There’s something fresh and pure about spring training. Mostly day games, where the intensity is low and so are the prices. Where you can see fundamentals practiced before your eyes. Where players look like they’re having fun. Where there are no luxury boxes, waterfalls, swimming pools, domes or other artificial intrusions on the most natural of games. Where baseball and apple pie still go together.
Only two states are home to spring training baseball – Florida and Arizona. The reason is weather. There are few better places to be in late February and March than those two states. Average temperatures are in the low 80s with very low humidity and very high air quality. Great for casual baseball. And also great for golf.
Ten Golf Card affiliates rated 4 stars or better are near spring training sites in Florida and Arizona. So think about visiting these locations in the next few weeks – they’re easy on the budget, especially when the Golf Card is covering some of the green fees.
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ARIZONA
Arizona National (Tucson)
520-749-3636; arizonanationalgolfclub.com
Arizona National Golf Club is a visual stunner designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. in 1995. Nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains adjacent to the Coronado National Forest, the course follows the rugged natural flow of the land across shady mesquite-lined arroyos and skirts craggy rock outcroppings. Along the way, Arizona National Golf Club’s diverse 6,785 yard layout will present classic golf-in-the-desert challenges, especially risk-reward options.
The scenery is spectacular including panoramic mountain vistas, forests of giant saguaros and the rare beauty of nine natural springs. Tucson is the spring training home of the Diamondbacks, White Sox and Rockies. |
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Palm Valley GC/Palm Course (Goodyear)
623-935-2500; palmvalleygolf.com
Designed by renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills, Palm Valley Golf Club's Palms Course is not a typical desert course with rough desert terrain surrounding the fairways and greens. Instead golfers find transition areas, large shallow patches of firm sand dotting each hole. These transition areas make golf more enjoyable for most recreational players – they are easier to hit from than waste bunkers and the desert itself.
The Palms Course has been rated among Arizona's best public golf courses by The Phoenix Business Journal, and the ninth hole is routinely cited by avid players as one of the best par-5s in the state. Palm Valley is located in Goodyear, just a few miles from the Scottsdale/ Phoenix area and the spring training home of several teams including the Cubs, Royals, Brewers, A’s, Padres, Giants, Mariners and Rangers. |
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San Ignacio (Green Valley)
520-648-3468; sanignaciogolfclub.com
San Ignacio Golf Club is a 6,704-yard, par-71 Arthur Hills-designed course that is located 20 minutes south of Tucson, Arizona, in Green Valley. It sits nestled between the Santa Rita and Tumacacoris Mountain ranges at 3,000 feet elevation, providing for a spectacular and unique desert-golf destination.
Hills expertly sculpted the course into the area’s natural canyons, utilizing the existing topography to create dramatic elevation changes. Each fairway is defined by the natural landscape and rows of mesquite trees. Considered by some to be "the best little golf secret in Arizona," San Ignacio offers a number of “signature” holes and a natural setting that includes deer, rabbits, quail, dove, javelina, bobcats and the occasional mountain lion. |
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Ventana Canyon (Tucson)
520-577-4015; thelodgeatventanacanyon.com
The ultimate Arizona golf experience. Consistently ranked as one of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play by Golf Magazine, Ventana Canyon is a true desert delight complemented by unbeatable service. Two 18-hole courses designed by Tom Fazio were the harbingers of great desert courses that preserved the natural landscape and situated target areas amidst the sand, desert plants and mountain passes. The lay of the land routes the course, not bulldozers.
The third hole on the Mountain Course is what Ventana Canyon is all about: a 100-yard par three that was carved by hand from the mountainside to preserve the natural surroundings. Both the tee and the green are platforms in two walls of a cliff that spans a ravine. It is an architectural masterpiece.
Both Ventana Canyon courses are rated 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest. |
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FLORIDA
Deer Island G&LC (Tavares)
352-343-7550; deerislandgolf.com
Midway between Orlando and Tampa lies Deer Island – a lush paradise in the middle of Central Florida. Deer Island is a true peninsula, wedged between lakes Dora and Beauclair. Inside its lakeside boundaries are 400 acres of spectacular natural habitats, including bald eagles perched atop towering pines and oaks.
The golf course was designed by noted Florida architect Joe Lee, who called it “the most unique course” he’s ever designed. Not overly long, but tight in places, Deer Island carries a 137 slope rating from the black championship tees – among the highest in the state. Don’t fret though – three other sets of tees allow a wide array of golfers to enjoy Deer Island’s impeccable conditions and wonderful scenery without being overwhelmed.
The 17th and 18th holes hug the shores of Lake Dora and make for a breathtaking finish. Deer Island is a 30-minute ride from Tampa and the spring training home of the New York Yankees. |
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Diamondback GC (Haines City)
863-421-0437; diamondbackgc.net
Just 10 years old, Diamondback has already been recognized as one of Top 50 Courses in Florida by Golf Magazine. A pretty layout, with its rolling terrain, protected wetlands, white sand and clear blue water hazard, Diamondback is also very attractive for what it lacks – home development.
In all, 12 holes have water in play – six over the wetlands. None of the carries is excessively long, but positioning is essential, especially on the approach shots. Nearly every green is flanked by traps left and right with fingers of sand guarding the edges.
Not to be outdone at Diamondback is the 19th hole – a veranda-type setting overlooking a waterfall that separates the 16th and 18rthe fairways.
Haines City is 20 miles west of Lakeland, spring training home of the Detroit Tigers. |
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The Majors (Palm Bay)
321-952-8617; majorsgolfclub.com
A semi-private course that welcomes Golf Card members with a generous $22 savings during peak season. The Majors was designed by Arnold Palmer through and around lakes, creeks, preservation areas and natural wetlands. Five minutes from I-95 and 20 miles from Melbourne, the Majors is a rare course in the region to feature rolling hills and trees resembling the Pinehurst area. There are some memorable holes including No. 15, a par-three with an island green. You’ll also remember the white sugar bunkers – there are more on The Majors than any other course in Brevard County.
Melbourne is the spring training home of the Washington Nationals. |
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