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 It’s OK to admit you occasionally watch the Golf Channel. If you have, you’ve probably seen the commercial about the World Golf Village where Gary Player or Ben Crenshaw says: “If you love golf, you’ve got to go.” I did about five years ago as part of a golf media trip to northeast Florida. The visit was top-notch all the way, and Gary and Ben are right — golf nuts should carve out some time to visit the St. Augustine site, which includes the World Golf Hall of Fame, a museum, PGA Tour Academy, two courses, an IMAX theater, and good dining options. We stayed at the Renaissance Resort at the entrance to the World Golf Village, which is designed in a circular fashion around a lake, making for an easy stroll from place to place. We played the King & Bear, named for co-designers Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and the Slammer & Squire, designed to invoke the memories of Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. We were given a flag from the King & Bear that I brought to the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and reception that night, where Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Tony Jacklin, Tommy Bolt, Harvey Penick and Marilyn Hagge were enshrined. I got Crenshaw to sign the flag, which is now framed on a wall in my apartment. The World Golf Hall of Fame is imaginatively laid out like a golf course with 18 exhibit areas. The front nine traces the game’s history through artifacts and memorabilia and the back nine utilizes technology to bring the modern game into focus. In the center of the facility’s centerpiece lake is a replica of the 17th green at TPC Sawgrass, where visitors can grab an iron and a few balls, and tee it up on mats about 140 yards from the putting surface. The shot is similar to the one the pros face each year at the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, which is about 30 miles down the road. While I took my cuts and got a few balls on the faux 17th green, a shot at the real thing wasn’t on the trip’s agenda. Maybe next time. SG |
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