Mark Calcavecchia's Palm Beach FL Golf Weekend  (Calc's hometown)

Palm Beach, FL

My Town: Mark Calcavecchia
The veteran PGA Tour pro moved to Palm Beach as a teen and isn't about to leave anytime soon

By Tim Rosaforte
Photo by Donald Miralle
February 1, 2010

Two-time champion Mark Calcavecchia recently cruised by his old neighborhood in North Palm Beach, Fla. His house on the corner of Federal Highway is gone, but the memories remain. "It was kitty corner to the old 14th green at North Palm Beach CC," Calcavecchia said from his new home in Tequesta.

"Actually, that's where I honed my incredible short game, after dinner in the summer."

Calc's self-deprecation is famous. So are his Palm Beach County roots. His father made the move from Nebraska in 1973, and while Calcavecchia still owns a home in Phoenix, the compound he just built on the Loxahatchee River, with its own two-lane bowling alley, is where the former Palm Beach County Amateur (and British Open) champion plans to retire.

"Undoubtedly the greatest place on earth is right here," Calcavecchia said. "I'm going toes up here. And my wife loves it here more than I do." Brenda is also an accomplished golfer who caddied for Calc in last year's British Open. Between them, they have plenty of local knowledge on where to play, eat and have a good time.

COURSES
There are so many good courses in the area, it's tough to single out a few. My favorites are the Bears Club and the Ritz-Carlton GC. Dye Preserve and Medalist are fun. Even Breakers West ... I enjoy going out there with [former PGA Tour pro] Ken Green and playing. If you can't get on any of those, I'd suggest PGA National. All those courses there are good, but the Champion, where they now host the Honda, is a great course.

DINING
For a good meal, my favorite places are Evo Italian in Tequesta and Cafe Chardonnay on PGA Boulevard. Brenda and I usually just sit at the bar and eat, and they keep pouring us red wine. That usually works pretty good. The Brass Ring Pub in North Palm Beach has the best cheeseburgers. Best sports bar is The Yardhouse. Plus they play classic rock.

MUSIC
There are big arenas in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, but we've seen quite a few shows at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. We saw Rush, my favorite band, a few years ago and Cheap Trick, Poison and Def Leppard not too long ago. That's a fun place to go, mainly in the summer when bands are touring.

RAINY-DAY DIVERSIONS:
I often tell people to go bowling at the Jupiter Lanes, but another fun thing to do is go on the Palm Beach Princess. Catch the afternoon cruise and do a little gambling. The Gardens Mall also comes to mind. I played Seminole the other day and that's where Brenda went. She usually does pretty well in there. For me, I just walk in the place and my back starts hurting.

PLACES TO STAY:
The best place to stay would be my guesthouse, but you've got to know the proprietor pretty well to get in there. If money is not an issue, you can't go wrong at The Breakers. It's fantastic. Another place to think about, again, is PGA National. Being a big resort, it's a fun spot for everything it has to offer.

ALSO WORTH A LOOK:
You could drive into Palm Beach for a sightseeing tour or to Juno Beach, a real honest-to-goodness beach. Lion Country Safari is always a blast. I went not that long ago, and it was pretty neat.

MARK CALCAVECCIA

Golf résumé: Turned pro in 1981; has played at least 15 events on the PGA Tour every year since 1982; has won 13 times, earning $23.8 million.

Seeing red: Set tour record for consecutive birdies at RBC Canadian Open last July when he made nine straight.

Next stop: Celebrating his 50th birthday in June, he plans to also compete on the Champions Tour in 2010.

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Where To Booze & Grub:  Per T&L Golf, mid-scalers should head for Havana (6801 S. Dixie Hwy, E. Palm Beach, $$) for one of the best local Cuban menus, authentic and extensive. For waterside dining and drinks, hit Mangrove Mattie's on Fort Pierce Inlet or Old Key Lime House (www.oldkeylimehouse.com, Lantana) . Sailfish Marina Waterfront Restaurant & Bar (98 Lake Dr, Palm Beach Shores, $$$) an archetype FL establishment and a great place to take the kids. 

Per T&L Golf, corporate Amex users and lottery-winners heading back towards West Palm can hit Spoto's Oyster Bar (125 Datura St, W. Palm Beach, $$$), one of the country's best for seafood; Cafe' L'Europe (331 S. County Rd, Palm Beach, $$$$) for elegant dining; New York Prime (2350 Executive Ctr Dr, Boca Raton, $$$$) for steak with a cigar-friendly piano bar; L'Escalier (1 S. County Rd @ The Breakers, $$$$) for high sophistication; Echo (230A Sunrise Ave, Palm Beach, $$$) for an Asian melting-pot; Sopra (110 E. Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, $$$$) is the local buzz spot; 32 East (32 E. Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, $$$) to shake up the pallate; The Restaurant @ 4 Seasons (2800 S. Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, $$$) for a blend of Deep South, Carribean, and South and Central American influences.

Jimmy Buffet rates the cheeseburgers at HERBERT'S MARKET as among the 10 best on the planet. "I used to spend a lot of time in Palm Beach visiting friends and was turned on to this burger, made in the meat section of the store. It's that warm butter-toasted bun and fresh ground meat that I took note of when I started to build my burger."