TheFlyerLie

Yep! That's where we stayed. Great little spot. There were a few restaursnts that seemed good but we were there on a Sunday/Monday with early tee times and still a bit jetlagged because it was early in the trip. Ask the folks in the Prestwick clubhouse and they'll point you to one of the better local spots. We went to a pub that appeared to be a chain. I think it was essentially the Applebee's of Prestwick. Definitely go upstairs in the Prestwick clubhouse and have a drink after (or before) the round. One of my playing companions lost his swing immediately upon arrival in Scotland. After two miserable days at Prestwick and Western Gailes. I went with him to the driving range on the outskirts of Prestwick near Western Gailes, https://www.gailesgolfleisure.com/. If you haven't gotten your fill of golf and want to make some full swings (you can chip at Prestwick), this place is a fun local vibe. Driving range with mats, and a pitch and a putt course we had a blast on.

The cheapest time to play is typically Summer, so that's what I would recommend. You can save hundreds of dollars if you're playing a few nice courses during a summer trip when compared to the same courses in winter. I grew up walking golf courses in Florida during the summer time and playing as an adult with a cart seems luxurious. :) Hotel prices in Florida are typically very reasonable compared to most major US cities. The only question is if you're trying to play a resort course that limits access to resort guests. Then you'll need to stay there. Otherwise you can typically find a cheap place to stay within a short drive of all the top courses.

I played Western Gailes and Prestwick last August and had a blast. Stayed across the street from Prestwick myself. Great to take advantage of their pitching/chipping area in the evenings, but the course..woof. Still have nightmares about hitting itin the rough at Prestwick and Western Gailes. I thought Carnoustie was easy after those courses.

Laurel Island Golf Links is just North of Amelia Island and a solid course as well. Closer than most Jacksonville courses. Watch out for the Georgia Patrol at Exit 3. Fernandina is a cool fishing village. Just find a few places downtown and you can waste an afternoon in no time. Might recommend renting bikes if you're in to that sort of thing.

Glad to help! Just looked back and there were a few errors in my post. For one, these courses aren't "public", but do have public access. Innisbrook and TPC Sawgrass are both resort courses where you need to stay on the property to get a tee time. Staying at the TPC Sawgrass using Marriott or Starwood points can be a great value in peak travel times like the winter holidays. Streamsong is public and has 54, not 72 holes. You can also get on another PGA tour stop, Bay Hill, by staying at their lodge for $225/night. https://www.bayhill.com/accommodations Finally I should have mentioned playing these courses in December can be incredibly expensive since it's peak season. Not sure what your budget is.

If it's a golf focused trip I'd probably recommend flying into Tampa and out of Jax or visa versa. All of the top courses with public access are in the northern half of the state. Innisbrook in the Tampa Bay region and TPC Sawgrass in the Jacksonville region both the mold of "shorter/trickier" courses and are PGA Tour Tournament courses. The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is typically won with a single-digit under pad score. That's a rarity on tour these days. Streamsong is all of the rage and about an hour from Orlando and Tampa. They have 72 holes there now and its courses have skyrocketed to the top of all of the "best courses in Florida" lists.