There is a difference between a golf vacation and a vacation with golf.  The former is focused, the latter is leisurely.  To find something in between, well then you've found something special.

And that was the goal as my wife and I traveled to one of Florida’s top golfing destinations, PGA National Resort & Spa, in Palm Beach Gardens.  Convenient to the New York area, PGA National is just 15 miles (20 minutes) north of the West Palm Beach International airport, easy enough when working with limited time.

Opening in 1981, the resort is situated on over 800 acres, featuring a top-notch hotel with 339 rooms, all recently renovated.  It features large comfortable rooms, a fabulously expansive zero-entry pool complex, a spacious health and racquet club, a spectacular 40,000-square-foot European spa, 19 tennis courts and a handful of croquet lawns.  It is a vast complex dedicated to relaxation and well-being, including an assortment of fine and casual-dining opportunities on the premises.

For golfers, it offers five 18-hole golf courses -- four on the property and one a few miles away.  Spread out over three wonderful driving ranges and a plethora of short-game areas are the teaching academies for acclaimed instructors Dave Pelz and David Ledbetter, if getting better is something you might be interesting in, here's the place.

The courses are essentially private, kept for the approximately 1,500 golf members and their guests, along with those staying at the resort.  We were told that the private play accounts for close to 100,000 rounds a year.

We had flown Jet Blue down to West Palm, rented a car and were at the resort just over three hours after leaving New York.  It was a beautiful, sunny, 80-degree day, and thinking about waiting in New York traffic just to get to a cold October golf course seemed like insanity.

We were checked into a lovely room overlooking the pool complex and lake, and took in the view with delight. Since it was still early afternoon, we  walked around the grounds to acquaint ourselves with the facility, and we decided to spend the rest of the day chilling out at the spectacular pool with some frozen daiquiris.  Feet up, sunshine, a nice cocktail in hand -- what could be better?  That evening we had a wonderful dinner at the Ironwood Restaurant in the hotel and a nightcap at iBar in the hotel’s lobby, smiling the whole way.

Over the next three days we were scheduled to play the Champion course, the Fazio course and the Squire course.  The Palmer course was closed for maintainance, and the Estates course, located off the resort property, couldn't fit into our timeframe.

All of the courses on the property start from the Golf Clubhouse and Pro Shop, which was just a short walk from our room.

The Champion Course is the crown jewel, rich in golf history and carrying that "must-play” title for the avid golfer.  It was the battleground for the 1983 Ryder Cup, one of the closest contests in Ryder Cup history, with the U.S. team just edging out the Europeans, 14 1/2 to 13 1/2.   The course also hosted the 1987 PGA Championship; nearly two decades of the Senior PGA Championships, from 1982-2000; and since 2007, it has been the host site for the PGA’s Honda Classic each spring, one of professional golf’s most popular events.

The wide open 1st hole on The Champion - photo Golf Guides USA

The course was originally designed by Tom and George Fazio back in 1981.  It was completely redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 1990, and modified again by Nicklaus in 2002, when the famous or infamous “Bear Trap” was born.  That would be the grusome three-hole sequence from 15-17, one that has become a watery grave for many great players throughout the years.  Played as a 7,140-yard par-70 in tournaments, The Champion has ranked as the most-difficult non-major course on the PGA Tour three of the past five years. It ranked second overall in 2010 and 2011.

With everything I had heard and read about this course, I was a bit intimidated as I approached the first tee.  I expected an incredibily difficult, unforgiving and challenging tract, and as an 18-handicap, I also expected to loose at least a dozen golf balls with water coming into play on 16 holes.

Turned out that wasn't the case.  The course is not overly penal for the recreational golfer if he or she plays the right tees.  I played from the blue tees (middle) and my wife played from the ladies' forward red tees that allowed us to enjoy a wonderful round of golf on what was a beautiful golf course.  Yes, it was challenging, but not so difficult that we couldn’t play comfortably and enjoy it. 

The 2nd green on The Champion - photo courtesy of PGA Nat'l

The course offers a number of generous fairways with spacious landing areas, and large, undulating, well-bunkered greens.  It actually starts off quite easy, with the opening four holes offering an opportunity to score, and then getting more difficult as you finish the front nine.  The watery par-5 sixth plays as a par-4 for the pros, and was the toughest hole on PGA Tour in 2014, with a stroke average of 4.442.  I took a sloppy 7 and my wife parred the hole, so there!

The back nine also starts off fairly easy, but gets significantly more difficult beginning on the 14th.  Then, the “Bear Trap."  I had lost four balls before getting to the 15th tee, and was ready to lose more. Yet I got to the 18th tee with the same ball, having traversed the 153-yard par-3 15th, the 391-yard par-4 16th, and the 155-yard par-3 17th with two bogies and a par. Amazingly, my wife, a 25-handicapper, hadn't lost a ball all day getting to the Trap, where she succumbed to its difficuilty and donated four balls in three holes.  We finally got to the impressive,  double-dogleg 18th, a truly beautiful, twisting and challenging par-5.   Without a doubt, this is one of the toughest five-hole finishing stretches that you're likely to play anywhere.

That's me at the "Bear Trap"

The Champion course isn’t as scenic or as dramatic as other tournament tracts I’ve played, but it was still beautiful and was in excellent condition.  It does not disappoint in terms of providing a memorable golfing experience , with its effective contouring and cleverly placed forced carries.  No question, you must think your way around most of the holes.  The course is difficult, but not tortuous.  With some easier holes thrown in the mix with some brutal holes, it is enjoyable and a complete test of one's game.

The 15th & the start of the "Bear Trap" - photo Golf Guides USA

If there was a drawback, it was the cart-path only rule.  Apparently, that is the constant here, so if it's feasible to walk and take a caddie, that would be highly recommended.  

After our round, we stopped in at Bar 91, located next to the Pro Shop, for a thoroughly enjoyable lunch.  (I wish I had shot 91!)  It was then back to our room, a quick change into our bathing suits, and another afternoon relaxing at the pool.



This resort, situated on PGA Boulevard, is just minutes away from more than 50 notable restaurants.  We decided that night to eat at the esteemed Capital Grille, convienently a few miles away, and had a delicious steak dinner.

The next morning we played The Fazio course.  It was the original 18-hole course on the property built in 1980, and was previously called "The Haig," as George and Tom Fazio designed in tribute to five-time PGA Championship winner Walter Hagen.  It was supposed to go in conjuction with "The Squire," in honor of Gene Sarazen, yet the Fazio family, three generations of them, have done such a complete renovation of “The Haig” -- and have apparently garnered enough name recognition themselves -- that the name has changed.  Tom Fazio II is in the midst of newest renovation efforts to "modernize the noted shot-maker’s layout." 

The dogleg 15th on The Fazio - photo courtesy of PGA Nat'l

We were told that the renovation improved the classic golf architecture with modern advances, including: significantly larger greens, reconfigured tee boxes and bunkers and the addition of player-friendly tees allowing the course to be played at 5,100 yards in accordance with the popular “Tee it Forward” initiative sponsored by the PGA and USGA.

The Fazio begins with an intriguing dogleg-left par-5 that can be a bit nerve-wracking for the day’s opening tee shot. Leave the drive too far right and you’re either out-of-bounds or facing a tight second shot. Favor the left side and water enters play on the drive and the next shot. Water also runs down the right side after the hole turns the corner. You must be precise on the first two shots or you will be sacrificing early strokes.

The 17th green on The Fazio - photo courtesy of PGA Nat'l

The front nine offers many doglegs, most featuring deep fairway bunkers at the corners and around the greens.  Once you make the turn, the holes are more straightforward and tree-lined. While water is on 15 of the 18 holes, it winds around the perimeter of the course and for the most part can be avoided, except for the very wayward shot.


Fazio II believes his renovation “achieves that ideal balance where single-digit golfers will be fully challenged while higher handicapers will have a layout ideal for a day of enjoyable resort golf."  That’s exactly what my wife and I found.  We both had a enjoyable round on what is a very nice, well-conditioned resort course.

The clock tower at the beach end of Worth Ave.

After our round, we headed to the world-famous Worth Avenue in Palm Beach (about 15 miles away) for lunch, some browsing, and a little bit of shopping.  Worth Avenue is one of Americas finest -- if not the finest -- upscale shopping street.  It stretches four blocks, form Lake Worth to the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s a beautiful place. Its’ natural décor, architecture and landscaping are superb.


Being an outside mall, the trees, plants and flowers are impeccably manicured. Even having been here numerous times, its easy to be taken back by the many fabulous shops and restaurants that line the street and are tucked into its many alcoves and courtyards.  It is the epitome of service and quality, and a destination that doesn't disappoint.

The so many unique shops lining Worth Ave.

That evening we met some friends up at Jonathan’s Landing, a beautiful residential and golfing comunity in Jupiter, just a few miles north of the PGA resort. We had a wonderful dinner at the Jonathan’s Landing clubhouse, and our friends said they often head down to PGA National to use the spa -- what they considered "far and away, the best in the area."

The next morning it was off to The Squire – the shortest of the five courses at PGA National, named after the immortal Gene Sarazen, the first golfer ever to win the professional career Grand Slam.

The dogleg 13th on The Squire - photo courtesy of PGA Nat'l

George and Tom Fazio designed this course, as well, opening in 1981 with the goal to be the ultimate test of accuracy and precision, and in turn has been dubbed, “the thinking man’s course.”  With water on 17 holes, and many doglegs, it looked and played very much like the Fazio course the day before.  And just like the Fazio course, it was a in excellent shape and made for a thoroughly enjoyable round of golf for both me and my wife.

After the round we decided to have lunch at The Wave restaurant, at the pool complex, where we spent the rest of the day so easily relaxing.

The heated mineral pools at the Spa & Salon

The next morning, before leaving for the airport, we took a tour of the Spa facility.  I must say that it was quite something, especially the heated mineral pools from the Dead Sea in Israel & the French Pyrenees Mountains.  After taking this tour we understood full well why our friends in Jupiter use it as often as they do.  We’re sorry that we didn’t take advantage of it this time, and we plan on doing so when we come back.




Bottom line, we had a very enjoyable and relaxing time. We got to play The Champion, a course we were longing to see -- and one we actually both played pretty well.  The other two resort courses only added to our golfing experience, which is not all that there is at PGA National. 

The location of the resort is terrific, there is so much to see and do in the neighboring areas.  The ammenities are wonderful, the staff was all excellent -- and there happened to be some really good golf.  What more can you ask for?