MAKE A DATE WITH DAYTONA BEACH

Florida is home to over a thousand golf courses, so deciding where to play in the Sunshine State can be challenging to say the least, but Daytona Beach has risen to the top of the list of golf destinations for true lovers of the game.

The Central Florida hotspot has everything UK golfers are looking for in an international destination. For starters, Daytona Beach is home to LPGA International, one of the state’s agship facilities, a pair of Donald Ross designs, and Victoria Hills, one of Florida’s top 15 layouts – and that’s just scratching the surface.

Daytona Beach’s appeal o the course equals the quality of its golf o erings. From Daytona International Speedway to the ‘World’s Most Famous Beach’, Daytona Beach is full of eco, highadventure and cultural activities.

Throw in a vibrant culinary scene and the Daytona Beach Ale Trail, a collection of 21 local craft breweries, distilleries and tap houses, including Ormond Brewing Company and Daytona Beach Brewing Company, and it’s easy to understand the area’s popularity with golfers and non-golfers alike.

With a wide choice of international airports to y into, Daytona Beach’s winter and spring season is awaiting the arrival of discerning international travellers in search of an unforgettable golf trip.

While the beach and speedway continue to attract much of the attention, here are the top ve reasons Daytona Beach should be part of your itinerary.

The appeal of the area’s idyllic winter weather can’t be overstated, and from January through May, the heart of the winter and spring golf seasons, it’s perfect. The average high temperatures in Daytona Beach over the next ve months are: 20°c (January), 21.6° (February), 23.8° (March), 26° (April) and 29° (May).

Daytona Beach’s mild winters weather does more than guarantee playing in short sleeves – it also ensures the golf courses are great shape throughout the year, meaning players don’t have to fret about conditions, with the greens running fast and true and pristine fairways where the ball sits up perfectly and ready to be hit – although in which direction is up to you!

At the heart of any golf trip is the on-course experience. The Daytona Beach area is home to nearly 20 layouts that deliver superb quality, undeniable value and unparalleled playing conditions – the holy trinity on a golf trip leader’s checklist. LPGA International, home of the Jones and Hills courses, leads the way, but Spruce Creek Country Club, home of the nation’s largest private y-in community, Riviera Country Club, Victoria Hills, Venetian Bay and Daytona Beach Golf Club’s South Course, a Donald Ross design, are all outstanding layouts. Options are plentiful and appealing in Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach is easily accessible via car, directly o Interstate 95 and Interstate 4, or from ights into Daytona Beach International Airport, located within minutes of the beach. Other major airports in Orlando and Jacksonville are within an hour’s drive. The convenience of getting here, combined with everything else, makes a Daytona Beach golf trip a no-brainer.

Throughout February, Daytona Beach will be in the news as the region gears up for ‘The Great American Race’, the Daytona 500, a 200-lap showdown that tees o NASCAR’s season and is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Golfers planning a late January, early February trip know courses don’t close for Daytona Speedweeks. In fact, some of the events surrounding the Daytona 500 can enhance a golf trip, as the buzz accompanying the world’s premier’s stock car race brings even more life to an already vibrant destination. Fans of that other popular form of motorsport, Formula 1, can also get their x in Florida this year, with the Grand Prix circuit coming to Miami’s International Autodrome from May 4-7.

The main event of a golf getaway may seem fairly obvious, but what happens o the course matters – a lot. With a wide range of natural excursions, a vibrant nightlife, an array of waterfront dining, and shopping, you’ll have no trouble nding a way to ll the hours after you wrap up your round.

Whether you want a quiet corner to relive the day’s best shots, crave a bustling beachfront bar scene where you can unwind, or seek a little more solitude paddling along the waterway, there’s something for everyone in Daytona Beach.

With plenty of oceanfront accommodation options, and over 10 beachfront parks, along

7 nights’ B&B in a twin/double room at Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort • Return BA ights to Orlando from the UK • 3 rounds of golf • 18 holes at LPGA International, Rees Jones Signature Course • 18 holes at LPGA International, Arthur Hills Signature Course • 18 holes at Victoria Hills.

Prices from £1,349pp (depending on travel date).

For more details visit yourgolftravel.com or call 0800 043 6644.

23 miles of beautiful coastline, you’ll nd a variety of options and activities to have an amazing beach day with all the family in Daytona Beach. Spend an afternoon looking for shells or grab a bite to eat and take a walk along the beautiful shoreline as you enjoy the tranquil sounds of the waves. Let the kids run around and have fun at the oceanfront splash parks and enjoy lunch with the family at one of the many pavilions overlooking the ocean.

Family-friendly attractions like Daytona Lagoon Waterpark, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Marine Science Center and the Museum of Arts & Sciences are fun for all ages o the beach, too. Daytona Beach is an international destination, attracting visitors to attend NASCAR races and take a drive on the area’s famed beaches.

LPGA INTERNATIONAL features the Hills Course and the Jones Course. Named after their two designers, Arthur Hills and Rees Jones, the LPGA International has been the home course and headquarters of the LPGA Tour since 1994, when the Jones was built. While the 7,025-yard Jones will appeal to big-hitting fans of links golf, as well as testing your wedge play on the small, circular greens, the slightly shorter Hills provides a classically Floridian wetland and pine-forested examination.

DAYTONA BEACH GOLF CLUB is located less than a mile from the beach, Daytona Beach GC also o ers two courses, the South and the North. The former is an original Donald Ross design and is one of the oldest layouts in the region, having rst opened in 1921. Built on largely at and open land, most holes are quite straight and bunkerless, giving it a decidedly old-fashioned feel, while the North Course, which was redesigned in 1990s, o ers a more tree-lined, dog-leg experience, with ponds and prominent bunkering. Both are short by modern standards, at under 6,300 yards, but are no less enjoyable for it.

RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB is not to be confused the club of the same name in Los Angeles, Daytona Beach’s Riviera Country Club rst opened as a nine-hole course in 1930s, before expanding to the 18 holes in the 1950s. Although given several facelifts since, the family-owned club prides itself on the presentation of its beautifully- manicured, parkland-style championship course, which o ers ideal holiday golf in stunning surroundings.

The Club at Pelican Bay o ers 27 holes divided among the Club, Pelican and Bay nines. Making the most of the natural landscape, including the lakes and ponds, while o ering sculptured fairways, elevated tees and other visually appealing elements, golfers enjoy warm Gulf breezes and the sight of shorebirds such as pelicans and herons, as they go about their rounds.

A 30-year-old Arthur Hills design, which was tweaked in 2015, CYPRESS HEAD weaves its way through a mixture of woodland, wetland and small lakes, with many of the latter hazards lurking alongside the subtly undulating greens. Bunkering is kept to a minimum, ensuring approach shots aren’t too tricky, although light mounding provides welcome de nition to the fairways. Highlights include the back-to-back par3s at 6 and 7, and the par-4 14th, which curves around a large pond, with water a constant threat for anything hit left.

CRANE LAKES underwent a redesign to its 18-hole course in 2014, as it installed Bermuda grass to the greens. The 5,186-yard layout features eight par3s, eight par-4s and just two par-5s.

SPRUCE CREEK was built around an aircraft landing strip used by the US Navy during World War II, golfers playing Spruce Creek are still likely to get buzzed by private aircraft taking o and landing at this y-in community, especially around the 8th and 9th holes, adding an adrenaline rush to your quest to nish the front nine in style. The two attish

■ VICTORIA HILLS SHOULD BE ON YOUR CHECK LIST OF COURSES TO PLAY IN THE DAYTONA BEACH AREA loops weave their way gently through a residential community, which is largely hidden behind tree-lined fairways, while a high number of small lakes and ponds ensure you need to pick your way carefully around the course to avoid a re-stocking trip to the pro shop.

Nestling alongside the Bulow Creek and Ormond Tomb State Parks, HALIFAX PLANTATION’S 30-year-old course cuts a swathe through century-old oaks and tall pines. Featuring elevated tees and undulating, well-bunkered greens, the two nine-hole loops provide a constantly shifting backdrop as you progress through this attractive layout which forms part of a wider residential development.

Located three miles of the I4 between Orlando and Daytona Beach, DEBARY GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB opened in 1990 and has hosted US Open Qualifying on several occasions, with its 6,776-yard layout proving a solid test for top-level golfers. With water only coming into play the 9th and 18th, and little in the way of rough, the course is otherwise defended by expansive bunkering and treelined fairways.

While proper hills are in short supply in this part of the world, VICTORIA HILLS de nitely has some gently rolling slopes. Occupying a wonderfully undulating, wooded terrain, the course has a very natural feel to it, with some swampy wetlands also adding to the interest, especially at the par-3 second. The nger-style bunkering also catches the eye, as it does golf balls, while natural sand areas and to the feeling of being at one with nature.