Golf and Spa: Packages that Guarantee Time Off Well Spent
A study by SAP Concur shows bleisure trips are on the rise. Here are some ways to make them count
An increasing trend to break out of the confines of a typical business trip is afoot and growing. In fact, “bleisure” trips increased by 20% from 2016 to 2017, and more than 2.2 million bleisure trips were taken by business travelers around the globe, making up 10% of total business trips, according to reports by SAP Concur. How are travelers spending their bleisure moments? No doubt some spa and some golf may be involved.
The following are some convenient golf and spa packages to consider going into the new year.
PGA National Resort & Spa – South Florida’s popular vacation, meetings, wellness and golf destination – is offering its value-packed “Gold Golf Package” for a South Florida stay-and-play winter getaway to treasure.
PGA National offers 90 holes of high-caliber golf on five courses, including the famed Champion Course that is home to the popular PGA TOUR Honda Classic and past host of the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and several Senior PGA Championships.
PGA National also offers the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and David Pelz Scoring Game School for individual instruction and group clinics; Every Ball Counts – a science-based, statistics-driven training system for golf improvement — is offered at its off-site Estates Course; as is a state-of-the-art club fitting at Cool Club.
From Jan. 1 – April 14, 2020 the Gold Golf Package starts at $339 (per person, per night, double occupancy) and offers deluxe accommodations with private balcony or terrace, full daily breakfast in the Palm Terrace restaurant, and one round per day (with cart) on the resort’s five superb layouts.
Both The Palmer and The Champion courses require a $50 and $135 surcharge, respectively. The offer additionally features unlimited range balls and complimentary bag storage. Resort fees and taxes are included.
Through the Gold Golf Package, guests can combine a golf vacation while enjoying the area’s Major League Baseball spring training as the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals share The Ballpark at Palm Beaches. The nearby Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins.
They can also enjoy the high-tech 33,000-square-foot Sports & Racquet Club featuring a wide array of fitness activities and classes.
The property is 15 minutes from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) and one hour from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).
Season of the Witch at Myrtle Beach
Mystical Golf is showcasing “Myrtle Beach’s finest 54 holes of golf” on its acclaimed Witch, Man-O-War and Wizard courses with stay-and-play packages to start the 2020 golf season in style.
From January through May, guests will discover “wall to wall” emerald green fairways rather than dormant brown conditions found on most courses during winter and spring months. The lush conditions are the result of Mystical Golf’s substantial investment in overseeding with Ryegrass, emulating the agronomic practices of top courses like Augusta National.
From Jan. 1, the three-day Gold Package begins at $96 (per person, per day, taxes included). It includes three rounds with cart on each of the celebrated layouts (plus one additional complimentary afternoon round), three nights’ lodging in a three-bedroom villa, free IHOP breakfast daily (available 24 hours per day), and a gratis steak dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse (includes non-alcoholic beverages, taxes).
Added package highlights include two free beers and lunch at the course each day, complimentary daily range balls, instant replay round for cart fee only, and $15 gift card toward a golf shirt in any of the three well-stocked pro shops. Extra night stays are available at a moderate cost per person.
The resort’s three layouts are highlighted by fun elements such as the only back-to-back island greens in the game (Man-O-War), a front nine of dramatic holes weaving through secluded swampland teeming with wildlife (The Witch), and a splendid layout reminiscent of Scotland and Ireland’s classic courses complete with authentic sod-faced bunkering and castle-style clubhouse (The Wizard).
Man-O-War’s 15th hole ranks among GOLF Magazine’s “Five Most Memorable Island Greens” alongside No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass, the “Alcatraz” hole at PGA West’s Stadium Course and Coeur d’Alene Resort’s movable, floating putting surface. The course is known for its back-to-back island greens and water features touching every hole. With a commanding 141 slope rating, the par-72, 6,967-yard layout is offset by straight-forward shots and excellent, bent-grass greens.
The Witch sits on 500 acres of tranquil cypress groves and wetlands teeming with flora and fauna. Tactical play is rewarded on the par-71, 6,702-yard layout. With 4,000 feet of bridges wending through swamps (front nine) and rolling hills (back nine), golfers may spy cranes, bald eagles, alligators and black bears.
The Wizard presents deep bunkers, mound-framed fairways and dramatic elevation changes. Trademark stone bridges and an Old-World, castle-style clubhouse add character to the par-72, 6,721-yard shot-maker’s course.
The Witch, Man-O-War and The Wizard are in the heart of Myrtle Beach and within 15 minutes of Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR).
Worth the Wellness in Los Cabos
The AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Los Cabos is hosting a “Wellnessing” Getaway in 2020 from February 19 – 21. Hosted by experts in health, nutrition, and wellness, the 3-day lineup of wellness-focused activities includes a number of yoga and fitness classes, healthy cooking and nutrition workshops, session on skin care, sonotherapy, ancestral cuisine, traditional Mexican rituals, and other considerations. All Wellnessing Getaway activities are included in the nightly rate.
A Mexican spiritual guide will kick off the retreat with an opening ritual calling on the elements. Then, it’s onto some high impact with a workout from wellness influencer and certified personal trainer Rachel DeVaux, whose GOOD SWEAT program combines HIIT and circuit training with strength and compound movement.
Additional activities the first day include a masterclass in skin care from Adriana Azuara, founder of All4Spas; vigorous vinyasa complemented with guided yogic sleep and glowing body paint, led by international yoga teacher Danica Johnson; and an ancestral dinner on the beach.
Day 2 is another day of all-encompassing wellness complete with active stretching, a plant-based culinary class, and sound therapy.
The final day of the getaway offers a mindful yoga practice with pranayama, where guests can learn about breathing practices that help calm and balance both the mind and body; an interactive healthy cooking class; and a closing ritual on life in harmony.
Travelers seeking an all-encompassing wellness retreat can opt to stay in one of the resort’s duplex wellness suites that offer a variety of fitness and wellness amenities.
Rates start at $695 in an Ambassador Suite and $787 in a Wellness Suite per person per night based on double occupancy.
