Daytona Beach's Rich Golf History Adds To The Appeal Of Rising Destination By Brian Weis

Daytona Beach's Rich Golf History Adds To The Appeal Of Rising Destination

By Brian Weis

Golf is a game that reveres its rich history. From the Golden Age of design to the competitive exploits of Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and their peers, golf ensures that its heroes live on in the eyes of contemporary players.

Those efforts have paid dividends as destinations that have ties to golf's fabled past continue to soar in popularity, and players revel in uncovering a course that traces its origins back to one of the sport's legends.

Daytona Beach, which offers all the perks of a modern destination - varied accommodations offerings, great food and abundant nightlife - also delights players with its connections to the game's past.

-- Donald Ross, the father of American golf course architecture, designed a pair of area gems - the South Course at Daytona Beach Golf Club and New Smyrna Golf Club, both municipal layouts that locals and traveling players alike flock to. The South Course opened in 1921 and features the small turtle back greens Ross was known for while New Smyrna Golf Club is a testament to the virtues of classic golf course design.

-- Not to be outdone Riviera Country Club, located in Ormond Beach, traces its roots back to the 1930s. The venerable layout has hosted the Riviera Open, America's longest running mini-tour event, since 1960. Among the Riviera Open's victors are PGA Tour winners Morris Hatalsky, Bert Yancey and Billy Hurley, and PGA Tour rules official Slugger White.

-- The history of the Daytona Beach Golf Club's South Course doesn't end with Ross. Four of the game's all-time greats, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jimmy Demaret and Byron Nelson, teed it up on the South Course on March 13, 1946. A three-time Masters champion, Demaret shot a course record 63 to win the storied exhibition.

Daytona Beach's golf history, combined with the quality of modern facilities like LPGA International, home of the acclaimed Jones and Hills courses, and the Ron Garl-designed Victoria Hills Golf Club, has helped make the area one of the game's rising stay-and-play destinations.

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Revised: 06/22/2021 - Article Viewed 2,967 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.