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!