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About Golf In Daytona beach, FL
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Daytona Beach, Florida (Return to Previous Page)
Welcome to our Daytona Beach Golf section. If you're interested in playing golf in Daytona Beach, you've come to the right place. Our Daytona Beach Golf section features the best hotels, golf resorts, and golf courses within easy driving distance of the "World's Most Famous Beach." You'll also find the most exciting Daytona Beach golf packages and travel specials available today.
For a spot that's synonymous with a world famous, 500-mile NASCAR race, it's surprising to learn that Daytona Beach wasn't even the first choice when the first car races were held in the area at the turn of the last century. Those original races actually took place in Ormond Beach, just to the north, and they actually were run on sand. In March of nineteen-ought-three, over a three-day period, seven American speed records and two world records were set on Ormond Beach. The main event, however, was a challenge match between a Winton "Bullet" and an Olds "Pirate." Perhaps because of its weight, the beefier Bullet beat the Pirate by one-fifth of a second. The news of that race, and the records that were set, mesmerized America and a new sport was born. Clearly, the whole country had a need for speed.
The competition continued but it soon shifted to the sands to the south. Suddenly, it seemed, the beach at Daytona was "the place to race" and it wasn't much longer before speed freaks, snowbirds, and more than a few entrepreneurs - Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller among them - were finding their way to the area. Ford, not surprisingly, came for the car racing. Rockefeller, quite surprisingly, came to play golf. (John D. may have been an odd duck, but he was no dummy.) What Rockefeller knew - but race fans didn't - was that even before the Daytona Beach area became such a hot spot for speed (culminating in the building of the Daytona International Speedway in 1959), it was a desirable destination for golf. It still is today, but now there are even more places to play - and all are within an hour's drive or less.
Among your choices close to Daytona are two courses in Ormond Beach (where Rockefeller had a winter home) -- River Bend Golf Club and the golf course at Halifax Plantation. River Bend is a Lloyd Clifton design that opened in 1990; Halifax is a 1993 creation by the aforementioned Daytona Beach-based architect Bill Amick. Unusual for Florida courses, very little water is in play at both these lovely layouts (it's visible on only two holes at Halifax, for example). This is not to suggest, however, that they are open or easy. Both are fairly lengthy (6,821 yards and 7,128 yards, respectively), well bunkered and heavily treed, and each is equipped with a set of greens that you will find more than a little challenging.
"More than a little challenging" is a good way to describe Daytona Beach's LPGA International as well - albeit, a bit tongue in cheek. Located just a mile from the headquarters of the Ladies Professional Golfers Association, LPGA International is one of the prettiest and most testing 36-hole facilities in the state. And, contrary to what you may think, the two layouts here are not designed just for women golfers. Well, actually, that's only partly true. The 1994 Rees Jones-designed Champions course here at LPGA International was created for women golfers - women professional golfers. Think you got game, guys? Here's your chance to prove it. This 7,088-yard links-style layout features lots of water, plenty of sand, tricky putting surfaces and a course/slope rating of 74.6/137. But wait. The numbers for the Legends course at LPGA International - a 1998 design by Arthur Hills - are even more impressive. Much more of a parkland-style layout than Champions, and slightly shorter at 6,984 yards from the back tees, Legends nevertheless boasts a course rating of 74.1 and a slope rating of 142. Those are pretty high ratings, guys and/or gals, and a clear indication that there's nothing "lady-like" about the two layouts at LPGA International.
Two other courses in the Daytona Beach area that will get your motor running are Cypress Head in Port Orange (south) and Victoria Hills in Deland (southwest). Opened in 1992 and designed by architects Arthur Hills and Mike Dasher, Cypress Head has the reputation of being one of the best-conditioned courses in central Florida and one of its most challenging. Not particularly long at 6,832 yards from the back markers (three other tees are available), Cypress Head does not require drives in the 300-yard range. It does demand precision, however, due to the fact that water comes into play on 14 of its 18 holes. Be especially careful on the tee of the sturdy 474-yard par-four 14th; water is in play on both the drive and the approach.
Victoria Hills in nearby Deland has a reputation, too ... for being one of the most attractive, enjoyable and visually interesting courses to come along in years. After it opened in 2002, Florida Golf News named Victoria Hills the "Best New Golf Course" of the year. GOLF Magazine was also impressed, voting it one of the "Top Ten New Public Access Courses in the Country." Like Cypress Head, Victoria Hills is not brutally long by today's standards (five sets of tees are available, ranging in length from 6,989 yards to 4,852 yards). But it is different in its look and feel - something of a free-form design in places - and Florida-based architect Ron Garl was quite pleased with the result. Ditto Ron Whitten, the architectural editor for Golf Digest. "This course," Whitten wrote, "is Garl trying to out-do Tom Fazio in opulence, Tom Doak in random bunkering, Jack Nicklaus in shot options, and Pete Dye in quirky land forms. That may make for a slightly disjointed layout, but to me that's much of the charm and personality of Victoria Hills ... If eclectic architecture is your passion, then Victoria Hills is a must-play."
Another super place to tee it up, just sixty minutes to the north, is St. Augustine. In addition to being America's oldest city - and a haven for tourists who love history and heavenly weather - St. Augustine is home to a number of outstanding golf courses. Two of the most attractive - and challenging - can be found at the World Golf Village, a unique destination for visitors who enjoy the game's history as much as they enjoy playing it. The first course to be built at the World Golf Village was the Slammer & Squire, a beautiful collaboration between architect Bobby Weed and World Golf Hall of Fame members Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. Measuring 6,939 yards from the back tees, this golf course features generous fairways, large greens, plenty of H2O, and four of the best par 3s in the state. In 2000, the Slammer & Squire was followed by the one-of-a-kind King & Bear - the only joint design effort in the world by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. The King & Bear is even longer from the tips than the original course at WGV (7,279 yards) but, fortunately, both offer five sets of tees to allow you to play from markers that will match your ability and make your round more fun. Choose wisely; both these beautiful courses are sturdy enough to have been the host site for the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament on the Champions Tour and a match on "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf." The game's greats have played here; you can, too.
And when you're finished, make sure to check out the other attractions at the World Golf Village. You can experience golf's past, get a peek at its future, or spend some time going over the amazing memorabilia at the World Golf Hall of Fame. You'll also find superb dining, sensational shopping - even an IMAX Theater - right on-site. For golfers and non-golfers alike, the World Golf Village is a worthwhile side trip during a visit to St. Augustine.
 Halfway between St. Augustine and Ormond Beach, in the city of Palm Coast, you'll find a smattering of very fine courses. The Grand Club, comprised of three semi-private golf courses operated by Hampton Golf Group, features a balanced selection of championship golf for all golfers. The Cypress course, originally designed and built by Gary Player in 1989, was completely renovated two years ago by Frank Henegan. The result is improved playability compared to Playerâ??s original design, which many felt was overly penalizing. A bit longer and much more challenging is the Pine course, an original 1982 design by Arnold Palmer and his long-time collaborator, Ed Seay. The Pine course underwent a complete renovation in 2006 under the watchful eye of Palmer Course Design, and remains an Arnold Palmer Signature course. It is better than ever, generally forgiving for big hitters, and boasts a brand new clubhouse. Rounding out The Grand Club trio is the Matanzas course, another Palmer/Seay layout, originally built 1986. The course is named for a Spanish fort that was constructed along the coastline between 1740 and 1742, and the moniker is appropriate for this very challenging tract. In Spanish, Matanzas means "massacre." However, just as it is at the Pine course, the Matanzas course is manageable if you don't try to take it on at its full 6,894-yard length. Choose the right tees and keep it in play, and you'll have a good chance to finish your round with a smile on your face at the signature hole: the par-5 18th. The finishing hole - with its small, island green - is not only one of the most photographed in all of Florida, but one of its best. It's an exciting end to an always enjoyable day at Matanzas Woods.
A word to the wise, guys; The Grand Club courses are semi-private clubs, so it's very possible that morning tee times will be blocked certain days for member and league play. The afternoons should be open, though, so call ahead and secure your slot. Also, due to the influx of visitors that come here during of the week of The Players Championship up the road in Jacksonville in May, these two courses might be booked solid for those seven days. Plan your visit to Palm Coast the week before or the week after The Players Championship, and you shouldn't have any trouble obtaining tee times.
Did somebody say "trouble"? Welcome to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hammock Beach - Ocean Course course at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort. Opened in 2000, Hammock Beach - Ocean Course received rave reviews from guests and major publications alike almost immediately. Links Magazine called it a "modern classic," and Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine quickly placed it on their lists of "Best New Courses" open to the public. In 2005, Golf Digest also named it one of "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses." The accolades are deserving. Set along the dunes that border the Atlantic, this gorgeous, wind-swept golf course features more play on the ocean than any other layout on Florida's east coast. Beautiful? You bet - calling it the "Pebble Beach of the east" is not an exaggeration. But if you know Nicklaus, you know that Hammock Beach - Ocean Course is no bear cub of a course. Factor in the normal breezy conditions and it's a lock that this 7,201-yard layout would be a large pain for even the best players on the planet. For that reason alone, avoid the back markers and pick a set of tees that are challenging but playable. Believe it: you are going to need all of your strength for the final four holes at Hammock Beach - Ocean Course. To the regular players here, this sturdy closing stretch is known as the "Bear Claw." Does that sound grrrreat or what?
Looking for a great place to tee it up just about any time of the year? Then ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and gear it up for the sun, sand and sensational layouts to be found in and around Daytona Beach.
It may not have been the first pick for car racing in the early 20th Century, but it's definitely a good pick for golf in the 21st.
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