Cigar-Friendly Havens For Winter Golf
In the world of luxury golf travel, there are great swaths of the United States that lack the basic courtesy to stay warm. Regions showing the malice of forethought to never book the Florida or Arizona sun roll up their green carpets and wait for the frost to leave their fairways.
Still, the wisest and most civilized luxury resorts on the Old Man Winter’s course comfort their frustrated golfers with specially dedicated cigar attractions. Now, a couple prime examples north and south of the Mason/Dixon updated their stick selection for the onrushing collapse of Daylight Savings Time.
Wisconsin is the rudest possible exhibit A in this prosecution. With annual snowfall hip deep on a tall iron miner, one of America’s great golf states—with PGA Tour courses from Whistling Straits to Erin Hills to Sentry World—kicks players indoors to bleak simulator play come November. Seeing this stuffy inconvenience, the massive golf development at Sand Valley put cigars to work in hopes of soothing the tempers of cold weather visitors.
After unveiling its sixth golf experience this summer, with the new 12-hole Commons walking course joining the original Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, Sedge Valley, The Lido and The Sandbox, the minds behind the sprawling, Nekoosa, Wisconsin-based resort introduced Craig’s Porch. The rustic cabin is a winter gathering place to enjoy a heated deck and a quiet smoke while others take in hiking, skating or cross-country skiing in Sand Valley’s golf-less months.
For winter 2025 into 2026, the Craig’s Porch cigar menu includes such delights as the Oliva Serie G Churchill, Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Toro, Montecristo White Toro, Ashton Classic Churchill and the Rocky Patel Disciple Half Corona.
Meanwhile, the wilds of Lake Oconnee, Georgia, never experience the surface of Mars cold that northern Wisconsin serves up every January, but the seasons do turn in the Peach State. When the rains fall and the air around Reynolds’ eight golf courses and TaylorMade Kingdom of Golf training center dip into thick sweater range, cigar savvy players can take solace at the nearby Ritz Carlton Reynolds Lake Oconee.
Hidden behind a bookcase and open exclusively for elite displays of mixology, Oconee Cove invites damp, weary golfers inside into its warm, secretive environs. The idea of a speakeasy in a very traditional five-star hotel might seem an odd fit, but—according to Edson Canua, Director of Food and Beverage for The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Lake Oconee—the tiny lounge was driven by a shift in luxury hospitality toward experiential spaces.
“While we still offer traditional, comfortable gathering spots, the speakeasy delivers a coveted sense of F&B exploration,” Canua says. “Oconee Cove's hidden nature offers a sense of exclusive discovery, elevating the enjoyment of a fine cigar and great cocktail into a personal, refined moment away from the day's activities. It’s all about providing relaxed, yet high-quality indulgence.”
Sadly, as in so many states in the often disappointing and uncivilized Union, indoor smoking is not allowed in Georgia hotels and resorts. Fortunately, there’s a heated patio mere steps away from the Cove’s magic bookshelf.
The venue offers an extensive cigar menu, divided into Mild, Medium and Full-Bodied subheadings. The Oconee Cove highlights include Fuente Fuente OpusX, Ashton Cabinet and Ashton VSG, Rocky Patel, Cohiba Blue and Montecristo Platinum.
