PGA National Resort and Spa

PGA National Resort & Spa is a resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It has five championship 18-hole golf courses,[2] the most famous of which is "The Champion", which has hosted the Ryder Cup once, the PGA Championship once, and the Senior PGA Championship for 19 consecutive years between 1982 and 2000, but is currently best known as being the host of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic since 2007.

PGA National Golf Club
Club information
Coordinates26.829°N 80.141°W / 26.829; -80.141
LocationPalm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Elevation16 feet (5 m)
Established1980, 41 years ago
TypePublic
Owned byBrookfield Asset Management
Total holes90
Tournaments hostedThe Honda Classic
(2007-present)
Senior PGA Championship
(1982-2000)
1987 PGA Championship
1983 Ryder Cup
Websitepgaresort.com
The Champion
Designed byGeorge & Tom Fazio
redesign: Jack Nicklaus
Par72
Length7,048 yards (6,445 m)
Course rating75.2
Slope rating148 [1]
The Fazio (formerly The Haig)
Designed byGeorge & Tom Fazio
redesign: Tom Fazio II
Par72
Length6,806 yards (6,223 m)
Course rating73.4
The Squire
Designed byGeorge & Tom Fazio
Par72
Length6,465 yards (5,912 m)
Course rating72.1
Slope rating140
The Palmer
Designed byArnold Palmer
Par72
Length7,079 yards (6,473 m)
Course rating74.6
Slope rating141
The Estates
Designed byKarl Litten
Par72
Length6,694 yards
Course rating73.1
Slope rating134

It has been home to the Professional Golfers' Association of America since the resort's establishment, but the PGA has announced that it will move to new headquarters in Texas in summer 2022.[3]

The resort also includes 339 hotel rooms, nine restaurants and lounges, a 34,000-square-foot conference wing, a 40,000-square-foot spa, 33,000-square-foot health and racquet club with 19 tennis courts, a golf digest academy and a members club.[4] It was sold by the developer, E. Llwyd Ecclestone Jr., to Walton Street Capital in 2006 for $170 million, before being sold again in 2018, to Brookfield Asset Management for $218m.[5]

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 1982–2000. The course underwent a $4 million renovation in December 2002 and became the home of The Honda Classic on the PGA Tour in 2007.[6] 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 course was to host the 2018 Governor Cup for the first time in its history.[7]
  • 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 Estates - The Estates 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 (1964–1973) 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.[8][9] It also was the site of eight consecutive Senior PGA Championships (1966–1973), and the original qualifying school tournaments for the PGA Tour.[10][11]

Dunedin

An earlier PGA National Golf Club (1944–1962) was on the western side of the state at Dunedin, northwest of Tampa. Designed by noted architect Donald Ross (1872–1948), it opened 94 years ago in 1927 as a municipal course.[12] Acquired by the PGA of America in 1944,[13][14] the course was renamed and hosted the PGA Seniors' Championship for eighteen consecutive years (1945–1962). The PGA of America moved its national offices from Chicago to Dunedin in 1956,[15] then sold its holdings in the course back to the city in 1962 and relocated to eastern Florida in 1965 at Palm Beach Gardens.[14] Now the Dunedin Golf Club, the course was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.[16]

Scorecard
PGA National Golf Club - The Champion
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Black 75.2 / 148 3654375383761714882264274043432 54545042738846517943417255636167048
Gold 73.4 / 145 3604195163561524792064013863275 52542540837044216341216154634526727
Blue 71.8 / 138 3453934953361384681863813603102 50839538733542015339115552732716373
White 69.9 / 129 3393614803181214531693343422917 47634637732341114335313150730675984
Handicap Men's 9113131711575 84141012162186
Par 44543534436 5444434353672
Red 71.7 / 136 308302424285883781412893112526 41126029328636711032511145626195145
Handicap Women's 7531117115139 61410241612188

References
  1. "Course Rating and Slope Database™: PGA National - The Champion". USGA. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  2. PGA Resort and Spa - golf courses
  3. "PGA of America moving headquarters from Florida to Texas". ESPN. Associated Press. December 4, 2018.
  4. "Walton Street Capital buys PGA National". South Florida Business Journal. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  5. Bandell, Brian (31 December 2018). "Brookfield under contract to buy PGA National Resort & Spa for $255M". The Real Deal. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  6. "The Champion Golf Course | Best Golf Courses in the US". www.pgaresort.com.
  7. "Announcing "PGA National Resort" to be added to course list". July 28, 2014.
  8. Loomis, Tom (March 1, 1971). "Jack the giant killer - 2nd PGA falls to Nicklaus". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 15.
  9. Jenkins, Dan (March 8, 1971). "Dominance of the Smiling Bear". Sports Illustrated. p. 22. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  10. "Tournament Info for: 1971 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  11. "Club history". BallenIsles Country Club. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  12. Rosenfeld, Jeffrey (January 14, 2012). "Historic Local Golf Course Set to Celebrate 85th Anniversary". Patch.com. (Dunedin, Florida). Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  13. "History 1940-1949". PGA of America. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  14. "History 1960-1969". PGA of America. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  15. "History 1950-1959". PGA of America. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  16. "National Register of Historic Places Listings: Weekly List". National Park Service. June 13, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2017.


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