Seminole Golf Club—Juno Beach, FL
Rankings as of 4/9/2011
13th best course in the US, #1 course in FL (Golf Digest)
13th best course in the US, 21st best course in the world (Golf Magazine)
14th best classic course (Golfweek)
I had the extreme pleasure to play Seminole for the second time during Masters Week of 2011. The first time I
played it was as part of a charity tournament and I really got to experience the golf course and witness its
greatness first hand. However, the second time I got to play it as a guest on a normal day at Seminole. We were
one of only 4 groups playing that day and I got to experience not only the greatness of the course, but the
greatness of the club.
I think that during my first play I got my arms around the architectural aspects of the golf course and given that, I
left my original write up on the course intact and that can be accessed via this link. I will note however that this last
time I played it the wind was down and so was my score. The course is still the most challenging course I’ve played
to date, but it was more playable than the last time.
The club itself is really something special. I think we all know that it is home to the upper crust of American society
in terms of wealth and prestige. And what I find interesting about the club is that there really isn’t anything fancy
there. Everything is nice, but rather than being a member of this club for the reason of being surrounded by
fanciness…I think people are members of Seminole for the privacy and seclusion.
As I mentioned before, my group was one of only four groups playing that particular day. One other person was
warming up while these groups were playing and other than that, no one was there. My foursome was a group of
unaccompanied guests and it was explained to us that unaccompanied guests can tee off between 9:30 and 10:30
and must play in less than four hours. That is your window to be on the course and the practice facility. Other
than that, it is members and accompanied guests only.
After our round, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in a beautiful but under-stated clubhouse and the service was
excellent. Frankly, the staff couldn’t have been nicer. The caddies on the golf course were world-class as well;
both in terms of knowledge and friendliness.
I don’t think enough can be said about how wonderful the club is and the people are, as well as the overall vibe of
Seminole. I think the golf course is too difficult for me to enjoy playing every day, but the environment of the club
and the quality of the people sure make me want to give it a try!!