Golf is over 500 years old and still remains one of the most difficult sports to master. Professional golfers have to spend countless early mornings at the course or range developing their technique.
If you’re looking to shave a few points off your score, you’ll want to hone your swing on courses designed by golf’s most renowned minds.
Bird Golf Academy teaches students at schools across the country, incorporating golf courses conceived by legends like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye.
Each academy boasts an exclusive resort and unlimited course access, so even seasoned golfers can find areas of their game to tune up.
You’ll be instructed by experienced, knowledgeable teachers and given daily one-on-one access to a PGA professional. Here’s a few of Bird Golf’s prestigious schools connected to some of golf’s most legendary names. So grab your Taylormade r9 driver and find your perfect course below!
Southwest Florida at Old Corkscrew Golf Club
Jack Nicklaus might be the most accomplished professional golfer in history, winning 18 major PGA championships during a 25-year stretch and ranking third in all-time PGA Tour victories with 73. The Golden Bear is also famous for his course designs, and the golf club at Old Corkscrew is a timeless creation.
Old Corkscrew Golf Club is 7,400 yards of pure golfing paradise. Nicklaus himself designed the 18-hole course, complete with the beautiful but challenging par-3 on number 17 and long doglegs on numbers 11 and 15.
Old Corkscrew is one of Florida’s highest rated golf clubs and it’s not hard to see the Bear’s influence on this beauty. Bird Golf students also stay at the nearby Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, where can they can relax and unwind in style.
Las Vegas Golf Schools at Paiute Golf Resort
While not a household name, Pete Dye’s influence on the golf world is evident all around us. He designed the Crooked Stick Golf Club that hosted the 1991 PGA Championship, but he might be more famous for inventing one of golf’s scariest shots – the par-3 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. Dye designed the golf club at Paiute Resort, which features not one, but three gorgeous courses.
Bird Golf students will be treated to 54-holes of Dye’s best work, backdropped by panoramic views of the Nevada desert.
You’ll get to play all three courses, including The Wolf, the longest course in Nevada. The Wolf incorporates one of the most striking holes you’ll see – a true island par-3 on the 15th hole.
Napa Golf School at Hiddenbrooke
It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t know the name Arnold Palmer. If you’ve ever stepped foot on a driving range, you can probably thank Palmer, who did more to popularize the sport of golf than anyone in history.
He won multiple Masters championships, but he also designed some fantastic golf courses, including the dynamic Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in the heart of wine country.
Only Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill were ranked higher in California by Golf Digest, who gave Hiddenbrooke an impressive four-and-half stars. The course is a lengthy one with five different par-5’s and a wonderful view of the valley.
Being so close to Napa, the wine flows readily and Bird Golf students stay in the luxurious Meritage Resort and Spa. The resort has five different bars to sample some of the region’s finest wine.
New Jersey Golf School at Seaview Resort
Donald Ross was one of the most prolific golf courses designers in the world, helping build clubs in 31 different states and four Canadian provinces.
His most famous work might be Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, host of three U.S. Open tournaments and a PGA Championship. Ross was born in Scotland and incorporated links-style features into many of his course designs, including the Seaview Golf Club in New Jersey.
Scottish design elements are obvious in The Bay, the course here concocted by Ross (Toomey and Flynn designed the second course). The Bay stretches 6,700 yards and distance shots are constantly whipped around by the ocean’s wind.
The greens are small like traditional links courses, providing challenges for players of all levels. The Seaview Resort has all the amenities Bird Golf students will need and is a mere 10 minutes from the bright lights of Atlantic City.
