Quivira Golf Club - hole 6
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Quivira Golf Club - hole 6
The par-3 sixth hole at Quivira Golf Club plays to an oceanfront green cut from a mountainside. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Cascata golf course - hole 7
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Cascata golf course - hole 7
The gorgeous, 157-yard seventh hole at Cascata sits in a rock canyon with a waterfall. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Mauna Kea Golf Course - hole 3 tee
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Mauna Kea Golf Course - hole 3 tee
It's all ocean carry from the 272-yard tips of the third hole at Mauna Kea Golf Course on the Big Island of Hawaii. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Mauna Lani Resort - South golf course - 15th
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Mauna Lani Resort - South golf course - 15th
The 15th hole on the Francis H. I'i Brown South Course at Mauna Lani Resort flies over a coastal cove on Hawaii. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Sleepy Hollow C.C. golf course - 10th
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Sleepy Hollow C.C. golf course - 10th
The 10th hole, named "The Lake," is one of the many scenic holes at Sleepy Hollow Country Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Bethpage Black golf course - 4th
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Bethpage Black golf course - 4th
It's a maze of bunkers on the par-5 fourth hole on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
White Witch Golf Course - hole 1
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White Witch Golf Course - hole 1
The first tee of the White Witch Golf Course overlooks an incredible par 5 and the Caribbean Sea. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Casa de Campo - Teeth of the Dog G.C. - 7th
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Casa de Campo - Teeth of the Dog G.C. - 7th
The seaside par 3 at no. 7 on the Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo continues to be one of the Caribbean's most iconic holes. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Royal Isabela golf course - 17th
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Royal Isabela golf course - 17th
No. 17 at Royal Isabela might be the best hole in all of Puerto Rico. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Old Head Golf Links - hole 4
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Old Head Golf Links - hole 4
The fourth hole at Old Head Golf Links climbs to the lighthouse. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Ballybunion Golf Club - Old Course - 16th
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Ballybunion Golf Club - Old Course - 16th
The 16th hole provides a magical moment on the Old Course at Ballybunion Golf Club in southwest Ireland. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Pacifico Golf Course at Punta Mita - hole 3b
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Pacifico Golf Course at Punta Mita - hole 3b
Playing the "Tail of the Whale" hole -- a natural island green in the ocean -- makes a round on the Pacifico Golf Course at Punta Mita so special. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Bahia Golf Course at Punta Mita - 17th
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Bahia Golf Course at Punta Mita - 17th
The par-4 17th hole on the Bahia Golf Course at Punta Mita resort sweeps along the shore of the Pacific Ocean. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Southern Highlands Golf Club - hole 9
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Southern Highlands Golf Club - hole 9
It's a jaw-dropping scene on the ninth hole at Southern Highlands Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Cinnamon Hill Golf Course - hole 5
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Cinnamon Hill Golf Course - hole 5
There isn't a prettier hole in Jamaica than no. 5 at Cinnamon Hill Golf Course. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Turtle Bay Resort - Palmer golf course - 17th
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Turtle Bay Resort - Palmer golf course - 17th
Check out the bird's-eye view of the 17th hole on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort from a tour with Paradise Helicopters. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Casa de Campo - Dye Fore G.C. - Marina Course - 5th
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Casa de Campo - Dye Fore G.C. - Marina Course - 5th
No words can do justice to the views from the fifth tee on the Marina nine of Dye Fore at Casa de Campo. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Rochelle Ranch Golf Course - 7th
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Rochelle Ranch Golf Course - 7th
The view from the third tee at Rochelle Ranch Golf Course reveals how close the seventh green interacts with the water hazard. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Seven Canyons golf course - 7th
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Seven Canyons golf course - 7th
The scenery steals the show at Seven Canyons. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles
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Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles
The views at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles will overpower you. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Journey at Pechanga golf course - 6th
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Journey at Pechanga golf course - 6th
The sixth hole on the Journey at Pechanga drops 175 feet to the fairway below. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Barona Creek G.C.
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Barona Creek G.C.
The views of Barona Creek Golf Club from the casino are quite spectacular. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Mauna Lani Resort - North Course - 17th
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Mauna Lani Resort - North Course - 17th
The 17th hole on the North course at Mauna Lani Resort sits in a lava bowl. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Waterville Golf Links - 18th
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Waterville Golf Links - 18th
The 18th green at Waterville Golf Links sits steps from the clubhouse and the beach. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
Kohanaiki golf course - hole 12
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Kohanaiki golf course - hole 12
The 637-yard, par-5 12th hole at Kohanaiki heads toward the ocean. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfAdvisor
25 Images

Strike a pose: Jason Scott Deegan's 2014 golf photos of the year

A theme became apparent as I dug through my best golf photos from 2014: This was the year of ocean golf. I started and ended the year on Hawaii's Big Island, playing spectacular oceanfront holes at Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani Resort's South Course and Kohanaiki each time. Trips to California, Oahu's Turtle Bay Resort and Punta Mita and Los Cabos in Mexico also showcased the Pacific Ocean.

Three visits to the Caribbean -- Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico -- and a stay along Mexico's Riviera Maya revealed more stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. I walked hand in hand with the Atlantic Ocean at three of the most revered courses in Ireland under sunny skies in June, including the Old Course at Ballybunion, Waterville Golf Links and Old Head Golf Links.

To be fair, I photographed some great inland courses, too: Bethpage Black, Seven Canyons, Cascata and Shadow Creek near Las Vegas, the unheralded Rochelle Ranch in Wyoming, Barona Creek and the Journey at Pechanga in southern California and more.

The point of these photos aren't to brag where I've been. They're to motivate you to get out and play in 2015.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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Strike a pose: Jason Scott Deegan's 2014 golf photos of the year