The sound of engines roaring around a race track is as synonymous with Daytona Beach as the sand and the sea, but in truth, golf balls were being struck - and cursed - decades before the opening of the Daytona International Speedway.

That famous tri-oval is home to NASCAR's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, a stock car race that draws worldwide attention. But the area's temperate climate and proximity to the beach has also been a huge draw for golfers going back to the turn of the century - the last century, that is.
An organization called Golf Daytona Beach can help you put together a golf itinerary.

And those golfers today have a slew of courses to choose from within a short drive of area hotels.

Arnold Palmer and Gary Player among the prominent names to have designed courses in the area. Donald Ross, considered by many the patron saint of golf architects, designed the Daytona Beach Golf Club, which opened in 1921. Daytona Beach is also home to the Ladies Professional Golf Association and two signature courses at LPGA International, the Champions Course and the Legends Course.

And planning a trip to the area is about as simple as placing a ball on the tee. In fact, an organization called Golf Daytona Beach can help you put together an itinerary that includes a choice of 13 hotels and 18 golf courses. Here is just a sampling of the courses you should consider playing.

  • The Golf Club at Cypress Head - Designed by noted architects Arthur Hills and Mike Dasher, this course is located among the woods and wetlands of Port Orange, just south of Daytona Beach. "On most of the holes, you're going to find beautiful backdrops behind each green setting," Dasher said. The course can stretch to 6,800 yards.


  • Cypress Course at The Grand Club - Located just north of Daytona Beach in Palm Coast, the Cypress Course is a Gary Player Signature Design offering a Northeast Florida feel with marshlands and wildlife. Another great design is featured at the Pine Course at the Grand Club, designed by Arnold Palmer.


  • Daytona Beach Golf Club - The South course is a must-visit for any Donald Ross aficionado (and it's the closest course to the beach!). Most of the original design is still evident. Tee shots are straightforward, but the approaches give the course its bite as Ross' signature small, saucer-shaped greens remain a challenge. The course features tall Florida oaks, and there is water on eight holes. The North course was originally designed by Slim Deathridge but redesigned by Lloyd Clifton and reopened in 1997. A course treasure is an old scorecard with the names of golf luminaries Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Jimmy Demeret. They played Daytona on March 13, 1947, with Demeret setting a course record of 63.


  • Halifax Plantation Golf Club - Located just north of Daytona Beach in Ormond Beach, this course is situated near the Bulow and Tomoka state parks on Old Dixie Highway. This semi-private club, designed by William Amick, opened in 1991. It measures 7, 101 yards from the back tees.


  • LPGA International - Two signature courses are located at LPGA International, which is also the LPGA headquarters. The Champions course was designed by Rees Jones and played host to the LPGA's annual Titleholders tournament for five years. It is consistently voted the best course in the area. Golf magazine ranked it among the Top 10 you can play. The Legends course was designed by Arthur Hills. These courses annually host the LPGA Tour's Qualifying Tournament, which gives playing privileges the following season to the top 30 finishers.


  • Victoria Hills Golf Club - This course started receiving rave reviews almost from the moment it opened in 2001. Designed by Florida native and prolific golf course architect Ron Garl, it has some 80 feet of elevation change, a rarity in Florida. Located in DeLand, southwest of Daytona Beach, it is home to the Stetson University golf teams. Water comes into play on just three holes and the course is a joy to walk.
Other courses in the Golf Daytona Beach lineup include Crane Lakes Golf & Country Club, DeBary Golf & Country Club, Hidden Lakes Golf Club, River Bend Golf Club, Oceanside Country Club, Pelican Bay Golf Club, Indigo Lakes Golf Club, Plantation Golf Club and Spruce Creek Country Club.