Golf Near St. Augustine: From Public Courses to TPC Sawgrass
Northeast Florida is one of the great golf destinations in the United States. More than 68 publicly accessible courses within an easy drive, championship venues that host PGA Tour events, and weather that makes year-round play genuinely enjoyable – if you play golf and you are visiting St. Augustine, you are in exactly the right place.
The Crown Jewel: TPC Sawgrass
Everything in Northeast Florida golf orbits around TPC Sawgrass. Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, TPC Sawgrass features two PGA Tour championship courses designed by world-renowned architect Pete Dye. THE PLAYERS Stadium Course sports one of the most recognizable and challenging holes on the PGA Tour with the par-3 17th and its famous island green. The course was built to challenge Tour professionals like no other golf course had done before.
THE PLAYERS Stadium Course rates start at $600 per player from September through May, and $450 per player from June through August. Dye’s Valley rates start at $275 per player from September through May, and $175 per player from June through August. Tee times for resort guests can be booked up to 12 months in advance. Without lodging, booking opens 14 days out.
Dye’s Valley Course features wider fairways and larger greens with perfectly manicured surfaces and water on every hole. It is the more accessible of the two courses and still one of the finest rounds of golf in Florida.
THE PLAYERS Championship, held every March at TPC Sawgrass, draws the top 50 ranked players in the world. If you can time your visit to coincide, it is worth it.
Other Top Courses In The Area
The Plantation at Ponte Vedra was designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay and recently renovated with guidance from PGA Tour professional Billy Horschel. The 18-hole course spans 7,141 yards with a par of 72, featuring more than 50 strategically placed bunkers, water hazards, open fairways, and a memorable island green on the 15th hole.
The Yards, located next to TPC Sawgrass, offers a more social experience – an innovative 12-hole course with a championship-style front 9 and a fun par-3 backyard, designed for casual play, group outings, and quick rounds. The Beer Loop format makes it ideal for groups who want to enjoy the game at a relaxed pace.
Ponte Vedra Inn and Club offers two courses – the Ocean Course and the Lagoon Course – in a classic seaside links setting with meandering lagoons, elevated Bermuda greens, and steep-faced bunkers. These are accessible to inn guests.
For those staying closer to the historic district, St. Johns Golf Club is a public, par-71 course renovated in 2022, and the Golf Club at South Hampton northwest of St. Augustine offers 18 holes of championship golf for all skill levels.
When To Play
Golfing is great here year-round, but the best months for ideal weather are February through May. Summers can be hot and humid, but early morning and late afternoon tee times help beat the heat.
TPC Sawgrass: 110 TPC Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Website: tpc.com/sawgrass
First Coast Golf: florida-golf.org