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Keeping Up With Jones

The 18 Best Rees Jones Golf Courses You Can Play

Courtesy of LINKS Magazine

Rees Jones is best known for his renovations of major championship courses - 11 in all. But he also has produced scores of original designs. While these layouts may not have the high profiles of redesigns like Bethpage Black or Hazeltine National, they are no less challenging or fun to play.

Just ask players in the field of this week's Shell Houston Open, who are competing on Jones' Tournament course at Redstone Golf Club. Or ask anybody who has teed it up on the scenic Stoney Creek course at the Wintergreen Resort in Virginia.

There is a good reason that Jones is the go-to guy for prepping major championship venues: He knows how to make a golf course tough but fair. So if you're looking for a good test of golf, try Redstone, Wintergreen or the 16 other layouts on the pages that follow.

Black Lake Golf Club

Onaway, Mich.

The 7,046-yard course is owned by the United Auto Workers (UAW), and UAW members receive discounts on the layout carved out of the countryside that features forests, cranberry bogs and a sand quarry.

Bryan Park (Champions)

Browns Summit, N.C.

The 1,500-acre park in Greensboro has two courses with Rees Jones' hand. First he renovated George Cobb's Players course, then designed the Champions course, which will host the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Burnt Pine Golf Club

Destin, Fla.

One of four courses at the Sandestin Resort, Burnt Pine plays through pine forest and wetlands, and along Choctawhatchee Bay. The layout sits next to Raven Golf Club, which was designed by Jones' brother, Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Cascata

Boulder City, Nev.

Located 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip the 7,137-yard layout that is carved out of the desert and hills is a great amenity for guests of Harrah's properties like Caesar's Palace and Planet Hollywood.

Dacotah Ridge Golf Club

Morton, Minn.

Against the backdrop of the southwest Minnesota prairieland, the 7,109-yard layout offers an away-from-it-all experience. The course is owned by the nearby Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel.

Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (Green)

Williamsburg, Va.

Fittingly for a family destination, golf at the Golden Horseshoe is a father-son affair. Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the Gold course in 1963 before his son Rees built the Green course nearly 30 years later.

Lake of Isles (North)

North Stonington, Conn.

Jones built two courses for the Foxwoods Resort Casino. While the South course is private, the North, which has several holes along its namesake lake, is one of the best public layouts in southern New England.

Legend Trail Golf Club

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Located in North Scottsdale, the 6,845-yard layout sits along the floor of the Sonoran Desert and offers a playing experience that is more generous and user-friendly than most desert courses, which tend to favor target golf.

Naples Grande Resort

Naples, Fla.

There are plenty of vacation options for visitors to the Gulf Coast of Florida, but few are better than Naples Grande, which combines rooms with water views, miles of beaches and a challenging 6,955-yard layout.

Pinehills Golf Club (Jones)

Plymouth, Mass.

The 7,046-yard course is owned by the United Auto Workers (UAW), and UAW members receive discounts on the layout carved out of the countryside that features forests, cranberry bogs and a sand quarry.

Pinehurst Resort (No. 7)

Pinehurst, N.C.

While golf history is an important part of the Pinehurst experience, visitors are making a mistake if they don't tee it up on the modern No. 7 layout, which dates to 1986 and offers more elevation changes than most of the other courses at the resort.

Redstone Golf Club (Tournament)

Humble, Texas

The host course of the Shell Houston Open is a big, expansive layout. Although it meausures 7,422 yards, the course offers plenty of room off the tee. Little wonder that long hitters like Paul Casey, Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby have won here.

Reynolds Plantation (Oconee)

Greensboro, Ga.

Located adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton, this layout takes full advantage of the area's natural topography and setting, with dramatic holes, many of which sit along the lake that gives the property much of its character.

Rio Secco Golf Club

Henderson, Nev.

If guests have trouble on the demanding 7,313-yard layout, which has a Slope rating of 153, they can always blame distractions like the views of the Las Vegas Strip. Or they can find help at the on-site Butch Harmon School of Golf.

Sandpines Golf Links

Florence, Ore.

This course near the Pacific Ocean helped begin the transformation of coastal Oregon into a major golf destination. Many of the holes, including the finishing stretch, play along dunesland that brings the wind into play.

Talamore Golf Club

Southern Pines, N.C.

There are plenty of reasons to visit the Sandhills of North Carolina for golf. One good one is Talamore, which is known for its llama caddies. But even without a four-legged looper, a round here is memorable.

Waldorf Astoria Golf Club

Orlando, Fla.

Opened in October 2009, the first golf course to carry the Waldorf label lives up to the lofty standards set by the namesake resort. The layout weaves unobtrusively through the pine forests and wetlands of the pristine landscape.

Wintergreen Resort (Stoney Creek)

Wintergreen, Va.

The 27-hole layout offers all the challenges of mountain golf--elevation changes, contours, uneven lies--as well as all of its glories, including holes that feature views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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