Golf Travel Guide To Florida's Historical Course - St Augustine, Ponte Vedra, & The Beaches

An Interview With Barbara Golden, Communications Manager

By Brian Weis

Looking to plan the perfect golf trip to Florida's Historical Course - St Augustine, Ponte Vedra, & The Beaches? Planning a buddies trip or a romantic golf getaway can be a full time job not to mention pressure filled to deliver a memorable experience. Below is an interview with Barbara Golden, Communications Manager who shares some insider information about golfing and traveling to Florida's Historical Coast, (St Augustine, Ponte Vedra), must play courses, a sample itinerary and where you can go for more planning tools.

Give our readers an overview of your destination and why they should consider it for their next golf trip?
History does not record whether Don Juan Ponce de Leon brought his clubs when his expedition may have landed in what is today St. Augustine. But a lot of visitors since 1513 have.

Part of what is called Florida's First Coast, stretches all the way along the Atlantic Seaboard from Amelia Island to Palm Coast, St. Augustine is in the middle of some of Florida's best golfing country.

What are the must play courses in St Augustine and Ponte Vedra?
Of course, golfers visiting the area can go just a bit further afield and find layouts that challenge the pros or touch base with history.

A top choice is a pilgrimage to the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass, home to THE PLAYERS Championship and home of the PGA TOUR. Built by renowned architect Pete Dye, the Stadium Course features the instantly recognizable 17th hole, a par 3 with its iconic "island" green. Dye's Valley Course, the sister course at TPC Sawgrass, was also designed by Pete Dye along with Bobby Weed and Consultant Jerry Pate and presents an equally challenging game.

Two more options with their own water-related dramatics await at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club. Positioned along the Atlantic Ocean and a network of lakes and lagoons, both the Ocean Course and the Lagoon Course feature undulating fairways and dramatic vistas.

The Ocean Course opened in 1928, giving the area its first resort golf experience. It was designed by British architect Herbert Bertram Strong, and has served as a site for U.S. Open qualifying.

The Lagoon Course is not as long - at 5,574 yards and par 70 - but the Robert Trent Jones design requires control and shot-making for success on its narrow fairways and small, fast greens.

What is the hidden gem and/or best value course?
The hidden gem in the area is the county operate golf course - St. Johns Golf Club.

The course is located just minutes from downtown St. Augustine, off 207 in Cypress Lakes, offering golfers 18 well-maintained, championship holes for players of all ages and skills. St. Johns Golf Club has been voted "Best of St. Augustine" and awarded Four Stars by Golf Digest!
www.sjcgc.com

After golf, what are the "must do" things or attractions to see?
St Augustine/Ponte Vedra has so much to offer. We have something for everyone except those looking to do some mountain climbing.

For Golfers
World Golf Hall of Fame is a "Must Do" attraction for any bucket list traveling golfer. The World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates the game, its history and its players. In addition, the museum honors the greatest contributors and players in the game through historical and interactive exhibits that include artifacts, photos and video. Several special exhibits open each year. They are currently featuring Grace & Grit: Women Champions Through the Years, Road to Rio: Golf's Return to the Olympics, and Honoring the Legacy: A Tribute to African-Americans in Golf. Plan up to four hours for your visit.
http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/

For History Buffs and Military Fans
Castillo de San Marcos National monument, the Castillo de San Marcos, is the oldest masonry Fort in the United States and the only standing 17th century military construction. It is also one of two forts built of coquina, a soft limestone composed of broken shells. This native material gave the Spanish a special advantage. Instead of cracking or collapsing, coquina walls absorbed or deflected enemy projectiles allowing the Spanish to guard their possessions and keep their people safe. This unique craftsmanship has been standing since 1695 and is continually admired by tourists today. The fort sits on a 20.5 acre national park where tourists can step inside the walls of the fort, hear cannons fly and attend live reenactments.
https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm

St. Augustine Distillery
Take a free tour of the St. Augustine Distillery and watch as they mix, mash, cook and distill small batch vodka, rum, gin and whiskey in a historically renovated ice manufacturing plant from 1917. You will learn about the history of ice and distilling in Florida, see their products being made, and then taste our small batch spirits for yourself in our tasting room. There's no charge and tours are every 30 minutes. Most restaurants in the area serve St. Augustine's spirits if a tour is not on your agenda. One of the top area drinks is a Florida Mule Drink - vodka, mashed ginger, squeezes of grapefruit, lime, pinch of mint mixed with seltzer and syrup.

Gift Shop Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 11am-6pm Tour Hours: Monday-Saturday first tour at 10:30am Sunday first tour at 11:30am http://staugustinedistillery.com/

San Sebastian Winery
San Sebastian Winery, founded in 1996 is located at 157 King Street, St. Augustine, Florida in one of Henry Flagler's old East Coast Railway buildings located just a few blocks from historic downtown. American wine, dating back to 1562.
https://www.sansebastianwinery.com/

For Shoppers
In St. Augustine's early days, St. George Street was the main street, and today the thoroughfare is still considered the heart of the city. Here, visitors find historic attractions and some of the restaurants, galleries, bakeries and shops for which the city is famous.

However, no trip to the Nation's Oldest City would be complete without time spent traversing some of the roads less traveled. St. George is just one of many enchanting streets that make up the city's historic downtown district.

For Those Looking To Stop The Aging Process
Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park Visit America's First Colony! Founded by Pedro Menendez on THIS ACTUAL SITE 42 years before Jamestown and 55 years before Plymouth Rock, The Fountain of Youth is the first settlement area in our Nation's Oldest City. There is so much to do here: Drink from Ponce's Spring of Eternal Hope, see Stars in our Planetarium, and visit the Timucua Indian Village of Seloy.
http://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/

For Foodies
Columbia Restaurant - St George Street
Family owned for over 100 years, Columbia has earned acclaim for Old World charm and award-winning Spanish/Cuban cuisine and wine. Enjoy century-old family recipes in their Mediterranean-style dining rooms, filled with hundreds of hand-painted tiles and Spanish-syle fountains. The Cuban sandwich is a must http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/

Catch 27 Restaurant
Looking for fresh Florida caught cuisine? Catch 27 features a menu based on the catch of the day. Their selection varies from Snapper to Sheepshead, Mahi Mahi to Triggerfish, and Flounder to Black Drum. Sea folk and Landlubbers will all find something they'll enjoy.
http://www.catchtwentyseven.com/

Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant - owned by the six Murray brothers including actor Bill. Caddyshack's motto is "Eat, Drink & Be Murray," and this American pub-style place is always fun and relaxed.
http://mbcshack.com/

For The Pirate In All Of Us
Pirate & Treasure Museum
The St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum offers complete interactive exhibits that transport visitors to the time of plundering pirates and swashbuckling adventures. In this museum, guests can experience what it was like to be a pirate in the famed Port Royal, Jamaica-a place where pirates were protected and easily traded among themselves and the natives in Jamaica. This unique collection of authentic pirate artifacts combines with elements of interactive technology to take visitors on an exciting adventure through the Golden Age of Piracy and the lives of that era's most infamous figures, some of whom attacked St. Augustine in the 17th century.
https://www.thepiratemuseumshop.com/

What is the best time to travel?
St Augustine is a year round golf and travel destination. However, there is a time of year when things do shine a little brighter. From mid-November through January each year the City of St. Augustine glows with holiday magic - from the ground to the rooftops. Selected by National Geographic in 2011 and 2012 as one of the 10 best holiday lighting displays in the world, St. Augustine's Nights of Lights feature millions of tiny white lights that create a magical atmosphere in the Nation's Oldest City.
This year, Nights of Lights "turns on" November 18, 2017, and continues nightly through January 31, 2018.
www.NightsofLights.com

Anything else you would like to share about the Florida's Historical Course - St Augustine, Ponte Vedra, & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau?

We have numerous lodging options:

Golf Resort
Renaissance World Golf Village Resort
The World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort is adjacent to the World Golf Hall of Fame. The resort features two championship golf courses (Slammer & Squire and King & Bear).
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/jaxbr-world-golf-village-renaissance-st-augustine-resort/

Bed & Breakfast
Pirate Haus Inn
The Pirate Haus Inn is a budget, family friendly Bed and Breakfast in the heart of historic St. Augustine, Florida. They offer 5 private guest rooms for golfers and weary travelers of all sorts. The Pirate Haus is located within walking distance of everything in downtown St Augustine, and is only a 10 minute drive to St Augustine or Velano Beaches.
https://piratehaus.com/

Ocean Resort
Ponte Vedra Inn & Club
The AAA Five-Diamond rated oceanfront resort brings to mind images of quiet opulence, grace, stateliness and history. Located on a sprawling beachfront site in northeast Florida, the historic Inn has offered a world of upscale accommodations paired with fine service and a wide array of leisure pursuits since its opening in 1928.
www.PVResorts.com

Where can golfers go for more information to research and plan their trip?
For more information about St Augustine and Pone Verde visit
http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/.

For more information about golf packages visit www.florida-golf.org

Revised: 11/08/2016 - Article Viewed 28,834 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.