RESORT FEATURE

The best golf resorts Florida has to offer

By Derek Duncan,
Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Jan. 4, 2003) -- We all know the feeling of traveling in an area rich with golf but with only enough time to play a few rounds. Deciding which courses to play, knowing that terrific layouts will be left behind, can be agonizing.

Especially difficult is negotiating a state like Florida where the decision is not only what courses to play in a given area but what area to visit. Golf resorts, where the play is packaged and convenient, are a popular option in Florida, not to mention big business, but the size of many of them has become prohibitive. With activities galore and far flung courses and reachable only by tram, the golf getaway begins to feel like a carnival.

With the labyrinthine mega-resort in mind we take this opportunity to rank what we consider the best pure golf resorts in Florida, or in other words, those that are tailored to the golfer and the golf course first. The resorts are ranked foremost in accordance to how solid and varied their golf courses are (there must be a minimum of 36 holes), in addition to how central and important they are to the entire resort. Room accommodations are factored in last and no consideration was given to swimming, dining, or other non-golf activities.

The Best Golf Resorts

Ritz-Carlton Resort Naples--For the complete golf experience the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples is difficult to beat. The resort centerpiece is the lovely new Ritz-Carlton hotel that opened in early 2002 and snuggles right up to the two sleek 18-hole tracks of Tiburon Golf Club (designed in 1998 and 2002 by Greg Norman Golf Course Design) and the Rick Smith Academy. Other resorts might offer more dynamic and varied golf (Tiburon's Black and Gold courses are similar in appearance and playability), but the Ritz pulls in the highest possible marks for both accommodations and convenience/exclusivity with the clubhouse literally across the lawn from the hotel and almost no homes on either course. This is pure golf in the most stylish of surrounds (239-593-2000 or 800-241-3333).

Westin Innisbrook Resort--After 30+ years in the business this serene Florida resort nestled in the broad pine covered hills north of Tampa remains passionate about golf. Interestingly, Innisbrook possesses neither the best accommodations nor particularly outstanding golf courses - it has five likable, wonderfully maintained courses, including the famous Copperhead Course, but none are of the truly inspiring variety. Yet across the board Innisbrook defines consistency and an unfaltering commitment to golf, and a refreshing sense of simplicity in spite of its size (727-942-2000).

PGA Village--Located in Port St. Lucie, PGA Village is the essence of the vast golf resort reduced down to the bare essentials. Here you'll find the accommodations - time-share condos - unpretentious, but just outside the door it's like golf camp with a super-techno teaching academy and 54 holes of flashy, expressionistic golf designed by Tom Fazio (36 holes) and Pete Dye (18) (800-800-4653).

Marriott Sawgrass Resort--Is there a more entertaining resort course in the United States than the Stadium Course at Sawgrass? The common thinking about resort courses is that they should be congenial to the widest range of player but golfers travel from everywhere to take their lumps at Pete Dye's revolutionary golf track. It's like an amusement park of fascinating golf features and there are few greater thrills than trying to navigate safe passage through its variety of apparatus. It's neighbor the Valley Course, also a highly engineered piece of theater, is no pushover either. Only the rather standard Marriott accommodations and short van ride to the TPC clubhouse holds back this resort (800-457-4653 or 904-285-7777).

The Next Best

Amelia Island Plantation-- The most beautiful resort in Florida is Amelia Island Plantation. Shrouded in forests of twisted scrub oak and pine, bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway to the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, 16 of its 54 holes touch some expanse of natural water. The Pete Dye, Bobby Weed, and Tom Fazio courses are as delightful as they are scenic, but the necessity of a shuttle to get to them and a golf cart to play them is a drawback (800-874-6878).

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort--With 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus golf, including the wonderful New Course, a 1988 Florida rendition of St. Andrews, Grand Cypress is at once one of the most posh and interesting golf resorts in the state. It loses points for convenience since the courses are nearly a mile from the hotel (unless you stay in the Villas that border the courses), but overall the accommodations are outstanding and there's definitely a hearty golf "vibe" here (407-239-1234 or 800-835-7377).

• More resort features • Florida course reviews • Orlando golf courses • Orlando golf guide • P.B. Dye architect profile

World Golf Village--Since it opened in 1998 World Golf Village has been trying to crack the state's top rank of resorts. The intensity of the golf atmosphere can't be beat - it's home of the World Golf Hall of Fame, the largest retail golf outlet in the country, and a plethora of other golf-related activities. It's overall score is buoyed by the convenient The Slammer & The Squire course, a svelte Bobby Weed layout that snakes around the lowlands surrounding the Hall of Fame, but The King & The Bear, a modern and wonderfully photogenic Nicklaus/Palmer collaboration, is approximately a two mile drive down the road (904 940-6100).

Sandestin Resort-- Straddling a strip of land between the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, with 81 holes of golf and small city of other amenities, is by far the largest resort in Northwest Florida. Tom Jackson, Rees Jones, and Robert Trent Jones, Jr. have all built gorgeous golf holes that incorporate various looks at the bay on the north side of the resort. Sandestin would rank higher if not for the its overall cacophony of activities and significant distance between the otherwise thrilling golf courses (800-277-0800 or 850-267-8150).

The Best of the Rest

Ponte Vedra Inn--When the Lagoon Course is remodeled on par with the recently refurbished Ocean Course this sleepy little jewel just north of Sawgrass may vault into the first tier; the tradition and convenience of the golf cannot be beat (904-285-1111 or 800-234-7842).

Doral Golf Resort and Spa--For golf options Doral ranks among the best; for variety of golf it doesn't. A true "Florida" resort but one that seems slightly outdated compared to the new breed of resort (305-592-2000).

Walt Disney World Resort--The 99-holes of golf is great, with Tom Fazio's Osprey Ridge and Pete Dye's Eagle Pines ranking among the finer resort courses in Florida, but the dizzying atmosphere, stifling thrust of tourism, and relative scale (some would say inconvenience) of it all makes Disney World an adventure not everyone will find "pure." It is, however, a great place to play when the kids come along (407-939-4653).

Palm Coast Resort--A nice little retreat between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, with access to five golf courses designed by Nicklaus, Palmer (2), Gary Player, and Bill Amick. However they're all in different parts of town and were it not for the singular strength of Nicklaus' spectacular Ocean Hammock, Palm Coast Resort would not rate quite this high (904-445-3000 or 800-654-6538).

Honorable Mention
The Breakers in Palm Beach
Mission Inn in Howey-in-the-Hills northwest of Orlando