The Blue Monster
The course, home of the 2007 World Golf Championships-CA Championship, has hosted prestigious PGA TOUR events for the past 45 years. In fact, virtually every great name in golf has had a moment of glorious personal triumph on this world-class track. Originally designed by Dick Wilson, and later restored by Raymond Floyd, golfers won't find a more challenging or spectacular golf course. At 7,125 yards from the tournament tees, and with a series of strategically placed bunkers, both length and finesse are needed to score well on this historic course. The Blue Monster features long fairways, undulating green, a deep Bermuda rough, and a unique assortment of water hazards. The famous 18th hole, with its signature fountain, was ranked by GOLF Magazine as one of the Top 100 Holes in the World.

If you go... For over half a century the Doral Resort & Spa has stepped up the vacation experience by adding five championship golf courses, a high-end luxury spa, and in 2007 alone, the resort added a $25-million Legends Ballroom, renovated the infamous Blue Monster course, underwent a $3-million upgrade to the renowned Spa at Doral and spent $2 million renewing guestrooms and meeting space. All 693 luxuriously-appointed accommodations, including 96 suites, boast individual balconies/patios, and are considered one of Miami's premier resorts.
Doral Resort & Spa - Miami | 305-592-2000 | www.doralresort.com

The Players Stadium Course
In 2007 THE PLAYERS Stadium Course underwent a historic summer-long restoration. The tees, fairways, and greens were rebuilt with new sand and a modern drainage system to encourage "firm and fast" conditions. Offline shots are more likely to roll into difficult spots among or behind 200 newly planted trees (oaks, pines and palms). Natural waste areas, lower-level bunkers, greenside chipping areas, and water hazards may also come into play more often.

A round on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course transforms linskmen into a TOUR Player as forecaddies (or "storytellers") help players challenge the pros' recent scores on the course. On hole 18, storytellers point out the spot where Jerry Pate hit his winning shot during his THE PLAYERS Championship in 1982.

If you go... To play at TPC Sawgrass, guests must stay at the Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, the exclusive hotel of TPC Sawgrass, chosen by Golf Digest readers as one of the Top Golf Resorts in America. Aside from world-renowned golf, the resort boasts a 20,000-square-foot Spa at Sawgrass, four resort swimming pools, and access to 26 miles of Atlantic beach at the Cabana Beach Club.
Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort - Ponte Vedra Beach | 904-285-7777 | www.sawgrassmarriott.com

The Copperhead
During the PGA TOUR's PODS Championship each March, visitors are able to watch some of America's greatest players take to the course and challenge its tree-lined fairways.
With unusual elevation changes, players are reminded of a Carolina layout rather than Florida's West Coast. The Copperhead is ranked in the Top 100, and among "America's Top Resort Courses" by Golf Digest.
From the tournament tees Copperhead presents a stern test of golf. At 7,340 yards, this par-71 layout is designed to challenge players of all ability levels.

Designed by Larry Packard, Copperhead is a daunting layout. Here players find a stunning design featuring a combination of narrow, tree-lined fairways with elevation change and very firm, fast greens. Copperhead is a breath-taking experience from tee through green.

One of the favorite holes here is the par-5, No. 5 (605 yards from the back tees and 465 from the forward). "It has a huge uphill elevation change from the tee to the landing area," says Jay Overton, Director of Golf. "Then about 200 yards out from the green, it starts to drop dramatically back down. You have a blind shot for your second shot going over the hill. Then the green slopes away from you as you make your approach shot." Despite the difficulties, this is one of the most-photographed holes.

If you go... Innisbrook Resort & Golf features 620 spacious guest suites and rooms, four restaurants, and three bars, the Innisbrook Golf Institute, 11 tennis courts, fitness and racquet center, six swimming pool complexes and nature preserve.
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club - Tampa | 727-942-2000 | www.innisbrookgolfresort.com

Nicklaus Design Course
Lagoon Legend, the golf course known as one of the toughest and most challenging courses in the Florida Panhandle, underwent an "extreme makeover", and closed in November 2004.

Re-opened and redesigned under its new name, the Nicklaus Design Course at Bay Point, a new par-72 championship-caliber course measures over 7,100 yards and is the first Nicklaus course in the Florida Panhandle. Offering a dramatic and enjoyable challenge for novice and avid golfers, the course incorporates the natural terrain of scrub oaks, pines and salt-water marshes and offers panoramic views of St. Andrew's Bay.

If you go... As Panama City's premier resort property, Bay Point provides guests with 316 luxurious guestrooms, including 79 deluxe villas. Boasting an array of onsite recreational activities and convenient onsite amenities, including a brand new 12,000-square-foot, state of the art luxury Serenity Spa at Bay Point, visitors will find this to be an ideal sanctuary for those in search of a great vacation spot!
Marriott Bay Point Golf & Spa Resort - Panama City Beach | 850-236-6000 | www.marriottbaypoint.com

Long Point
Designed by Tom Fazio, Long Point was carefully crafted amid the marshland and natural dune ridges of the Intracoastal Waterway, known as Nassau Sound. Long Point has been acclaimed as one of the "Top 20 Courses in Florida" and has been ranked fifth in the state by the Miami Herald. The 18 holes mold to the topography of the land emphasizing sweeping views of the island, rolling fairways and protective 50-foot-tall dunes. Natural waste bunkers, large undulating greens and distinctive back-to-back oceanfront par threes shape Long Point's character. Additionally, the course demands that drives carry water hazards on eight holes. Long Point's signature hole is pure Fazio - a 540-yard par five winding between numerous deep, narrow bunkers.
If you go... As Florida's "Greenest" resort, the Amelia Island Plantation offers a variety of accommodations, ranging from deluxe hotel rooms to three-bedroom villas and penthouses, offering either beach or resort views. At the Amelia Inn & Beach Club, 249 ocean front hotel rooms bring Amelia Island Plantation's total to more than 670 guest accommodations.
Amelia Island Plantation - Amelia Island | 888-261-6161 | 904-261-6161 | www.aipfl.com