It’s offseason for skilled golf. But, it’s prime golf season in Florida. Florida has lengthy performed a task within the early season skilled golf. The state of Florida is a superb match for skilled golf excursions as a consequence of its quantity of top of the range programs and, as importantly, nice climate from January to April. These early within the yr days are the glory days {for golfing} within the state of Florida. Basically, temperatures vary from 60 levels to 80 levels and the humidity mercifully drops creating phenomenal golf climate.
When each males’s and ladies’s skilled golf, lots of the tour stops are golf programs which are readily open to public or resort golfers. There are some tried and true iconic programs just like the TPC Stadium course in Ponte Vedra Seashore and Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Membership & Lodge. But, there are additionally some newcomers like Orange County Nationwide Golf Middle and Lodge. So, whereas trying on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour, LIV Tour and even qualifying websites for the Canadian Tour, right here is the place you’ll be able to stroll within the footsteps, in some circumstances, of yesterday’s professionals and positively at the moment’s professionals.
Tiburon is situated in Naples, Florida which is down within the southwest portion of the state. This course appears to host probably the most skilled occasions with the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and Champions Tour all making stops right here. Whereas the professionals sometimes play the Black course, Tiburon offers 36 holes of lovely Florida golf additionally having a Gold course. Each programs have been designed by Greg Norman and possess traditional Florida golf course options comparable to coquina shell bunkers and plenty of wildlife. The power has achieved a designation as a Licensed Audubon Sanctuary in truth.
PGA Nationwide Resort is situated in Palm Seashore County. The resort has a “carry it sturdy” six golf programs in its rotation. The Champion course will get all of the notoriety with its notorious “bear lure” consisting of gap numbers 15, 16 and 17 that give the very best on this planet all they will deal with because the Florida winds kick up on Sunday afternoons. But, the resort brings loads of world class golf with its different programs together with The Palmer, The Fazio, The Property, The Match and The Staple. Apparently, and most lately, golf architect Andy Staples has resigned older layouts to create The Match and the 9-hole The Staple course. The Match is a nod again to the traditional days of golf course structure making a format with a twist that focuses purely on match play competitors. Throw out the scorecard and go head-to-head in a format the place the earlier gap’s winner picks from a number of teeing areas. Hazards are minimal and tough is non-existent because the course focuses on strategic positioning and gamers going face to face with their floor video games. Bonus, the course performs quick with it boasting a 3-hour spherical generally.
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge
The house of legendary golfer, Arnold Palmer, Bay Hill has performed a outstanding position in skilled golf for a few years. Its skilled event roots return to 1979 when the primary invitational was held. Most lately in 2022, the invitational was gained by Scottie Scheffler. The course itself was designed again in 1961 by Dick Wilson and is taken into account his most interesting work. The course was owned by Arnold Palmer till his passing and continues to be owned by the Palmer household. The course seen within the event consists of the challenger and champion nines that play to the complete 7,400 plus yards event week. Not recognized by many is that there’s one other 9-hole course known as the Charger accessible for visitors to play.
The crown jewel of the TPC community of programs, TPC Sawgrass is house to The Gamers Championship and likewise the place the PGA Tour is headquartered. Situated in beautiful Ponte Vedra Seashore, TPC Sawgrass boasts the world well-known seventeenth island inexperienced and its stadium course. The stadium course was revolutionary on the time because it was constructed particularly for the event with mounding and viewing areas raised up across the greens to make watching the gamers extra pleasant. Notoriously, the realm across the seventeenth inexperienced is surrounded by viewing areas together with a big pure seating space the place followers can watch the destiny of tee photographs on the seventeenth and likewise watch photographs coming into the par 5 sixteenth gap. Any spherical on the TPC stadium course has all gamers pondering forward to the sixteenth, seventeenth and 18th holes that are arguably three of the very best ending holes in skilled golf. The course was designed by the legendary golf course architect Pete Dye again in 1980. Along with the stadium course, there’s a second format known as the Dye course. It’s according to its massive brother course because it has loads of water, sand traps and bulkheads to navigate. Additionally, it holds up nicely by itself serving as a tour cease prior to now for the Korn Ferry Tour.
Innisbrook Golf resort is situated in Palm Harbor, Florida within the larger Tampa space. It’s been a PGA Tour cease because the yr 2000. The resort supply 4 programs with probably the most well-known being the Copperhead. The opposite three layouts embrace the Island course which is definitely the oldest being accomplished in 1970. The North course recognized for its powerful par 3 holes and lastly the South course rounds out the rotation.
Whereas Mission Inn Resort presently doesn’t host a proper skilled event, it does host the professionals as the positioning of a qualifying occasion for the Canadian Tour as a consequence of its affiliation with the PGA Tour. That takes place on the El Campeon Course. The resort has two 18 gap programs with the opposite being Las Colinas. The resort is situated close to Orlando in an space known as Howey-in-the-hills. If dropped down on this property, you’d don’t know you have been in Florida. The programs are constructed amongst excessive rolling hills with scenic views throughout the lakes and fairways when close to the Spanish influenced services. The resort has an extended historical past with its origination and first course courting again to round 1920.
Orange County National Golf Center & Lodge
Orange County Nationwide is a golf first resort with three programs. It has hosted a number of qualifying occasions over time for the PGA Tour and in 2023 will host a professional tour occasion on the Crooked Cat course for the LIV Tour. It’s a real public course with locals and guests to the Orlando space strolling up and enjoying day by day. It additionally has a prime notch educating and apply facility. A second championship 18-hole format is Panther Lakes. The third course is the Tooth. It’s a 9-hole quick course that many stroll. Your entire facility winds by means of picturesque wetlands with slight elevation modifications. There may be an abundance of wildlife with a whole lot of distinctive and memorable golf holes.
Dwelling to the well-known Blue Monster golf course and the thrilling 18th gap, the Tump Doral Miami resort has performed a very long time position in skilled golf. For a few years, it was a mainstay cease on the PGA Tour. Most lately, it hosts the season ending championship for the LIV Tour. Whereas the Blue Monster course is definitely the famous person in its course lineup, there are numerous different championship stage programs on the property. The others embrace The Golden Palm named after the tree discovered everywhere in the property and which was most lately up to date by Gil Hanse. The Pink Tiger which was initially named by legendary entertainer Jackie Gleason. This course has additionally been given a dramatic replace by the Gil Hanse crew. Lastly, there’s the Silver Fox course which is difficult to say the least with 17 of 18 holes having water in play.
To see extra nice locations to play golf, take a look at our travel golf page.
