PGA National Golf Club, the home of the Professional Golfers' Association of America, is in the southeastern United States, located at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The golf facilities include five championship 18-hole courses, four within the main resort ground and another five miles (8Â km) west. The resort was acquired in August 2006 by Century Golf Partners in conjunction with Walton Street Capital, LLC and SCS Advisors, Inc.
Courses
- The Champion - The Champion course opened in 1981 on November 17. It was the site of the Ryder Cup in 1983, the PGA Championship in 1987 (won by Larry Nelson), and the Senior PGA Championship for 19 years, from 1982â€"2000. The course underwent a $4 million renovation in December 2002 and became the home of The Honda Classic on the PGA Tour in 2007. The tough three hole stretch of the par-3 15th, par-4 16th, and par-3 17th holes is known as "The Bear Trap," named after Jack Nicklaus, who is nicknamed the Golden Bear and redesigned the course.
- The Fazio - Originally the Haig Course, named for golfing great Walter Hagen. It was the first course opened for play at PGA National Resort, on March 4, 1980, then was renovated and renamed the Fazio upon opening in November, 2012.
- The Squire - The Squire is named after Gene Sarazen, the first golfer ever to win the professional Grand Slam. It opened on October 30, 1981.
- The Palmer - The Palmer, named for golf legend and course designer Arnold Palmer, was the last of the original four courses built at PGA National, opening on February 28, 1984.
- The Estate - The Estate originally opened in November 1984 as Stonewall Golf Club, and has been part of PGA National since August 28, 1988.
Earlier clubs
BallenIsles
The original PGA National Golf Club (1964â€"1973) in Palm Beach Gardens was nearby to the east and is now the BallenIsles Country Club. The Champions Course (now the East Course at BallenIsles) hosted the PGA Championship in 1971, won by Nicklaus in late February. It also was the site of eight consecutive Senior PGA Championships (1966â€"1973), and the original qualifying school tournaments for the PGA Tour.
Dunedin
An earlier PGA National Golf Club (1944â€"1962) was on the western side of the state at Dunedin, northwest of Tampa. Designed by noted architect Donald Ross (1872â€"1948), it opened 90 years ago in 1927 as a municipal course. Acquired by the PGA of America in 1944, the course was renamed and hosted the PGA Seniors' Championship for eighteen consecutive years (1945â€"1962). The PGA of America moved its national offices from Chicago to Dunedin in 1956, then sold its holdings in the course back to the city in 1962 and relocated to eastern Florida in 1965 at Palm Beach Gardens. Now the Dunedin Golf Club, the course was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Scorecard
References
External links
- PGA Resort.com - golf courses - official site
- PGA.com - PGA of America - official site
