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Step by step through old St. Augustine Ponte Vedra hotels key to golf, tennis
Karen Haymon Long/Tampa Tribune Staff Writer
Tips for the Trip
Mention the 17th hole of the Tournament Players Club's Stadium Course to golfers and they'll likely cringe, then either say how they'd love to play that hole, or cry about how many balls they hit into the water while playing it.
On an island in a lake, the 17th hole haunts golfers. It's only a par 3. It's not a very long stretch from the tee to the hole. But the island, the water, the lurking alligators all make it THE hole golfers love to brag - and whine - about.
The 17th is the highlight of the Stadium Course, one of two courses operated by the Tournament Players Club here in the northeast corner of the state. Most golfers come to play the Stadium, home to the annual Players Championship. But many say they'd really rather play the club's other course, the Valley, because it's not nearly as difficult.
On either course, golfers are likely to see professional players they recognize. The PGA Tour Headquarters is in Ponte Vedra Beach. The Tournament Players clubhouse and courses, next door, are considered the ``home club'' for members of the PGA tour.
Three other golf courses are nearby: the Oak Bridge Club Course, the Sawgrass Country Club Course and the Marsh Landing Country Club Course.
While these courses lure golfers, a nearby world- class tennis complex attracts tennis players, both greats and would-be greats.
Adjacent to the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour International Headquarters, the complex boasts courts with five types of surfaces, including grass, European red clay and a cushioned hard material.
Some of the world's top tennis players - including No. 17 in the world, MaliVai Washington - practice on the grass court to prepare for Wimbledon. This year at Wimbledon, Washington was the first black male to reach the finals since Arthur Ashe's championship in 1975. Other players come here to take lessons with pros Brian Gottfried and Marty Davis, and to play on top- quality courts.
The courts are not open to the public, only to members and guests of members who are present, and to those staying at three hotels - the Marriott at Sawgrass Resort and the Lodge & Bath Club, both in Ponte Vedra Beach, and the Comfort Inn in Jacksonville Beach.
Fees are $15 an hour for the two grass courts, $12 a day for the others. The facility also offers tennis packages, junior and adult tennis camps, private lessons and clinics.
Golf and tennis are only two reasons this coast is considered the First Coast. It's also home to St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city; beautiful - although sometimes hard to get to - beaches; some excellent restaurants; diverse shopping; and attractive neighborhoods.
Locals like to brag about their lovely beaches and the fact that traffic and crime aren't as bad as in some parts of the state. Davis says Ponte Vedra is a wonderful place for families, especially if they like to play golf and tennis.
Bicycling, boating, even horseback riding are popular pastimes, too, for locals and tourists. Resorts rent bikes, arrange for deep-sea fishing trips and direct guests to horse stables with hourly rates.
Upscale Ponte Vedra Beach, between the Atlan tic and the Intracoastal Waterway, is only about a half-hour from Jacksonville, a fact that has attracted many corporate executives, doctors and lawyers to live here and drive into the city to work.
So, it's not just a vacation mecca, although it is that, too. The coast has a range of places to stay - from 24 bed-and-breakfast inns in nearby St. Augustine to top-notch resorts, such as the Marriott at Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra Beach, the official hotel of the Tournament Players at Sawgrass and the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour International Headquarters.
The two The two TournamentPlayers golf courses at Ponte Vedra are not open to the public, only to members and guests of playing members and to those staying at the Marriott at Sawgrass, which offers free shuttle rides to the courses.
Those not staying at the Marriott can buy a membership to play on the courses. Annual memberships cost $148.40 for those living outside of St. Johns, Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, and $275.60 for residents of those counties. Members must also pay green fees and for carts.
This year's Stadium Course green fees vary from $95 to $150, depending on the season. Valley fees range from $70 to $95. Carts are $22.
The Marriott offers golf and tennis packages. A $203 golf package for one person includes a night's accommodations, a round of golf on the Valley Course, cart fee and breakfast. Marriott guests might also get the chance to meet sommelier Ricardo Gracia, who says he invented the pin~a colada in the late '40s in Puerto Rico.
The Atlantic is close to the Marriott, golf courses and tennis courts - only about a mile as the crow flies. But the beach is lined with homes, some owned by people not wild about the public gaining access to ``their beaches.''
Tennis pro Davis says public paths lead to the beach about every six houses, but parking isn't allowed near the paths. He suggests driving south past the houses and the private beach clubs to a public parking area.
The beaches are lovely and wide with hard-packed tan sand. Because beachgoers can't park up and down the beaches - only in a few isolated places - walkers don't have to go far to get away from crowds near the parking lots.
Ken Kirkham of Jacksonville says the public beach at the south end of Ponte Vedra Beach is perfect for his family since it's close to their home in Jacksonville.
While his little boy, Erik, 2, sat in the sand watching, Kirkham threw a ball into the surf for his Jack Russell terrier, Cannon, to retrieve.
``Not that many beaches allow dogs,'' Kirkham said, after throwing the ball dozens of times. ``So, this beach is great for us.''
Horses are allowed on some area beaches. The Sawgrass Stables, at 23900 Marsh Landing Parkway in Ponte Vedra Beach, rents horses to ride on its trails (one-hour trail rides are $30) and sometimes will trailer horses to the beach for riders. English and Western riding lessons also are available. For details, call 1 (904) 285-3791.
Shopaholics can get their fixes at the 90-store St. Augustine Outlet Center off Interstate 95, just west of St. Augustine's historic district and about 45 minutes from Ponte Vedra Beach. Among the stores are Ann Taylor, Coach, Reebok, Brooks Brothers, Bose, Casual Corner & Co., J. Crew and Mikasa Factory Store.
The beach, the shopping, the golf and tennis make this part of the state an ideal place for travelers who like to mix sports with leisure. Or dining with buying. Or leisure with shopping. Or beachcombing with golfing.
In fact, it's a pretty nice place for just about anything.
