Jacksonville/ St. Augustine

Hyde Park Golf Club
(877-767-5445)

Nestled among the legions of new age courses in the Jacksonville area is a Donald Ross classic, Hyde Park built during the peak of prohibition in 1925. Through the decades, Hyde Park has not yielded to the technology age or modern design techniques-the layout is largely the same course Ross put together himself. Hyde Park is also one of the few Ross courses open to the public and in a price range making it available to every golfer. This combination is unprecedented in all of Florida. Ross design features include wide fairways and crowned greens that roll off away from bunkers allowing bailout.
Fast fact: Ben Hogan tallied an 11 at the 151-yard 6th hole over 50 years ago during play at the Jacksonville Open.

St. Johns Golf and Country Club (877-767-5445)

St. Johns Golf and Country Club is the latest installment to the I-95 corridor between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. The stretch has recently enjoyed a golf boom, and St. John's has established itself as another reason to go cruisin'. Architect Clyde Johnston has made a name for himself as being able to make the most out of the ordinary, flat Florida land. St. Johns is plentiful in hazards, and many are reside greenside. The par 72, 7,236 yard track is long for sure, but the balance of the course design between straightforward holes and tricky doglegs is also easily noticeable. Many greens are raised but still allow for a fair recovery. The closing holes on each nine are dramatic challenges, both wrapping around a small lake bringing water into play.
Fast fact: St. Johns is Clyde Johnston's third Jacksonville design, his previous efforts being Jacksonville Golf and Country Club and Eagle Harbor Golf Club.

Royal St. Augustine Golf & Country Club (877-767-5445)

Royal St. Augustine Golf & Country Club was the pioneer in bringing modern golf design to the town of St. Augustine in 2001. Royal St. Augustine is not for the timid. Sixteen holes have water and many others have extremely tight landing zones. The routing of the course is tricky, and long stretches between holes make walking difficult. With the scarcity of land on-site, along with the added task of allowing space for the proposed housing development, 6,529 yards is as far back as you can play. The layout makes up for its lack of distance with quirks, including a the 13th, a 399-yard, 90-degree dogleg. Short par 4s are a highlight at Royal St. Augstine, including the 3rd and 16th which offer high risk/reward. The conditioning is also among the best found in St. Augustine.
Fast fact: Royal St. Augustine was designed sensitive to over five acres of natural wetlands.

Ocean Hammock Golf Club (877-767-5445)

Ocean Hammock Golf Club is the toast of the I-95 corridor and the first coastal course built in Florida in 70 years, located south of Jacksonville in Palm Coast. The stage for Ocean Hammock is on the most dramatic and stunning of land. Eight holes stretch across the dunes and offer beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. Jack Nicklaus was given the task of making the most of this precious landscape. While the results are serene, the track is one of the toughest in America in terms of slope and rating, playing 7,201 yards and a brutal 77.0 rating and 147 slope. Even if the inland holes don't provide the eye candy of the coastal holes, the design is still a strong. In typical Nicklaus fashion, Ocean Hammock frequently has the option for bold shot making or the safe bailout route. If the Monterrey Peninsula isn't in your future travel plans, Ocean Hammock is your southeastern, coastal equivalent.
Fast Fact: The last coastal course built in Florida was the legendary Seminole Golf Club, built by Donald Ross in 1929.

TPC at Sawgrass Marriott Resort (877-767-5445)

The 400-plus acres or swamp in Ponte Verda, 15 miles southeast of Jacksonville that would become the Sawgrass Marriott Resort was originally purchased for $1. A couple decades later a tour sponsorship and partnership with Marriott has turned this land into a multi-billion dollar establishment. The two original courses, Stadium and Valley course were Pete Dye's pioneering effort in creating the "target golf" era.

The TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course was created to challenge the world's best golfers. The Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass is perhaps best known for its famed 17th hole. The par-3 three sports and island green that typically brings even PGA Tour players to their knees during the annual Player's Championship. The rest of the layout is nothing to scoff at, either, and easily ranks as one of the most challenging circuits in the Sunshine State.

Despite being the Stadium Course's sidekick, the Valley Course wouldn't play second fiddle to too many other courses in the state. In some ways, the Valley Course is even technically more extreme than its famed big brother. The Valley Course is capable of letting more players go low, but it's far from an easy track. Water is in play on 12 holes but the carries are less extreme than the Stadium. Something else the Valley has is a design balance, with several short par 4s mixed within the 6,684 yard layout.

TPC at Sawgrass has three other full length courses. Sawgrass Country Club, a 27-hole facility has been dubbed the "Original Sawgrass." It was built in 1973 by Ed Seay, and in the following year it hosted The Players Championship. When Stadium Course opened in 1981, the tournament moved up the street. But Sawgrass Country Club remains a difficult test of golf with its small greens and abundance of water coming into play on 24 of the 27 holes.

The Oak Bridge Golf Club and Marsh Landing courses round out the TPC lineup. Oak Bridge is the oldest at Sawgrass, built in 1970. It's a short, tight course with a premium on accuracy over distance. Marsh Landing Country Club is another Ed Seay design. Two distinct nines, the front weaving through pockets of marshes lined with tall pines and the back, carved from lagoons with tidal marshes make for some dramatic, secluded golf.
Fast Fact: To play any of the TPC Sawgrass courses you must be a member of the club or a guest at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort.

Ponte Vedra Inn & Club (877-767-5445)

Ponte Vedra Beach is the glamorous, leisure retreat thanks to the founding of the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in 1928. Today, the club is one of the most highly touted winter vacation spots in the country. Its location right on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean makes for an abundance of activities. Among the resort's amenities are two 18-hole courses, the Ocean and Lagoon courses, both built well before the First Coast golf boom of the '70's.

The Ocean Course, built in 1928, was the first golf course in Ponte Vedra. Designed by British architect Herbert Strong, it was the first course in Florida to garner national attention. The Ocean Course is rich in history. Built without earth moving machinery but with the work of 100 mules, it was selected to host the Ryder Cup matches in 1939 until World War II cancelled the event. It has also served as a U.S. Open qualifier five times. The par-3 ninth is considered the first ever island green. Two renovations, the first in 1947 by Robert Trent Jones and again in 1998 by Bobby Weed, have restored the course to its earlier prestige and brought it up to modern standards. It's the longer of the two Ponte Vedra courses, playing to 6,871 yards.

The Lagoon is a short, tricky course, playing to just 5,574 yards. While not as old as the Ocean Course, the Lagoon is still older than most courses in Ponte Vedra. Its original opening dates back to 1961 when Robert Trent Jones added nine holes. Joe Lee completed the 18 in 1977. The two nines vary in both age and feel. While the front nine resembles the Ocean Course and shares the same land, the back nine meanders through a tight, thrifty plot of land. The Lagoon compliments the Ocean Course's long, difficult layout with a shorter but challenging test of target golf.
Fast fact: The 1947 renovation of the Ocean Course came after Bobby Jones played a round and suggested it be modified.

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