Boca Raton Resort Course
Where is it? 28 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, 30 miles south of Palm Beach.
What's it like? When Addison Mizner created what he saw as "the world's most beautiful playground" in 1926, he hired Tommy Armour and Sam Snead as the first golf pros. The Resort Course they played on is still the only on-site golf at Boca Raton. On limited terrain, the layout is necessarily compact and the holes are soothingly short, at least from the guest tees. As Boca Raton is all about pleasure, with its private ocean beach, yacht club and sensational Spa Palazzo, this is very appropriate: after all, there is no better way of pleasing golfers than providing them with the means to make a good score. When the course was updated in 1997, designer Gene Bates compensated for the lack of length with elaborate features, target greens guarded by rocks, fairways edged with wilderness bunkers, and huge stretches of water, some of them running tee to green. The 18th is the obligatory island green, a guarantee of either elation or despair as you head for the bar.
Address 501 East Camino Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432-6127.
Contact details tel +1 561 447 3000, bocaresort.com.
Price Hotel guests: 18 holes US$160, nine holes US$110, twilight US$80 (nine holes); cart: 18 holes US$27, nine holes US$18.
Can I rent clubs? Top of the range Nike: 18 holes US$60-85 (includes six Nike balls), nine holes US$45-60.
Club hours 0630-dark.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities 18-hole course, 6,253 yards, par 71, driving range and practice area.
After golf Until recently, the hotel – convincingly inspired by the Alhambra in Granada – was the 19th hole, but the newly opened Old Homestead steakhouse above the pro shop now serves lunch and dinner. In the main hotel, drink in Bar Luna or Mizner's Monkey Bar, and eat in Lucca's Italian or the Piazza Courtyard, all on the ground floor. For a really relaxed feel, head poolside to the Gazebo for a light lunch with tropical drinks.
Boca Raton Country Club
Where is it? 33 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, 25 miles south of Palm Beach.
What's it like? The Country Club course, opened in 1996 on less-restricted terrain down the road, is longer and tougher than its Resort sister, with plenty of striking feature hazards designed to imply greater variety than there actually is. It has a slightly less urban feel to it, an important factor in the heart of Carl Hiaasen's eco-challenged Florida. The landscaping is elegant, with the emphasis on neat palms, raked sand and great lakes – more of them than you could possibly imagine, snuggling up to fairways, nudging tee boxes and enveloping greens. If you rent clubs, you'll be more than happy with the six-ball gift pack that comes with them, even though it won't automatically save you from buying more.
Address Five miles from Boca Raton Resort (a shuttle bus runs every 20 minutes).
Contact details tel +1 561 447 3000, bocaresort.com.
Price Hotel guests: 18 holes US$160, nine holes US$110, twilight US$80 (nine holes); cart: 18 holes US$27, nine holes US$18.
Can I rent clubs? Top-of-the-range Nike: 18 holes US$60-85, nine holes US$45-60.
Club hours 0700-1800 (pro shop), tee times from 0730-dark.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities 18-hole course, 6,585 yards, par 72, driving range and practice area with target greens.
After golf Relax at the swimming pool, eat and drink at the Grille restaurant (1130-2200) in the opulent estancia-style clubhouse. The lunchtime buffet is excellent value for hungry golfers with no calorie issues.
Grande Oaks Golf Club
Where is it? Fort Lauderdale.
What's it like? Water, water everywhere: trust me, the overview on this one is more marina development than golf course. Grande Oaks opened in 1956, but it achieved immortality in 1980 as the swanky club at the heart of Caddyshack, the movie that starred Chevy Chase as a dissipated talent and Bill Murray as a greenkeeper who can't prevent a persistent gopher from tunnelling under the course. The job has now been done by Raymond Floyd in a recent megabuck redesign that allows
21st-century players to pursue their golfing dreams without interference from other animals.
Address 3201 West Rolling Hills Circle, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33328.
Contact details tel +1 954 916 2900, grandeoaks.com.
Price 18 holes US$102 (including buggy with GPS when available).
Can I rent clubs? Yes, US$50.
Club hours 0700-dark.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities 18-hole course, 6,905 yards, par 72. Nine-hole course (two sets of tees so playable as 3,100 yard par 36 regulation or par three executive), 30-tee driving range, 40-acre practice area. Instruction available at the Grande Oaks Learning Center. Precision Fit club analysis available. For more information, contact Jason Levoy or Scott Roland, tel +1 954 423 0897, email [email protected].
After golf Bar and restaurant in the "antebellum" clubhouse surrounded by 100-year-old oaks overlooking the signature 18th.
Deer Creek
Where is it? 18 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, 40 miles south of Palm Beach.
What's it like? A public facility that is deservedly popular with Florida folk. Laid out on rolling landscape in a leafy suburb five miles inland from the ocean, the course is well presented, with wide fairways, effective terrain shaping and huge greens. White ibis peck contentedly in rough that is kept to a minimum as a key part of the game plan to maximise green fees by moving play along at a brisk pace with the help of a constantly circling marshal. With little danger of losing the ball, the greatest challenge is to keep out of the canals that run alongside some of the holes on the front nine.
Address 2801 Country Club Boulevard, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442.
Contact details tel +1 954 421 5550, deercreekflorida.com.
Price Mornings: weekdays US$50-125, weekends US$95-135; afternoons US$45-125; twilight (1530) US$35-50. Green fees include buggy with GPS.
Can I rent clubs? Yes, US$50.
Club hours 0630-dark.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities 18-hole course, 7,050 yards, par 72, grass driving range, pitching area with 24 hitting stations to target greens, practice bunkers and putting green.
After golf The Key West-style clubhouse is surrounded by a veranda incorporating a patio restaurant with a waterfall. The Deer Creek Grille (1130-2100) offers a buffet lunch for US$10.95.
DAVE PELZ SCORING GAME SCHOOL
Where is it? 33 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, 25 miles south of Palm Beach.
What's it like? Dave Pelz is a NASA-trained scientist who applied his technical expertise to the dynamics of the golf swing with particular reference to the short game. Boca Raton is one of six schools across America peddling the message that 60-65 per cent of all swings are made within 100 yards of the hole so if you work on that aspect of your game, your scores are bound to improve. Extensively endorsed by such top pupils as Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, it was also confirmed by 14-year-old Robert Price from Cheshire, who reckoned he'd reduced his handicap from eight to three after a week in the school. Our one-day clinic concentrated on pitching, chipping and sand shots in the morning, with the afternoon dedicated to putting. Maybe a day wasn't long enough, but trying to put the Pelz theories into practice has led to greater confidence down the line.
Address Boca Raton Country Club, 501 East Camino Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432-6127.
Contact details tel +1 512 264 6851, pelzgolf.com. School reservations can be made through the Boca Raton Resort and Club (see above).
Price One-day course, Monday or Thursday, US$350 (0900-1600, including lunch); three-day course (Tuesday-Thursday/Friday-Sunday) US$2,490 (0800-1700).
Can I rent clubs? Yes (Callaway).
School hours 0800-1700.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities Five-acre practice area with a large functional clubhouse that is also used for training when it's raining.
After golf The Boca Raton Country Clubhouse is on the other side of the car park.
