GOLF.com: McLemore Resort Debuts Rare French-Scottish Restaurant, Plus a Bread Pudding Worth the Detour

When the Dining Room Steals the Spotlight

Two American golf resorts are making headlines for reasons that have little to do with fairways and greens — and everything to do with what's on the plate.

McLemore Resort, Georgia: A One-of-a-Kind Culinary Concept

McLemore Resort has earned recent attention for The Keep, its links-inspired second championship course that channels the firm-and-fast conditions of Scotland. Now, the resort is doubling down on its Scottish identity through a rare culinary venture.

The property's flagship restaurant has been reimagined as Auld Alliance — named after the historic pact between France and Scotland forged in 1295. The concept positions itself as French country cuisine with a Scottish soul, and notably, it is only the fourth French-Scottish restaurant in the world and the first to open outside of Scotland.

The debut menu leaned into bold Scottish references: a Foie Gras & Haggis Pithivier that balanced the rustic earthiness of haggis with the silkiness of foie gras; a Whole Lamb plate featuring four distinct preparations including a Scotch pie and merguez sausage; and a Laphroaig-washed 28-day dry-aged bone-in ribeye that demands attention. Scottish beers like Belhaven Best and Innis & Gunn round out the beverage list.

Saddlebrook Resort, Tampa: A Dessert That Converts Skeptics

Near Tampa, Saddlebrook Resort is undergoing significant golf course renovations — but one constant remains at its classic steakhouse Rare 1981: the Bourbon Pecan Bread Pudding.

Author Shaun Tolson, a self-described bread pudding skeptic, encountered this dessert almost by accident during a group dinner. What he found was a masterclass in restraint: candied pecans, bourbon caramel, and vanilla ice cream layered over brioche seasoned with cinnamon, dark brown sugar, and cardamom — rich without being cloying, familiar yet refined.

Strokeslab's Take

What makes McLemore's Auld Alliance concept compelling is its coherence: a resort that evokes Scotland on the course and now extends that identity to the table. For traveling golfers, that kind of holistic experience increasingly matters in choosing where to play — and eat.