Florida Golf - Seaside Swinging!

From an Article by Nathan Huff

Ocean Hammock Golf Course

Golfers have always endured a complicated relationship with water. Sure, it’s the essence of life. Agreed, it’s the very basis of existence. But since the early days of the game, played along the windswept Scottish shoreline, this liquid master has boasted a special psychological power over us.

Raised from strands of prehistoric swampland, it’s no surprise that Florida courses are awash with the wet stuff. But the Sunshine State’s unique peninsular location provides a watery bonus (or curse, some would say): Dozens of holes within clear view of the shores, bays and inlets of the greatest water hazards in the east – the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Armed with a cache of moderately priced balls and an ailing but eager swing, I set my course for these sirens of the seas.

Atlantic Breezes
The stately Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island rises above the dunes, looking out over the infinity of the Atlantic in one direction and toward The Golf Club of Amelia Island in the other. Officially part of the neighboring Summer Beach development, the Ritz has partnered with The Golf Club to offer guests full access to the immaculate par 72 layout.

The always-accommodating folks at the Ritz arranged a lesson for me with head pro Keith Gibson, which I put into practice on the Mark McCumber and Gene Littler-designed course.

Stretching a relatively tame 6,692 yards, the towering pines and oaks on the front nine and dastardly creeping marshes prevalent on the back secure a well-earned 72.9 rating.

Hole 15 is a 490-yard par 5 playing into stiff ocean breezes. Clear two marshes to reach the well-groomed green, and you’re greeted with a beautiful view of the shimmering Atlantic, visible from several other holes.

My mind and body in the utmost state of preparedness after Ritz-style pampering, I headed south to Palm Coast and Florida’s newest oceanfront course. Jack Nicklaus’ Ocean Hammock Golf Club reaches 7,201 yards from the tips and carries a beastly 77 rating. I elected to protect my delicate ego by teeing up from the Blues, still impressive at a 73.2 rating.

With children playing on boogie boards in the surf behind the elevated first tee, I put my recent lesson to the test, driving the ball down into the valley. Distracted by the sweeping elevation changes and gusting sea breezes, I played the first few holes scared. Water seemed to pop up out of nowhere, stealing balls off the fairway and testing my commitment to swing change.

But as the round bore on and I navigated the soft, pine tree- and marsh-lined doglegs, everything began to click. On the tenth I challenged the water, hitting my second shot on the 495-yard par 5 over the great expanse of H2O and onto the green for a thrilling two-putt birdie.

Standing a sandwedge from the waves on the green of the signature 18th, I looked back at the tee box some 415 yards away (466 from the ungodly championship tees) and tasted a glimpse of golf nirvana. A spectacular course, equally spectacular oceanfront setting and, dare I say, half-way decent golf game – who could ask for more?

If you go: The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, 800-241-3333, www.ritz-carlton.com. The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach Resort, 904-277-0905, www.summerbeach.com. Area Information: Amelia Island Tourist Development Council, 800-2-AMELIA, www.ameliaisland.org. Florida’s First Coast of Golf, 888-859-8334, www.florida-golf.org. The Club at Hammock Beach, Palm Coast, 888-246-5500, www.theclubathammockbeach.com. Ocean Hammock Golf Club, Palm Coast, 888-965-4653, www.oceanhammock.com. Area information: Flagler County Tourist Development Council, 800-881-1022, www.visitflagler.org.

Golf on the Gulf
Resort golf courses are often maligned by golf aficionados for their overly wide fairways, generous greens and meaningless hazards. But hey, aren’t vacations supposed to be fun?

Located off Sarasota, Longboat Key Club’s 45 holes offer just the right combination of waterfront excitement and serenity. The 27-hole Harbourside Course meanders along Sarasota Bay, offering skyline views.

The oaks, sabal palms and palmettos lining the fairways

Golf course at Amelia Island Plantation
Photo courtesy of Florida’s First Coast of Golf

of the three Harbourside nines evoke a tropical garden, while designer William Byrd’s liberal use of sand and water hazards keeps golfers honest. Each of the three tracks stretch more than 3,300 yards, which can feel longer when the Gulf breeze kicks up.

With the Harbourside Course “resting” during the off-season months, I teed it up at the Islandside Course. Ironically, while the Harbourside boasts more saltwater views, Islandside’s par 72-layout offers infinitely more ways to drown. All 18 holes of the 6,792-yard course are surrounded by lakes and waterways, many of which I decided to experience. Raised greens and blind approaches add intrigue to the Old Florida-style layout, offering a traditional resort course experience with a challenging twist, culminating with the par 5 18th, a classic do-or-die shot over water to an elevated green.

A few hours south on Captiva, another resort course offers up its own mix of Gulf-front mystery and pleasure. Redfish Point at South Seas Resort is a quirky nine-hole layout offering postcard views of both the Gulf and bay. Relatively short, the course relies on cleverly placed hazards and distracting beachscapes to trip up golfers who mistake the 2,891-yard layout for a cupcake.

With the waves lapping at the shore mere feet from the fairway, the 543-yard par 5 is undoubtedly the most challenging – and arguably most scenic – hole at Redfish Point. Even those able to keep their ball out of the Gulf or greenside ponds face a tough par on the postage stamp of a green.

If you go: The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Sarasota, 800-237-8821, www.longboatkeyclub.com. Area information: Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, 800-522-9799, www.sarasotafl.org. Redfish Point at South Seas Resort, Captiva Island, 800-522-5552 ext. 3327, www.south-seas-resort.com. Area information: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, 800-237-6444, www.fortmyers-sanibel.com.

Braving Northern Waters
It comes as no surprise that rearranging a few letters of designer Bruce Devlin’s name is all it takes to find the inspiration behind Bay Point’s Lagoon Legend course. Together with fellow Dante-phile Robert Van Hagge, Devlin created a monstrous par 72 layout in Panama City Beach which unabashedly commands a 75.3 rating and 152 USGA Slope Rating.

Bay Point Golf Club’s two 18-hole courses offer a yin and “youch” approach to resort golf. While the Club Meadows course stokes the golfer’s fragile confidence with welcoming fairways and lush landing areas, the Lagoon Legend course focuses on humbling.

Set amidst the marshes, lakes and lagoons creeping off St. Andrews Bay, the course doesn’t force players to drive razor-thin fairways or putt across miniature golf-like undulations. And at 6,921 yards from the tips, “The Dragon,” as it’s referred to, doesn’t require John Daly distance off the tee.

The par 4 13th stretches a mere 300 yards, but fail to find the small landing area 175-195 yards out and you’re likely to duplicate my shot – a doomed wedge off a downhill lie toward an island green.

The par 4 finishing hole of The Dragon forces players to carry water twice, with any approach long or to the right certain to find the waters of Grand Lagoon. A surprisingly satisfying bogey, followed by a stiff, even more satisfying drink, was the only fitting way to end the round.

Just an hour west from Panama City is Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, featuring four top-notch tracks, several boasting picture-perfect Gulf and bay views. Rees Jones’ Burnt Pine Golf Club is carved out of the natural pine forests and woodlands, offering 7,000 yards of meticulously maintained fairways and stunning views of the ball-hungry Choctawhatchee Bay.

Architect Tom Jackson can lay claim to two of Sandestin’s famed waterfront courses. The Links Course boasts its own views of Choctawhatchee Bay and is noted for its preponderance of risk/reward holes, however most people believe Jackson’s best work can be found at the resort’s Baytowne Golf Club. Wide, reasonably forgiving fairways are countered by greens demanding strategic placement to score, creating an ideal mix for novice and scratch golfers alike.

Throw in a healthy helping of bunkers, plenty of tree-lined fairways and some shockingly dramatic elevation changes and you get the best of all worlds – a challenging, rewarding round of golf framed by sugar-white sands and emerald waters.

If you go: Bay Point Resort Hotel and Bay Point Golf Club, Panama City Beach, 800-239-5465, www.baypointgolf.com. Area information: Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, 800-PCBEACH, www.thebeachloversbeach.com. Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, 800-277-0800, www.sandestin.com. Area Information: Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau/Destin-Fort Walton-Okaloosa Island, 800-322-3319, www.destin-fwb.com

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