North America

Named by Travel And Leisure as one of the world’s best 500 hotels in 2006, the Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation is a renowned leisure destination, and offers truly first class accommodation. Spread throughout the charming resort are 251 superbly appointed bedrooms and suites, all of which are decorated in an endearing style, traditional to the American South.

Perched on the banks of the delightful Lake Oconee, the resort is a picture-perfect retreat that has much to offer golfers and non-golfers, all supported by surroundings of the utmost luxury.

The astounding Reynolds Plantation is one of Georgian golf’s most prestigious and illustrious names, predominantly thanks to its collection of five international standard championship courses.

The courses – named The Oconee, The National, Plantation, Reynolds Landing and Great Waters – were mapped out by designers including Tom Fazio and Jack Nicklaus, giving an insight into their quality.

Replacing the worldly concerns with a world of comfort is the mission of the Spa at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge. With views over Lake Oconee, the award-winning 26,000 sq. foot facility uses Prada skincare and PAYOT products to support its list of amazing restorative treatments. The resort also has a superbly equipped gymnasium, while the lake itself is a mecca for fishing, stocked with bream and bass, as well as offering terrific water sports opportunities.

The Lodge at Reynolds Plantation has a wealth of dining options – try some classic regional favourites at Georgia’s, or tackle some prime cuts at the Linger Longer Steakhouse.

Gaby’s At The Lake offers amazing panoramas, as well as an attractive menu of cocktails.

The initial result was Whistling Straits, on the Wisconsin shores of Lake Michigan, with subsequent investments including the Old Course Hotel at St Andrews. Kohler is not a man who does anything by half, and he turned to his architectural equivalent, Pete Dye, to create a golf course to satisfy his dreams. The resultant Straits Course could only be in America, but its accent is distinctly Scottish. Following the relocation of millions of tonnes of earth, a hybrid links course of incredible beauty was unveiled.

While it may not be a traditional links course in the Scottish and Irish sense, the Straits is rugged and wild. The world's spotlight fell on Kohler's creation for the first time in 2004 for the USPGA Championship when Vijay Singh emerged victorious.

The praise on that occasion was unanimous, a vote which surely sealed the award of the 2020 Ryder Cup for Wisconsin's finest. Still young, but already revered, Whistling Straits is one of the world's great golfing experiences.