Destination Golf Global (Spring 2020) * | Page 17

Jones Course, LPGA International © Daytona Beach Area CVB
tee times. Tour operators also package hotel stays
with rounds on different courses.
Courses are situated in several different communities
that make up the Daytona Beach area as well as the
neighbouring cities of New Smyrna Beach, DeLand,
DeBary and Daytona Beach Shores.
DAYTONA BEACH GOLF COURSES
The top draw for visiting golfers is LPGA
International, the home of the LPGA Tour since 1989,
when it moved there from Houston. The 650-acre
site serves up two championship-standard layouts,
named after the designers who created them.
Opened in 1994 and the venue for numerous LPGA
Tour Championships, the 7,088-yard Jones Course,
by Rees Jones, now hosts the final stage of the LPGA
Tour Qualifying School. It features wide fairways
bounded by huge waste areas, natural marsh areas
and lakes, while approach shots to undulating greens
protected by deep bunkers call for accuracy. The
course culminates in a dramatic finishing par 4. A
favourite with the pros, it is also very playable by
golfers of all handicap levels.
The Hills Course, by Arthur Hills, opened in 1997.
LPGA International © Daytona Beach Area CVB
Slightly shorter than its sister layout, it challenges
golfers with narrow pine corridors, natural wetlands,
water hazards and small greens.
LPGA International’s extensive practice facilities
include a 360-yard double-ended range, a Rees
Jones-designed three-hole championship practice
course, short game areas and six putting greens.
Daytona Beach Golf Club is another 36-hole facility.
Its South Course is a design by Donald Ross that
celebrates its centenary in 2021 and is one of three
Daytona Beach area courses on the Florida Historic
Golf Trail. Snead, Nelson and Hogan played an
exhibition match on its fairways in 1946 but were
outshone by three-time Masters winner Jimmy
Demaret, who shot a course record 63 to beat them.
The venerable course is much as it was when it was
first laid out, with forgiving tee shots to wide fairways
but demanding approaches to small “turtle-back”
greens hemmed in by mature live oaks festooned with
Spanish moss. The North Course was added 25 years
later and was designed by the club’s manager and head
pro, Slim Deathridge, before being completely rebuilt in
1997. Walking is allowed on both courses and a round
on either costs a maximum of under $50, including a
buggy but excluding sales tax.
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