Designer: George Fazio/Tom Fazio (1981), Jack Nicklaus (1990, 2002, 2014, Redesign)
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
History: The most esteemed of the six courses at PGA National Resort, The Champion Course opened in 1981 with a design from George and Tom Fazio. The course was built with championship golf in mind and it almost immediately hosted a Ryder Cup in 1983, won by the Americans. In 1987, the Champion Course held its first and only Major with a PGA Championship won by Larry Nelson. It also hosted the Senior PGA Championship from 1982 to 2000. The course was modified by Jack Nicklaus several times since 1990 and held the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic (now Cognizant Classic) since 2007. Accolades for PGA National include:
#94 Best Public Course in America – Golfweek (2024)
#69 Best Resort Course in America – Golfweek (2024)
#38 Best Course in Florida – Golf Digest (2023)
#65 Best Course in Florida – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
#7 Best Public Course in Florida – Golfweek (2024)
Conditions: 9/10, The Champion Course is in excellent shape with well-conditioned fairways and bunkers and true-rolling Tifeagle Bermuda greens. One aspect of the conditioning I found interesting was the rough, which is a rye grass and plays easier than Bermuda rough typically does.
Value: 2/10, A semi-private course available for members and Resort guests only, the Champion Course is on the expensive side and likely is not worth the price of admission.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Black 72 7081 75.4 144
Gold 72 6712 73.6 142
Blue 72 6348 71.9 136
White 72 5988 70.3 133
Green 72 5280 67.0 125
Red 72 5061 71.3 130
Hole Descriptions: On the surface, PGA National’s Champion Course may seem like your typical Florida resort course, with a flat, housing-lined layout featuring ample water and bunkers. This course is more than just that, however, and contains several features that make it more memorable and fun than your average Florida golf. For starters, the Champion Course has an impressive tournament resume, as an annual host of the PGA Tour and one-time host of both the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship. I always find it fun to watch courses I’ve played on TV and it is no different here. Secondly, the Champion Course features some memorable holes with an especially notorious finish nicknamed “The Bear Trap.” When you combine excellent conditioning and a solid routing, you get a very nice course that ranks up there with Doral’s Blue Monster as one of the best public golf courses in South Florida.
The Champion Course opens with a gentle starting hole with a slightly downhill 346 yard straightaway par 4. Water comes into play on all but two of the holes on the course and lines the left side here the entire way. This fairway is on the tighter side and lined by a bunker on the right at 215 yards as well as OB and trees as well down this side. A subtle, back-to-front sloped green is defended by a deep bunker that stretches along its left side. This is one of the easier holes on the course and gives the golfer a chance to start well.
Longer hitters might opt to lay-up at the par 4 1st
The 2nd hole ups the challenge as a tight, tree-lined 391 yard par 4. A large bunker lines the right between 200 and 235 yards and a hidden hazard begins down the left around 220 yards. This hazard runs all the way to the green, which slopes back-to-front with two tiers and sits diagonally defended by a bunker short.
The par 4 2nd
The 491 yard 3rd hole is the first par 5 at the Champion Course and bends slightly to the left off the tee, with water to the far right and bunkers on either side of the fairway between 185 and 240 yards. This fairway tightens and bends back to the right on this approach, and golfers going at this green in two will have to contend with a pesky lone palm tree that partially obscures the green down the right. This narrow putting surface is on the flatter side but contains a back right swale and is defended by bunkers on either side and water long and left.
The par 5 3rd
The second shot at 3
At 330 yards, the 4th hole is the shortest par 4 on the course and one of the more interesting holes architecturally. A slight dogleg left, this hole is reachable for the longest hitters and features a tight fairway that turns left around 210 yards with bunkers on either side. This right-to-left sloped green requires an aerial approach, with a cavernous bunker short and slopes of tight lies left and long.
The clever par 4 4th
The approach at 4
A short par 3 playing over water the entire way, the 137 yard 5th hole looks and feels like much of what you’ll find in Florida but features an interesting green with a right swale and large collection area to the right.
The par 3 5th
The 6th hole is a brutally difficult par 4 for the pros but is a fun, risk/reward 466 yard par 5 for amateurs. This hole begins with an 115 yard forced carry over water to a tight fairway lined by water down the left the entire way and hills of rough down the right. Those attempting to reach the green in two will need to challenge the hazard, as this green juts out just over the water down the left. Bunkers defend this large green short and right and this putting surface features a lower left portion and a higher right plateau.
The par 5* 6th features one of the more intimidating teeshots at the Champion Course
A closer look at the 6th green
The 7th hole is the longest par 3 on the course at 185 yards and stretches to well over 220 yards from the Black Tees. I don’t love the visuals on this hole, with a teeshot over a water hazard and fountain to a narrow green lined by front bunkers and houses down the left. This putting surface is one of the most interesting on the course, and spans nearly 40 yards long with a Biarritz-like design.
The 7th looks decidedly bland from the teebox but features an interesting green
The 8th hole is a straightaway 385 yard tree-lined par 4 with a generous fairway that stops abruptly around 270 yards with a water hazard. Longer hitters may want to think about laying up here, as there is little advantage to trying to carry this hazard. This approach plays over the water towards a back-to-front sloped green lined by bunkers on either side.
The par 4 8th
The front 9 closes with one of the best holes on the course in a 361 yard dogleg left par 4. This beautiful hole features an immediate forced carry over water to a generous fairway that bends left. Water continues down the left for most of the way with additional danger coming in the form of a large right bunker at 220 yards and clump of tall trees down the left. This diagonal green is slightly elevated, slopes left-to-right with two tiers and is defended by two bunkers short and tight slopes long and right.
The excellent par 4 9th
The approach at 9
The 10th hole is likely the easiest and least interesting hole on the back 9 as a 509 yard dogleg right par 5. This tree-lined fairway features no real danger besides rough and bends to the right around 275 yards. Longer hitters will be able to get home in two to a back-to-front sloped green that’s open up front but otherwise surrounded by bunkers.
The par 5 10th
The approach at 10
PGA National starts to notch up the difficulty on the 11th hole, an interesting 399 yard par 4 that gives the golfer options. This fairway is tight and slides to the left the entire way with water down the left. At about 240 yards, water begins down the right, narrowing the fairway even further. Golfers can lay-up short of the water down the right, but this leaves a longer approach over water the entire way to a wide, shallow, back-to-front sloped green off to the right.
The par 4 11th is more difficult than it first appears
The 12th hole is another strong par 4 as a 390 yard dogleg right. This hole gives the golfer an opportunity to cut the corner, as this fairway turns hard to the right at 225 yards with bunkers on either side. This approach runs uphill to a back-to-front sloped green set in a natural ampitheater with mounds of rough long and a bunker short right.
The par 4 12th
The approach at 12
The 13th hole provides one last decent birdie opportunity as a 335 yard straightaway par 4. This hole is on the tighter side, with water down the right for the first 180 yards and houses down the left. This fairway also snakes around a large left bunker at 205 yards which should be avoided. This diagonal, back-to-front sloped green is best approached from the right and is well-defended by deep bunkers on either side.
The short par 4 13th
Even from the Black Tees, The Champion Course isn’t terribly long at just over 7000 yards. The longest par 4 from the Blue Tees is the 14th, a 405 yard slight dogleg left. This hole is lined by water down the far right the entire way and OB in the form of houses on the left. The fairway itself contains some nice undulations and is lined by bunkers on the right at 200 yards and left between 210 and 260 yards. This approach is a difficult one, with a shallow, two-tiered, left-to-right sloped green defended by bunkers short and long and water right.
The par 4 14th
Nicklaus brought the 14th green closer to the hazard in one of his renovations
On the 15th hole, you’ve now entered “The Bear Trap”, a stretch named after Jack Nicklaus that usually provides an exciting and treacherous finish for the PGA Tour. A large statue of a bear next to this teebox makes you well aware of this fact. The 15th itself is an 158 yard par 3 with a carry over water the entire way to a subtle back-to-front sloped green jutting out into the hazard and also defended by a bunker left. While not a terribly long hole, certain pin positions can be very intimidating to get at along the edges of the green.
Making my lone birdie of the day at 15 was pretty memorable
The 16th hole is another memorable one as a 399 yard par 4 with lots of danger in play. This teeshot plays to a narrow slab of fairway the ends around 250 yards with water down the right the entire way and a large bunker complex on the end of the left side of the fairway. This approach will have to carry the water to a green sitting to the right with some fairway short and bunkers on either side. This putting surface slopes overall back-to-front and contains a left plateau.
The target golf inspired par 4 16th
The beautiful approach at 16 with grandstands going up
The 17th hole is the final component of The Bear Trap as an 137 yard par 3 with numerous teeboxes offering different lengths and angles. Inevitably, this teeshot with have to carry another large water hazard to a tricky undulating green lined by a deadly bunker long. Anything short or right will find the hazard and there is no real “good miss” here.
The par 3 17th
The Champion Course closes with its longest hole in the majestic 524 yard par 5 18th. This snaking, risk/reward hole again features lots of water, with a brief forced carry over a hazard to a fairway lined by water on the right the entire way. Two giant bunker complexes line the left between 225 and 290 yards and the fairway begins to bend back to the left after this point. This lay-up is rather difficult, with a tight fairway lined by numerous bunkers down the left and water down the right. Longer hitters and PGA Tour players will likely have a chance to get to this green in two, with an exhilarating shot over water to a green jutting out into the hazard. This triangular green features numerous different compartments that slope different directions and is also defended by bunkers short, left, and long.
The epic par 5 18th
The approach at 18
General Comments: In addition to six courses, PGA National Resort is a sprawling complex featuring several large pools, tennis courts, shopping, upscale lodging, and some very good restaurants. The Champion Course has its own practice facility, but this was off-limits to us given we played close to the Honda Classic. Forecaddies are mandatory on the Champion Course and all six courses share a pro shop, leading to a chaotic scene near the 1st tee.
Verdict: More than just your average Florida resort course, PGA National’s Champion Course is a challenging, well-conditioned layout that’s hosted the Ryder Cup, PGA Tour, and PGA Championship. The Bear Trap stretch at the end is especially memorable and this is a fun course that is worth a play, but probably not worth its expensive price.