PGA National - Estates Course (Palm Beach Gardens,FL)

PGA National has five 18 hole courses and the Estates Course is the only one off property. It was designed by Karl Litten in 1984. From my research, Litten was one of Gary Player’s design associates and had a hand in multiple golf courses. He was also instrumental in designing courses on the Arabian Peninsula, with a couple of them hosting the European Golf Tour. 

(The 478/440 yard par five fifth is my favorite hole on the course. The tiger golfer can take on the challenge and reach it two. The casual player will need to hit a solid shot to carry the pinch point and place it in the fairway before the water.) 

Overall, the Estates course is relatively nondescript.

It’s your typical Florida course, a combination of water, sand, and OB stakes. The only thing of interest was the way Litten crowned the greens near the edges so the ball spun off and away from the hole. Of course the greens are well bunkered with shoulders poking into the putting surface. I found them to be difficult to read. I wish there was more to discuss, but the course possesses several things that I don’t like, mainly the soft soil under the fairway grass. The ball splatters as soon as it smashes into the ground. Definitely not a course to play in the rainy season. The greens did roll beautifully which is why I give it a higher rating than my review suggests. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(I didn’t seen any gators here but when we played the Champion Course, there were several 10-12! footers.) 

[Weather always has an impact on my game, and when there’s no roll, and the course is playing 10-15% longer, I will struggle. I shot 83, my buddy Joby shot 83, and our host Ed drained a 12 footer on the last hole to shoot 82 and win the money.]