With it’s beautiful weather all year round, the state of Florida has come to be known not only as a great place for older people to retire, but also a great place for professionals to play golf! There are numerous excellent golf courses in the state, plenty of which are sanctioned by some notable professional players. From Panther Lake at Orange County National to the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, join ViewCation as we pinpoint the very best golf courses in Florida.
Panther Lake at Orange County National
The Panther Lake course, located at Orange County National, has come to be somewhat legendary in the arena of golf due to the well-rounded challenge that it provides players. No matter if you’ve been playing the sport of golf for years or are just starting out, you’ll find a tee box that will provide you with the absolute perfect challenge for your specific skill level. The course can even be pretty challenging for some of the most famous professionals to ever play the game, which is what makes Panther Lake the course that is used as the final qualifier during the PGA Tour.
The main reason that the Panther Lake course can be such a challenge to even the most experienced golfers is because of it’s unique landscape. The course features plenty of rolling hills, and also has some pretty significant changes in elevation over the course of it’s length. The scenery surrounding the course is just as memorable as the challenge that the course provides to players, though players will likely be too focused on mastering the course to truly appreciate the immense beauty that surrounds them. This course is located within the city of Orlando, and was established in 1997. Although it’s relatively new, the course has quickly become one of the most notable in the world.
The King & Bear Course at World Golf Village
Located within World Golf Village, the King & Bear Course is another of Florida’s most notable golf courses. There are several things that make the King & Bear course notable amongst the plethora of golf courses located within the state of Florida, including the fact that the course is always impeccably maintained and has a perfect layout. This perfect layout comes largely as a result of the course being designed by two of golf’s greats. Golf celebrities Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus designed the King & Bear course collaboratively, meaning that the people who designed the course truly knew what they were doing. Though the course may not be the longest course in the state of Florida, it was perfectly designed to test golfers and make sure that their skill sets are as well-rounded as possible. To master the King & Bear course will require a good deal of both power and precision, making the course difficult for beginners.
The King & Bear course is known for more than just the challenge that it offers to golfers, as the course is surrounded by staggeringly tall pine trees that provide some beautiful scenery for golfers to take in while they play. However, these pine trees also serve a practical purpose in that they make it so that golfers have to aim incredibly carefully so that their ball doesn’t get lost. The course is located in Jacksonville, and was established in 2003.
Streamsong Red Course at Streamsong Resort
Any golfer who has even a cursory interest in the state of Florida has likely heard of Streamsong Resort. The resort stands as one of the preeminent golfing destinations in the state of Florida, and this reputation hasn’t come from nothing! The resort features three incredible golf courses going by the names of Streamsong Red, Streamsong Blue, and Streamsong Black. The most popular of these three courses is undoubtedly Streamsong Red, which is the one that we’ll be focusing on in this video! This course is exceptionally popular with tourists that have come to the state of Florida and want to get their golf game on. The course is located in Tampa and was established in 2012.
Champion Course at PGA National
The Champion Course at PGA National was originally designed by Tom Fazio, but has been more recently redesigned by Jack Nicklaus. When Jack came to rework the course, he made it a little bit more difficult! The course can be fairly daunting even to the most experienced players, which is likely exactly what Jack was intending. The course has hosted multiple tournaments, including the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. The course hosted the PGA Championship twice, once in 1971 and then again in 1987. The first time was before the course had been worked over by Jack Nicklaus. The course hosted the Ryder Cup in 1983, and also plays host to the Honda Classic every year.
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Blue Monster at Trump National Doral
Located at Trump National Doral, the Blue Monster is a course that is decidedly true to it’s name. Many may wonder where the course gets it’s name, but they’ll stop wondering as soon as they see it. The Blue Monster gets it’s name from both the fact that the course is fairly large and the fact that it’s length is filled to the brim with water hazards. No matter how skilled of a golf player you are, you’re likely going to get at least a few balls lost in the water at the Blue Monster.
The Blue Monster was established all the way back in 1962, but it was a recent 2014 revamping that made the course the unprecedentedly beautiful location that it stands as today. Upon that revamping, each and every one of the course’s holes was redesigned from the ground up, and many of the changes that were made to the course made it even more of a challenge. Besides the numerous water hazards that can be found along the course’s length, much of this challenge comes as a result of it’s deep bunkers and super-thick rough.
The Blue Monster has played home to numerous tournaments, and the course has a closing hole that has developed a reputation as being one of the most challenging holes throughout the whole PGA Tour. The course is located in Miami, and shouldn’t be missed by golfers visiting Florida.
Watson Course at Reunion Resort
Here’s another course that was designed by a notable golf celebrity. While we’ve already looked at a few courses that were designed, at least in part, by Jack Nicklaus, the Watson Course at Reunion Resort was designed by Tom Watson. Of course, the course also gets it’s name from the golfing legend, and this should show you that he’s very proud of it!
True to the nature of Tom Watson’s memorable golfing style, the Watson Course was designed by the golfing celebrity to ensure that all players trying to master it would be forced to use every single golf club found within their bags. This means that the course can be a considerable challenge for even the most experienced golfer, but that’s what makes it fun! This is another course that’s relatively short, and this is especially true when you consider the immense challenge that the course offers. Rest assured, you won’t be able to master the Watson Course over the course of a mere day.
Besides the great challenge that is offered to golfers attempting to tackle it’s holes, the Watson Course is also notable for the beautiful scenery that lines it. The course is always impeccably maintained. The Watson Course is located in Orlando, and was established in 2004.
Black Course at Tiburon Golf Club
Of all the courses that can be found at the Tiburon Golf Club, the Black Course is undoubtedly the most popular… and the most challenging! This is another one that’s relatively short but still provides a significant challenge to even the most experienced golfer. Since the course only runs 7,000 yards, golfers will be forced to rely on much more than just power.
The Black Course features greens that are said to be exceptionally fast, though this can be a nuisance when it comes to avoiding the numerous water hazards and trees that line it. This all goes towards making the Black Course the immense challenge that it has become known as. The course was established in 1998, and resides in Naples.
Copperhead Course at Innisbrook
This is another golf course existing within Florida that has become exceptionally popular with tourists. It’s also another course where the beautiful scenery lining it’s length provides just as much of a challenge for golfers as it does a reprieve. Though the trees lining the course are plenty beautiful to look at, golfers won’t find it too beautiful when their errant balls get lost! The course also features some pretty significant changes in elevation over the course of it’s length, which further adds to the challenge that it provides. Copperhead Course was established in Tampa in 1974.
Bay Hill Country Club Course
The course that can be found at Bay Hill Country Club was infamously decreed by golf legend Arnold Palmer to be the absolute best course in all of Florida. Arnold made this statement all the way back in 1965, and he went on to buy up the golf course in 1974. After being bought by Arnold Palmer, the golf legend took the course to a whole new level.
The course at Bay Hill Country Club now plays host to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, though it’s also known for plenty more than that. Tiger Woods apparently loves the course a great deal, and can often be found playing along it’s lengths. The Butler Chain of Lakes provides beautiful scenery, while strong winds and plentiful trees provide a challenge. The course at Bay Hill Country Club was first established all the way back in 1961 and resides in Orlando. Since purchasing it in 1974, however, Arnold Palmer has changed many things about the original course around, and for the better.
TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course
Finally, no video talking about the best Floridian golf courses would be complete without a mention of the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course. This course is known as the annual host of the Players Championship, which began in 1974. The course is always kept in incredible condition and has plenty of challenging hazards along it’s length. Although the course is known for challenging professional players, even beginners can get something out of trying to master it’s holes. The Jacksonville-located course was established in 1982.
The state of Florida has the perfect year-round weather for golf, and these numerous incredible golf courses exist for tourists and professionals alike to take full advantage of that! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that there are numerous golf courses in the state of Florida that were designed by Jack Nicklaus, and that the state hosts numerous notable golf tournaments? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more globetrotting ViewCation videos are on their way!