GOLF COURSES IN FLORIDA
For 12 months of the year, the golfing enthusiast will find the
golf courses in South Florida open and challenging. And from May through
October the golf courses are never crowded, you can pick your tee
time and be assured of a leisurely round. Also, many of our private
courses are open to the public during these months. Throughout Florida
there are more than 1,000 courses available catering to every level
of player. Currently, there are over 40 golf courses in the Marco
Island - Naples area, with more being constructed each year. The Southeast
coast offers more than 100 courses
Timacuan Golf and Country Club was built in 1987 and was originally
designed by a Ron Garl. In 1996 the course was renovated by architect
Bobby Weed and today it is ranked in the top 14 in the state of
Florida. Timacuan's other accolades include having been chosen as
one of the most golf-friendly courses for women by Golf for Women
Magazine. Bobby Weed's redesign encompassed many elements of the
course and ensured that all players will have an enjoyable round
of golf. Timacuan also features a large driving range and putting
green. Par is 71 and the course plays close to 7,000 yards from
the back tees. Timacuan's unique features include a links-style
front nine and a Carolina feel complete with gorgeous pines and
lakes on the back nine. Timacuan Golf and Country Club also has
a lighted practice facility and is home to the Mike Bender Golf
Academy. Mike Bender is a two time North Florida PGA Teacher of
the Year, and is ranked by Golf Magazine as one of the Top 100 Instructors
and Golf Digest as one of the top 50 Instructors in America.
Unlike other Orlando golf courses, the Royal St. Cloud is free
of any residential developments and offers a pure golf experience.
The design features four sets of tees and from the blue tee offers
a championship length of 7,111 yards and a 74.6 rating, all on flawless
fairways and silky-smooth Tifeagle greens. Its motto, as printed
above the entrance to the club house is "Original Golf Played
Here", and indeed the Royal St. Cloud features original style
golf at its unpretentious best. Bill Filson is the Director of Golf
and since 2002 co-owner of this facility. Bill has an extensive
teaching background. He has personally studied under some of the
top-ranked teaching professionals and brings 12 years of teaching
experience that featured beginners to PGA tour professionals. Bill
has consistently been a top-ranked PGA Professional. The Royal St.
Cloud's teaching staff is complemented by Dave Rummels who brings
17 years of valuable PGA Tour experience with him and can share
advice from the "Tour" with the students.
THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Ranked as #5 among
Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play," this TPC
Sawgrass Golf Course is the home of THE PLAYERS Championship in
March, which hosts an elite international field of past champions
including Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Jim Furyk and
Vijay Singh. Treacherous and sand waste areas, watery oppositions
on every hole, and Scottish link style bunkers are signatures of
this famed par-72 course.
Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass. The newest challenge at Sawgrass,
fashioned in the grand tradition of the Tournament Players Club
as a tough complement to THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Water comes into play on 6,838 yards along 18 holes, while fairways
filled with hills and valleys create additional challenges.
Sawgrass Country Club. Ranked among the top 25 best resort courses
by Golf Digest. Marriott golfers encounter water on 24 of the 27
holes throughout the medley of challenging nines stretched over
10,340 yards. The 7,072-yard, par-72 East/West rotation has earned
the time-honored distinction as "the original Sawgrass."
Ponte Vedra Country Club. Teeming with natural wildlife, Ponte
Vedra is a short, tight course featuring water on every hole and
requiring straight tee shots by great iron players. The 13th hole
— a 378-yard, par-4 straightaway — necessitates the
fiercest water negotiation. Roughs punctuate the right fairway of
this Jacksonville golf course, and a lake ribbons along the left
from the tee to skirt the front of a shallow, two-tiered green with
a bunkered elevation.
Marsh Landing Country Club. Another Ed Seay design, this Sawgrass
golf course is often likened to a 6,841-yard nature preserve. Imaginative
routing of the nines has created two visually contrasting personalities
— the front nine, which weaves through pockets of sequestered
Intracoastal marshes and is dotted will tall timbers — and
the back nine carved from even thicker lagoons threaded with tidal
marshes.