Florida's Hidden Gem Courses

T&L Golf, Nov '05

Florida's Hidden Gems
Ten Unsung Courses Worth Seeking Out
FROM T&L GOLF NOV 2005

Among a certain species of migratory golfer, the map of Florida is divided up not so much by major city as by legendary golf resort. In the northeast corner of the state, near Jacksonville, there's Sawgrass; in the hub of Orlando lies Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill; and down in Miami stands Doral. But along the byways in between, hundreds of lesser-known courses beckon with charms of their own. From the Panhandle to Palm Beach, here's a rundown of some of the best.

 Abacoa Golf Club, Jupiter
Just fifteen miles north of West Palm Beach, not far from the sacred ground of Seminole, this Joe Lee design features some notable elevation changes (by Florida standards, at least), shifting winds and terrific greens.
Yardage: 7,200. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $55–$95. Tee Times: 561-622-0036, www.abacoagolfclub.com.

The Club at Hidden Creek, Navarre
A tree-lined layout of gently rolling terrain twenty minutes east of Pensacola, Hidden Creek is challenging enough to serve as a U.S. Open qualifying site. It was designed by the prolific Florida architect Ron Garl.
Yardage: 6,844. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $29–$39. Tee Times: 850-939-4604, www.hiddengolf.com.

Crandon Park Golf Course, Key Biscayne
Until the tournament sponsor pulled out this year, this Robert Von Hagge/Bruce Devlin design had hosted a Champions Tour event for years. Known for its steep greens and swirling winds, Crandon Park opened in 1972 and remains the only course on Key Biscayne, the barrier island off the coast of Miami. The course is owned and operated by Dade County.
Yardage: 6,842. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $59–$149. Tee Times: 305-361-9120, www.miamidade.gov/parks/golf.asp.

Dunes Golfers Club, Brooksville
This is a tucked-away Arthur Hills course an hour north of Tampa, near Tom Fazio's renowned World Woods complex. During the Second World War, the site was used as an Air Force target range. When Hills arrived, he found the property pockmarked with sandy craters, many of which evolved into bunkers on the golf course.
Yardage: 7,140. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $40–$45. Tee Times: 352-596-7888, www.dunesgolfclub.com.

El Diablo Golf and Country Club, Citrus Springs
Woven through the lovely and isolated hardwood forests ninety miles northwest of Orlando, El Diablo resembles the Garden of Eden far more than it does any underworld. The only thing diabolical about this graceful Jim Fazio course, opened in 1998, is the pot bunker on the par-three fifteenth, Florida's version of Pine Valley's "Devil's You-Know-What." Yardage: 7,145. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $33–$43. Tee Times: 888-886-1309, www.eldiablogolf.com.

Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Fernandina Beach
Located on Amelia Island, forty minutes north of Jacksonville, this municipal course is a fine example of mid-twentieth-century minimalism: simple tee boxes, small greens and deep bunkers set in an enchanted maritime forest. Two former club pros designed the three nines here between 1956 and 1972. The layout is, by turns, quirky, monstrous and strategic.
Yardage: 3,940 (North); 3,683 (West); 3,318 (South). Par: 35 (North); 37 (West); 36 (South). Greens Fees: $39–$45. Tee Times: 800-646-5997.

Golf Club at Fleming Island Plantation, Orange Park
Shortly after this Bobby Weed design outside Jacksonville opened in 2000, it was deservedly hailed as one of Florida's best new public courses. After a relatively open front nine, the course turns into the woods, weaving through thickets of palmetto and myrtle and stands of pine and live oak.
Yardage: 6,801. Par: 71. Greens Fees: $30–$56. Tee Times: 904-269-1440, www.flemingislandgolf.com.

Jacaranda Golf Club (east), Plantation
A twenty-minute drive from the beaches of Fort Lauderdale, this venerable thirty-six-hole complex recently hired Bobby Weed to refurbish the East course, the tougher of its two eighteens. Weed regrassed the tees and fairways, replacing an uneven bermuda mix with tighter-knit and drought-resistant paspalum. He also redid the bunkering to make it more strategic. The course reopens Thanksgiving Day.
Yardage: 7,195. Par: 71. Greens Fees: $39–$119. Tee Times: 954-472-5836, www.golfjacaranda.com.

Rock Springs Ridge Golf Club, Apopka
The twenty-seven holes here, designed by the team of Clifton, Ezell & Clifton, rollick along the border of Orlando's sleepy northwestern "outback." The most adventurous of the nines is the North, roaming the property's deserted oak barrens, followed by the West, which traverses similar terrain.
Yardage: 3,618 (North); 3,517 (South); 3,565 (West). Par: 36 (North, South and West). Greens Fees: $26–$60. Tee Times: 866-285-4653, www.rockspringsridge.net.

Victoria Hills Golf Club, DeLand
Ron Garl routed the holes here through stands of towering oaks and Augusta pines, with waste and pot bunkers thrown in for good measure. A half hour north of Orlando, the course serves as home to the Stetson University golf teams.Yardage: 6,989. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $49–$85. Tee Times: 386-738-6000, www.stjoegolf.com.