The Champion Course at PGA National – the site of this week’s PGA Tour Honda Classic – was designed and built by Tom Fazio & George Fazio. It opened in 1981 and has been extensively renovated by Jack Nicklaus in the last two decades.
Located in Palm Beach Gardens Florida, this is home to a stretch known as the Bear Trap – Nos. The Champion’s history includes holes 15, 16, and 17. It hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup in which the United States defeated Europe 14.5-13.5. In 1987, it hosted the PGA Championship, won by Larry Nelson in a playoff against Lanny Wadkins. Now, PGA National is the first stop of the PGA Tour’s annual Florida Swing.
The PGA Tour reported this year’s event would feature a bunker renovation. Bunkers have been removed from Nos. 13 and 16. 13 and 16 plus a “bunker reduction” on the closing two holes.
The Champion ranks no. 8 in Florida, on Golfweek’s Best List of Public-Access Courses in each State. It’s No. 73 on The list of top resort courses within the U.S.
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The course will be 7,125 yards long with a par 70 for the Honda Classic.
Six courses are located at PGA National Resort, which recently received a $100 million renovation. The new match course by Andy Staples features nine holes that can all be played at different lengths and no set par.
We can see the exact challenges that the pros face at PGA National thanks to the yardage books created by StrackaLine – who makes detailed yardage books for thousands upon thousands of courses all over the globe.
