3balls Golf
The best public winter golf courses in Florida capitalize on year-round warm weather and hallmark views. If you want character, soul and a sense of adventure, know that Florida is a place you’ll relive with friends for years to come. When the icy air of winter brings blue moods, these top 4 courses will help you rediscover warmth and happiness.
4 Best Public Winter Golf Courses to Visit in the Sunshine State
Trump National Doral. Miami, FL.
In June of 2012, Trump purchased the iconic Trump National Doral with the goal of creating the greatest golf resort in the US. Backed by a $250 million investment, the 800-acre resort was completely redesigned with 643 elegant guest rooms.
The getaway is close to a slew of shopping boutiques, the International Mall, and many five star restaurants. Trump International also features four renovated championship golf courses designed by architect Gil Hanse. It’s well known for its famous Blue Monster Course.
Once a year the PGA TOUR entertains a golf tournament here where they have some of the top tour players compete against one another. It’s a prime destination for serious golf professionals and passive enthusiasts.
Innisbrook Resort. Tampa, FL.
Golf where some of the world’s finest professionals love to play. Innisbrook Resort is a popular and celebrated Florida golf resort.
The Copperhead Course is Innisbrook’s signature attraction. Rated by the professionals as one of their favorite courses on tour, it’s considered a true test of golf. Its rolling terrain and pine tree lined fairways are reminiscent of a Carolina layout.
The course’s finishing holes, named the Snake Pit, are among the toughest closing stretches on the PGA Tour. Innisbrook’s three other courses provide plenty of golfing variety. The Island Course can prove just as challenging as the Copperhead because of the accuracy needed off of the tee. The North Course is shorter and more manageable while the South Course is a wide open Links style.
You can find whatever fits your game at any of these Larry Packard designed golf courses.
Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Orlando, FL.
With 27 holes on two championship courses, The Bay Hill Club & Lodge offers a beautiful setting that tests even the most experienced golfer. After your round, enjoy world-class amenities and dining, a fitness center, and an award-winning spa.
The resort hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational every year and features the best players on the PGA Tour. It’s one of a select few invitationals played each year in professional golf, guaranteeing the best the game has to offer.
What you see is what you get on these courses. The design will make you think and strategic bunker placements coupled with water on many of the holes make the course challenging. The layout is fantastic, especially the last three closing holes, and the condition of the greens are superb. You may even see the King himself (Arnold Palmer) since he lives on-site.
No matter where you are, you’ll enjoy every moment at The Bay Hill Club & Lounge – on and off the course.
TPC Sawgrass. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
The first thing you notice when you arrive at TPC Sawgrass is its beauty. It’s situated close to the Atlantic Ocean on 415 acres of swampland located in northeast Florida.
The course is one of the most famous in the world and is the brainchild of Commissioner Deane Beman. TPC is known for its contoured fairways, confounding angles, and a par-3 island green (a signature hole for the entire sport).
Beman was also the first to conceptualize Stadium Golf. Stadium Golf is a golf course constructed with one of its goals being to provide great vantage points for fans. TPC incorporates mounding and hillsides around its greens where spectators can sit and get a great view. The result is an amphitheater effect.
Today, TPC hosts The Players Championship, a tournament which offers the highest prize found in golf ($10 million in 2015). Purchasing a winter escape package at this historic resort means playing on the same grounds as a PGA TOUR professional.
