Fun work trip down in Miami took myself and three work colleagues to the Miami Beach Golf Club for the first time. Quite a unique experience for this California kid whose only other experience in Flor... Continue »

Fun work trip down in Miami took myself and three work colleagues to the Miami Beach Golf Club for the first time. Quite a unique experience for this California kid whose only other experience in Florida was the very different (and fantastic) Streamsong Resort. An entirely different kettle of fish without a doubt, but no less enjoyable or challenging. MBGC has a layout loaded with danger, mostly in the shape of water hazards big and small on almost every hole, along with some very strategically based bunkers and sandy areas, plus a strong contingent of palm and other much thicker trees. Some of the tee shots are truly tight and there are many risk-reward holes, the most fun one being the par 4 16th hole which any decent bomber can reach over the lake if your confidence is high. Long story short? You can rack up some big numbers here pretty quickly if you're off your game. There is tons of wildlife here including ducks and geese, but you will absolutely be stunned by the sheer number of iguanas that are present on almost every hole. They're not at all upset if you play through. Conditions at MBGC have apparently gotten much better over the years. My boss played here 20 years ago and considered it a dog track, but now it's been revamped and the cool layout now has sweet conditions to match, and make it worth the $130 or so price tag for a Friday round. We got to see most of it from the blue tees, and it did not disappoint. Greens were incredibly difficult to manage, not only because of the different type of grass than back in California, but because they were just so fast that even the slightest breaks were magnified quite a bit. Slightest of mis-hits would find your ball six feet past the hole. But they rolled very true and were quite difficult to land without a perfect, high approach. Fairways were in very good shape with only the rarest sightings of thin lies or burned out sections from the intense South Florida sun. Rough was thick and grabby and required your full attention and commitment to escape from when needed. Bunkers were all in very nice condition with very nice white sand, and the tee boxes were just great. No complaints really at all throughout the day. Driving range is grass and very functional, but you do have to get a code from the starters (who were super nice) and then get your balls from a machine adjacent to it. Carts had a nice GPS system but it did not kick in until the back nine. They also have an annoying habit of loud beeps when you get too close to the green (which is fine) but it continues far too long after you've gotten back to the cart path. But if that's the biggest gripe for the day, you know you're having a good one. Nice clubhouse to grab a bite in after the round, and during there was very attentive cart service throughout whom we saw no less than 4-5x during the day. If you needed something, the cart girl was bound to be around soon, so that was very nice. I also managed to get in pics of almost every hole and they should be uploaded to the site soon to have a look. Overall, had nothing but fun at Miami Beach Golf Club despite the tough layout that really took everything I had to keep it under 100 and still have enough balls left to finish after donating quite a few to the numerous lakes on the course. The club is very close to South Beach hotels as well so there's no excuse not to have a crack at it if you're vacationing in the area anytime. Make it happen!