PGA NATIONAL RESORT (800-633-9150) the General Review
Florida Golf Course Review 7/17/07
PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens is a full service resort featuring a variety of accommodations with upscale
amenities, to compliment world class golf experiences that include 90 holes of championship golf along with
some of Florida's most comprehensive practice facilities. Resort features include a variety of fine and casual
dining opportunities (including Shula's Steakhouse), spacious meeting/conference rooms (35,000 square feet
total), multiple swimming pools and Jacuzzis, a 33,000 square foot health & racquet club (with 17 tennis courts
and spacious gymnasium with 2 separate aerobics rooms), a full service European-style spa (with 56 treatment
rooms, steam rooms & saunas plus the unique "Waters of the World" mineral baths),and more. Memberships
are available at this AAA 4-Diamond resort and golf club, and golf here is available for members and guests of
the resort only! For more info, visit our page for the resort, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
The Champion Course(home to the PGA Honda Classic), Squire, General and Haig courses are all on resort
property and are serviced by the same beautiful clubhouse, which includes a nicely stocked pro shop. There are
locker rooms with showers for men and women, and the 19th Hole, Bear Trap Bar & Grill, plus hall of fame
lounge are all accessible. Members also have the luxury of a private locker room with full time attendant. Practice
facilities include three driving ranges plus multiple short game areas and putting greens. The Golf Digest
Academy is also on property, providing a variety of lessons and clinics, and the PGA of America also calls this resort home.
The Estate Course (Bay Hill Estates) is located about 8 miles away, and features its own clubhouse with snack
bar and pro shop, plus beautiful practice facilities. All five courses have carts with rear weather protectors, and
coolers are also standard on the carts at the Estate Course. Guests playing any of the other four courses can fill
up with complimentary ice and water at the clubhouse station on resort property. Tees and towels are also
provided. On course yardage markers are positioned on the fairways and cart paths at 100, 150 and 200 yards,
with 150 stakes also present on all par fours and fives. Each tee box has yardages plates, and color coded flags
on the greens indicate the front, middle or back pin placements. Sprinkler heads on all courses (except the Estate Course) are also marked to the center of the green.
The General Course
The photos in this review are of the General Course - an Arnold Palmer design that has been dedicated in his
name (in 1981) to honor the integrity and leadership that Mr. Palmer has brought to the game of golf. This
beautiful layout features moguled fairway and greenside mounding with small, raised mildly undulating green
complexes. The 5th and 13th holes are two of the more beautiful par threes on property, and the par four seventh is also memorable with its rock retaining wall fronting a gorgeous green complex.
The layout features numerous marsh areas and water hazards that come into play on 16 of the holes, along with
45 strategically placed sand bunkers. There are three sets of tee areas that play to distances and slopes
measuring 6768 yards/134 slope, 6224 yards/128 slope for men and 145 for women, and 5327 yards with a slope of 125 for ladies playing from the forward tees.
This is a challenging yet fun layout, with plentiful waterfowl and native wildlife occupying the many natural areas -
for your viewing pleasure! For more info, visit our page for the course, with direct link to their website by clicking
here.
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