For Immediate Release January 24, 2011
The Western Golf Alliance announces the Western Stars golf resort rankings
The "Western Stars" identifies best destination golf resorts in western U.S.
LAS VEGAS. The Western Golf Alliance today announced a new public service, a ranking of the top golf destination resorts in the western United States. Dubbed the "Western Stars," the rankings themselves were rolled out over the last three weeks via Twitter at @westerngolf, while the formal announcement of the release of the full rankings was made today at the The Venetian Resort, site of the Board of Directors' annual winter meeting.
"We are a regional golf organization comprised of amateurs who really love playing great golf in great locations," explained Brian Gray, WGA president. "We know it can be disappointing to spend good money on a golf trip and have the location fall short of expectations. We also know the thrill of playing golf in a location that exceeds your expectations. These rankings, therefore, reflect those places that we would personally recommend to our friends," Gray said.
The Western Stars rankings identify the 18 best destination golf resorts in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona. The resort destinations had to meet specific criteria to even be considered, including the requirement that they have true resort accommodations and at least 36 holes of championship caliber golf. The rankings evaluated the quality of the golf, the lodging, and other amenities that contribute to the golf resort being a true "destination".
Jeff Hughes, chairperson of the Western Stars Task Force, further explained the rankings. "Since our members are spread across five states, we are confident that we bring expert qualifications in creating this type of golf resort ranking. We are uniquely qualified to provide this sort of unbiased evaluation and service to golfers, and we want all golfers to benefit from the wide range of experience our members have had playing golf across the western United States."
It likely does not surprise anyone that, in the initial Western Stars rankings, the resorts that competed for the #1 ranking were the Bandon Dunes Resort and the Pebble Beach Resort. These two locations would easily be included in the top five of a worldwide resort ranking. Beyond those coastal locations, the Phoenix/Scottsdale area dominate much of the top of the rankings, including famous destinations like Troon North, The Boulders Resort, and We-Ko-Pa. California destinations permeate the rest of the table, though resorts range from the Pacific Northwest, to the southwest desert, to all points in between are well represented.
"Clearly, some rankings are obvious, but others might not be," concluded Gray. "We are confident that anyone planning a golf trip to any of these destinations will not be disappointed in their overall golf experience."
The WGA will update the Western Stars rankings biennially. The Western Stars rankings are located at this website.
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About the Western Golf Alliance: The Western Golf Alliance is the premier golf organization in the United States. The WGA exists to further the greatness of this grand sport of golf through the improvement of golf play by its members, the promotion of golf rules, etiquette, and tradition, and the ability to gather together from time to time for golf events and tournaments. The regional organization spans five western states, and is organized into nine geographic regions. Further information is available at http://www.westerngolf.org/.
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