Golfer’s Guide South Florida Golf Courses Stories

Like much of Florida, Palm Beach County is saturated with golf courses. Including public, private and executive tracks, there are more than 200 courses for golfers to challenge. That’s about equal to the amount of layouts in golf crazy South Korea and more than the burgeoning golf destination of Vietnam and 2016 Olympic host Brazil, where golf will be part of the Games for the first time since the early 1900s.

In a world where options are plentiful, first impressions rule. For many golfers and respected national and local golf publications, one look at The Links at Madison Green was all they needed. It was love at first sight.

The Doral Golf Resort and Spa has officially introduced its newest golf course - The Jim McLean Signature Course. Totally renovated, the new course is already building a reputation as one of the most difficult courses in Florida for those wishing to play from the tips, while the course is a fantastic challenge for those looking to play from the "regular" tees.

The Jim McLean Signature Course features a stretch of three holes dubbed "The Bermuda Triangle" - a stretch of golf that will test the mettle of any golfer.

By South Florida standards descriptions of the weather that day ranged from bitter to balmy, after all it was December 1. As the first golfers to play then public Fort Lauderdale Country Club trotted toward the No. 1 tee box on that morning in 1926 toting their best persimmon woods, clad in old-fashioned caps, with socks tucked into their trousers and perhaps sporting formal jackets (a tradition that was phased out in the second quarter of the 20th century), they were met by marshals manning a tent where green fees were collected and golf supplies sold.

With the facility’s Spanish missionstyle clubhouse still under construction as the original 18-hole North Course opened, this pedestrian set-up was required to check golfers in and usher them on their way. The enthusiasm and excitement of that historic day is still present at Fort Lauderdale Country Club, but the golf course grounds and surrounding amenities have undergone a extensive amount of beautification and enhancement.