On The Tee

The Fantastic Short Number 8 at the Wanamaker Course

 

PGA Village, Port St. Lucie:

Everything for Your Florida Golf Vacation.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

 

The nearly 400 miles of I-95 corridor along the  Atlantic coast  is blessed with dozens of distinguished golf resorts. Between the rocket launches at Cape Canaveral and the glitz and glamor of South Beach, the Treasure Coast city of Port St. Lucie is home to one of the truly special golf offerings in the Sunshine State. The PGA Village is a golfer’s paradise offering a remarkable stay and play experience along with a premiere residential golf community, should relocation or retirement to Florida be in your future. This most complete residential and resort golf complex has been a Florida favorite for nearly quarter century.

 

Widely known for its trio of acclaimed courses, a visit here is also a celebration of the PGA, its championships, and  the Ryder Cup. Clever branding pays tribute to the history and fine traditions of American professional golf throughout the visit. The complex is centered around a sprawling clubhouse and administrative center located at 1916 Perfect Drive; not coincidental that this number coincides with the year the PGA was founded. A remarkable trove of historical artifacts and memorabilia greet you as you enter the clubhouse, which can't help but excite you for a chance to savour the resort. Included in this fine collection are the trophies of the major championships and displays highlighting the greats who have triumphed on those stages over the decades.

 

Continuing the theme surrounding the origins of American professional golf, the club’s artfully designed public dining area, Taplow’s Pub,  is named after the New York city club where department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker, held the first meeting to create the PGA of America. The wide range of traditional breakfast or lunch options, some with a unique and flavorful twist are complimented nicely by a terrific selection of stone fired pizza, salmon, or ribeye steak to fill out the entre menu.  A quaint, charming and delicious dining experience will be had no matter which savory selections cross your taste buds.

 

The Challenging Finish at The Wanamaker Course

 

The complex is home to a 35 acre state of the art PGA Learning Center. Whether you are an aspiring champion golfer or looking to shave a few strokes of the handicap, the center has everything from high tech swing analysis, custom club fitting and on course instruction from certified professionals. The PGA short course, a six hole layout, complimentary to guests, is a  great place to work on your short game or spend some time as a family.  

 

The PGA Golf Club at PGA Village is a star attraction on your visit. Boasting three world-class courses designed by legendary architects Tom Fazio and Pete Dye, few resort golf experiences can compare. The facility is a golfer’s paradise. It is no surprise that a resort with the PGA moniker is home to Wanamaker and Ryder courses. Opened in 1996 as the North and South courses, an early rebranding came to pay tribute to these giants of the game. In 2000, Pete Dye put his stamp on the complex creating  one of his most challenging designs to compliment Fazios work. The trio have recently underwent a comprehensive turf enhancement program to provide a consistent  playing surface regardless of which of the three courses you select for your round. Each course offers six standard tee decks along with a variety of combo tees to provide golfers of every ability the most apporpriate and enjoyable golf experience possible.

 

Coming Home at The Ryder Course

 

Ryder Course: Widely considered the most playable of the trio, the Ryder course is named after Samuel Ryder, who lends his name to the biannual European and American links duel and the most coveted trophy that is awarded to the victors. The course is placed on a gently rolling canvas routed as a pair of loops, navigating  nearly a dozen ponds. The course provides wide driving corridors lined with statuesque pines and boasts a Carolinian feel to the experience. The large greens are accessible both through the air or along the ground making for a pleasant scorable round.

 

Wanamaker Course: Fazio’s other course, the Wanamaker, amps up the demands on your game with tighter fairways pinched with his typical framing bunkers and many lined from tee to green with ponds. The green complexes here are also more challenging, both in the approach shots they require and the deft touch required to navigate the slopes. Many are of the pushed up variety or heavily guarded by numerous deep bunkers or collection areas. The stretch from Number 6 - 9 epitomize these design characteristics, demanding length, accuracy and a skilled short game to navigate the beauty and challenge of these holes.

 

Pete Dye Course: Dye is best known for his eccentric design principles, featuring stark fall-offs, mounding and menacing strip and pot bunkering. All of these characteristics are featured in full force on this design routed along marshland and beautiful forested areas. The course, built in the links style, is typical to Dye’s designs placing a premium on all three parts of your game. Tee shots must be shaped to avoid hidden bunkers, approaches must contend with water and nasty green side bunkers and your putting stroke will be tested with the large heavily sloped greens. If you catch this round on a windy day, beware.

 

The Dye Course Filled with Challenge

 

As a member’s club, a “Stay and Play” package is your access point to all the premiere golf instruction, history and experiences  available at PGA Village. The entrance to the community  has numerous hotel options offering a range of accommodations, while those looking for a home away from home experience can chose one of the club's golf villas for your visit. Our stay was at the Hilton Garden Inn, conveniently located a par 5 from the bag drop at the club. The hotel offers upscale accommodations, a terrific dining option at Sam Snead’s Oak Grill and Tavern and relaxing pool and hot tub in the courtyard for a respite from a successful day on the links.    

 

As with most Florida golf experiences, The PGA Village is connected to a residential golf community experience. For those looking at a possible retirement or relocation option with full access to one of Florida’s truly great golf communities, the iconic brand extends to the neighboring PGA Verano development. Located adjacent to the PGA Golf Club, the existing gated community is centered around of the magnificent Club Talavera. The 40,000 sq. ft. clubhouse is both the cultural and  social hub of the neighborhood. This contemporary style complex is filled with an array of social spaces, indoor and outdoor activities and a fabulous  fitness center all providing a luxury resort feel for residents and their guests. Combined with access to the golf club and being a resident is the perfect choice for great golf and an active lifestyle community. Verano is currently in an expansion phase creating a brand new adult living extension to the existing neighborhood which is being built by Kolter Homes. The new development, branded with the Cresswind moniker is pre-selling and will provide access to all the amenities of the original community, but will be an adults only development. For those interested in a tour Kolter homes has a spectacular stay and play opportunity for those curious about the community and the possibility of joining the PGA Golf Club. A one night stay in one of their villas combined with golf and access to Club Talavera is the perfect way to explore the community and the outstanding amenities that are available.

Contact:

PGA Village

1916 Perfect Dr,

Port St. Lucie, FL

34986

1-800-800-GOLF

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