TO FAIRWAY HEAVEN
Tee up a visit to Florida’s First Coast of Golf
What would the world look like if it was created by and for golf lovers? No need to imagine — just head to Florida's First Coast of Golf. In this stretch of northern Florida territory you can find:
The World Golf Hall of Fame, 39 coastal and intracoastal golf holes, exceptional teaching academies and the home of The Players Championship. You'll find restaurants that source fresh seafood and breweries that are as amazing to visit as your 19th hole. There's flora, fauna and a more woodsy feel than most usually envision
in Florida. And starting in September, it’s even easier to get to from Boston, with two daily Jet Blue nonstops and one Delta nonstop. Golf heaven exists, and it’s within easy reach.
Florida’s First Coast of Golf is a golf destination like no other. It stretches out through Northeast Florida along Amelia Island, Jacksonville/Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Augustine, Clay County and Palm Coast/Flagler Beach. Along that route you’ll find a whopping 44 courses with public access. From the famed Sawgrass to other less known but just as beautiful courses, players of all levels and incomes can find more than a few places to tee off that are just right for them.
The region offers so many special locales, it’s hard to choose a center. Take Sawgrass, home of The Players Championship, a source of incredible pride for the region. This famed tournament captures the eyes of the world each year and the course it is played on — as well as the amenities around it — are just as thrilling year round.
This year, the iconic Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach recently completed a resort-wide, $25 million “refresh.” Enhancements are seen throughout its 514 guest rooms, suites, villas, resort pool area, modernized front desk area, hotel facade, the Sawgrass Spa and Cabana Beach Club. Other exciting facets of the project are a new premium service guest wing and the American
Gator Club restaurant.
They've added more thrills beyond restaurants that overlook the Stadium course. The SurfStream wave machine, adjacent to the resort pool, debuted in early April. SurfStream, developed by American Wave Machines, is the world's first standing wave machine, with up to seven wave types for all skill levels. SurfStream is the only technology of its kind to be used in sanctioned Easter Surfing Association surf competitions. The Sawgrass Marriott is the first resort in the continental U.S. to offer guests a SurfStream experience.
While Sawgrass is the best-known course, the region's 43 other courses offer so much as well. This year, a new course allows public access. After 50 years as a membership-based country club, Hidden Hills in Jacksonville has opened its golf and dining facilities to the public.
The Arnold Palmer Signature golf course will have tee times available seven days a week for daily rates of $39 per player and weekend rates of $49 per player. The practice facility, with a driving range, short game area and two putting greens, also will be open to the public at $5 per bag of balls.
Hammock Beach in Palm Coast continues Phase Two of the enhancements that started last year when it renovated its one-bedroom premium ocean-view accommodations, as well as transforming its lobby and meeting space. In this next phase, Hammock Beach has fully restored the Lodge ocean-front accommodations, where guests can enjoy an elevated boutique hotel experience with access to all the amenities of the main resort.
Already well on its way is the restoration of its Jack Nicklaus Signature Ocean Course. The resort has taken on a complete update from tee to green with new Platinum paspalum grass, new tee boxes, rebuilt greens and all new bunkers, as well as restoring the dune line back to the original sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. This course promises to regain its spot among the top courses in Florida when it re-opens in October.
Two must-visit courses include Slammer & Squire and the King & Bear at the World Golf Village Resort in St. Augustine.
The Slammer & Squire, an 18-hole championship resort course, was designed by Bobby Weed with design consultants Sam “The Slammer” Snead and Gene “The Squire” Sarazen.
The Slammer & Squire course officially opened to the public in May 1998 and has become a favorite golf course. It features two distinct nines with generous fairways, contoured greens and plenty of water hazards, along with impressive views of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The course was the host site of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, a Senior PGA Tour event and hosted an array of other golf events such as the LPGA Senior Tour's Handa Cup from 2006 to 2009.
The King & Bear is the only golf course co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. This course offers a mixture of two design styles that come together to form one masterpiece.
A visit to the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum, located at the World Golf Village, is a must. Through 35,000 feet of exhibition space, the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum features artful storytelling supported by historic artifacts, personal memorabilia from Hall of Fame members, videos, photos and interactive exhibitions — all in an effort to celebrate golf and preserve the legacies of those who have made it great.
The Hall of Fame shows the tale of the game from its development in Scotland to its growth to the far reaches of the world. From accessing interactive video presentations about The Open Championship to capturing a keepsake photo crossing St. Andrews' famous Swilcan Burn Bridge, visitors are able to immerse themselves in the history of the sport. Guests can even try their hand at using hickory-shafted putters and gutta-percha balls on a replica 1880s-style putting green.
A museum-wide audio tour, “Voices from the Hall,” offers exclusive content from more than 35 Hall of Fame members, highlighting their personal stories and anecdotes. With Arnold Palmer recounting stories of “Ike,” the late Byron Nelson on turning professional, Karrie Webb on picking up the game at age 4 and Ben Crenshaw on Harvey Penick and his emotional second Masters win, the tour enhances each guest's encounter with the game's historical moments.
One of the Hall's newer exhibits is the “Honoring the Legacy: A Tribute to African-Americans in Golf.” Developed with the support of the PGA of America, the PGA Tour and the USGA, this exhibition contains rare photographs, audio, video and memorabilia to highlight the long, rich history of African-Americans in golf, beginning with pioneers from the late 1800s through today's game. Learn more at www. worldgolfhalloffame.org.
From World Golf Village and the Hall of Fame, eight top-notch courses are within a 30-minute drive. You'll also find PGA clinics, resort accommodations and more. Learn more at www. worldgolfvillage.com.
Florida's First Coast of Golf has 39 waterside holes, each one spectacular in its own right; a kind of bucket list any golfer can embrace. Hammock Beach Resort offers five holes on the water, and many other courses offer at least one or more, a thrill as well as an Instagram-worthy golf moment. You'll want to stop and soak it in before clocking that drive right down the fairway.
This fall, as the direct routes debut, Boston area golfers no longer need to imagine a golf heaven: They can find this one just one quick flight away.