The resort also includes 339 hotel rooms, nine restaurants and lounges, a 34,000-square-foot conference wing, a 40,000-square-foot spa, 33,000-square-foot health and racquet club with 19 tennis courts, a golf academy, and a members club.[4] It was sold by the developer, E. Llwyd Ecclestone Jr., to
Walton Street Capital in 2006 for $170 million, before being sold again in 2018, to
Brookfield Asset Management for $218m.[5]
Courses
The Champion – The Champion course opened in 1981 on November 17. It was the site of the
Ryder Cup in
1983, the
PGA Championship in
1987 (won by
Larry Nelson), and the
Senior PGA Championship for 19 years, from 1982 to 2000. The course underwent a
$4 million renovation in December 2002 and became the home of
The Honda Classic on the
PGA Tour in
2007.[6] The tough three hole stretch of the par-3 15th, par-4 16th, and par-3 17th holes is known as "The Bear Trap," named after
Jack Nicklaus, who is nicknamed the Golden Bear and redesigned the course. The course was host to the 2018 Governor Cup for the first time in its history.[7]
The Fazio – Originally the Haig Course, named for golfing great
Walter Hagen. It was the first course opened for play at PGA National Resort, on March 4, 1980, then was renovated and renamed The Fazio, after course architect
Tom Fazio, upon opening in November, 2012.
The Palmer – The Palmer, named for golf legend and course designer
Arnold Palmer, was the last of the original four courses built at PGA National, opening on February 28, 1984. The Palmer was previously named “The General”.
The Estates – The Estates originally opened in November 1984 as Stonewall Golf Club, and has been part of PGA National since August 28, 1988.
The Match – Borne from the old Squire Course, the Match Course opened for play in the fall of 2021 and was designed with match play in mind. It delivers a unique golf experience sure to appeal to purists, players and beginners alike.
The Staple – With holes ranging from 60 to 130 yards, this 9-hole course is perfect for experimenting with a variety of shots and is fun for players of all abilities.
An earlier PGA National Golf Club (1944–1962) was on the
western side of the state at
Dunedin, northwest of
Tampa. Designed by noted architect
Donald Ross(1872–1948), it opened 97 years ago in 1927 as a municipal course.[13] Acquired by the
PGA of America in 1944,[14][15] the course was renamed and hosted the PGA Seniors' Championship for eighteen consecutive years (1945–1962). The PGA of America moved its national offices from
Chicago to Dunedin in 1956,[16] then sold its holdings in the course back to the city in 1962 and relocated to eastern Florida in 1965 at Palm Beach Gardens.[15] Now the
Dunedin Golf Club, the course was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 2014.[17]