PGA National Resort :
Palm Beach Gardens, Fl
Championship Golf at its Best in South Florida
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PGA National Resort & Spa
A little over an hour from Miami in Palm Beach Gardens just off Florida’s Turnpike and I-95 lies the newly revitalized $65-million PGA National Resort & Spa. Home of the PGA TOUR Honda Classic since 2007, it has been designated by Golf World Magazine in their 2010 rankings as among the top 50 golf resorts nation-wide. The AAA 4-Diamond resort has recently refurbished its 379 rooms with marble and granite bathrooms, 42-inch LG flat-screens, lush red carpeting accented by Asian maple wood furnishings, private balconies, high-speed internet access, and even provides pet-friendly rooms. Says VP and Managing Director Joel Paige, “PGA National Resort & Spa blends a new atmosphere of contemporary luxury with our grand history as one of the world’s greatest golf resorts.
The Legacy Continues
And the legacy confirms the praise: the 25th Ryder Cup Match in 1983; almost two decades of Senior PGA Championships won by “immortals” like Arnold Palmer (’84), Gary Player (’86,’88,’90), Jack Nicklaus (’91), Lee Trevino (’92, ‘94), and Raymond Floyd (’95); and this year’s Honda Classic with “hot” Colombian golfer Camilo Villegas posting an amazing -13 under par on The Champion course, highlighted by the “Bear Trap,” the super-difficult last three holes, nearly always buffeted by nasty quotients of wind, water and sand. The resort boasts four other courses: The Palmer, newly renovated, undulating and demanding; The Haig, the oldest and least watery; The Squire, short, exacting and bordering a wilderness reserve; and The Estates, with wider fairways and generous greens for the high handicapper.
Championship Golf
I played the Palmer and Champion with management and Matt and Juan, instructors for the resort’s world-famous David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Leadbetter, “Father of the Modern Golf Swing,” has retooled super-pros like Ernie Els (2008 Honda Classic champion), Phil Mickelson, and Vijay Singh. Golfers can also improve their chipping and putting short game at the adjoining Dave Pelz Scoring Game School. (There is even a state-of-the-art, club-fitting facility for guests with TrackMan launch monitors to analyze your ball flight.) Mercifully, during my threesome, Matt and Juan gave soothing encouragement to my flubs and mishits while praising the occasional well-struck drive and a spectacular but lucky 80-foot birdie chip into the hole on the Champion 9th. On the “Bear Trap” par-three 17th I used a 4 iron to reach 160 yards due to a 15-knot headwind, menacing lateral sand trap, and tiny waterside green. Despite a fine drive on the 556-yard 18th I fell into the treacherous left-side bunkers before closing my strenuous but exciting round.
Health & Wellness
To soothe the muscles it was off to The Spa and a quick soak in “The Waters of the World,” two outdoor pools with imported salt from Israel’s Dead Sea and Salies de Bearn in the French Pyrenées. Inside, the 40,000 sq. ft. facility houses 32 treatment rooms, boutique, full-service salon and café. Gülnur from Istanbul performed a very refreshing deep cleansing and purifying facial with natural marine products. In addition to Swedish, aromatherapy, shiatsu, hot stone, Thai, Reiki, and tandem massage, the Spa provides exotic tropical treatments like a star fruit sugar glow for dry skin, Hawaiian noni gel for sunburn, a bio-active seaweed wrap, and Moor Mud therapy.
Foodies Delight
The PGA’s new owners have taken former tired food and beverage venues and transformed them into attractive, hip locales. The lobby iBar exudes sports bar appeal with multi-screens, but dark woods and ecru bar stools make a strong appeal to a more sophisticated martini drinker as well as the 19th- hole beer stop. Adjacent, in their signature restaurant Ironwood Grille, newcomer Chef Gordon Maybury works his magic. After spending time in Miami Beach at the Loews and New York City at the Peninsula Hotel, he comes to the PGA National with plans to treat the patrons to his culinary wonders. You can be assured that Chef Maybury will take advantage of the best of the season. Menu items that will appear this season are Roast Pumpkin Soup with curry-lime yogurt; Salad of Roots and Fruits, Pan Seared Crab Cakes with chipotle aioli, tomatillo salsa, Pan Seared Scallops with sweet potato, wheat berries and fig jus - and the Stone Crab Salad with watermelon, avocado, white anchovies and blood oranges. The revamping of the menu is just the first of many changes that Maybury has planned for the resort (a small Irish pub is also in the works). So stay tuned, and book your table at the Ironwood today!
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Off-resort activities might include a quick 20-minute run to Jupiter to visit the bright red 105-foot Jupiter ....