Golf Resort Happenings

Dominican Republic

• The Westin Roco Ki Beach & Golf Resort (954.624.1771; www.westin.com) is slated to open next year in the Punta Canta area of the Dominican Republic. The property will feature 337 guest rooms and condos, over 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 10 restaurants, a full-service spa, an interpretive museum and a botanical garden. Amenities will also include a championship golf course with ocean views.

• The Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa (904.285.777; www.sawgrassmarriott.com) in Ponte Vedra Beach unveiled the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse, which includes an event lawn and 11,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space as well as a restaurant, terrace, golf shop and exhibit gallery devoted to the history of the PGA Tour. The property has also completed a renovation of all 508 guest rooms and major upgrades to The Players Stadium Course and the adjacent Dye’s Valley Course.
  
  
• The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village (904.940.8000; www.worldgolfrenaissance.com) in St. Augustine completed an $8 million renovation of its 301 guest rooms, lobby, restaurant and 26,450-square-foot St. Augustine Ballroom. The resort has also added flex-back chairs to all meeting rooms.
  
  
• The Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Tampa (727.942.2000; www.innisbrookgolfresort.com) is wrapping up a renovation that includes its Island Golf Course and three golf clubhouses with over 65,000 square feet of meeting space. A new spa and fitness center are slated to open in January.
  
  
• The (407.238.8888; www.marriottworldwide.com) unveiled the 105,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom, the Orlando World Center Marriott & Convention Centerlargest pillar-free ballroom in the nation. The new ballroom, which gives the resort a total of 450,000 square feet of event space, can seat up to 13,000 people theater-style. The 2,000-room resort also offers a full-service spa and 18-hole championship golf course.
  
  
• The Grand Cypress Resort (407.239.4700; www.grandcypress.com) in Orlando completed a renovation of its clubhouse that included the addition of a new restaurant and upgraded pro shop. The resort has also completed a renovation of its 146 guest rooms at The Villas of Grand Cypress and a restoration of its nine-hole, Jack Nicklaus-designed South Course.
  
  
• A conference center with 3,000 square feet of meeting space opened at the GreenLinks Golf Resort (239.732.9920; www.greenlinksnaples.com) in Naples. The resort also offers 200 condominium suites and two 18-hole golf courses.

• Rose Hall Resort & Spa, A Hilton Resort (876.953.2650; www.rosehallresort.com) emerged from a $40 million facelift last summer that included a new pool area and spa as well as renovations to the guest rooms, lobby and 14,000 square feet of meeting space. The resort offers 54 holes of golf.

• A 250-room hotel tower opened at L’Auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino (337.395.7777; www.ldlcasino.com) in Lake Charles, giving the property a total of 1,000 guest rooms. The resort also includes 26,000 square feet of meeting space and an 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

• The Hilton Garden Inn Choctaw (601.663.0406; www.pearlriverresort.com) opened earlier this year at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw. The hotel will offer 140 guest rooms, 2,000 square feet of meeting space and a full-service restaurant. It will be adjacent to the resort’s Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, which includes two championship golf courses.

• The Pinehurst Resort (910.295.8500; www.pinehurst.com) in the Village of Pinehurst added three new executive meeting rooms, totaling 3,000 square feet, and completed the final phase of an $8.5 million renovation of its Carolina Hotel guest rooms, which included upgraded bedding and expanded work areas.
  
  
• The 308-room Embassy Suites Resort & Conference Center Charlotte-Concord (704.455.8200; www.embassysuitesconcord.com) opened in Concord on a site adjacent to the Rocky River Golf Club. The hotel is connected to the new 42,000-square-foot Concord Convention Center. Both the hotel and golf club are managed by John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts.

• The Chickasaw Nation will unveil a major expansion of its WinStar Casino (580.276.4229; www.winstarcasinos.com) in Thackerville this month that includes a 400-room hotel and convention center seating up to 2,500 people. The Chickasaw Nation recently opened the 18-hole WinStar golf course and a clubhouse with practice facilities, restaurant, pro shop and banquet facilities.
  
  
• The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma recently opened the Downstream Casino and Hotel (918.542.1853; www.quapawtribe.com) on 140 acres of land in Ottawa County. The property features a 222-room hotel, restaurant, casino and 36 holes of golf at the nearby Loma Linda Country Club.

• The Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, A Wyndham Grand Resort (787.888.6000; www.wyndham.com) in Rio Grande completed a $38 million renovation of its 600 guest rooms, casino, meeting facilities and public areas. Also included in the project are the resort’s two 18-hole championship golf courses, which received over $5 million in upgrades.
  
  
• The Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort (787.259.7676; www.hiltoncaribbean.com) in Ponce unveiled an expansion that included a new 6,000-square-foot exhibition center. The resort features 253 guest rooms, over 17,000 square feet of meeting space and 27 holes of golf.

• The Kiawah Island Golf Resort (843.768.6040; www.kiawahresort.com) on Kiawah Island opened a $20 million clubhouse on The Ocean Course. With views of the Atlantic Ocean, the clubhouse offers four meeting rooms with a total of 3,000 square feet of space as well as a fine-dining restaurant, bar and a spacious verandah with outdoor fireplaces.

• Construction is under way on the 1,002-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa (210.403.3434; www.marriott.com) scheduled to open in March 2010. The resort will include two golf courses designed by Pete Dye and Greg Norman, a full-service spa and 138,000 square feet of meeting space.
  
  
• The Lakeway Resort and Spa (512.261.6600; www.lakeway.dolce.com) in Austin wrapped up a two-year renovation that included the addition of a full-service spa, glass-enclosed ballroom and three tiers of lakeside swimming pools. The resort is adjacent to four championship golf courses.

• The Lansdowne Resort (703.729.8400; www.lansdowneresort.com) in Leesburg unveiled Shark Bite, a nine-hole golf course adjacent to its 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed championship course. The 305-room resort offers 45,000 square feet of meeting space.