PGA National Resort & Spa

I played the blue/white tees and found the course to be challenging and fun. Staff was great. Definitely coming back

This is a typical Florida resort course: flat, monotonous holes with houses/condos lining them.

It is the lack of imagination within the course that makes me surprised Fazio has his name attached to it.

The conditioning leaves a lot to be desired and is nowhere near what is found at the resort’s signature Champions course. With a price tag of $250, I am shocked they get that for a round. I can only conclude that it is a result of the conference/convention business that constantly runs through the resort. I would pass on a round here unless you are on an expense account.

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.

If you can play here, you should. It was a solid course with good conditions. Finished right at 4 hours. It was the only course at PGA I played, so I can’t compare to any others. The pro shop staff was great and the member I was paired up with was great, bag drop staff not so much. They had no interest in helping me unload my minivan rental when sports cars are pulling up at the same time LOL! Which would have been fine if they were all busy but a couple were just talking with each other.

It's a great golf course to play. Too bad the course was still after a week-long rainy forecast. I will definitely go back when the weather subsides.

Perfect , safe and fun. The course is hard to find on Golf now so it was a special treat!!

It had rained the night before with rain for a few days before. The course was very wet. It was cart path only. I probably walked over 10 miles. I love the course more when it is dry.

This was a great overall experience. Course is in great condition and is well suited for every level of player. Challenging but fair. They’re still struggling to wrap their heads around the Covid thing but they seem to be trying. We will definitely be back.

No rakes and no holing out and pulling the flag. Actually a great idea in today’s climate. Was a bit of a different experience, but at least we were out hitting some shots. Course is in decent shape and greens were very nice. No complaints.

Although the course was in good shape it is 6-7 miles away from the main PGA facility. So you are not playing at PGA but farther down the road clubhouse is spartan staff friendly and course in decent shape. Overall a good value .

Everyone has a different opinion of a course based on their skill level and conditions on the day they play. Our day was very , very windy with gusts over 30 mph which made shot making somewhat difficult. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the practice area was ample and allowed for practicing all phases of your game. The course layout was probably typical of a Florida course with above average course conditions for a public course. The greens, oh yeah, the greens!! I would not consider them large , but they were not small either and they were in great shape. And .... they were fast. Take the time to use the practice putting area to get the feel and pace. There is water on the course and it comes into play if you spray the ball. All in all, good day of golf.