South Florida Golf

[Elanda26]

Hi, Heading down to South Florida in a few weeks and playing 3-4 rounds. Was wondering if anyone had thoughts on this list of courses (Which to play, favorite ones, best conditions, which to avoid, am I missing any? My goal is to stay within an hour or so of Boca Raton. 

Thanks in Advance

[dam276]

Grew up down there, so still go back frequently. IMHO:

 

1. Crandon - great track, my favorite in Miami or Broward. It’s a hike with no traffic, and the golden glades is undefeated. That said, I always try and make time to fit in a round here when I’m in town.

 

2. The Park - walk and take a caddie if it’s in your budget. Have never seen geofencing on carts tighter. Great vibes, and a cool facility all around.

3. Palm Beach Par 3 - every hole is <200yds, but you’re on the water the whole time (inter-coastal or ocean). Sneaky good restaurant above the pro shop too.

 

4. North Palm Beach - great track, all the course you want. Usually jammed and conditions are intermittently great/spotty, but can’t go wrong here.

 

5. Palm Beach National - fun layout, great vibes, awesome range. Conditions are usually pretty good, but wouldn’t be excited to play the day or 2 after it rains.

 

6. Jacaranda - overpriced imo, but you can play the West and have a blast or the East and get beat up. Both usually in great shape.

 

7. PGA Village - 3 good courses, but the place has steadily gone downhill from a mgmt perspective (btwn the employees and the timeshare owners you feel like you’re supposed to be thanking them to be there). Conditions are consistently pure though.

 

8. Park Ridge - built on a reclaimed landfill, it’s an unusual layout for a FL golf course. Conditions can be spotty, but a lot of fun to play. Obviously don’t go near the water..

Not opposed to Hammock (pretty but pricey), Abacoa (total crapshoot on conditions), Deer Creek (usually pure but boring layout and $$$), or Plantation (super busy always) either, just not above the others.

Edited March 6 by dam276

[Elanda26]

Thank you for this! Have you played Doral Red Tiger or Silver Fox? Curious for thoughts on those. 

Edited March 6 by Elanda26

[dam276]

56 minutes ago, Elanda26 said:

Thank you for this! Have you played Doral Red Tiger or Silver Fox? Curious for thoughts on those. 

Zero bid to be political, but they’re not worth the money or the drive. The resort is beautiful, the conditions are great, but not worth $350+ imo

[Elanda26]

Ok, thanks! I saw times for $247 after 1 pm that I could book. Worth it at that price point, or can I get better for that money? Crandon or the park over them once I am paying that money?

[Miker20890]

Played silver fox back in 2019. I remember it being water everywhere. But conditions were great. Not sure I’d pay 250 for it unless you just want to be at the resort. 

[LongNwrong27]

On 3/6/2025 at 11:12 AM, dam276 said:

Zero bid to be political, but they’re not worth the money or the drive. The resort is beautiful, the conditions are great, but not worth $350+ imo

I wouldn’t say the conditions are great. Played golden palm yesterday and thought conditions were downright horrible for a 300+ dollar round. Multiple greens had bare spots and patched areas. Greens were overall not smooth and somewhat inconsistent speed wise. Course was nothing special, could be any typical water lined course in Florida.  It’s also kinda hilarious to pay 20 bucks to park like a quarter mile from the golf courses , just a weird setup. 
 

I played the park on Thursday and it was a 10x better experience. Even if someone is staying in Miami or Miami Beach I would rather drive to the park than pay ridiculous amounts of money for overrated doral courses. 
 

Osprey point in Boca is another good option if you can get a time. Much better value for golf than doral. 

[Elanda26]

On 3/8/2025 at 7:57 PM, doctor220 said:

I wouldn’t say the conditions are great. Played golden palm yesterday and thought conditions were downright horrible for a 300+ dollar round. Multiple greens had bare spots and patched areas. Greens were overall not smooth and somewhat inconsistent speed wise. Course was nothing special, could be any typical water lined course in Florida.  It’s also kinda hilarious to pay 20 bucks to park like a quarter mile from the golf courses , just a weird setup. 
 

I played the park on Thursday and it was a 10x better experience. Even if someone is staying in Miami or Miami Beach I would rather drive to the park than pay ridiculous amounts of money for overrated doral courses. 
 

Osprey point in Boca is another good option if you can get a time. Much better value for golf than doral. 

Thank you for this! And i was thinking about playing the park instead if I can get a tee time. Worth the price? Curious to ehar all the thoughts you're willing to share about your experiance there. 

[LongNwrong27]

7 hours ago, Elanda26 said:

Thank you for this! And i was thinking about playing the park instead if I can get a tee time. Worth the price? Curious to ehar all the thoughts you're willing to share about your experiance there. 

Yes, the park is great and worth it IMO. The conditions were quite a bit better than doral in my opinion with the greens being substantially different and better. The layout is also way more interesting. It’s very open off the tee which is particularly good for a trip course if you’re in your offseason. 
 

they have a 9 hole short course which has lights as well as a putting course so could add those in to your plans for your visit or do palm beach par 3 as well while you’re in the area. 

[courcy75]

While Crandon is a fun track, it's one of the most overpriced public courses around and if the wind is up (usually is) it can be a nightmare based on tee selection.  

[alf05d]

On 3/21/2025 at 9:12 AM, courcy75 said:

While Crandon is a fun track, it's one of the most overpriced public courses around and if the wind is up (usually is) it can be a nightmare based on tee selection.  

 

Crandon at full price ($225) is insane. If you purchase the annual Patron Card for $99, the round goes from $225 down to $125 which is much more reasonable. And the Patron Card pays for itself after the purchase of one round.

Edited March 25 by alf05d

[courcy75]

On 3/25/2025 at 11:00 AM, alf05d said:

 

Crandon at full price ($225) is insane. If you purchase the annual Patron Card for $99, the round goes from $225 down to $125 which is much more reasonable. And the Patron Card pays for itself after the purchase of one round.

Agreed. I just refuse to play in Miami right now. It's pathetic. Shula's should be really good after the renovation but it was 130+ before the reno so the new price should be laughable. 

[Jpg2esq]

Once shulas is up and running it may help things.  Played with some members a few weeks ago and they are very excited about it, especially fixing the flooding issues that closed the place when it rained.