SEWAILO GOLF CLUB
Tucson
For those who don’t love the grit of the typical Arizona course, I recommend this one, an amenity of the Casino del Sol resort. Like Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, it’s a desert floor reshaped into hills and valleys with lots of waterscapes; generous, plush turfgrass; and hillsides of flowers. Strategically designed by Ty Butler, a former associate of Robert Trent Jones II, with input from former PGA Tour pro Notah Begay III, it’s owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, whose longstanding water rights are now preserved by keeping this course green and lavish. Which is what we want in a winter round. — Ron Whitten
OAK QUARRY GOLF CLUB
Riverside, Calif.
Hidden just off an exit ramp on the way from L.A. to Palm Springs, this course is a thrill ride chiseled from an old marble quarry. Its bouncy, big-shouldered fairways are framed by white-granite cliffs that amaze almost as much as they antagonize. Majestic case in point: the par-3 14th (pictured below). — Mike Stachura
Courtesy of the Course
TORREY PINES NORTH
La Jolla, Calif.
The South Course is still San Diego’s top golf destination, but don’t pass on the new North Course, redesigned in 2016 by Tom Weiskopf. Its nines have been switched to finish with holes above the Pacific and along deep canyons. It wouldn’t surprise me if the North joined the South on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses. — Ron Whitten
Courtesy of the Course
DUBSDREAD GOLF COURSE
Orlando
The vibe at this inexpensive muny is pure, old-school golf, and the course is the longest 6,153 yards you’ll ever play. At times the fairways are hardscrabble, but the greens are pool-table pure. Note: You must have a meal in the Tap Room, one of Orlando’s most delicious eateries. — E. Michael Johnson
Courtesy of the Course
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