Amelia Island Golf
Golf Fairway Summer Beach at Ritz Carlton
Amelia Island has earned a wonderful reputation for its gorgeous, challenging golf courses!
Amelia Island is a golfer’s haven, offering many choices of championship-quality courses and resort-style, golf club living on the coast. Conveniently located only 30 minutes from the Jacksonville International Airport, Amelia Island is an easy access golf and beach getaway on the U.S. Atlantic east coast.
The largest golf resort is Amelia Island Plantation (AIP) (904)261-6161, with four 18-hole courses– Oak Marsh, Ocean Links, Long Point, and Amelia River Golf Club. AIP is the winner of many awards. Named a “Silver Medal Golf Resort” every year by Golf Magazine, Amelia Island Plantation boasts 72 championship holes. (REAL ESTATE: For those who desire resort-style golf club living, lovely golf front estate homes offer golf front views.) Amelia Island Plantation is also known for its excellent golf school. The Amelia Island Plantation Golf Academy is located at Long Point. Ed Bowe is the Director of Golf Instruction.
Amelia Links, designed by Pete Dye and Bobby Weed, is a 36-hole configuration including two signature courses, Oak Marsh and Ocean Links.
Winding through natural coastal hammock, the Ocean Links vistas are spectacular, with five golf holes on the oceanfront, fairways and greens parallel to the beach. In 2010, Golf Digest ranked the female-friendly Ocean Links golf course in the top three American golf courses for women, see article. Ocean Links has also been named “one of the best courses for women” by Golf For Women. Take a look at this video of Amelia Island Plantation’s golf course on the ocean, featuring Director of Instruction, Ed Bowe….
Long Point, Tom Fazio’s creation, is an 18-hole layout designed distinctly among marshlands and the towering sand dunes of the Atlantic. Long Point is AIP’s Club Member primary course but resort guests can reserve tee times one day in advance.
Amelia River (904)491-8500 open to the public (a resort stay at AIP is not required to play this course), offers a Tom Jackson-designed 18-hole layout, sculpted around a forest of majestic live oaks, palms, and pines along the Amelia riverfront. (This beautiful golf course does not have a community of homes built around it, thus, offers lovely, natural views.) Large greens, rolling fairways, tranquil beauty along the Amelia River.
Golf Club of Amelia, Summer Beach — Adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton is the beautiful Golf Club of Amelia, an 18-hole course, part of the Summer Beach Resort, at the Ritz-Carlton. This course was designed by PGA Tour vets, Mark McCumber and Gene Littler, the course is as beautiful as it is challenging, and was home of the 1998 Senior PGA Liberty Mutual Tour event. Summer Beach is a private course, but tee times are available to guests of the Ritz-Carlton and Summer Beach Resort. The Golf Club of Amelia has meticulously maintained greens, strategically bunkered fairways and ever-shifting ocean breezes, thus no two rounds are the same. Golf club living is available in the Summer Beach gated neighborhoods, Golfside South and Golfside North. The Anne Cain Golf Academy at The Golf Club of Amelia Island, Summer Beach features instruction from LPGA instructor Anne Cain.
AMELIA ISLAND AREA GOLF COURSES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
In addition to AIP’s Amelia River Golf Club as noted above, open to public play, here are two more local area golf clubs open to the public:
Fernandina Beach Golf Club (904)277-7370– The city of Fernandina’s municipal golf course is the Fernandina Beach Golf Club, offering 27 holes of golf. The Fernandina Beach Golf Club has a driving range, practice putting green, a stocked pro shop, plus clubhouse with food and full bar. The Fernandina Beach Golf Club has reduced membership rates for 2009/2010 fiscal year, and reduced daily fees. (For example, the best golf deal is to walk, with off season rates for 18 holes weekdays $28.50, weekends $34 as of November 2009, rates subject to change.) This public course has been rated three and a half stars by Golf Digest, making it amongst the best public courses in the country. The director of Golf is Scott Womble. Located on Amelia Island, turn off South Fletcher Avenue onto Bill Melton Road.
Golf Club at North Hampton (904)548-0000 — Located just off Amelia Island in Yulee, a short ten minute drive, is the Golf Club at North Hampton. The golf course is semi-private, offering memberships, but also open to the public for play. The LandMar Group built this community with Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and clubhouse, and golf club living is available in this community with more than 500 homes. This par 72 championship design is wrapped around over ten crisp spring fed lakes lined with coquina boulders and offers elevations over 40 feet. The wild grasses and rolling hills give you the feel of an Old Scottish Links Course.
Amelia National Golf & Country Club (904)652-0660. — Tom Fazio signature golf course. Amelia National is the newest golf course community in the Amelia Island area and offers new homes. This is a private golf country club, a gated community with 24/7 security force, stunning clubhouse and community pool, 3 clay tennis courts, fitness center, located off the island on the Amelia Concourse near North Hampton. Amelia National’s doors are open to outside tournaments. For an upscale golf experience on one of the premier courses in the area with beautiful clubhouse, amenities and a dedicated tournament staff, contact Amelia National. The club can provide a full-service tournament experience from pairings, scoring and tee times to cart service. Amelia National’s 17,000-square-foot oldstyle clubhouse offers a great gathering place for members and their guests to relax and enjoy the incredible amenities offered by the club, including full-service bar and restaurant. While the public can’t play the golf course, those seeking golf course living should visit to see lifestyle options (make an appointment with a Realtor, you can’t just drive through the front gated entry). The club was offering potential home buyers a day to enjoy the amenities.
