Cimmarone Golf Club

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Jacksonville, Florida may be more popularly known to be the home of the World Golf Village, but there is certainly more to the place where golf is concerned. And why not, Jacksonville has a very interesting natural terrain, beach spots, and the perfect weather to make it the ideal golf vacation destination. True blue golfing fanatics know by heart that some ten minutes or so from the famed Hall of Famer resort, there is an equally stunning golf course: the Cimmarone Golf Club.

An 18-hole par-72 layout, the Cimmarone Golf Club enjoys as much fame with the championship courses of the WGV in South Florida golfing scene because of the unique challenge it offers. David Postlethwait designed the course that stretches to 6,891 yards from the championship tees, and features rolling fairways and undulating greens. Like most So. Florida courses, it is backdropped by the many beautiful natural scenery and natural wildlife inhabiting the area. However, what sets this golf vacation favorite apart from its neighbors is the fact that each of its 18-holes has a water/marsh feature. Yes, EACH OF ITS EIGHTEEN HOLES. Pristine, yes. Challenging, an even bigger yes. And it does not stop there. The bunkers dotted all over the course do not make it any easier either.

With its five sets of tees and challenging layout, it does not come as surprising the Cimmarone Golf Club is flocked by golf trip enthusiasts. It is home to some of the best golf offerings in Jacksonville. The course might just as well be part of an entire county of Hall of Fame-worthy golf courses!

Deercreek Country Club

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Many golf courses employ risk-reward systems in their layout. It makes for some of the most remembered and most talked-about course designs. The more competitive golfers who are looking for the engaging and the challenging in their golf vacations tend to look for such courses, knowing full well they will get what they want. In South Florida, where it seems as if there is a golf course half a kilometer apart of each other, there is that one course that is said to have more risk-reward than any other in the area: The Deercreek Country Club.

The two-decade old golf vacation destination winds through well-preserved natural wetlands, old pines, and rolling uplands – the natural terrain providing the best and hardest challenges. To make it more challenging, the 18 holes of the par-71 Deercreek Country Club are strategically positioned to seem easy, but they are anything but. They test golfers’ shotmaking skills, as well as better judgment on how to take on each hole. The Robert Miller design stretches to a little over 6,700 yards and features a 285-acre natural preserve and a wide range of Florida wildlife.

The best reward, perhaps, that the Deercreek Country Club offers its guests, apart from a low scorecard and the most stunning scenery on the side, is the 19th hole. The clubhouse gives an Old South feel to the place, with its old school Southern Plantation design and the best gastronomic reward any golfer would want in between or after every round. There probably is nothing close to being a “risk” as far as deciding to take a golf trip hereabouts; it’s all reward!

Ocean Course of the Hammock Beach

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Good opening. Good middle. Good ending. There is nothing about this golf vacation destination that could not be listed as “good”. That should not be surprising though, the Ocean Course of the Hammock Beach is a creation of no less than the living legend, Jack Nicklaus himself. His creation is in contention for being Florida’s best with its sibling course, The Conservatory, a Tom Watson creation. But there is actually no contest. The Conservatory is inland, this one is oceanfront. The first oceanfront course in Florida in the last seven decades.

Six of its holes are directly playing on the Atlantic Ocean, and the rest are winding through the natural wetlands and lakes on site. The most notable feature of the Ocean Course of the Hammock Beach, as if anything else here could easily be ignored, are the final four holes collectively called “The Bear Claw”.These holes are edging the coastline, and have been designed to close any golfer’s game rather unforgettably. And there’s no such thing as “easy” in this course’s definition of unforgettable. Guests should expect no less than the same for their golf trips.

With 7,201 yards of golf from the longest tees, and multiple tee options, there is no reason for any golfer to forget their golf vacation at the Ocean Course of the Hammock Beach. And since its opening in 2000, it has not stopped earning rave reviews from pros and amateurs alike, and has rightfully been ranked as amongst America’s top 100 courses. There’s too much goodness here, it might as well be called the ‘best’.

Conservatory at Hammock Beach

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More often than not, an artist’s creation are reflections of his thoughts, emotions, and experiences. They are likewise an indicator of the creator’s level of expertise. This same philosophy holds true in golf course design. One perfect example is Tom Watson’s Conservatory at Hammock Beach in Jacksonville, Florida. The golf vacation destination holds the stories of Tom Watson’s prestigious life as a golfer, and the genius that he is in golf course design.

The 5-time British Open Champion, and the multi-awarded, well-celebrated golf legend that is Tom Watson has not only brought excellence into the Hammock Beach Resort with the Conservatory at Hammock Beach. He brought his own brand of excellence and it tells the champion that he is, with so much attention to every detail of the course. The inland layout is laden with 76 acres of lakes, waterfalls, brooks, and field stonework that make for a stunning golf trip experience. And stunning it is, both in scenery, and challenge that is best for golfers of ANY level. Watson also added 140 bunkers of white sand and coquina shell to the course, just the right mix of challenge and signature Florida golfing. If that isn’t enough yet, there are 3 sod-faced bunkers in the course too; Watson’s way of paying homage to British links style golfing that he has almost mastered.

The 18-hole Conservatory at Hammock Beach stretches to 7,776 yards from the longest tees and plays for a par of 72. And just as the golfing world has raved about Tom Watson’s skills in playing the sport, it has given the golf vacation haven a similar acceptance with its many accolades since opening in 2006, including 3rd in Golf Digest’s list of America’s Best New Public Courses (January 2008 issue).

Slammer and Squire Golf Course

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The World Golf Village in Jacksonville, Fl. is one of the most – if not the most – prestigious golf vacation destinations in North America not only in concept, but in everything. It is home to the World Golf Hall of Fame, and a 36-hole golfing facility bearing the names of no less than certified Hall of Famers. One of its two championship courses, the Slammer and Squire Golf Course was designed by Bobby Weed with Hall of Famers Sam “the Slammer” Snead and Gene “the Squire” Sarazen as consultants after whom the course was named.

The Slammer and Squire Golf Course debuted in May of 1998 and features generous fairways, contoured greens, some heart-wrenching water hazards and the most impressive views of the Golf Hall of Fame, backed by a most golf-perfect weather courtesy of Florida’s climate. The front nine of this 18-hole championship spectacle features a more treelined fairway, while the back nine is water-defined. The golf vacation favorite plays 6,939 yards from the longest tees, for a par of 72.

To say that the Slammer and Squire Golf Course is superb is saying the least. It is a hotspot not only for golf trips but for some of the biggest golfing events in Florida as well, including the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (A Senior PGA Tour Event) and the Handa Cup. Well put together, this course and its sibling course, the King and Bear (a Palmer/Nicklaus creation), and everything else on site spell PRESTIGE like a perfect golf swing for the World Golf Village.

King and Bear Golf Course

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Two is better than one. Cliché. Two working as one. Romance. Two opposites working as one. Extraordinary. And this is exactly what the King and Bear Golf Course is. The course has two legendary rivals in golf working together – Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. More than designate each other with their respective nines, Palmer and Nicklaus ACTUALLY worked together to bring about one of the two championship courses in the renowned World Golf Village in Jacksonville, Florida. The result is one of the most talked-about, most visited golf vacation destinations this side of the country.

The King and Bear Golf Course carries with it the burden of representing the Hall of Famers, and who else could better carry out a course worthy of a world Hall of Fame but Nicklaus and Palmer no less. It measures more than 7,200 yards from the back tees, playing for a par of 72, featuring bunkers, water hazards, and hole placement that are neither Palmer nor Nicklaus, but both. The natural beauty of the area perfectly compliment the handiwork of the geniuses; the front nine is laden with loblolly pines and open meadows while the back nine is backdropped by a good helping of 200-year old oaks. These features of the golf vacation favorite are an epitome of what is obvious: the layout meshes perfectly with nature, creating a very astounding golf facility.

Along with its sibling course, the Slammer and Squire, the King and Bear Golf Course carry with it a prestige, challenge, and love for golf worth a world Hall of Fame. It delivers a golf trip that best carries out a one of a kind romantic affair with the sport – and makes every golfer realize two (or more) rounds are better than one.

Bonaventure Country Club – West Course

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Size is not all that matters. Shorter does not necessarily mean less exciting or less playable – and that is talking about golf courses. Proof to that is the West Course of the Bonaventure Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The golf vacation destination may come up shorter than its sister course, the East course, in length, but never shorter on the quality of play. It has as much challenge as there are in longer, bigger courses.

The West Course of the Bonaventure Country Club measures 6,128 yards from the back tees, a good thousand yards shorter than the East’s 7,158 yards, but the par-70 West Course is not an inch short of fun. Its wide fairways and undulating greens, and shorter yardage, may trick golfers into thinking it is gonna be easy. But the hole design will prove them otherwise. The deceiving numbers and easy-looking hole placement will test both the golfer’s choice of club, and his patience. It is a golf vacation made not for the faint of heart.

Although that being said, let it not be known that the West Course of the Bonaventure Country Club is a sadist of sorts. The lush tropical vegetation and the abundant wildlife in the course will soften any toughie on the course. It could be the course’s way of making up for the heartbreak on the scorecards. The 18-hole Mark Mahannah design that debuted in 1975 does not need to live up to the reputation of its sister course. This is not a place for short golf trips, but for rounds and rounds of golf.

Bonaventure Country Club – East Course

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Numbers are never a guarantee of full satisfaction. Not size, not quantity. It’s always a matter of quality. A golf resort may have at least a hundred courses in it but that does not come with a full guarantee of golfing paradise. Not if none of the ten courses are of championship caliber. Many other golf vacation destinations are bigger than the Bonaventure Country Club in Florida’s Fort Lauderdale county, but its two top courses are enough reasons to make this a magnanimous golf paradise. The East Course of the Bonaventure Country Club alone is extravagant, and it’s not just on size.

With a whooping size of 7,158 yards from the longest tees, with a par of 72, the Joe Lee design is huge – a good thousand yards bigger than its sibling West. The East Course of the Bonaventure Country Club is hailed as among Florida’s top ten courses with its signature combination of challenging golf, verdant tropical foliage, and its breathtaking scenery. The holes of the East course wind through mature palms, hardwoods, numerous water hazards, and some expansive bunkers that combine to make the course as beautiful as it is difficult. Its signature attraction is the third hole waterfall that gave this golf vacation haven the monicker, “The Cascades” Course.

The East Course of the Bonaventure Country Club is a traditional Florida layout that makes the most out of the Sunshine State’s tropical goodness. Together with the West course, they make the ideal Florida golf trip. And if golfers were to give this getaway a score, the numbers would never be less than stellar – and that’s a guarantee.

Grand Palms Golf and Spa Resort

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Florida is known to be an American tropical paradise. Thoughts of vacations in the Sunshine State are made of a thousand palm trees, the best sunshine, and the most abundant outgrowth of tropical vegetation. These are also some of the qualities that make Florida golf vacations extra beautiful and unique. While some golf resorts promise the most exquisite, most complete golf paradise, others stop there – with the promise. Fortunately, though, there are those that actually deliver an unforgettable, uniquely Florida tropical golf escapade; and such is the Grand Palms Golf and Spa Resort.

Seated in a lush, 500-acre tropical haven in Pembroke Pines, the Grand Palms Golf and Spa Resort is a world-class vacation destination made of facilities and services fit for royalty. Even more so than anyone else, the golf vacation destination is a wonderland for golfers who want nothing more for their Florida getaway than the best golf they can have. The resort offers three nine-hole courses, Grand, Royal, and Sabal nines – all three allowing the golfers to mix and match the nines for a unique game everytime. Golfers, skill levels regardless, would definitely find something amusing, challenging, playable and beautiful about this 27-hole paradise, and they could only wish they have forever to do it over and over.

This fun-challenge play of the Grand Palms Golf and Spa Resort are complemented by its many other features, including more than a thousand palm trees, stunning water hazards, the best grass carpeting on the greens, excellent conditioning and maintenance and an even better practice facility. Vacationers on the lookout for the most authentic Florida golf trips will find exactly what they are looking for here.

Hillcrest Golf Club

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If there is one word that could possible surpass the grandeur of the word “classic” to describe a golf course, that word would perhaps be perfectly designated to Hillcrest Golf Club. The famed golf vacation destination situated between Fort Lauderdale and Miami in the Sunshine State was once a classic that’s been given a face lift. And the result does not come short of superb, it may as well be called a “classic-er”, better than classic, at that.

The Hillcrest Golf Club is a timeless piece first opened in the 1960’s, an exquisite Von Hagge/Devlin design that has been among the best courses of South Florida. To keep it up to date, the management hired the services of the renowned designer, Joe Lee, in 2001 for remodeling. Joe Lee, being a true artist and a genius at that, managed to maintain the course’s classic beauty whilst adding his own touch to it, thereby escalating the already high standards of the course. Lee added more than a hundred bunkers, new water features, and improved the tee boxes to the course laden with a variety of mature trees. The result is a golf vacation paradise for any golfer.

And that is any golfer, considering the Hillcrest Golf Club has four sets of tees playing up t 7,076 yards from the longest tees. It’s a golf course that could entice and challenge a pro, but keep the novice golfer amused; impress the traditional golfers and fascinate the new-age non-conservative ones. And all that are the makings of a true classic; after all that has been said, it must be safe to say of this golf trip favorite that it is a classic on its way to becoming a bigger, better classic.