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World’s Best Golf Spas in the USA

Tiger Woods will begin his attempt to win golf’s calendar-year grand slam during the Masters tournament at Augusta National in Georgia this weekend. Nick Mastroianni might suggest starting the tournament with a massage.

It’s easy to see why. Along with getting his shoes shined and his clubs repaired on-site, Mastroianni, a 44-year-old real estate developer and member of the Ritz Carlton Golf Club & Spa in Jupiter, Fla., frequently uses the club’s spa, which offers customized massages that target golfer-specific sore spots, such as the upper shoulder, back and core.

Although he had never stepped into a spa before entering the one at the Ritz, Mastroianni said it was easy to get over any discomfort. After realizing how much the treatment benefited his game, he made his massage a weekly ritual.

“The massages have loosened up my swing considerably,” he says. “It makes a big difference in completing the full shoulder turn.”

The Ritz is one of many worldwide resorts catering to golfers looking to indulge in a spa treatment before or after a round.

This trend coincides with an uptick in men spas, and an uptick in women on the links. corporate planners are looking to golf/spa combinations when organizing off-site meetings.

These large groups are part of the reason why Jill Eisenhut, spa director at the Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., began adding golf-specific treatments to the menu in 2003.

“We have groups that get together once a year,” she says. “They play the golf courses and then follow up with a massage and a facial afterwards.”

They also help the bottom line. Eisenhut says that since introducing them, the number of golf-specific treatments performed on clients has steadily risen. Those treatments now make up 15% of the spa’s revenue.

Golfers: Would you get a pre- or post-round treatment? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

“More people are aware of the spa because we offer treatments for golfers,” says Eisenhut. “If a group of guys check in and one of them is interested in getting a massage, five of them will end up doing it.”

Treatments at Willow Stream include a golf performance massage–which was developed in part by golfers David Leadbetter and Charles Howell III and incorporates stretching and acupressure–as well as the Up-to-Par experience, which consists of a hair and scalp massage combined with a body massage.

The latest offering–Fit to a Tee–is a vigorous, hour-long exercise-and-stretching regimen that aims to improve one’s game. Before and after these treatments, guests spend time on one of many local courses, which is arranged by the hotel’s golf-specific concierge service.

Places like Willow Stream may have pioneered the experience, but golf-specific spa treatments aren’t just popular in the U.S. Renowned Scottish golf resort Gleneagles opened its $16 million, 20,500-square-foot, full-service spa last month. Many of the featured treatments are for the golfer, including a reflexology massage that is said to help the body naturally restore and maintain its own healthy balance.

Today, no matter what course you’re on, it’s a safe bet that you’ll be soaking your feet in essential oils, rather than Epson salts, after the game.

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The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
Sonoma, Calif.

In Sonoma, your golf game is almost as important as your tasting palate. The spa at the Mission Inn offers a fitness program–Pilates for Golf–that promises to help improve a golfer’s posture and core strength, both vital components of a successful swing. Trainers meet with guests for 20- to 60-minute sessions on a Pilates mat that work your core muscles, from plank to tabletop positions. Post-workout, guests tee off at the Sonoma Golf Club, a 177-acre, PGA course that looks out onto the Sonoma mountain range.

Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Scottsdale Princess began offering golf-centric spa treatments five years ago, and its proprietors consider themselves pioneers in the category. Along with a golf performance massage–which was developed in part by golfers David Leadbetter and Charles Howell III and incorporates stretching and acupressure–treatments include the Up-to-Par experience, which is a hair and scalp massage combined with a body massage. Before and after these treatments, guests spend time on one of many local courses, which is arranged by the hotel’s golf-specific concierge service.

Doral Golf Resort & Spa
Doral, Fla.

With five PGA-approved courses, this resort offers golf fanatics plenty of challenging holes. Before heading out to the greens, guests are encouraged to schedule a Golfer’s One-on-One workout, which focuses on body alignment, static/dynamic balance and body flexibility. For a post-golf indulgence, the spa’s new Sensory Journeys, which range from a 90-minute oil massage to a two-and-half-hour Ayurvedic body scrub and massage, aim to revive sore muscles.

Kohler Waters Spa at the American Club
Kohler, Wis.

Kohler offers two golf clubs, Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits, that have both hosted major PGA tournaments and include a total of four courses. The nearby Kohler Waters Spa caters to players in a glass-enclosed rooftop deck with whirlpool, fireplace and lounge. The Golfer’s Foot Renewal is a post-game treatment that includes a pedicure as well as a self-heating mud mask, meant to re-energize your soles. That’s followed up by a soothing foot massage.

The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, Calif.

Pebble Beach was ranked the No. 1 golf resort in America by Golf Digest in 2007, and it’s difficult to find a dedicated player who isn’t a fan of these links. Whether it’s on the course at Spanish Bay or Spyglass Hill, a round is sure to challenge the most advanced golfers.

The Golfer’s Hole-in-One package includes an 80-minute Sports Bodywork massage–a deep-tissue massage to stretch muscles and work out knots–and a 25-minute Golfer’s Foot Renewal, which includes a foot soak and massage.

Ritz Carlton Golf Club & Spa
Jupiter, Fla.

Members of the 18-hole, Audubon-certified Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course at the Ritz enjoy access to the 68,000-square-foot golf course, a concierge service, and shoe shine and golf club maintenance services. But the golfer-specific massage at the spa tops the list of amenities. Your assigned aesthetician will design a massage that targets specific sore spots, loosening up your golf swing in return.

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