22 Destination report PGA National Resort & Spa – A Grand South Florida Destination Beckons Share
R
easons abound why golfing greats like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Rory McElroy choose to reside in the West Palm Beach area of Florida – plenty of year-round sunshine, lush flora and teeming fauna, beautiful people, great restaurants, scores of big-time golf courses. For travelers wishing to emulate the enviable lifestyle of those globetrotting greats all one need do is enter the grounds of PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, check-in, and the rest is easy.
a double, a par and a bogey, and you leave those holes shooting 3 over and you don’t feel like you hit bad shots.”
First off, as far as golf goes, few destinations have a pedigree as storied. The vaunted resume of its Champion Course includes hosting the 1983 Ryder Cup, 1987 PGA Championship, and nearly two decades of the Senior PGA Championship. Currently, it hosts The Honda Classic – a wildly popular stop on the PGA Tour’s “Florida Swing.”
Now golfers have to deal with the beefed-up par-4 14th as well before they even get to the daunting Bear Trap. PGA National brought Nicklaus back for series of renovations. Most notably, he relocated the 14th green 17 yards to the right, bringing water into play on the approach shot. The tee also was moved back 10 yards, and bunkers were built in front and behind the green to further strengthen the already challenging 465-yard hole.
The mighty Champion is also home to the ominously named “Bear Trap” holes 15, 16 and 17 – where designer Jack Nicklaus famously said, “It should be won or lost right here.” “Probably some of the toughest three holes in world golf, really,” says 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell. “You kind of just have to man up and hit the shot. You start bailing out, and you’re in trouble.” Sergio Garcia says, “They’re very challenging holes, all of them. Without hitting terrible shots, you can make MARYLAND STATE GOLF MAGAZINE | september 2015
Why so hard? Water, water and more water lurking everywhere. Just like the pros, resort visitors have a go at the diabolical trifecta after getting the obligatory group photo with the awesome snarling bear stature standing sentinel by the 15th tee. Play the holes at your own risk and have a blast trying to tame them.
“It seemed a shame not to have the water nearer to the green,” says Nicklaus. “It produces a little more freedom and it produces a very strong par-4 going into the Bear Trap. I honestly believe it will be more exciting.” That it is. PGA National boasts four other excellent layouts including The Palmer – an Arnold Palmer signature course with a subtle nod to the game’s Scottish roots. Don’t miss a chance to play the splendid new Fazio