Marsh Landing Country Club

A marsh is a wetland that is composed of grasses and other plants. A golf course layout that winds through marshlands is without a doubt difficult because water is everywhere. Marsh Landing Country Club is one such course. This golf vacation destination has been testing the skills of players since 1986. Considered as one of Florida’s most demanding courses, many golfers visit the place to challenge themselves. Experts advice that visitors should have a good water negotiation skills in order to fully enjoy their rounds of golf.

 Marsh Landing Country Club is just minutes away from Downtown Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and the Jacksonville Beaches. It is situated within the Marsh Landing community gates. The course features 6,821 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. It winds along the towering pines that showcases wildlife that makes the place comparable to a nature preserve. Its fairways are not too wide yet not so narrow and the holes are all guarded by white sand traps that add more challenge to golfers aside from the plentiful water hazards. A golf trip to this course will make the visitors experience the beauty of nature as well as challenge their golfing skills.

 Marsh Landing Country Club was renovated in 2006 and is maintained by Marsh Landings Management under the management of Bruno Couturier. This club also features locker rooms, fitness center, golf shops, dining facilities, putting and chipping greens, and driving range. Spending a golf vacation at this club will not only test the skills of the golfers but will also let them enjoy a perfect golf getaway with its rich features and amenities.

Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club

If there is one thing that is required of a golfer at the Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club , it would be strategic thinking. That and the many other vacation essentials, of course. This golf vacation destination offers many twists that force the players to plan well before hitting to not waste a round. Most of its holes are tricky – the 378-yard, par-4 hole has a tough water hazard. Because of their attractive and strategic designs, holes 2 and 8 were featured as the best 18 holes in Jacksonville City. But no matter how difficult this course is, it comes with a promise of a reward for the smart golfer.

 Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club is always in good shape that is why it is a favorite destination of visitors who want to spend a relaxing and enjoyable golf vacation. It features impressive, tree-lined fairways and smooth greens that demand an intelligent shot-placement. Its course rating of 71.4 and a slope rating of 138 will surely test the skills of the golfers even though it is only 6,383 yards from the tips. Aside from precise shooting and course management skills, this course also lets the players to wisely choose what type of club to use depending on the Atlantic breeze.

 And the wise golfer gets a neat scorecard, naturally. But Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club is not all tough, serious, gripping games. Its welcoming atmosphere will also relax the minds of the visitors while the clubhouse that features dining, locker rooms, and golf shops will complete their golf trip. Now if that is not in itself a reward, then nothing is.

The Grand Club – Pine Course

One element that determines the greatness of a golf vacation destination is it’s difficulty – golfers, especially the pros, are more attracted to a challenging course. The Grand Club – Pine Course offers lots of hazards for golfers that’s why it is a favorite among Jacksonville’s best golf courses – for pros and hobbyists alike.

 A golf trip here will test the patience of the golfers. The rolling fairways offer a widely open layout that can be more forgiving than other courses. Half of the holes are surrounded by numerous water hazards: ponds, creeks, canals, and lakes. The toughest trouble can be experienced around the greens and fairways that are encircled by white sand traps. If players overcome these hazards, they find themselves making an approach shot on the large undulated greens. But of course, The Grand Club – Pine Course doesn’t want the average golfers to be left behind. The four sets of tee boxes offer them a great chance to shoot their best round.

 Opened in 2006, this Arnold Palmer design, The Grand Club – Pine Course features a good 7,100 yards of golf. The course rating is 73.5 while its slope rating is 126 on Bermuda grass. This 18-hole, par-72 golf spectacle has played host to numerous events that include the Junior Golf Tour Championship and the PGA Tour Qualifying School. With a four-star rating by Golf Digest, spending a golf vacation in this challenging course will undoubtedly satisfy the tournament players as well as the average golfers.

The Golf Club at Fleming Island

Merging two contrasting things in one setting is hard to imagine. But when it is accomplished harmoniously, this only means one thing – it is a must-see. And one golf vacation destination in Florida has this feature. The Golf Club at Fleming Island has a contrasting back and front nine that will absolutely grab the attention of its guests. The front nine consists of wide fairways and strategically placed sand bunkers, creating a classic links feeling. While on the back nine, golfers will find themselves surrounded by native wetlands and densely tree-lined fairways, giving a more secluded atmosphere.

 The Golf Club at Fleming Islandis designed by Robert Weed. It opened in September 2000 and features 6,801 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course has a rating of 72.7 and a slope rating of 136 on Bermuda grass. A golf trip here will prove to challenge the visitors but with its five sets of elevated tee boxes, they can have an enjoyable round of golf regardless of skill levels. Before starting the game, the players can warm up at the practice facilities that have five practice greens, sand traps, and a driving range.

 The Golf Club at Fleming Island has been the site of US open qualifying and was also named the 5th best affordable course in America by Golf Digest. With its opposite nines and different tees, a golf vacation here will there won’t be a contrast in emotions as they will all be synonymous to one thing: FUN.

Eagle Landing Golf Club

If there’s one word that best describes this golf club, it would be PERFECTION. A popular semi-private golf area in Jacksonville, Eagle Landing Golf Club has all the characteristics of an ideal golf vacation destination. It incorporates classic design elements and combines great conditioning, unforgettable challenge, and stunning beauty. Designer Clyde Johnston used the best of his skills to make this club technically and aesthetically complete.

 Johnston crafted this open links course that takes the guests on a visual parade through its conservation areas and natural wetlands, all the while providing a stern yet fair golf test. The rolling fairways, undulating greens, and classic bunkers of Eagle Landing Golf Club give more interest to the players especially to those who seek for a challenging golf trip. The six sets of tees makes it playable. However, it doesn’t mean it’s easy, as the course is an enjoyable challenge from any tee, whether close or far.

 Guests who want to learn more than the basics of the game can improve their knowledge and skills at the instruction facility that features a full acre of teeing area. Practice bunkers, target greens, and a lake are included in the practice area to help them tackle the hazards of the game. Eagle Landing Golf Club also boasts one of its finest clubhouses that is perfect for groups – it features a pro shop, restaurant, and sports bar. All the things that visitors look for in a golf vacation is all here – from its perfect layout, challengingly vintage holes, and its other features. These things only show why this golf club is synonymous to perfection.

Champions Club at Julington Creek

Julington Creek Plantation is a scenic private resort community in Jacksonville, Florida. To many, it is “just among the many”. Jacksonville, after all, is a golfing city. But to the avid golfers, Julington Creek is actually the home of one of Jacksonville’s most unique golf vacation destinations: the Champions Club at Julington Creek.

Designed and owned by PGA Tour Player Steve Melvyk, the Champions Club at Julington Creek first opened in 1988 as a 9-hole facility. In 1992, it was expanded to become a full 18-hole golf vacation paradise, measuring 6,908 yards from the gold tees, playing for a par of 72. Like most other golf courses in Northern Florida, it meanders through natural wetlands and an outgrowth of trees native to the Florida landscape. The presence of these natural hazards and several stunning lakes on course along with bunkers all make the course visually appealing and challenging for golfers of all skill levels.

The best features of this course are its perfectly manicured tees and greens, and the elegant Spanish Colonial clubhouse. Because of its excellence in layout quality and scenery, the Champions Club at Julington Creek is a favorite not only for golf trips but for golf tournaments as well. It has been the host of the Hooters Tour Jacksonville Open three years in a row (’96,’97, ’98) and the venue for the World Junior Championship Finals in 1997. With an in-house golf course as excellent as this, Julington Creek Plantation can now be easily singled out from the many golfing communities in Jacksonville; it simply stands out.

Bent Creek Golf Course

Bent Creek Golf Course in Jacksonville, Fl., has seen itself in significant growth in the past 20 years since it opened in 1989. From its name down to its many improvements over the years, this premier golf vacation destination has come of age to be worthy of truly representing the city of Jacksonville as its own golf course.

Golf legend Bobby Weed headed the design for Bent Creek Golf Course, with another legend, Mark McCumber as its consultant. The golf vacation haven is heavily mounded, a great way to add attitude to an otherwise flat North Florida terrain. The holes wind through an outgrowth of tall pines, creeks, ponds, and marsh, that make the course both visually stunning and challenging to golfers of all handicaps. The course has also maintained the course to be as close to nature as it possibly can, thus it earned them an Audubon Certificate. Back in the day, the course was known as The Golf Club of Jacksonville. Over the years, apart from changing the name, there have been many significant changes inside the course. Its size, its maintenance crew, among other things that made it even better.

Bent Creek Golf Course now measures 6,620 yards and plays for a par of 71. It is now home to one of Jacsonville’s premier golfing academies, the Bent Creek Golf Academy. As it sees itself in continuous growth, the golf course has also seen a growing number of patrons who have found their favorite golf trip destination this side of town.

 

 

TPC Sawgrass – The Dye Valley Course

It may be too easily overshadowed by its more famous and fancier sibling course, but the TPC Valley Course at Sawgrass is well deserving of its own merits. This golf vacation destination has its own brand of excellence in golfing play that could only be best described as laidback in the Stadium Course’s standards. But this should not be at all taken lightly. It may be an easier, more relaxed counterpart of the other Sawgrass course, but it is still a Pete Dye handiwork. And not just Dye – Bobby Weed worked on it too, with the Jerry Pate as its player consultant. There is nothing mediocre in that combination of geniuses.

The TPC Valley Course measures some several hundred yards shorter than Stadium at 6,864 yards, playing for a par of 72. But its features are never short of fun and yes, challenging. The golf vacation favorite is characterized by water playing on each of its 18 holes, and deep bunkering, on top of impeccably manicured greens. Golfers would have to battle the many palmettos, pines, and palm trees dotted all over the course.

And while the Stadium Course hosts the famous THE PLAYERS Tournament, the TPC Valley Course has its own roster of championship tournaments in its name. It is the Home of the Nationwide Tour’s Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open, and has in the past played host to such memorable tournaments as the Seniir Players Championship, NFL Golf Classic, and the final stage of the Senior Qualifying School. It could also boast of its own merits, including being listed as the #9 Course in the State of Florida by Golfweek Magazine, on top of being a favorite golf trip destination by countless golfers who want to experience one of Pete Dye’s best creations.

Ocean Links Course

Things aren’t always what they seem to be. Yardage numbers say the Ocean Links Course of the Amelia Island Plantation is short. First look at the golf vacation destination says it’s easy. Actually playing it says otherwise. This prized jewel in Florida’s Amelia Island does not know anything that closely resembles plain and mediocre, be it in beauty, fun or challenge.

Designed by Robert Weed and opened in 1975, The Ocean Links Course is an 18-hole, par-72 spectacle that features sweeping vistas of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, a good 6 meters of natural sand dunes and seaside terrain, and holes that wind through natural marsh wetlands and lagoons. The golf vacation haven measures just 6,108 yards from the longest tees but the narrow fairways and the small greens make it seem longer and relatively more challenging. On top of it all, 5 of its holes (4th, 5th, 6th, 15th, 16th) play on the oceanfront, thus perfectly combining beauty with challenge. The course ends with a bang – a par-3 18th that is directly on the Red Maple Lake. The seemingly short course ends up leaving golfers short of breath but definitely satisfied.

The Ocean Links Course is laden with oaks, pines, and palmettos, thereby perfectly complementing the natural splendor of Florida’s Amelia Island. This golf trip paradise has earned a good number of loyal patrons, and it wouldn’t be surprising if most of them are women since this has been among Golf for Women Magazine’s list of the “50 Best Courses for Women”. To say that it’s excellent is saying the least. There is definitely more to this course than meets a golfer’s eye, or club.

Oak Marsh Course

The Oak Marsh Course finds its way among the many beautiful courses of Florida, and it never fails to stand out. Not surprisingly so, the golf vacation destination is an original Pete Dye design. It is among his first few designs that initially raised the eyebrows of many of the conservatives of that era, but is currently ranked among the finest in the world. Since its opening in 1972, the course has never failed to make an impact on its spectators and players.

Small greens, tight fairways, and holes that wind through salt marsh creeks characterize the Oak Marsh Course. Along with two other courses, the Ocean Links and the Long Point courses, they make up the Amelia Island Plantation in Florida’s Amelia Island. What makes this golf vacation favorite excellent is Dye’s unique way of putting together each of its elements to make for a challenging and stunning course. The water hazards on 14 of its holes and the bulkhead greens, not to mention the beautiful bunkering are all made to be lookers, but at the same time, heart breakers. Leave it to the rest of the course and its many wonderful amenities to make up for these heartbreaks.

This course made its way into the hearts of the countless golfers who have spent their most memorable golf trips here. This fact was made known to the rest of the golfing world when Golf Digest ranked The Oak Mash Course as among the “Top 75 Resort Courses in the US”, and Travel and Leisure Golf’s “Florida’s 50 Finest Courses”.