ON THE TRAIL
Lakewood Ranch
This sprawling ranch on Florida’ s west coast incorporates no fewer than nine golf courses into its 31,000-acre masterplanned community. These include the Arnold Palmer-designed Cypress Links, the King’ s Dunes championship course and the family-friendly Royal Lakes, all of which are open to club members. Interlaced with a network of canals and ponds, each course is a little different. Waiting at the 19th hole, the Lake Club features an impressive 20,000-square-foot Grande Clubhouse. Lakeside’ s villages host 300 shops and restaurants, plus there are a slew of events, including a Sunday farmers’ market.
Streamsong Red
Contoured by towering dunes and undulating hills— a landscape sculpted by a century of phosphate mining— this course is one of four at the Streamsong Resort in Central Florida’ s Bone Valley. Created in 2012 on the site of a former strip mine, the theatrical Coore and Crenshaw design shifts between swaths of open savanna and fairways nestled deep between sandy humps. Over-water tee-offs and deep swales evoke a sense of adventure as players must strategise how best to work with the terrain. Off the green, the property features eight restaurants and lounges, a grotto-style spa and a 228-room hotel.
Seminole Golf Club
With names such as Kennedy, Chrysler and Vanderbilt on the ledger, this ultra-exclusive private club in Juno Beach has been open for play since 1930. Bounded by a 40-foot sand dune on its western edge and facing the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the sweeping, sandy course is one of legendary architect Donald Ross’ greatest triumphs. Even the most seasoned swingers will be challenged by the capricious Gulf Stream breeze, which adds an element of uncertainty to every round. Heavily restored in the post-war period, Seminole’ s new bunkers mirror the cresting waves visible from several of its elevated holes.
spring 2025 • 25