RexHoggardGC

“It’s all right there in front of you,” said Fraser Cromarty, the affable CEO at Nairn Golf Club. From the opening tee shot along the shores of the Moray Firth – the first hole is named Sea – the layout is among the most user-friendly links courses in Scotland. Nairn is a traditional out-and-back routing which builds to a compelling finish with the short, par-4 17th and the par-5 18th which both require equal parts strategy and shot making. If you have time, ask to visit the club’s growing museum that includes the minutes from club meetings dating back to 1887.

There are certain places golfers refer to in hushed, reverent tones – Augusta National, Pebble Beach, Pine Valley. When I first crossed through the tiny coastal village and made the drive up to Royal Dornoch more than a decade ago I realized the ancient links were in the same category. From the opening tee shot to the final putt Royal Dornoch is a picture of architectural perfection, with arguably the best collection of par 3s in the world. It’s not an easy journey to the Scottish Highlands (fly into Inverness if you can) and there are a few forced walks, but it is all worth it. Dornoch may be hard to get to, but it’s impossible to forget.

Having covered the Open Championship at Royal Lytham I didn't appreciate it's nuances until having the opportunity to play it. In a "proper" wind, the layout was equal parts challenging and rewarding.

There is no let up at Bay Hill, which is why they play a PGA Tour event there every spring.
Even without the thick rough and slick greens, the home of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is plenty challenging thanks to ubiquitous hazards, but after decades of tinkering by the King himself it's an enjoyable challenge.
Make sure you have lunch in the grill room and I recommend the Bay Hill grill cheese and an Arnold Palmer, what else?

Located about 30 minutes from Augusta National, there is a letter in the clubhouse from Bobby Jones asking the managers at Palmetto to limit play for National members because so many were bypassing the home of the Masters to play the Aiken, S.C., layout.
MacKenzie used land that is similar to Augusta National's, with his signature wide fairways and unique green complexes, and unlike Augusta National Palmetto has changed little over the years.
Palmetto is Augusta National without the green grass, and much easier to get a tee time.