PGA National Resort - Champion Course

Introduce some thick rough and long carries over water to turn my golf game to mush. A course like this venerable PGA Tour venue is my kryptonite. At one point during the round, I had lost so many balls that my caddie started collecting extra ones from the water hazards in case I ran out. The good news is I managed to survive both par 3s in the Bear Trap without losing a ball. Small victories on a course I consider among the toughest I've played in a while.

PGA national resort seems to exist on some kind of false reputation. “The Bears“ championship course is enjoyable and challenging. However, the resort and all the remaining courses are extremely overpriced and overhyped. The resort is next to impossible to work with and they continually screw up charges associated with rooms/golf. The other courses there Are typical Florida average at best courses. When we were there, every other course we played other than the championship course was a $75 track. Pools, saunas, restaurants have odd hours and are very understaffed. Yet, they are very costly for what you get. I will not recommend or go back. That’s just one guy‘s opinion.

It’s no secret why pros come to play golf here. The Champ course is a very hard course. When I was golfing here I almost made a hole in one on #15, I made a 4 so I only missed it by 3. My best score of the day. It was very fun. The rest of the golf course was not fun. I saw an alligator and it was big and frightening to me. They had big hot dogs in the restaurant and I drank three beers at lunch. Good thing the restroom is close to the restaurant. I had to go both #1 and 2 before driving back to my hotel. I had a coupon so I only paid $200 to play here. I played with 2 nice ladies and a grumpy old man. He had gray hair and smoked smelly cigars. After playing I went to the beach, it’s about 20 minutes from PGA National.

You should play here because pros play here a d the hot dogs are really big!

This is a tough course, designed in a way to be really punishing in the last 4 finishing holes as you can get really strong headwinds on holes with lots of water, with greens that are not very forgiving. The greens are deceivingly tricky, they roll pretty fast and are hard to read the breaks. I was in a scramble, and we could not drain most of our putts to save our lives. I would love to come back and play this course on my own and I expect it will eat my lunch. The price point to play is a little high though considering you could play at much much nicer and prettier courses in the area, like North Palm Beach and Sand Hill Crane. However, if you want to get a taste of what the pro's have to deal with, give the Champions a try.

The Champions course is a bit of a contradiction: Players here should be mentally prepared to navigate water hazards on 16 of the 18 holes. That being said, I found the course to be imminently playable, and most importantly, scoreable.

In addition to the abundance of H2O, there are pitfalls to avoid. Green side bunkers are deeper than most. Moreover, if you find yourself in one, you are often juxtaposed across from a closely-mown green side runoff, or another hazard. The best example of this is at the short par-4 fourth hole. It is cleverly designed. A fairway bunker down the left side of the fairway draws one’s eyes on the tee box. But there is a ton of room to the right. Playing ~330 yards from the blue tees, most players will try to blast driver or 3W over the bunker to get as close to the green as possible. Today, the pin was up front, placing a premium on the approach shot. With a metal wood off the tee, a player can find themself with a half shot in. The front half of this green is not designed for a half shot because you have to hit it high and stop it fast. A cavernous bunker sits right-front of green side and anything missing short or left rolls down into one of those tricky closely-mown collection areas. I think it is a better strategy to lay up off the tee (I hit 5 iron and had 130 yards in) so you can have a full shot in and spin it. Players in my group alternately hit their ball from the bunker to the collection area and back into the bunker. Another hit three putts trying to escape the collection area without it rolling back to their feet, before putting it into the bunker.

Hopefully, you are picking up that this is not a long course. It plays shorter than the listed yardage. The key to playing well is getting your ball into the right positions.

The greens were very quick. Pay close attention to the grain and trust your forecaddie’s reads.

Conditioning is great this time of year in anticipation of the looming Honda Classic.

The Bear Trap’s bark is a bit more than its’ bite, in my opinion. The tee shot at 15 is a little uncomfortable, but even with a back pin, it was still just a 9-iron. The 17th was merely a wedge. There are harder holes earlier on the back nine, particularly Nos. 11 and 14.

Finally, as enjoyable as my round was, the price to play here is a reach. Forecaddie fee is included in the rate, but gratuity is extra. For a greens fee north of $400, I’m not sure the value meets the experience. I suspect that this is largely a result of the booming conference and convention business that churns through the resort. It’s definitely an expense account destination.

Challenging due to water being in play on what seems like every shot. The greens are receptive and provide a fair test without being punishing, getting to the green is where the difficulty lies. Worth a visit by an true golfer.

It was everything you've seen on TV. Great condition. Great playing features for all levels of play.

Great place to play and definitely a bucket list item.

Wouldn’t recommend playing it in September though as the course wasn’t in perfect shape as March during the Honda Classic

What’s a real golf course ? The answer is the champ course, no mercy,no bail out, and tons of risk rewards opportunities!

One of my all time favorite tour stops and the after round pool is amazing!

Champions Course in great shape. Other courses needed work. Greens were very nice!!

Played practice round in 90 degee whether then when it was time to play 35 mph winds and in your face for the Bear Trap, still shot 83!!! Even through the bear trap.

I have been a member at PGA National for about 4 years and i have witnessed the quality of the courses dropping. New ownership took over the course and the club told everyone things were going to get better. Unfortunately, this is not true. The courses have all deteriorated and lately, its embarrassing. There are literally brown spots everywhere, and no one is spending time fixing the details (and this is not because it is the summer bc other public courses dont have the same problem, maybe try turning on the sprinklers and using some fertilizer) Eventually, the details become overwhelming. I have attached pictures of the condition of the Champion, which is the flagship course. In the past, the service, and hotel rooms were subpar, but now, the courses are being neglected as well. There is trash all over the course, theres brown spots everywhere, and the courses are not maintained like other public courses in the area. The club will charge guest $150-$175 to play the champ, and the greens are full of sand. It definitely doesn't play like a private course, it plays like a municipal course. Dont get me wrong, the layout is awesome, but the whoever is the greenskeeper, they need to address the details. I dont understand why they can't send two guys out during the day and have them fix up the little things that are no consistent with a private club, let alone a PGA tour stop. I heard the PGA tour threatened to take away the tour stop because the greens were in such bad shape for the Honda Classic. The club clearly cares more about making money then the members. Trust me when i tell you they are very good at taking your money, but they won't treat you like its a prime country club. Tons of members are leaving the club because the service is terrible, i am sure even more will leave bc of the conditions of the courses.. The champ range is not open half the time, and the club promised it would be for the members. The attitude of the employees are unacceptable and they act like you are bothering them. Something needs to happen and it needs to happen quickly. Look at the pictures i posted.

Sluggishly-paced round on a bucket list course was highlighted by stellar service from the pro shop staff, starter, cart attendant and beverage cart server. Ditto for staff for course snack bar, which offered tasty bar fare. The course? Well....from the blue tees, The Champ is not particularly stimulating visually nor it is especially tough, save No. 16 - the middle hole of the renowned Bear Trap - and No. 18. Back nine is more stout than front due to water hazards and placement of bunkers, several of which were concrete hard. The fairways and greens were brownish in spots with greens running a bit slow. Worth at least one trip around this very popular course, but not a second trek, unless the price is right.

PGA National is a huge resort with 5 courses. Today we played the Champions Course where the play the Honda Classic..it was a nice Course, but not too visually appealing. The course was in good shape and it was fun to play where the pros play.

Playing a round at PGA National's Champion Course is a bit like stepping into the ring with a boxer. You need to stay alert at all times, because if you take a temporary vacation, even for a single shot, you can get knocked down in a hurry. Surviving to the end with your wits about you is a victory in itself, and a rewarding one. It toughens you up, because if you can play well here, you can play well anywhere.

Also worth noting, the course's recent greens expansion has made approach shots a little more manageable, though the firmness of those new putting surfaces makes shots from the rough almost impossible to keep on the green. Drive it straight if you can.

The Florida weather destroyed the course. The staff offered many acceptable options but it was a bucket item list for me. So this review is not indicative of anything but bad weather. The entire PGA National experience more than made up for it. Pro shop to service staff....plain awesome!

Played this course over the past weekend and was so excited to tee it up where the pros play every year. We played the middle tees, and it was a good idea as I can see this course being very long, thus the championship caliber. Couldn't ask for a course in better shape and for being the prime track at the resort, there was little to no traffic. Bear Trap is a great experience, though for my money the 18th hole is just as difficult. Finishing the round right in the front of the great facilities at PGA National was a real treat and very special experience. Will definitely be back.

Extremely challenging and extremely hot outside but a ton of fun. Highly recommend this course. The staff was great, the course was in great shape, etc.

Thanks!