South Florida Golf Courses That Are Easy on the Wallet

By Tim McDonald

If you're heading for a golf trip to South Florida with no particular itinerary in mind, and you want to save some money over and above what you're already saving on summer rates, try these tracks:

The West Palm Beach-Boca Raton corridor has some nice options, like: Cypress Creek Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens Golf Club and the Village Golf Club.

The greater Miami area has a lot of upscale South Florida golf courses for celebrities and well-heeled business executives, but you'll still be able to find some excellent layouts with very reasonable green fees.

Crandon Golf Course on Key Biscayne is a beautiful, decently-priced municipal course that's a pleasure to play. Ex-Governor Jeb Bush likes to play there. The Country Club of Miami is another good option.

The variety of golf in Naples and Fort Myers is stunning, among the best in the country, and there are some solid, everyday value courses like Eagle Ridge Golf Club and the Rotonda Golf and Country Club.

Charlotte County (north of Naples) is an excellent place to find relatively unknown value courses. Try Deep Creek Golf Club (another excellent muni), Long Marsh and Lemon Bay. This area also has some of the best fishing in the state.

In the Sarasota-Venice-Bradenton area, try Capri Isles Golf Club and Long Marsh.

I've played all these South Florida golf courses and there isn't a dud in the bunch. You definitely get your money's worth.