Miami's Top 10 Public Golf Courses

Anytime you can play an authentic Donald Ross course, it’s a real treat, and the Biltmore Golf Course is a great example of that. Restored by Brian Silva about a decade or so ago, the course is a gorgeous test of golf, located in Coral Gables just outside of Miami.

Off the tee, it’s not that difficult, but water often comes into play, and the Ross greens are Ross greens, which means they have plenty of slope, so stay beneath the hole whenever possible. The Biltmore Golf Course is also the headquarters of the famed Jim McLean Golf School. 

The golf course is laid out around the historic Biltmore Hotel, with its incredible Mediterranean architecture, lavish gardens, and spiraling Moorish Giralda Tower.

Like The Blue Monster and The Red Tiger at Trump Doral, Golden Palm was also resurrected by Hanse, and it’s a great test of golf with open and tight holes, plenty of water, and bunkers cut tightly in the front with rough behind them. 

The best policy is to avoid the water, bunkers and Golden Palms for which the course is named. The greens also have plenty of undulation to challenge your short game and putting. 

The bottom line, though, is that this is a championship test, nearly as tough as The Blue Monster. It starts with a fairly benign par-4 that plays nearly 500 yards from the tips, and ends with the course’s signature hole, the 469-yard par-4 18th. The latter is a beauty with a cluster of three fairway bunkers on the right and an island green that fortunately slopes back to front to help hold your approach shots.

The longest and more championship layout of the two courses at the Turnberry Isle and Country Club, the Soffer Course has hosted quite a few LPGA Tour events since it opened in 1971. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., and renovated in 2007 under the direction of former tour player Ray Floyd, the otherwise private course is accessible to guests of the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort Resort & Spa, which is located just north of North Miami. 

The course can be stretched to more than 7,000 yards, and is 600 yards longer than the other layout at Turnberry Isle, the Miller Course.

Named after South Florida developer Donald Soffer, the signature hole is arguably the 571-yard, par-5 finisher, which ends with an island green and a large waterfall. 

Again, Hanse put his stamp on another Trump Doral course, this time the wonderful Robert von Hagge layout that first opened in 1964 and has now become a favorite at Doral for many regular players and guests.

The Red Tiger Course – which got its name from the late Jackie Gleason because of how difficult it played for him – received the most dramatic facelift of any of the courses at Doral. With water on 17 holes, plenty of mounding, and small, undulated greens protected by white sand bunkers, it’s still a tough test, but way more beautiful than it used to be.

The hole variety is outstanding with lots of highlights. The par-5 10th, for example, requires a long uphill tee shot and difficult layup to set up what’s hopefully a wedge to a green fronted by water. The par-3 16th sets up nicely for players who can draw the ball since the water is mostly left and in front of the green. And the par-5 18th features water on both sides of the fairway as well as behind the green.

Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach Golf Club is just a few miles from South Beach. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s always in good shape, the layout is super interesting, and the scenery is terrific.

With a history that dates back over a century, the course got an $11 million renovation a little more than 20 years ago by Hills. The work included elevating the greens, new bunkering and turf. There’s plenty of water that comes into play as well, with several lakes and ponds. And the small undulating greens are certainly challenging.

Owned by the city of Pembroke Pines, this is certainly one of the best municipals in the area. Opened in 1969, it underwent a $7 million renovation in 2007.

Though the course tops out at just over 6,800 yards, it will challenge all levels of players. Best of all, it’s always in good shape, featuring Paspalum Supreme turf on the fairways, coquina waste bunkers, and an extensive practice area that includes a chipping green, practice bunker, grass range and a large putting green. There is also plenty of water that comes into play, regardless of which of the six sets of tees you choose to play.

In addition to the course, there are 14 tennis courts, including five that are clay, as well as the Club Nineteen Restaurant. 

If you want a little Miami golf nostalgia, head over to the Country Club of Miami, once an exclusive private club where some pretty famous folks used to play golf.

Now a Miami municipal, it used to be home of the Eastern Open on the PGA Tour. And Gleason, who had a home there, often played at the Country Club of Miami and invited his celebrity friends like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby to join him. None other than Arnold Palmer was the club’s first head pro.

There are 36 holes divided between the West and the East Courses. The West is longer at more than 7,000 yards and played host to PGA Tour Champions Qualifying School in 1991. Both, which were designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., have been renovated and reconfigured over the years.

We could have easily made an argument for the fourth Trump National Doral layout, The Silver Fox Course, which used to be called the Jim McLean Course. It’s very different from the other three, and there’s an island green on the 14th.

The truth is while there’s nothing like Miami in terms of culture and vibe, public golf in the area is somewhat limited. 

If you are willing to go north a bit, there’s a lot of quality resort and public golf that includes spots like PGA National Resort & Spa with its six courses in Palm Beach Gardens, PGA Golf Club and its three championship courses and incredible practice facilities in Port St. Lucie, The Breakers Jones Course in West Palm Beach, and The Park in West Palm Beach. The Park is a sensational redo by Hanse and company of the former West Palm Beach Golf Course. It opened in 2023 and also includes a lighted par-3 course.

Also well worth driving a bit is one of my favorite short courses in the country. The Palm Beach Par 3, an all-paspalum layout right on the ocean in West Palm, was renovated by Ray Floyd and features lots of holes with Atlantic views. The price has gone up a bit over the years, but I still think it’s worth the $67 fee to walk considering the location. The Al Fresco Italian Restaurant in the clubhouse is sensational, both for its views from the veranda and the menu.