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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Southeast Florida for Golfers
True, people flock to Florida for the beach, the sun, the theme parks, the fun … but for many, the state's leisure-time greatness is its golf. In Florida, the game comes in abundant variety, from mom-and-pop putt-putts to swank, ultra-exclusive havens. While each of the state's major regions has courses to brag about, the southeastern section, beginning around West Palm and continuing into the Keys, is golf nirvana. Deciding where to play, however, may present a bigger challenge than hitting a two-iron over water to a tiny green. Here are 10 picks—some with more than one course—from among more than 200. Boca Raton Once the famed hangout of Hollywood swells and legendary golf teacher Tommy Armour (who reputedly conducted lessons from under a large umbrella while sipping a favorite beverage), the Boca Raton Resort & Club, a throwback to the Gilded Age, has both terrific golf and terrific room and board. This venerable resort course, renovated in 1997, is one of two; the other, much newer, course is off-site. Neither is right on the water, but the beach here is partly restricted to resort guests only. Boynton Beach At the beautifully maintained municipal Links at Boynton Beach (if only every town were so lucky), greens fees here are a deal ($51), and there are two courses: a full-scale championship layout and a nine-hole affair called the family course. The driving range and fully staffed pro shop are nice extras for a facility of this kind. Coral Gables A national historic landmark, the Biltmore is also home to an original Donald Ross golf course that opened in 1925. Ross, whose masterpieces include the very private Seminole in nearby Juno Beach, had a genius for using the topography of a location, giving his courses a classic look. With a slope and course ratings in the middle range, the Biltmore is an excellent choice for the average golfer. Fisher Island Unless you're a member, you must be a guest at the Fisher Island Club's great hotel (once the winter home of William K. Vanderbilt II), to play this nine-hole course designed by Pete Dye's son P. B. You'll pay for the privilege, too, but you'll be rewarded with a sense of being pampered on and off the course. The golf itself is sporty, picturesque, and a challenging surprise. Islamorada Known for its sportfishing, scuba diving, and spa, the Cheeca Lodge luxury resort also has what may be the shortest (832 yards)—and most charming—golf course you'll ever play. Nine holes, none requiring a club longer than a pitching wedge, are laid out amid the semitropical beauty. Great for kids, too. Key Biscayne A 35-year-old Robert von Hagge/Bruce Devlin design, the public Crandon Park Golf Course has it all—including pricey greens fees in high season. With a gorgeous layout in a beautiful (and convenient) location only minutes from Miami, Crandon also claims a professional pedigree: Until recently, it was the site of the season-opener on the PGA Seniors Tour. Miami The Doral Golf Resort & Spa is the most well-known golf destination in southeastern Florida, in part because of the annual PGA tournament held on the resort's Blue Monster course in March. There are four other courses onsite, as well as a golf school run by one of the top teachers in the country, Jim McLean. Pamper your back afterward at the European-style spa. Miami Lakes What's not to like about a fun golf course where you might also run into one of the greatest and most popular football coaches of all time? You can also stay overnight at Don Shula's Golf Club, or at the nearby hotel of the same name. Shula's also has an 18-hole executive course and a nineteenth-hole steak house, Shula's Steak 2. Palm Beach Gardens With five courses, including the great (and expensive) Champion, the PGA National Resort & Spa is golf on a grand scale. Many tournaments have been held here over the years, and the PGA Tour returns in 2007 with its Honda Classic, previously played at the TPC at Heron Bay in Coral Springs. Originally designed by George and Tom Fazio, the Champion has been reworked twice by Jack Nicklaus. It's a must-play for the serious golfer, who will be daunted but hopefully not defeated by a sequence of three holes on the Champ's back nine, appropriately nicknamed the Bear Trap. West Palm Beach Another paean to a distant era, the renovated Breakers resort boasts the historic Ocean Course (also renovated) as well as a nearby Rees Jones reconstruction of a course formerly known as Breakers West. Access is for resort guests only, with greens fees on the high side. Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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