The Courses

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The Champion
Could any professional golfer be better qualified to provide a hole-by-hole description of the Champion Course at PGA National than Raymond Floyd? The Miami-based professional played the course in the 1983 Ryder Cup Matches and the 1987 PGA Championship. Floyd was victimized by the precarious Bear Trap holes in the final round of the 1994 PGA Seniors' Championship.

The Champion Course completed a $4.1 million dollar renovation in December 2002. The renovated golf course, done in partnership with Jack Nicklaus famed Nicklaus Design Team, included the installation of a state of the art irrigation system, which provides a 96 percent efficiency to conserve water, a new cart path system, bunker renovations, tree removal and replacement and extensive drainage system redesign and lastly, new grassing of the entire course. The Champion practice range was enlarged with numerous targets added to better serve golfers.

The Champion course provides players with the finest playing services available worldwide and the challenge of a course ranked in the top 5% of the most challenging courses in Florida and the top 10% in the United States.
 

The General
The General Course was the last of the four courses built with the PGA National Development. Dedicated on February 28, 1984, "The General" is named for its gallery appealing designer, Mr. Arnold Palmer. Arnold Palmer attacked golf courses with an unharnessed fury. His style of golf is legendary.

His character, his charisma and his "charges" won him a legion of followers throughout the world. "The General" is dedicated to his honor, the leader of an army of golf enthusiasts and to his tireless effort to them and to the game of Golf.

The General Course favors the Scottish tradition with its links layouts, undulating fairways, numerous grass bunkers and the sharing of a common green by Holes No.8 and 12.
 

The Haig
The Haig Course was the first course opened for play at PGA National Resort on March 4, 1980. The course was named in honor of Walter Hagen. Known affectionately as "The Haig," he became an international legend through his accomplishments in golf, including five PGA of America Championships. Mr. Hagen was always telling folks they should "stop and smell the roses," so as a tribute to him, rose bushes bloom at the 150 yard markers on the course.

In designing the Haig Course, Tom and George Fazio's goal was to create an outstanding quality course that would be playable for all types of golfers. The major design factor relates to the location of water hazards. A careful study of the course reveals there are no crossing water hazards. This means the golfer always has the option of playing around rather than through a water hazard, eliminating a major obstacle for the high handicap golfer. The 9th and 18th Holes return to the Clubhouse area, thus enabling 9 Hole play on the course and No. 1 and No.10 Tee starts as needed.
 

The Squire
The Squire, opened on October 30, 1981, is named after the immortal Gene Sarazen, who has set standards in golf that are looked upon today with the greatest admiration. Nicknamed the "Squire," he is as much a part of golf history as anyone that has played the game. He was a true competitor who became the first person ever to win the professional "Grand Slam" - the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters. His actions on and off the course have always been exemplary. He stands today as a credit to all who have enjoyed the game.
Tom and George Fazio, designers of the course, refer to the "Squire" as "the thinking man's course," requiring the golfer to test his/her accuracy with fairway woods and/or long irons off many tees and precise short iron shots into the greens. The links layout is the shortest yardage, but plays the narrowest of the PGA National Golf Club courses.
 

The Estate
The Estate Course was originally opened in November, 1984, as Stonewall Golf Club. On August 28, 1988, Mr. Llwyd Ecclestone, Jr. purchased the existing 18 Hole Golf Course. The Estate Course has its own Practice Range, Practice Bunker and Practice Putting Green for players to warm-up and hone their skills.

Distinguishing The Estate Course is the serene Florida Landscape. The golfer will find a masterful mixture of sand and water, while playing on lush green fairways and greens which wind through the open meadows, lined with Florida Pines and subtropical foliage.
 

The Academy of Golf at PGA National - PGA National Resort & Spa is the home of The PGA of America and to the nation's most comprehensive golf schools. The Academy of Golf combines the game's physical and mental aspects into one complete program designed to make you a better golfer, regardless of your present skill level. We offer the country's top instructors, the finest curriculum, the ultimate teaching facility and the latest technology to help you play a lifetime of better golf.

Instruction is presented in a unified, simple and understandable manner. You'll have a foundation built on sound fundamentals, based on over 15 years of biomechanical research. The result is consistently longer, straighter drives, radar-precise irons and spectacular recoveries from every conceivable lie.

Our instructors recognize that each student is unique. You will be tested to determine your physical characteristics, attributes and limitations. From this information, your most energy-efficient swing will be developed. With step-by-step supervised instruction, you'll develop a golf swing that suits you and your game. At the Academy of Golf, we tailor a program that builds on each student's strengths, resulting in swing mechanics that work for you, not against you, matching your technique with your physique.

If your aim is to raise your expectations and lower your scores, trust your game to the pros who teach the pros.
 

About the Programs

The Academy of Golf features the lowest student-to-instructor ratio in the business, guaranteeing maximum individualized attention. Each student is grouped according to his or her skill level and taught a specially designed program suited to that level.

The Academy of Golf utilizes high-tech video and computer systems to analyze every aspect of a student's game, from driving to putting, taking all the guesswork out and helping the staff of experts get to the root of the problem. We put each student through specially-designed stroke and swing enhancement machines, exercises and drills, all of which help create needed muscle memory.

With each program, the student will receive a complete instruction manual and videotape, as well as a personalized practice program. Each day, after the formal instruction is completed, students have the option of remaining at the learning center to work on their game or play golf on one of PGA National's five championship golf courses.