200 Rounds and Counting!

A Day in the Life of a Hotelier  |  By Carl Emberson

Once every couple of years I sit down to update my golf courses played list — and today brought a very welcome surprise. I have just reached a milestone I could only have dreamed of when I first picked up a club: 200 courses played across 20 countries.

My game is not exactly firing on all cylinders at the moment — but that has never dampened my passion for this extraordinary sport. If anything, the itch to get back out there and chase that elusive perfect round only grows stronger. There is always another course to discover, another early morning tee time to look forward to, another outing with good friends that turns into a cherished memory.

Golf has given me so much more than I ever expected. It has opened doors, forged friendships across continents, and shaped the arc of my career in hospitality in ways I never could have anticipated. Perhaps nothing captures that better than the fifteen extraordinary years I spent in Punta Mita. From the very beginning of my career I harboured a quiet dream of one day running a golf resort — and I could not have been more fortunate than to have that dream come true in one of the most breathtaking corners of the world.

Here is the full list as it stands today — 202 courses, 20 countries, and counting. ¡Onwards!

Mexico (46 courses)

  1. Pacifico Punta Mita
  2. Bahia Punta Mita
  3. Vista Vallarta – Jack Nicklaus
  4. Vista Vallarta – Tom Weiskop
  5. El Tigre Nuevo Vallarta
  6. Ixtapa Golf
  7. Marina Puerto Vallarta
  8. Tamarindo Careyes
  9. Acapulco Golf Club
  10. Tres Vidas Acapulco
  11. Princess Golf Acapulco
  12. Litibu Punta Mita
  13. Mayan Golf Acapulco
  14. Guadalajara Country Club
  15. Las Lomas Country Club Guadalajara
  16. Los Encinos Mexico City
  17. Mayakoba Riviera Maya
  18. Las Lomas Country Club Mexico City
  19. Club Valle Escondido Mexico City
  20. Cabo Real Los Cabos
  21. Cabo del Sol Los Cabos
  22. One & Only Palmilla Los Cabos
  23. Querencia Los Cabos
  24. Moon Palace Cancun
  25. Club de Golf los Tabachines Cuernavaca
  26. Marina Ixtapa
  27. Bosque Real
  28. Club de Golf Mexico
  29. Chapultepec Golf Club
  30. Club de Golf Bosque
  31. Turtle Dunes Acapulco
  32. Bahia Principe Cancun
  33. Hard Rock Playacar Playa del Carmen
  34. Iberostar Paraiso Playa del Carmen
  35. Riviera Cancun
  36. Grand Coral Playa del Carmen
  37. Cozumel Country Club
  38. Vidanta Riviera Maya
  39. Nauka Nayarit
  40. Mandarina Nayarit
  41. Club de Golf Avándaro
  42. Rancho Avándaro Country Club
  43. Twin Dolphin Los Cabos
  44. The Cove Los Cabos
  45. Costa Palmas Los Cabos
  46. Churrubusco Golf Mexico City

USA (45 courses)

  1. Bel Air Country Club
  2. Monarch Beach Golf
  3. Cog Hill Chicago
  4. Blue Monster Miami
  5. Yale Golf Course New York
  6. Poipu Grand Hyatt Kauai
  7. Kapalua Bay Course Maui
  8. The Glen Club Chicago
  9. Almaden Golf & Country Club San Jose
  10. Del Mar Country Club La Jolla
  11. The Bridges Rancho Santa Fe
  12. The Colonial Fort Worth
  13. Ridglea Country Club Fort Worth
  14. Shady Oaks Fort Worth
  15. Northwood Country Club
  16. Royal Kaanapali Golf Course
  17. Lakeside Country Club Los Angeles
  18. Sherwood Country Club
  19. Hudson National New York
  20. Wilshire Golf Club
  21. Trump National Golf Club LA
  22. Conway Hills Chicago
  23. Bayview Golf Club Virginia Beach
  24. Snowmass Golf Club
  25. Denver Country Club
  26. Castle Pines Denver
  27. Augusta Golf Club
  28. Cypress Point
  29. Pebble Beach
  30. California Golf Club San Francisco
  31. Olympic Club Lake Course
  32. San Francisco Golf Club
  33. Lake Merced Golf Club
  34. Old Warson Country Club Missouri
  35. Bellerive Golf Club Missouri
  36. Boone Valley Golf Club Missouri
  37. Spyglass Hill Golf Club
  38. Spanish Bay Golf Club
  39. Monterey Peninsula Country Club
  40. Mayacama Golf Club
  41. The Preserve Golf Club
  42. TPC Harding Park San Francisco
  43. Tehama Golf Club
  44. Riviera Country Club Los Angeles
  45. Pine Valley Golf Club New Jersey

Australia (15 courses)

  1. Hyatt Sanctuary Cove Queensland
  2. Hyatt Coolum Queensland
  3. Royal Sydney Golf Club
  4. Woollahra Golf Club
  5. Northbridge Golf Club
  6. Monash Golf Club
  7. Wakehurst Golf Club
  8. Palm Beach Golf Club
  9. Pymble Golf Club
  10. Mona Vale Golf Club
  11. Burwood Golf Club
  12. Chatswood Golf Club
  13. Lane Cove Golf Club
  14. Avalon Golf Club
  15. Moore Park Golf Club

Brazil (15 courses)

  1. Gavea Golf Club Rio de Janeiro
  2. Frade Golf Club Angra dos Reis
  3. Commandatuba Golf Bahia
  4. Iberostar Salvador Bahia
  5. San Fernando Golf Club São Paulo
  6. Clube de Campo São Paulo
  7. Quinta de Baronesa São Paulo
  8. Fazenda Boa Vista São Paulo
  9. Fazenda da Grama São Paulo
  10. Guariroba Golf Club São Paulo
  11. Terra de São José Itu
  12. Vista Verde Golf Club São Paulo
  13. Guarujá Golf
  14. Guarapiranga Golf and Country
  15. Clube Olímpico de Golf

Argentina (16 courses)

  1. Club de Campo Mendoza
  2. El Andino Mendoza
  3. Martindale Buenos Aires
  4. Jockey Club Buenos Aires
  5. San Isidro Golf Buenos Aires
  6. Newman Golf Buenos Aires
  7. Buenos Aires Golf
  8. Pilar Golf Club
  9. Hurlingham Golf Club
  10. Las Cumbres Córdoba
  11. Golf de la Ciudad de Bs As
  12. San Rafael Golf Mendoza
  13. La Vacherie Country Club
  14. Tortugas Country Club
  15. Mayling Club de Campo
  16. Olivos Golf Club

UK – England, Scotland & Wales (15 courses)

  1. Celtic Manor (Wales)
  2. Wimbledon Golf Course (England)
  3. Royal Troon (Scotland)
  4. The Belfry (England)
  5. Royal Birkdale (England)
  6. Royal Liverpool (England)
  7. The Prestwick Golf Club (Scotland)
  8. Close House Filly Course (England)
  9. Foxhills Golf Club (England)
  10. St Andrews Old Course (Scotland)
  11. St Andrews New Course (Scotland)
  12. Kingsbarns (Scotland)
  13. Carnoustie (Scotland)
  14. Fairmont St Andrews Torrance (Scotland)
  15. Fairmont St Andrews Kittocks (Scotland)

Canada (8 courses)

  1. Point Grey Vancouver
  2. Capilano Vancouver
  3. Marine Drive Vancouver
  4. Gleneagle Golf Course Calgary
  5. Calgary Country Club
  6. Greywolf Panorama
  7. Shaughnessy Golf Club Vancouver
  8. Glencoe Golf Club

Uruguay (7 courses)

  1. Club de Lago Punta del Este
  2. La Barra Golf Punta del Este
  3. Cantegril Punta del Este
  4. Club de Golf de Uruguay Punta Carretas
  5. La Tahona Montevideo
  6. Club de Golf del Cerro
  7. Fasano Golf Club Punta del Este

Fiji (6 courses)

  1. Denarau Golf and Racquet Club Nadi
  2. Fiji Golf Club
  3. Nadi Airport Golf Club
  4. Pacific Harbour Golf Club
  5. Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort Golf Course
  6. Mocambo Golf Course

France (6 courses)

  1. Paris International Golf Club
  2. Golf Club de Saint-Cloud
  3. Racing Club de France Golf
  4. Le National Golf Club
  5. Bastide de la Salette Golf
  6. Golf de Pont Royal

Switzerland (3 courses)

  1. Crans Montana – Ballesteros Course
  2. Crans Montana – Nicklaus Course
  3. Sierre Golf Course

Dubai – UAE (3 courses)

  1. The Montgomerie
  2. Emirates Golf Club
  3. Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

Thailand (3 courses)

  1. Black Mountain Golf Hua Hin
  2. Banyan Golf Hua Hin
  3. Panya Indra Bangkok

Chile (1 course)

  1. Santa Augusta de Quintay Golf Club

República Dominicana (1 course)

  1. Punta Espada Golf Club

Spain (1 course)

  1. La Manga Alicante

Belgium (1 course)

  1. Royal Golf Club of Belgium

Sweden (1 course)

  1. Bro Hof Slott Golf Club