Tales and Topics from the Panhandle to the Keys – Grab the Clubs, Florida Golf Awaits
Grab the Clubs, Florida Golf Awaits – Volume 1, Edition 8
By Nick Gandy
Spring is here and the time is right for Golf in Florida.
Well, the time is right for Golf in Florida on a year-round basis in Florida, but this is the most pleasant time of year for golfers of all ages and skill levels to be on the tees, fairways and greens on one of Florida’s 1,100+ golf courses.
For years, the Sunshine State has boasted in being the Golf Capital of the World, with fairways far and wide and greens, neat and clean. It’s more than a game, it’s a way of life for some and a big business for others.
For those of us in FLA year round, it’s not too far of a venture to be checking in at the pro shop and lining it up on the first tee. For others, it’s a week-long road trip out of the doldrums of winter.
For a lot of those on the course at this time of year, they can share some horror stories about such doldrums with Artic blasts, Polar vortexes and any other severe weather terms.
Golf accounted for a $44 billion economic impact and over 600,000 job in the thriving sports tourism industry, according to a Tourism Economics, “The Florida Sports Economy,” for the Fiscal Years 2019-20 and 2020-21.
It contributes to overnight lodging for those up at the crack of dawn tee times, post-round food and beverage and a bevy of accessories in the constant chase of a below par score.
On top of all that, it’s also the time of year when the game’s best make their annual Florida swing with four PGA Tour stops at Florida’s finest courses. Fans will pack the grandstands and tv viewers will be glued to the screens for the walk up at 18 to crown champions at the PGA National, Bay Hill, TPC and Innisbrook.
While one of the four champions were crowned last weekend, there are three more laying in wait.
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, Feb 26 – Mar 1
PGA National Resort and Spa, Palm Beach Gardens
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Mar 5 – Mar 8
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando
THE PLAYERS Championship, Mar 12 – Mar 15
TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach
Valspar Championship, Mar 19 – Mar 22
Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead, Palm Harbor
Nicolas Echavarria, a native of Columbia, won the Cognizant Classic, with a 17 under par score. The course and it surroundings made such an impact on Echavarria, he closed on a house in Palm Beach Gardens the week before the tournament.
The 48th Annual Arnold Palmer Invitational field is full of talent featuring former champions Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy at Orlando’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 API winner, 2018 winner McIroy and defending champion Russell Henley (No. 7) headline the 72-player field vying for a $20 million purse, including $4 million to the winner.
Look for the same to round out the month at TPC Sawgrass and Innisbrook.
While those four courses will be packed with pros and spectators, other hungry golfers will be out and about from Pensacola to Key West.
The FSF and its partner, the Florida Golf Alliance, recruits golfers to the state at golf trade shows in the Northeast and Midwest during the coldest days of the year in those parts of the U.S.
Meanwhile, in Florida, golfers are out and about in shorts and polo shirts looking for birdies on the green and not in the trees.
Beginning in January and running through March, “Play Golf in Florida,” is touted in Toronto, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Boston and Dallas.
“This outreach is extended to 125,000 to 150,000 potential golfers,” said Gary Jones, the FSF’s longtime golf promotion partner. “These are die-hard, avid golfers who take extended trips to Florida and play multiple golf courses in an area over the course of a week.”
Areas of the state included in the six show winter schedule include Visit Central Florida (Polk County), Visit Sarasota, Florida’s Sports Coast, Discover Lake County, Punta Gorda Englewood Beach and Visit Panama City Beach.
Besides the enjoyment of being on a Florida golf course, this program serves as a unifying force promoting Florida as the world’s premier golf destination, driving awareness, visitation, and economic impact for courses, resorts, and allied partners statewide.
To get an idea of the variety of golf courses offered in the Sunshine State, visit www.playinflorida.com/golf. It’s all there, courses in the natural wooded areas of North Florida, courses with views of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, courses on the historic Florida Golf Trail and even courses with gators sunning themselves near water or other natural, rolling landscapes.
Like the old Florida tourism commercial of days gone by with scenes of snowy roadways, compared to Florida golf courses, “When you’ve got it bad. We’ve got it good!”
Nick Gandy is a 40-year sports communications professional who has worked with the Florida Sports Foundation, the state of Florida’s lead sports promotion and development organization, since 1998.