GOLF
The area's best golf resorts are in Ponte Vedra Beach -- a half-hour's drive north on Florida A1A, closer to Jacksonville than St. Augustine.At World Golf Village, 12 miles north of St. Augustine at exit 95A off I-95 (see the box "Where Golf Is King"), The Slammer & The Squire and The King & The Bear (tel. 904/940-6088) together offer 36 holes amid a wildlife preserve. Locals say they're not as challenging as their greens fees: about $130 in summer, $190 in winter, including cart. For those not schooled in golf history, the "Slammer" is in honor of Sam Sneed, the "Squire" is for Gene Sarazen, the "King" is Arnold Palmer, and the "Bear" is Jack Nicklaus. Palmer and Nicklaus collaborated in designing their course.
Nicklaus also had a hand in the stunning course at the Ocean Hammock Golf Club (tel. 386/477-4600), on Florida A1A in Palm Coast, about halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. With six of its holes skirting the beach, it is the first truly oceanside course built in Florida since the 1920s.
There are only a few courses in St. Augustine, including Ponce de León Hotel, Golf & Conference Resort, 4000 U.S. 1 (tel. 904/829-5314), with its rather flat 18; and the St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, 707 Shores Blvd., off U.S. 1 (tel. 904/794-4653), a par-70, 18-hole course with lots of water, a lighted driving range and putting green, and a restaurant and lounge. Greens fees usually are less than $30, including cart.
For more course information, go to Golf.com or the Florida Golfing website, or call the Florida Sports Foundation (tel. 850/488-8347) or Florida Golfing (tel. 866/833-2663).
Where Golf Is King -- Passionate golf fans can easily spend a day at the World Golf Hall of Fame (tel. 904/940-4123), a state-of-the-art museum honoring professional golf, its great players, and the sport's famous supporters (including comedian Bob Hope and singer Dinah Shore). It's the centerpiece of World Golf Village, a complex of hotels, shops, offices, and 18-hole golf courses. There's an IMAX screen next door.
Museum admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and students, and $11 for children 5 to 12 and includes an IMAX film and a round of golf on the putting green. IMAX tickets range from $7.50 to $12 for adults, $6.50 to $11 for seniors and students, and $5 to $8 for children. The museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm; IMAX movies run until 8pm Friday and Saturday.
You don't have to play the real courses because the village is built around a lake with a "challenge hole" sitting out in the middle, 132 feet from the shoreline. You can hit balls at it or play a round on the nearby putting course. The Walkway of Champions (whose signatures appear in pavement stones) circles the lake and passes a shopping complex where the main tenant is the two-story Tour Stop (tel. 904/940-0422), a purveyor of pricey apparel and equipment.
If you'd like to stay overnight, contact the luxurious World Golf Village Renaissance Resort, 500 S. Legacy Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32092 (tel. 888/740-7020 or 904/940-8000).
The village is at exit 95A off I-95. For more information, contact World Golf Village, 21 World Golf Place, St. Augustine, FL 32092 (tel. 904/940-4000).
