(The 172/161 yard par three seventeenth is the last leg of the Bear Trap. Shaped like an artist’s palette, the green is a wide target with a very little narrow pinning position on the front left. Everything about the shot screams center of the green as trouble lurks everywhere. Par is a most welcome score.)
The Champions was always destined to be a tournament course. Two years after opening, it held the 1983 Ryder Cup won by the Americans 14.5-13.5. Seve Ballesteros hit a 245 yard three wood out of the bunker on 18 to secure par and get a half point for the Euros. It’s considered one of the best shots he ever hit. Then in 1987, the PGA Championship was staged with Larry Nelson winning with a -1 total. He beat Lanny Wadkins in a playoff. Both men missed the green on the first extra hole, and only Nelson was able to salvage par. In 2007, the Honda Classic made PGA National its permanent home. After years of struggling to get a quality field, the move here has enticed the best players. The winning score is typically in the single digits, and has reinforced the course’s reputation as being tough.
(The 171/138 yard par three fifth has plenty of short grass to bail out if one is uncomfortable with the shot. Pin position is determines whether to be aggressive or not.)
Like most tour courses, the Champions is a pretty straight forward test. It’s difficulty stems from a stern set of greens that are very slick. If one is not careful, a putt can get away pretty quickly. Anything over twenty five feet poses a threat of three putting, especially if it’s downhill. The biggest challenge however is the one not seen…wind. It dictates everything. The ability to decipher direction and strength is of the utmost importance. With the preponderance of water and sand, mishits are abruptly punished. It’s possible to hit the ball well and still make double bogey. That’s the rub here.
(Tee shots such as this one are a common theme. Understanding your ball flight and desired line is key.)
Most golf aficionados point out the lack of any substantial architectural features and the abundance of water and sand along with the flat terrain as a negative, but as an example of aerial golf, PGA National is spot on. The holes bend as oppose to dogleg, so ball flight and driving lines need to be precise to land in the fairway. The slick greens are very difficult to approach from the rough. Specific pin positions demand a high spinning shot to access them. On the par four fourth, the back right pin was backdropped by a ten foot swale. A couple guys in our group had no chance to stop it. The par five sixth had a bilevel green where the right is higher than the left. It was a difficult shot to stop it on that level, so one must decide either risk being aggressive or hit to lower left and take the chance of two putting up the slope.
(The 404/360 yard par four ninth plays slightly uphill to this angled green hidden behind the bunkers. The right side of fairway opens up the approach shot.)
(Water hazards are more than just ball eating penalty areas at PGA National…
…they are hazardous in every sense of the word. Most gators are pulled from the ponds and taken to the sanctuary, but they always seem to find their way back.)
Most casual golf fans know PGA National for its famed finish called the “Bear Trap”. It’s holes 15-16-17 where two par threes bookend a tough par four. (I don’t know why 18 isn’t included. It’s one of the best holes on the course and is a fantastic finish) Both par threes play over water and generally at the same yardage. During the tournament, the player who keeps his emotions in check and hits quality shots is the one who wins. Getting too aggressive can lead to disaster.
(The 179/153 yard par three fifteenth has a generous green but a pin cut in the back right goads the player into hitting a shot that shouldn’t be attempted.)
(The 434/391 yard par four sixteenth plays straightaway before angling right to a green across the water. The fairway narrows the further one hits it off the tee, and keeping it on the right shortens the approach. A conservative tee shot will leave a long approach to well bunkered green.)
PGA National has its negatives but it has nothing to do with the golf course. The complex has five courses, a spa, and a hotel, but not very good signage. We had to ask where the clubhouse was. Once we found it, they had a valet service, which if one chooses not to do, translates into walking a quarter mile from the self parking lot. Finally, I wanted a logo ball but was told I had to buy an entire sleeve. I asked if they could just break up the sleeve and they said they couldn’t. Perplexing.
(This view looking back to the tee on the 464/420 yard par four fourteenth. Note the narrow opening and the shoulder of the bunker. Tough shot to get close.)
The final hole is a terrific par five. On tv, it comes across as a cape style hole, but it’s really a reverse “s” where the long hitter must carry the corner to have a shot at going for it in two. If one is playing as a three shotter, then it’s not that difficult unless the pin is against water on the right. Otherwise, there’s plenty of fairway to lay up for short iron approach.
(The tee shot on the 556/527 yard par five eighteenth is to a generous landing area. Of course the pros are taking it over the left trap 305 yards away…
…(yes the rain came pouring down when I took this pic.) the front right is hard against the water. The rear is pretty open as is the front. Note that it’s all carry to reach it two.)
In the six years I’ve been coming to south Florida, PGA National is the finest course I’ve played on the Atlantic side. While there are homes here, there’s no awkward doglegs or goofy looking mounds. It’s a clean design with a classic profile. The course is in great shape and the greens roll at 12 on the stimpmeter. I enjoyed my round very much but value wise it’s a bit overpriced. I think it’s a good $100-125 course, not the $185 that they charge. If you can get this at the rate I think is fair, then take advantage and play a truly PGA Tour level golf course. I give PGA National Champions a 6 (very good)(worth driving 2 hours to play).
(The pros expect the best and PGA National offers a terrific practice range and facility.)
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