Father son golf trip FLA

mdannolfo · December 1, 2023

Hi guys,

I am looking for advice for a 4/5 day trip with my 16 year old son to Florida or somewhere warm in the Southeast. We are coming from Massachusetts. We will travel mid week in February some time - probably early February. We are looking for nice courses but not crazy tough. Im a 2 and he’s a 10. We went to Ireland in the fall and played some tough courses in blustery conditions, and had fun doing it, in 40 mph winds. But I’d like him to have some easier courses to play. Probably try to play 4-5 rounds. I’d love to play courses we could walk if possible, but riding is not the end of the world if mandatory.

If possible, I’d like to stay off the beaten path and go to a less crowded area. We are going for just golf so I don’t care about other amenities. One or two decent restaurants would suffice. That being said, a decent hotel with a limit of around 400 per night, or I’ll try to find an airbnb in the area if that’s an option. We don’t mind driving a bit from the airport - maybe 3 hrs max.

Streamsong looks very busy and a little more than I want to spend. I’d like to stay away from Orlando as I’ve played many of the courses there.

Thank you for any advice you might have.

Mike

dabud · December 1, 2023

Here are some not super pricey courses that I played and enjoyed

West Palm Beach area (also Stuart area)

there are a bunch of great municipal courses, goto https://discover.pbcgov.org/parks/golf/Pages/default.aspx I never played Southwinds, but the others are all nice. Okeeheelee has 27 holes. I always play these when visiting the area, for a muni, these are fantastic.
Nice public courses In the Stuart area, Hammock Creek, Florida Club and Lost Lake Golf Club are all nice and not super pricey. I also play these when visiting the area and all are worth playing.
of course, the PGA national resort courses are top notch, I played all except the Champion

Jacksonville/St Augustine area (more mainstream)

Amelia Island - Oak Marsh Course, Omni courses are great, as is St. Johns Golf & Country Club
I played both the King and Bear and Slammer and Squire. TPC courses there are just too pricey for me

Hope that helps,

Edited December 1, 2023 by dabud

Jtgavigan · December 1, 2023

I live in Saint Augustine and echo what @dabud said. There are some others, but if you are considering this area, let me know.

FlashinLeather · December 1, 2023

West Palm Beach/Jupiter/Palm Beach Gardens.

1. The Park - 18 Hole Championship - 9 Hole Par 3 - 9 hole putting course - Opened 2023.

2. Palm Beach Par 3 - 18 Hole Par 3 course on the ocean and intracoastal.

3. North Palm Beach CC - 18 Hole Championship.

4. Sandhill Crane / The Nest - 18 Hole Championship - 18 Hole Par 3 - The Nest Opened 2023.

If you want to go a little further north you can play the PGA VIllage Courses.

If you want to stay at PGA National you can play the new Match Course and the Par 3 walking course. "The Champ," where they have played the Honda Classic, is not worth the money to me. If you want to play another 18 hole course at PGA National I would recommend the Palmer.

Pop stroke is a fun time as well - 2 18 hole putt putt courses (on steroids) opening in WPB soon but currently in Delray Beach and Port St. Lucie.

mdannolfo · December 2, 2023

Thanks guys. I appreciate the advice.

umassgolfer · December 5, 2023

@mdannolfo

If you want to to West Palm area "like the locals" and stay away from the more expensive courses you could have a fun trip built around:

- PB County Courses. Okeeheelee has a great practice area and 3 9's, Park Ridge is built on a landfill and has some awesome holes. 6 each par 3/4/5.. Osprey is the crown jewel of the county system with 3 9's also

- Atlantic National. Formerly private / neighborhood course but playable corridors and usually really great greens

- Palm Beach National. Solid layout, especially if you like dogleg right holes. Generally a good value and a cool vibe. Also has a lit toptracer range open til 9 or 10 if you want some extra golf after a round

- Take a 1-day trip up to Champions or Hammock Creek in Stuart for a totally different feel of a golf course

- If you want a splurge round the Park rules and is unlike anything else down here. But might be $200 to walk. Abacoa and N. Palm Beach CC are great "Florida Golf" but are also going to be in the $150ish range I'd guess.

Worth noting - walking access is hit or miss down here. The PB County courses all allow it and give a price break if you do. The Park encourages walking. The rest are hit or miss and often do not provide a price break even if they allow it.

All that being said, I am sure there are other options for destinations which may be more attractive from a golf standpoint. Keep us posted with what you end up doing!

mdannolfo · December 6, 2023

Great advice Umassgolfer. My wife went to UMass and I went to school accross town at Amherst College. We loved it out there.

I think we will visit the west palm area. All these options sound great. My buddy and head pro at my course is going to be in the area from Jan to mid Feb and mentioned he’d like to play with us. I’ll post when we are going if anyone is interested in playing. Trevor is a 10 and I’m a 2. We enjoy walking and won’t hold anyone up.

I appreciate the help!

mdannolfo · December 6, 2023

Lodging…. Any suggestions where to stay in West Palm, Stuart area? I’ll rent a car while we are down. Thanks

umassgolfer · December 8, 2023

On 12/6/2023 at 6:49 PM, mdannolfo said:

Lodging…. Any suggestions where to stay in West Palm, Stuart area? I’ll rent a car while we are down. Thanks

Are you looking for AirBnB or Hotel?

Let me know when you're coming down and I'll see if I can join for a round!

mdannolfo · December 8, 2023

Thanks. Airbnb I think so we can have the option to eat home sometimes. I’m 49 and will be 50 when we get down. I can only eat out so much before my stomach is ruined. No matter how healthy I try to eat, restaurant food kills me after a while.

Any neighborhoods specifically in West Palm you guys like?

Also, flights into Ft Lauderdale are a little less. I’ve flown in there a bunch since I had an uncle that lived there. I’ll keep looking though. I’ve never flown into west palm.

Thanks,

Mike

umassgolfer · December 12, 2023

On 12/8/2023 at 6:12 PM, mdannolfo said:

Thanks. Airbnb I think so we can have the option to eat home sometimes. I’m 49 and will be 50 when we get down. I can only eat out so much before my stomach is ruined. No matter how healthy I try to eat, restaurant food kills me after a while.

Any neighborhoods specifically in West Palm you guys like?

Also, flights into Ft Lauderdale are a little less. I’ve flown in there a bunch since I had an uncle that lived there. I’ll keep looking though. I’ve never flown into west palm.

Thanks,

Mike

WPB as an airport is a dream. I know the flights are limited and certainly wouldnt go there vs. FLL if FLL offered a non-stop and PBI didn't, or for massive difference in fare.

As far as neighborhoods, Palm Beach Gardens is a generally good bet across most areas. WPB proper is a little hit or miss, Delray and Boca are generally good as well. I can't say I've spent a ton of time exploring the Air BnB options down here but know that they can get snatched up in-season. And a lot of the communities have no short-term rental stipulations in HOA rules, which will impact things. I'd generally say look at what businesses are around and/or street views to get a better sense of each area.