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Has anyone played at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Florida?


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Hi Everyone,

I'm visiting the resort in late August (yes, I'll fry) and I was wondering if any of you guys have either played the courses or visited the resort?

From the looks of things, the price of play is very reasonable but I get the impression it may be past its prime...

Thanks in advance,

Peter.

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Well if you think that hosting a Ryder Cup, a PGA Championship, several Senior PGA Championships, and the non-major Honda Classic make a course past it's prime then I guess you will be disappointed. This is a great facility, but you are right about August, it will be brutal. Besides the Champion course they have some other good tests of golf at a good price being in what is referred to as the "Dog Days" of summer.

Cobra LTDx 10.5* | Big Tour 15.5*| Rad Tour 18.5*  | Titleist U500 4-23* | T100 5-P | Vokey SM7 50/8* F, 54/10* S, SM8 58/10* S | Scotty Cameron Squareback No. 1 | Vice Pro Plus  

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I lived in Palm Beach Gardens from 1982 to 1995 & have played all of them often. They're all great courses. Of course, the 'flagship'' course is the Champion where the Honda Classic is played & has hosted the 1987 PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship & 1983 Ryder Cup. Jack redesigned it & created The Bear Trap at 15, 16 & 17. Definitely has the pedigree.

And the three other courses on site - The Haig, Squire & General are all great tracks. Palmer designed The General. Excellent condition, each a different style. There's also The Estate course off-site which is pretty good too.

The resort is definitely not past its prime. Still top-notch. And yeah, August is ballz hot, but they got a great pool & spa on site, and the Atlantic Ocean is about a 10-15 minute drive away. Just get an early-morning tee time & be off the course by noon. It rains every afternoon in late August, like clockwork, about 3-4pm. After it moves through you can squeeze in an evening 18. The rain will cool it down from mid 90 to upper 80s.

Lots of great restaurants & bars in the area too. Alternate A1A & PGA Boulevard has an uber downtown now with a bunch of shops, etc. Five minutes away.

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We've got a place right off the 18th hole of the Squire course.  I don't get down there very often, but it's top notch.  They've really put a lot of money into the resort and the courses in the last decade and it's way better than it used to be.  The Champ course used to play really soft.  They bulldozed the entire course up and changed up some of the holes a little bit.  You get tons of roll on it now and it's very enjoyable.  They re-did the resort pool and the a lot of the resort facilities.  So I'd say it was past it's prime about 10 years ago, but now it's as good as ever.  Hell they managed to get the Honda over there and Tiger Woods showed up to play.  I like that all the courses have a different feel to them.  I would totally recommend going down there for a trip.  If you are taking the wife there's lots of non-golf stuff to do there too.  MacArthur Beach is close by.  Excellent shopping.  Nice spa at the resort.  There is even a minor league baseball team that plays right down the road in Jupiter.  We go over to the town center for dinner and then walk into the game for free after the 3rd inning.

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Driver:  Callaway Diablo Octane 9.5*
3W:  Callaway GBB II 12.5*, 5W:  Callaway Diablo 18* Neutral
3H:  Callaway Razr X, 4H:  Callaway Razr X
5-PW:  Callaway X Tour
GW:  Callaway X Tour 54*, SW:  Callaway X Tour 58*
Putter:  Callaway ITrax, Scotty Cameron Studio Design 2, Ping Anser 4

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Originally Posted by HitTheStick

Heading here in two weeks to play the Palmer...I'll let you know how it goes:)

Fun course.  Pretty narrow.  We used to call it the General.

Driver:  Callaway Diablo Octane 9.5*
3W:  Callaway GBB II 12.5*, 5W:  Callaway Diablo 18* Neutral
3H:  Callaway Razr X, 4H:  Callaway Razr X
5-PW:  Callaway X Tour
GW:  Callaway X Tour 54*, SW:  Callaway X Tour 58*
Putter:  Callaway ITrax, Scotty Cameron Studio Design 2, Ping Anser 4

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the replies guys, they're very helpful. I'm really looking forward to it now!

I should mention that I thought it might be past it's prime because the resort hasn't hosted a Major tournament since the late 90's (and the rooms look a bit dated.)

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Loved it a few yrs ago. The Nicklaus course is not past it's prime. Quality round of golf. You will probably take caddies. Play a couple/few rounds. Mx up the tees. You can score from the whites, but the blues are fun too. The other courses are a bit less intense, but still a lot of fun. You can make birdies from the white tees on them.

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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I did a golf trip there back in 2004.  Had a good time with some old friends.  From what I remember (I threw up in one of the bathrooms due too much booze)... The courses were solid.  But I wouldn't rank them in my personal top 10.  I do however, recall that several of the holes had palmettos lined along the sides - and if you hit into them... Kiss it good bye.  So do your best to keep it in the fairway.

.

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Originally Posted by MrSandman

Loved it a few yrs ago. The Nicklaus course is not past it's prime. Quality round of golf. You will probably take caddies. Play a couple/few rounds. Mx up the tees. You can score from the whites, but the blues are fun too.

The other courses are a bit less intense, but still a lot of fun. You can make birdies from the white tees on them.

When I played there... They did not have caddies.

.

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Originally Posted by Peter86

Thanks for the replies guys, they're very helpful. I'm really looking forward to it now!

I should mention that I thought it might be past it's prime because the resort hasn't hosted a Major tournament since the late 90's (and the rooms look a bit dated.)

The rooms are definitely dated.  Nothing to get excited about.  The courses were solid test of golf.

.

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Originally Posted by Beachcomber

The rooms are definitely dated.  Nothing to get excited about.  The courses were solid test of golf.

How long has it been since you've been there?  They just did a huge renovation on the resort.

Driver:  Callaway Diablo Octane 9.5*
3W:  Callaway GBB II 12.5*, 5W:  Callaway Diablo 18* Neutral
3H:  Callaway Razr X, 4H:  Callaway Razr X
5-PW:  Callaway X Tour
GW:  Callaway X Tour 54*, SW:  Callaway X Tour 58*
Putter:  Callaway ITrax, Scotty Cameron Studio Design 2, Ping Anser 4

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they were renovating it when I stayed there, I believe January 2008.  The rooms were nothing special, but as a golf facility it was nice experience.

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

How long has it been since you've been there?  They just did a huge renovation on the resort.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, it was 2004 (maybe 2005?).  So it very well could be different.  When we stayed there - it was honestly what I would consider to be a 2.5 to 3 star hotel.  And that would be pushing the star rating to earn a 3.  It was pretty blah from the room stance.  But heck, we didn't care.  We were all right out of college looking for a cheap golf vacation.  And we found it.  And played a ton of golf and we were barely in our rooms.

.

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Originally Posted by Beachcomber

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, it was 2004 (maybe 2005?).  So it very well could be different.  When we stayed there - it was honestly what I would consider to be a 2.5 to 3 star hotel.  And that would be pushing the star rating to earn a 3.  It was pretty blah from the room stance.  But heck, we didn't care.  We were all right out of college looking for a cheap golf vacation.  And we found it.  And played a ton of golf and we were barely in our rooms.

It's way different now.  You would barely recognize the place, at least on the inside.  The Champ course has always been in top notch condition (at least since the reno in the early 2000's) but they've made the other courses nicer now too.  Rooms, lobby, pool area all completely re-done.  Even the members gym across the parking lot from the clubhouse has been overhauled.

Driver:  Callaway Diablo Octane 9.5*
3W:  Callaway GBB II 12.5*, 5W:  Callaway Diablo 18* Neutral
3H:  Callaway Razr X, 4H:  Callaway Razr X
5-PW:  Callaway X Tour
GW:  Callaway X Tour 54*, SW:  Callaway X Tour 58*
Putter:  Callaway ITrax, Scotty Cameron Studio Design 2, Ping Anser 4

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My avatar, coincidentally, was when I met Jack at PGA National in 2006. He & Barb was there for a Boy Scouts fundraiser. At that time there was a lot of construction going on - I recall walking down corridors of drywalled walls to get to the banquet room. It was pretty obvious they were plowing a bunch of money into the place. It first opened in the late 70s/early 80s & was likely due for a renovation.

But as mentioned, the courses are great. To me it's like going to Vegas - the only time I see my hotel room is to catch some sleep, so I don't need anything luxurious.

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Originally Posted by zipazoid

My avatar, coincidentally, was when I met Jack at PGA National in 2006. He & Barb was there for a Boy Scouts fundraiser. At that time there was a lot of construction going on - I recall walking down corridors of drywalled walls to get to the banquet room. It was pretty obvious they were plowing a bunch of money into the place. It first opened in the late 70s/early 80s & was likely due for a renovation.

But as mentioned, the courses are great. To me it's like going to Vegas - the only time I see my hotel room is to catch some sleep, so I don't need anything luxurious.

The place is always crawling with famous people.  Played the Champ course one day, and a guy they paired me with looked familiar.  I told him so, and he said his name was Jack Wagner.  Looked him up when I got home, he's been on tv for years.  We've run into Gary Player in the gym a couple times there too.

Driver:  Callaway Diablo Octane 9.5*
3W:  Callaway GBB II 12.5*, 5W:  Callaway Diablo 18* Neutral
3H:  Callaway Razr X, 4H:  Callaway Razr X
5-PW:  Callaway X Tour
GW:  Callaway X Tour 54*, SW:  Callaway X Tour 58*
Putter:  Callaway ITrax, Scotty Cameron Studio Design 2, Ping Anser 4

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I live in area and play there at least once a year.  All comments you have received are pretty accurate.  In addition to the heat in August, keep in mind that is also the worst time of year in south Florida for golf course conditioning.   So you will not see the courses at their best, but that is true for the whole area during that time of year.

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Note: This thread is 4291 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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