While Scottie Scheffler is having one of the greatest seasons in PGA Tour history, he’ll have to keep his foot firmly on the gas to keep Xander Schauffele in the rear view. With his second major victory of 2024 at the Open Championship, Xander positioned himself to pull neck and neck with Scottie for Player of the Year if he can close with a couple of wins and add a FedEx Cup to his mantelpiece.
Scheffler and Schauffele: Making History
Scheffler has recorded 5 tour wins, a major championship and 2 major Top-10’s, while Schauffele has won 2 major championships with 2 major Top-10’s. Neither has missed a cut, and Scottie has recorded Top-10’s in 14 of 16 starts (87.5%) while Xander has 12 Top-10’s in 18 starts (66.6%).
History in the Making
Only a few times in history have two players performed at the level of brilliant consistency displayed by Scheffler and Schauffele in the 2024 season—and of course we have to look at Jack and Tiger to provide perspective
Jack and TigerSet The Standard
In addition to their major championships, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods set a standard for consistent excellence that would seem impossible to replicate—yet Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of doing just that.
The Rivalries
Jack and Tiger were challenged and pushed by a number of All-Time Top 100 players who would also earn their place in the Hall of Fame, creating intense rivalries that elevated their games to even greater heights.
Early in his career Jack clashed with Arnie and Player, followed later by legendary battles with Weiskopf and Watson.
Tiger and Phil went at it hammer and tongs for a decade and more, Vijay recorded 92 Top-10’s between 2001 and 2006, while Ernie Els had one of his greatest seasons in 2004—all when Tiger was at the pinnacle of his power.
When Scottie and Xander tee it up this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis for the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, we will have the opportunity to see two players destined to be among the greats of the game at peak performance with the richest prize in golf history on the line.
Of course, there are other elite players who have no intention of allowing Scottie and Xander to steal the show, including Rory as he looks to redeem his 2024 season with a fourth FedEx Cup.
Through the annals of golf history, however, it is extremely rare to have two players performing at such a high level in the same year—so the next three weeks is a sure bet to deliver some pretty fantastic golf.
The buzz surrounding Scottie Scheffler’s fantastic season keeps getting louder every time he tees it up—but where does the ultra-hot start to his ’24 season stack up against some of the greatest seasons of all-time?
Through his first 10 starts, Scottie has recorded 4 wins, including The Players and The Masters, with 9 Top-10 finishes. After taking a look through the record books, Scheffler’s opening run in the ’24 season ranks at the very top since 1960—with only Tiger (of course) putting up a comparable record through the first 10 starts of the year in his monumental 2000 season.
Tiger: The Greatest Year
Tiger 2000
With 9 victories including 3 Major championship wins and a T5 at The Masters, the 2000 season was undoubtedly the greatest of Tiger’s amazing career. His first 10 starts that year couldn’t match what he did in the second half of the season (winning all three majors), but it was fantastic just the same with 9 Top-10’s including 4 wins and 4 runner-up finishes.
Although Tiger recorded the same number of wins with 3 more runner-up finishes and a slightly better average finish, he was 2nd in The Players and 5th at The Masters (Scheffler won both), so you have to give Scottie the nod by an eyelash.
Jack 1963
Although Nicklaus never had a “monster” year like Tiger in 2000, he had a ton of great ones to choose from—so we picked 1963 out of the hat. Jack finished the year with 5 wins, including The Masters and The PGA Championship along with 17 Top-10’s.
Jack Nicklaus
In his first 10 starts of ’63, Jack recorded 9 Top-10’s with 3 wins including The Masters, but Scheffler also won at Augusta and notched one more win—and it happened to be The Players, so once again it’s Scottie by a whisker.
Arnie 1961
Arnie had a tremendous year in ’61, making the cut in 25 of his 26 starts with 21 Top-10’s and 7 wins, including the Open Championship. He also recorded a runner-up at The Masters and a T5 at the PGA—while constantly having to look over his shoulder at Jack.
Arnie
It’s tough to have a great year without getting off to fast start, and Arnie did just that in ’61 with 9 Top-10 finishes in his first 10 starts including 3 wins. Unfortunately, Palmer missed the cut in the first tournament of the year at the LA Open, and then came heartbreak at the Masters when he made double on 18 to lose by a shot to Gary Player—so Arnie comes up just shy of Scottie’s run as well.
Johnny Miller
Johnny Miller
Perhaps the greatest iron player of all-time, Miller had his best year in 1972. Johnny made the cut in 20 of 22 starts with 13 Top-10’s and recorded 8 wins that year, and started the season sizzling hot with 3 consecutive wins (Crosby Pro-Am/Pebble Beach, The Phoenix Open and The Tucson Open).
Through his first 10 events, Johnny recorded 6 Top-10’s with 4 wins—a fantastic start to the season. As great as Johnny was at the start of ’72, it pales in comparison to what Scottie has done in 2024—and provides some perspective on just how good Scheffler has been this year.
Vijay Singh: 9 wins at 41
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh played his first year on the PGA Tour at 30 years old, and had his greatest season in 2004 at the age of 41. In 29 starts, Vijay recorded 18 Top-10’s with 9 wins including The PGA Championship at Sahalee, while missing the cut just once.
In the first 10 starts of ’04 Vijay was terrific, making the cut in 9 of 10 events with 5 Top-10’s including a win, a runner-up and a T6 at The Masters—but still not close to the numbers Scheffler has put up.
The Road Ahead
No doubt Scottie takes it one round at a time, one tournament at a time, and that’s good–because if he looks hard at what it will take to match Tiger for the rest of the year, it may bring on a panic attack.
Scheffler will need to win 4 more times, including 2 additional majors, without missing a cut —while recording 8 more Top-10’s and throw in a T5 at the fourth major to boot.
With the way Scheffler is hitting the ball right now, and the confidence he exudes with every shot, it certainly brings back images of Tiger at the height of his powers—but can Scottie keep it up?
Every golfer has heard the saying “drive for show, putt for dough,” but you’ll find that’s pretty far from the truth once you’ve logged a round or two.
Think about your best days on the course. No doubt you holed some putts—but it’s pretty much guaranteed the driver was operating at or near full capacity. Golf is a whole lot easier from the middle of the fairway—and exponentially so when you’re hitting wedge into the green as opposed to middle or long iron.
You also have to work pretty hard to make a double after a solid drive in the fairway, but a snap hook tee ball that disappears in the woods or a weak flare that settles down in heavy rough a couple hundred yards from the green generally spells bogey at best.
A good way to demonstrate the paramount importance of driving is to look at the top echelon players in professional golf—and they have almost universally been big hitters down through the years.
Tiger and Jack: Power and Greatness
The Longest and Greatest
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are without question the greatest players in golf history, and also among the longest off the tee. Many consider Nicklaus the longest of all-time (according to Bobby Jones, Jack was ‘playing an entirely different game, and one which I’m not familiar with”). Unfortunately, official driving stats weren’t tracked by the PGA Tour until 1980 when Jack had already hit 40, but he still came in at No. 10 in distance and No. 1 in total driving with accuracy factored in (he hit 71.5% of the fairways).
Before knee and back injuries slowed him down in 2008, Tiger was in the top 10 for distance every year with the exception of 2003 (11th) and 2007 (12th). In 1999 Tiger was 3rd in distance and 4th in Total Driving, while piling up 7 Tour wins plus a major and 7 additional Top 10’s.
In 2000 Tiger amped up the big stick even further, finishing 2nd in distance and No.1 in total driving on his way to 3 major championships, 7 more regular tour titles and another 7 Top 10’s,
Driving and the World Number 1’s
Since the World Golf Rankings were established in 1986, twenty-five players have reached number 1 in the world and the vast majority have been long off the tee. Bernhard Langer was the first to hold the Number 1 moniker after his win at the ’85 Masters (yes, the same Bernhard who is still winning on the Champions Tour). Although Langer was not generally regarded as a long hitter, he ranked 17th in distance on the PGA Tour in ’85.
Following Bernard’s brief tenure as No. 1, the top spot oscillated between Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros though the end of 1990. Norman held World Number 1 longer than any player other than Tiger (331 weeks), and he is also regarded by many as the greatest driver of all time.
From 1984 to 1994, Norman was among the top ten in driving distance every year but two (No. 15 in 1989 and No. 32 in 1992). Not only was he long, but he was straight as well—No. 1 in total driving in 1988, 1989 and 1993 plus 5 years in the top ten.
Seve Ballesteros played predominantly on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) and driving distance stats are sketchy, but he possessed a powerful (though somewhat erratic) tee shot. Seve drove the green on the Par 4 10th hole at the Belfry a number of times, a 290 plus yard carry over water calling for a high cut, including at the 1989 Ryder Cup where he dropped an Eagle putt from inside twenty feet. Keep in mind he was using a persimmon driver with a soft ballata golf ball, and the average distance off the tee on the PGA Tour that year was just under 262 yards.
Tiger held the top spot in the World Golf Rankings from 1999 through 2010 with the exception of 6 months in 2004/2005 when Vijay Singh (another fantastic driver of the ball) briefly moved into the No. 1 position. In all, Tiger was World Number 1 for an astounding 683 weeks—and an intimidating presence on the tee.
Between 1997 and 2007, Tiger was among the top five in distance six times, and the top ten every year but two (11th in 2003 and 12th in 2007).
Rory first reached number 1 in the world back in 2012 when he had just turned 23 years old, and has held the Number 1 position on and off for a total of 122 weeks (most recently from October ’22 through February ‘23).
And of course, McIlroy can bomb it with anybody (picture that majestic high draw that seems to carry forever). Since 2017 Rory has been either first or second in driving distance every year but one (4th in 2020) and led the Tour in distance last year averaging 326.3 yards.
Brooks and DJ: Big hitters Rising to #1
Dustin Johnson ascended to World No. 1 in 2017, and is behind only Tiger and Greg Norman for the longest time at the top (135 weeks). From 2009 through 2021, Johnson ranked among the top 5 in distance every year but 3 (6th in 2018, 10th in 2020 and 7th in 2021).
After winning the CJ Cub on the heels of two major championships (US Open and PGA), Brooks Koepkafirst assumed World Number 1 in October of 2018, and through February of 2020 he spent 47 weeks at the top. Between 2014 and 2019 Brooks finished outside the top 10 in driving distance only once (19th in 2016).
Knee and hip injuries at the end of 2019 through 2020 severely impacted Koepka’s driving distance and his ability to compete, but after rehab he was injury free in 2023 and recorded a runner up at the Masters, a win at the PGA and a top 20 at the US Open (where he was also second in driving distance averaging 320.6 yards).
Scheffler and Rahm: Battling for #1
Scheffler and Rahm
Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler have occupied the top spot in the World Golf Rankings since June of 2021 with the exception of DJ for a week in July of ’21 and Rory from October ’22 through February ’23.
Not surprisingly, both are fantastic drivers of the ball. Since 2017, Rahm finished outside the top 20 in distance only once (22nd in 2020) and was #1 in Total Driving twice—2021 and 2022. Scheffler has plenty of distance (16th in ‘20 and 19th in ‘22) while finishing among the top 10 in total driving 3 of the last 4 years (his lowest ranking was 13th in 2022).
The Putting Factor
There is no question that both Jack and Tiger were amazing putters, particularly on critical putts under maximum pressure, but while putting prowess separated them further from the field, the incredible record they each achieved would not have been possible without the power game.
Jack and Tiger: Power and Putting
Luke Donald possesses one of the finest putting strokes ever seen on the PGA Tour, finishing first in putting from 2009 through 2011. Luke was also a fantastic iron player, but struggled from the tee throughout his career.
In 2010 Donald ranked 186th on tour in total driving, but made a dramatic jump in both distance and accuracy in 2011, allowing him to ride that great putter all the way to #1 in the world. Unfortunately, Luke’s difficulties from the tee returned in 2013 and as his driving numbers dropped each year, so too did his world ranking—even as his putting stroke remained as silky as ever.
This is not to minimize the importance of putting, only to illuminate the fact that driving is far and away the biggest factor in determining success on the golf course. Power players have reached #1 in the world without being particularly good putters (Freddie Couples and Vijay Singh come immediately to mind), but some of the greatest putters in modern history who were not great drivers of the ball are conspicuously missing from the list of #1’s (Ben Crenshaw, Corey Pavin and Brad Faxon for example).
Bottom line is you drive for the dough, and putt for—well, some additional dough perhaps…
When you start to ponder the next golf get-away, Myrtle Beach is a destination that should immediately come to mind—and if you haven’t had a chance to get down there yet, now is the time to start getting a plan together. With more than 80 golf courses to choose from within an hour’s drive, great food, and fantastic beaches for when you want to cool out, MB is truly a golfer’s paradise.
And while you consider your options, take a good look at the Hammock Coast Golf Trail running along the coast just a touch south of Myrtle Beach. South Carolina offers many of the finest public courses in the country, and the Hammock Coast Trail includes many of the best.
In addition to Jack’s great track at Pawley’s Plantation Golf & Country Club (recently updated) and TPC Myrtle Beach (a fantastic Tom Fazio layout), the Hammock Coast Trail also includes two amazing courses laid out by Mike Strantz—Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Plantation.
Although Mike Strantz passed away tragically at only fifty years of age, he left us with some of the greatest courses in the world (including Tobacco Road in Sanford, NC and Royal Kent in Providence Forge, VA).
In 2000 Strantz was named one of the “Top 10 Greatest Architects of All Time” by Golfweek Magazine and his work has been heralded by many respected golf publications, including Golf Course Architecture.
All of the courses on the Hammock Coast Trail are terrific, so you won’t go wrong if you add this group to your list—and you’re pretty much guaranteed a trip to remember.
The GolfDay Rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews.
Searching for courses that offer particular features? Click the GolfDay Search Engine to narrow it down.
Want to see all of the public courses in South Carolina listed by GolfDay Rating? Click S.C. Public Courses.
Practice Facilities: Wedge Range, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Full Grass Driving Range and Steve Dresser Golf Academy available at True Blue Course).
When it’s time to start formulating a plan for the Spring golf trip, South Carolina should come immediately to mind. In addition to great resorts like Kiawah Island, Sea Pines and Barefoot, SC boasts more than 30 non-resort public courses that received a GolfDay rating of 90 or higher (premium)—and over 100 that are rated above 80 (very good).
And of course, Myrtle Beach is the centerpiece to this golfing wonderland. Golf Trails can make it a lot easier to choose courses that are not too far apart, and MB has a couple of teriffic Trails to look at—the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail and the Hammock Coast Golf Trail.
Keep in mind there are plenty of nice hotels and fantastic restaurants to choose from throughout South Carolina (and particularly in the Myrtle Beach area), so you can also reference GolfDayto build your own trip.
Course Architecture
Tom Jackson is #1 for laying out premier public courses in South Carolina with original designs at 5 of the Top 35, including Mount Vintage in North Augusta (No. 7) and River Hills in Little River (No. 8).
Clyde Johnston is close behind with original design at Springfield Golf Club (No. 25) in Fort Mill, Glen Dornoch, Little River (No. 26) and Old South in Bluffton (No. 27) as well as updates to the Donald Ross design at Lancaster Golf Club (No. 9).
Rees Jones, always among the prominent names when listing great golf courses, contributed 2 original designs among the Top 35 (Oyster Reef, No. 10) and Arcadian Shores, No. 14) as well updates to the great Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design at The Dunes (No. 1).
Mike Strantz: Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Mike Strantz left us 2 wonderful layouts in Pawleys Island before his tragic passing at only fifty years of age—Caledonia (No. 2) and True Blue (No. 4). In 2000 Mike was named one of the “Top 10 Greatest Architects of All Time” by Golfweek Magazine.
Pete Dye added his brush to the Myrtle Beach golf panorama at Prestwick Country Club (No. 3, with P. B. Dye) and Jack Nicklaus recently completed updates to his terrific layout at Pawleys Plantation.
The GolfDay Rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews.
Of all the states in the country, South Carolina has the highest percentage of public courses receiving a GolfDay Rating of 90 or higher (Excellent), and a very large number received a rating over 80 (very good), so it’s certainly no surprise that some of the best golf resorts in the country can be found in SC as well.
The Resorts below are listed by their GolfDay Rating, and we have included links for course description, accommodations and golf academy (if available). A link to the Resort website is also provided, as well as a link to Google Maps for each location.
Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio dominate the landscape at the premier golf destinations in South Carolina. Dye and Nicklaus collaborated to create the iconic Harbour Town Links at Sea Island Resort, and each contributed their signature to the spectacular courses at Kiawah Island—Pete Dye with the Ocean Course and Jack with Turtle Point. Nicklaus also laid out the wonderful track at Montage-Palmetto (May River.)
Tom Fazio contributed his architectural genius at Kiawah with Osprey Point, designed one of the terrific courses at Barefoot Resort, and both courses at Wild Dunes Golf Links.
Davis Love III has also continued to burnish his reputation among the top modern day course architects with his work at Sea Pines Resort (Atlantic Dunes), Barefoot Resort and Fripp Island Resort (Ocean Creek)
The GolfDay Resort rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), the variety of courses located at the property, updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, current local and national rankings by Golf Digest and Golfweek, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews, as well as the quality of accommodations and level of service.
Click Top 10 South Carolina Resorts for a map overview of the resort locations (hover over a flag and the resort name will come up, and click for details).
Course Architects: Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus/George Cobb/Clyde Johnston/Davis Love III/Scot Sherman
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Harbour Town Links: 79.5/152
Heron Point: 74.8/140
Atlantic Dunes: 74.3/143
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Ranges with Targets (Harbour Town and Heron Point/Ocean), Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers. Range Balls and Fore Caddie (Harbour Town) included with Greens Fee.
Practice Facilities: Lighted and Covered Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker. Dyer and Greg Norman Golf Academies.
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Wedge Range with Target Greens, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers (6). ProV1 Range Balls included with Greens Fee.
Fripp Island Golf & Beach resort/Seascape Hospitality
Holes: 36 (2 Eighteen Hole Courses)
Course Architect: George Cobb/John LaFoy/Davis Love III/Paul Cowley
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
Ocean Point: 74.0/140
Ocean Creek: 72.1/139
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Creek). Irons Only Grass Driving Range with Putting Green (Point).
Course Architects: Robert Trent Jones, Sr./Arthur Hills/George Fazio/Roger Rulewich/John Harvey
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Jones: 74.8/141
Hills: 73.5/139
Fazio: 74.2/145
Practice Facilities: Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Hills/Fazio)/Driving Range with Bunker and Toptracer Technology (Jones).
When you think about a winter golf get-away, Florida always comes to mind. The Resorts below are listed by their GolfDay Rating, and we have also included links for Golf Academies, as well as Accommodations and Golf Packages (if available). A link to the Resort website is also provided, as well as a link to Google Maps for each location.
Arnold Palmer leads the list for great Florida course architecture with original design or updates at courses for 5 of the top 25 resorts, including PGA National and Bay Hill. Jack Nicklaus is at the top as well with design at 4 of the leading resorts (including PGA National’s Champion course and the iconic “Bear Trap,” as well as Hammock Beach in Palm Coast).
And of course, the architectural genius of Pete Dye is on display at both TPC Sawgrass and PGA Village, as well as 2 additional courses among the Top 25 (Gasparilla Inn and Amelia Island).
The crown jewel of Florida golf is undoubtedly Streamsong however, with 3 fantastic layouts designed by Tom Doak, Coore & Crenshaw and Gil Hanse (our No. 1 Florida golf resort).
The GolfDay Resort rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), the variety of courses located at the property, updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, current local and national rankings by Golf Digest and Golfweek, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews, as well as the quality of accommodations and level of service.
Click Top 25 Florida Resorts for a map overview of the resort locations (hover over a flag and the resort name will come up, and click for details).
Rankings: Golf Digest Top 200, Golf Digest Top 100-Public, Golfweek Top 200 Resorts, Golf Digest Florida Top 45, Golfweek Florida Top 30 Public, GolfDay Top 100 Resorts
Rankings: Golf Digest Top 100, Golf Digest Top 100-Public, Golfweek Top 200 Resorts, Golf Digest FL Top 45, Golfweek FL Top 30-Public, GolfDay Top 100 Resorts
Holes: 70 (3 Eighteen Hole Courses and 6 Hole Par 3)
Course Architects: Tom Fazio/Pete Dye
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
Wanamaker: 75.2 Rating/145 Slope
Dye: 75.7 Rating/142 Slope
Ryder: 73.2 Rating/133 Slope
Practice Facilities: Extensive including Lighted Grass Range with Targets, Wedge Range, Putting Greens, Chipping Greens with Multiple Bunkers and PGA Golf School.
Holes: 99 (5 Eighteen Hole Courses and Nine Hole Par 3 (Staple))
Course Architects: Tom Fazio/Jack Nicklaus/Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay/George Fazio/Karl Litten/Andy Staples
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
Champion: 75.4 Rating/144 Slope
Palmer: 74.7 Rating/142 Slope
Fazio: 74.4 Rating/138 Slope
Match: 72.6 Rating/138 Slope
Practice Facilities: Double Sides Grass Driving Range with Targets, Edge Range, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers, Leadbetter Academy and Pelz Golf School.
Course Architects: Rees Jones/Robert Trent Jones, Jr./Tom Jackson
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
Burnt Pine:74.8 Rating/148 Slope
Raven: 73.2 Rating/137 Slope
Links: 73.7 Rating/141 Slope
Baytowne: 72.7 Rating/139 Slope
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Ranges, Putting and Chipping Greens at each course (Burnt Pine includes Bunker, Baytowne Irons Only) with Sandestin Academy.
Most everyone has heard about great Florida golf resorts like Streamsong, TPC Sawgrass and PGA Village, but there are a whole lot of terrific public courses that are not part of a resort property.
If you’re looking for great Florida golf without breaking the bank account at a high-end resort, take a look at the Top 40 courses below, and start planning a get-away–keeping in mind that there are plenty of nice hotels and restaurants to choose from throughout Florida (and the GolfDay Course Page includes a link to Google map and directions for every course).
While each of the Top 40 has a GolfDay Rating above 90, Florida offers 136 independent public courses with a rating of 85 or higher (premium) and 238 with a rating of 80 or more (well above average).
Ron Garl leads the list for premier public course design in Florida with original design or updates at 7 of the top 40 public courses, including The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland (No. 22) and University Park in Sarasota (No. 32).
Joe Lee is at the top as well with design at 4 of the leading public courses in Florida, including Deer Island Country Club in Taveres (No. 8) and Abacoa in Jupiter (No. 9).
Fox Hollow Golf Club, Trinity: Robert Trent Jones, Sr
The Florida Top 40 public also includes design by eminent architects such as Donald Ross (New Smyrna Golf Club/No. 29), Jack Nicklaus (Old Corkscrew/No. 2), Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (Fox Hollow/No. 13), Tom Fazio (Champions Club at Summerfield/No. 33), Rees Jones (LPGA International/No. 15) and Robert Trent Jones II. (Celebration Golf Club/No. 10).
The GolfDay rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews.
Course Architects: Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest/Hal Sutton
USGA Course/Slope Rating: 77.3/153
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Grass Wedge Range, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker, Indoor Golf Simulator with TrackMan Technology.
While there are a great many fantastic public golf courses in Florida, membership at a top echelon private club assures that you’ll have a quality golf experience every time you tee it up. Limited play at private clubs pretty much guarantees that course conditions will always be great, and you can also say goodbye to the 5-hour round.
The state of Florida boasts 54 private clubs receiving a GolfDay rating of 90 or higher (Premium), by far the highest of any state in the country.
Florida also includes over 160 clubs with a GolfDay rating above 80 (high quality), again the most of any state, so chances are pretty good that you won’t have to look far to find a great club to call home.
We’ve included our Top 35 below, or you can spin through our file of all private courses in Florida, listed by GolfDay Rating. The GolfDay search engine is available as well to find the best courses by proximity to your location.
Clubs are ranked on the basis of GolfDay Rating, and listings include the year a club was founded, course architect(s), current USGA course and slope ratings, a link for the course website, and a notation if currently ranked by Golf Digest (locally or nationally). A link to the GolfDay course page is also included along with a link to Google Maps for each location.
Mountain Lake Country Club
Our Top 35 private clubs in Florida include designs by the towering figures in golf course architecture, including Donald Ross, Jack Nicklaus, Seth Raynor, Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Pete Dye and William Flynn.
Tom Fazio, with 8 original designs as well as updates to an additional 4, has contributed the highest number to our list of elite private tracks in Florida.
Donald Ross and Jack Nicklaus are close behind with 6 original designs each, and Pete Dye’s long list of fabulous courses includes 3 private clubs in Florida.
The GolfDay private club rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), the variety of courses located at the property, USGA Course and Slope Ratings, as well as club longevity and prestige.
It’s time to start planning your spring golf trip, and Myrtle Beach is the #1 destination in the U.S. offering more than eighty courses, great food, terrific nightlife, and gorgeous beaches for when you need some down time. It’s still a bit cool through February, but temps climb through the 60’s in March, the 70’s in April, and it’s total perfection in May with temperatures in the low to mid 80’s.
Many of the great modern architects are on display among the wide variety of courses in the Myrtle Beach area, including Tom Fazio (Barefoot Resort and TPC Myrtle Beach), Pete Dye (Barefoot and Prestwick), Rees Jones (The Dunes Golf & Beach Club and Arcadian Shores), Tom Doak (Legends Resort) and Jack Nicklaus (Pawleys Plantation).
Roger Rulewich, who collaborated with Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to sculpt the wonderful courses along the RTJ Golf Trail in Alabama, shared his architectural mastery at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club as well as Grande Dunes Resort Club.
And then there are the two masterpieces left to us by Mike Strantz at Caledonia and True Blue.
The GolfDay rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, current local and national rankings by Golf Digest and Golfweek, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews. The resort rating also includes a factor for the variety of courses located at the property as well as the quality of accommodations and level of service.
If you have yet to mark Myrtle Beach from your bucket list, now is the time. And even if you’ve made the trip many times before, MB never disappoints—so start getting a plan in motion.
Course Architects: Greg Norman/Tad Burnett/Davis Love III/Tom Fazio/Pete Dye
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
Norman: 74.2 Rating/141 Slope
Love: 74.9 Rating/141 Slope
Fazio: 73.4 Rating/144 Slope
Dye: 76.0 Rating/143 Slope
Practice Facilities: Lighted and Covered Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker. Dyer and Greg Norman Golf Academies.
Practice Facilities: Wedge Range, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Full Grass Driving Range available at True Blue Course. Range Balls included with Greens Fee).
