Daytona Beach Bandshell. Photo: Daytona Area CVB
the fairways for the tee shots, the left-hand one
running all the way to the elevated green.
Excluding the long, stroke index one par-5 10th,
where I manage to record a 13, and the 18th,
a dogleg that wraps around a lake on which I
scored a 10, I actually play the course pretty well.
The resort offers both condo-style hotel rooms
and suites overlooking the beach and Ocean
Course, plus villas, and offers a range of activities
and leisure facilities.
OTHER GOLF COURSES
The Daytona Beach area offers several other golf
courses if you are in town more than the three
nights we stayed and want to play elsewhere.
Daytona Beach Golf Club is a veteran dating back
to 1921, its South Course the original 18 holes
designed by the legendary Donald Ross. Walking
is allowed other than between November and
April, unusual for the US. The North Course,
a 1946 design later reworked by Lloyd Clifton,
is more demanding and features more water
hazards and contoured greens.
Other nearby courses include Indigo Lakes, the
closest golf club to Daytona’s Speedway, one-
time US Open qualifier DeBary Golf & Country
Club and the Ron Garl-designed Victoria Hills
course.
DAYTONA BEACH ATTRACTIONS
Undoubtedly Daytona’s biggest attraction is
its 23-mile beach, known as the “World’s Most
Famous Beach”. This was where motor racing
started in Daytona, its hard-packed sands first
playing host to car and motorcycle races in 1902.
For a $10 fee you can still drive and park on
several areas of the beach, interspersed by traffic-
free zones.
The Daytona Beach Kennel Club offers racing of a
four-legged kind, with greyhound racing as well as
a poker room.
Daytona’s Boardwalk and Pier are favourites
with visitors, while other attractions include its
Museum of Arts and Sciences, the Marine Science
Centre and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse – Florida’s
tallest.
This part of Florida’s Atlantic coast is also known
for its rollers and is popular with surfers, although
it is regulated because of the high numbers of
beach-goers. Nearby Cocoa Beach is Florida’s
surfing capital.
The 80-year-old Daytona Beach Bandshell, an
amphitheatre built on the boardwalk close to the
pier, draws big crowds for its series of Friday and
Saturday night summer concerts. On our final
night, we dine in the outdoors section of Sloppy
Joe’s restaurant, overlooking the Bandshell and
listening to an excellent Fleetwood Mac tribute
band before fireworks light up the night sky.
Volume 3 • Issue 41
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