Golf Hall of Fame in St Augustine.. Anyone been? Worth the trip?

[danattherock]

Thought about taking the wife for a weekend trip. Wondering what there is to do there. Aside from obviously walking around and seeing stuff in the building. The wife is new to golf, loving it, and I want her to learn more about the history of the game. She has seen enough golf channel and such to know the main players over the years. Thought some hands on and up and close stuff could be interesting. Any suggestions on where to stay, eat, etc.. Any beginner friendly courses nearby? Any attractions otherwise? Tour of the golf channel an option? Thanks for any input.

 

 

 

 

-Dan

[DSGKevin]

I live close by in Jacksonville. The two courses there are nice. King and Bear has a lot of water but both are always in great shape. The PGA Tour Academy there does package deals including lodging if you're interested in lessons. (I am friends with one of the instructors there)
They have an IMAX Theater, real 18 hole miniature golf course (very fun by the way.)
Courses close by include '
St Johns Golf and Country Club. Fast greens, great shape and staff.
Royal St Augustine. Typical neighborhood public course.
Sawgrass. Have to play it at least once..

As far as the actual Hall of Fame is concerned, I enjoyed it. The surrounding area of St Augustine including its golf courses would make the trip worth while to me..
Downtown St Auggy is a great place to be during the day or night. Many things to see and do as well as great dining.

[Medic]

I have been to the Hall of Fame a couple of times and it is definitely worth a visit.

In the first place there is a lot of golf history there.

Next is the duplicate of the famed 17th at Sawgrass. It's a lot of fun trying to hit the island green.

There are some really nice courses in the area. The King and The Bear as well as The Slammer and The Squire are incredible courses. Not necessarily for a beginner but they are in wonderful condition.

Finally there are some really nice courses nearby, both north and south. South is the Daytona area - LPGA is a nice track to visit. North is Jacksonville - there is a course called Grand Haven that is worth a visit. And to the west there are lots of courses about 2 hours away in the attractions area of Orlando.

Anyone who says they love golf, has the opportunity to visit the Hall, and doesn't is really missing out on something special in my book. I plan on going again this coming summer to see the latest on the newest inductees. It never gets old!

[triplebogeyblues]

[quote name='DSGKevin' timestamp='1325475402' post='4015793']
I live close by in Jacksonville. The two courses there are nice. King and Bear has a lot of water but both are always in great shape. The PGA Tour Academy there does package deals including lodging if you're interested in lessons. (I am friends with one of the instructors there)
They have an IMAX Theater, real 18 hole miniature golf course (very fun by the way.)
Courses close by include '
St Johns Golf and Country Club. Fast greens, great shape and staff.
Royal St Augustine. Typical neighborhood public course.
Sawgrass. Have to play it at least once..

As far as the actual Hall of Fame is concerned, I enjoyed it. The surrounding area of St Augustine including its golf courses would make the trip worth while to me..
Downtown St Auggy is a great place to be during the day or night. Many things to see and do as well as great dining.
[/quote]

I live in Jacksonville as well, and I think you hit it right on the head.

However, I think both of the courses on site at WGV are not worth the money they charge. If you can get a good rate, then I would play, but like you said, St. Johns is a much better track and is always in great shape.

Royal St. Augustine is a target golf course, which can be fun as well as penalizing.

Also in the area, I would also recommend South Hampton and Cimarone, but I cannot speak to their current condition

[DSGKevin]

[quote name='triplebogeyblues' timestamp='1325475928' post='4015869']

I live in Jacksonville as well, and I think you hit it right on the head.

However, I think both of the courses on site at WGV are not worth the money they charge. If you can get a good rate, then I would play, but like you said, St. Johns is a much better track and is always in great shape.

Royal St. Augustine is a target golf course, which can be fun as well as penalizing.

Also in the area, I would also recommend South Hampton and Cimarone, but I cannot speak to their current condition
[/quote]

I agree completely. If you plan to play, book through Golfnow, as I believe they are on there and can be played for a decent rate.

South Hampton would be a great contender to play I believe. Fairly open in comparison to surrounding courses in the area. As for its shape, I cannot remember ever encountering it in bad shape.

Grand Haven is also a Hampton course in Palm Coast, south of St. Augustine. Last time I played there, I had to search very hard to find a divot in any of their fairways.

[triplebogeyblues]

[quote name='DSGKevin' timestamp='1325476288' post='4015907']
[quote name='triplebogeyblues' timestamp='1325475928' post='4015869']
I live in Jacksonville as well, and I think you hit it right on the head.

However, I think both of the courses on site at WGV are not worth the money they charge. If you can get a good rate, then I would play, but like you said, St. Johns is a much better track and is always in great shape.

Royal St. Augustine is a target golf course, which can be fun as well as penalizing.

Also in the area, I would also recommend South Hampton and Cimarone, but I cannot speak to their current condition
[/quote]

I agree completely. If you plan to play, book through Golfnow, as I believe they are on there and can be played for a decent rate.

South Hampton would be a great contender to play I believe. Fairly open in comparison to surrounding courses in the area. As for its shape, I cannot remember ever encountering it in bad shape.

Grand Haven is also a Hampton course in Palm Coast, south of St. Augustine. Last time I played there, I had to search very hard to find a divot in any of their fairways.
[/quote]

Generally, any Hampton course is in pretty decent shape. But you are right about South Hampton. It is a good course to gain some confidence on.

To the original poster, if you want a real challenge and want to drive about 45 minutes from WGV, play North Hampton. Real challenging track with a great layout. Also, if you are a member of a private club, see if they can get you a tee time at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club

[swomack]

Just got back from that area. I played the Valley and Stadium courses at TPC. Thanks for all the info. I'll be checking the others out soon.

[jldavis73]

St. Augustine and the Hall of Fame are great. There's a PGA Supersore and some other shops close by. You'll have a blast. Lots of history, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S. Flagler College is beautiful, check it out.

[lafayette7]

[quote name='danattherock' timestamp='1325475067' post='4015749']
Thought about taking the wife for a weekend trip. Wondering what there is to do there. Aside from obviously walking around and seeing stuff in the building. The wife is new to golf, loving it, and I want her to learn more about the history of the game. She has seen enough golf channel and such to know the main players over the years. Thought some hands on and up and close stuff could be interesting. Any suggestions on where to stay, eat, etc.. Any beginner friendly courses nearby? Any attractions otherwise? Tour of the golf channel an option? Thanks for any input.




-Dan
[/quote]


If you go, be sure to hit the Murry Bros. Caddyshack restaurant....................very cool place, lots of movie memorabilia, gift shop........They also have the "Caddyshack" motorcycle built by Orange Co. Choppers...................

[rvgolfer]

Allow a least 4-5 hours for the Hall of Fame. They have an outdoor putting course that will be fun for both of you, since you putt on real grass greens. Several of the exhibits are interactive, so you get a chance to putt with the old style balls and clubs. When we were there two years ago, they had a Bob Hope exhibit, perhaps is still there,,which was also interesting with tons of info and memorbilia surrounding Bob Hope and his contribution to the game of golf. The HALL in general has tons of exhibits and any golfer will find the visit worthwhile.

Take some time to visit the PGA Shop there, we found some great deals there.

We played Royal St Augustine, since we hadnt ever played a target course,,price was reasonable as well and was an interesting experience.

[danattherock]

Thanks for the input fellas. Sounds like a nice weekend trip is around the bend.



-Dan