Golf in
This country profile highlights some of the key aspects of golfing in .
About the Country
There is a lot more to Florida than sun, sea, golf and Disney - but not unsurprisingly, these are the major ingredients that most visitors are looking for, and they can be found in abandunce here in the Sunshine State. Dig a little deeper and Florida opens up into a spectacular nature park, with a fabulous variety of wildlife, flora and fauna - just waiting to be discovered on land or at sea. The southern part of the state has much in keeping with the tropical character of Latin America; in the north it is more related to the temperate nature of North America. Whatever your reason for coming to Florida (and golf is an important one for many people) the world seems to agree on one thing, this is a great place to have a vacation
About the Golf
As you can imagine, with many people retiring to this State and millions of foreign visitors every year, the abundance of golf courses is huge. The Jacksonville area, around Orlando, Miami, Palm Beach and the Tampa area all have clusters of courses to keep your golfing appetite truly satsified, outside these areas there is still golf, golf, golf. In this part of the world (as in much of the USA) golf clubs are often part of a real estate development, designed with the buggy user in mind. Long-ish distances between tee box and greens as well as the hot climate during most of the year, pushes most golfers to abandon the idea of walking the course. Availability of halfway houses and mobile catering will keep your energy level up and your stomach full during the round, after which someone will always be there to clean your clubs and relief you of a few dollars for this simple task.
Golf Good Points
The quality and number of courses is impressive in Florida, with many resort courses offering much more than just golf. Courses are generally well maintained and there's always a warm (and usually sunny) welcome for visiting golfers. Throughout Florida, golf is very much a year round pastime.
Less Good Points
For those who prefer to "walk the course", you'll not find too many opportunities to do this - buggies rule the fairways here in the US. What is also common, especially on busier courses or after lunch, are very long rounds (5 hours plus) with four balls not necessarily allowing two and three balls to play through them. Although the alligators found on golf courses are probably more afraid of us than we of them, they still look like a menacing proposition - the best advice is to give them a reasonably wide berth. Also be very careful of snakes in undergrowth - best to stay out of the bushes.
Golf - Booking
Tee times can generally be reserved any length of time in advance. Look out for special rates at golf clubs under common ownership and golf packages combining hotel accomodation and golf.
Weather
Year round golf. It can get a little cooler in December and January, although snow is exceptionally rare. Summer months can get very hot, but thats not something that stopped anyone playing golf.
Getting around
Touring around in the USA is made easy with the very developed motorways and road system, although good maps are sometimes hard to find locally. With many states the size of European countries, make sure you check on the map exactly how far your journey is ! New York to San Francisco, for example, will take you about three days !
Accomodation
There is always a city nearby with the usual array of American and international hotels. Household names like Marriott, Holiday Inn, Rennaisance, Hilton, Sheraton, Comfort Inns, etc. are to be found coast-to-coast.
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Currency
US Dollar
Language
English with Spanish also spoken in many communities.
Visit our Golf Course Guide for ratings, reviews and contact information for ?s main golf courses.
Useful Links
Global on-line accommodation finder service
Accommodation directory covering a wide range of hotels in the Best Western hotel chain.
America's Favorite Golf Schools, the #1 Choice in Golf School Vacations offering two, three and five day packages at over 50 locations across the United States.
The USGTF is the largest organization of strictly golf teaching professionals in the world with over 17,000 members
