midsection in Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia. For example, the Georgia State Parks sells a golf package for a two-night stay in a 40-foot campsite (with full hookups) at Victoria Bryant State Park where a twosome or foursome can play 36 holes a day next door at Highland Walk.

Georgia Golf Resorts

Victoria Bryant State Park

Victoria Bryant State Park in Georgia is home to the Highland Walk 18-hole golf course. This state park has one four-bedroom Bluebird cottage, as well as 27 tent, Trailer & RV campsites. The state park is located off I-85 east of Atlanta and in addition to the golf course and driving range has three playgrounds, boating, fishing, hiking and an…