Golf in Cocoa

Renowned golf-course architect Bobby Weed aims to fill his courses with the kind of rich details typically produced only by Mother Nature herself. His 2008 overhaul of The Deltona Club completely transformed the course: today, blowout-style native-sand bunkers bear roughly scalloped edges that call to mind a raw desert landscape, and the elevation rises in craggy steps as the course progresses, giving players a sense of conquering the land itself. The course's resulting beauty, sense of challenge, and secret bonus level snagged the club a spot on Golfweek's list of best Florida courses in 2012.

The Golf Hub is helmed by teaching professional and owner Steve Roberts, a player who has championed a number of section PGA tournaments over his career. Roberts lends his time-earned expertise to golfers looking to improve through lessons or the outfit's offering of irons, apparel, and accessories by such brands as Nike and Titleist. During individual instruction, Roberts analyzes each player's personal swing profile with TrackMan technology, identifying issues in skills such as backswings and follow-throughs. The Golf Hub also punches up each ball's individuality by performing custom labeling onsite, emblazoning orbs with anything from personal photos to company logos to lost-cat flyers.

The golfing gurus at Edwin Watts Golf Academy diagnose and correct their students' poor swing and putting habits in an effort to help them improve their shots and lower their scores. In one-on-one swing-analysis sessions, students learn a repeatable swing that eliminates tendencies they may have to slice, hook, push, or pull the ball. A special laser attaches to the end of the player's club and tracks the swing path while JC Video swing-analysis software records the session from two separate angles, lest analysis be thrown off by only looking at the golfer’s good side. Putting analysis employs Tomi technology to measure eight separate parameters of the putting stroke, from clubhead orientation at address to swing path and tempo. After swing and putting lessons, students may access the recordings on a password-protected website, so they can forward videos to friends or sports-documentary filmmakers.

Harmony Golf Preserve is an award-winning golf destination that prized as a Top 10 Orlando Golf Course in 2011 from Golf Orlando Florida. Course architect and US Open Champion Johnny Miller designed a layout that would work in concert with the local wildlife. The result is a sprawling championship course that melds seamlessly with the natural wetlands and wooded thickets of the 260-acre wildlife preserve that surrounds it, earning the distinction of a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

While acting as a haven for feathered and furred animals, the course challenges golfers with tricky doglegs and undulating terrain, culminating in the course’s signature 9th hole, whose treacherous sand bunkers and water to the left of the green demand precision off the tee or a generous bribe to the mulligan maestro hiding in the thickets.

During course play, players can stop at a beverage cart or at the Grill on the Turn to refuel. After penciling in their final score, golfers can savor artisanal dishes and bask in the elegant, old-Florida atmosphere maintained by Graze, the clubhouse restaurant. Harmony Golf Preserve also helps players of all stripes cultivate their skills and clubbing techniques at The Performance Academy, while budding golfers can equip themselves with brand-name equipment and apparel from the pro shop.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 7,428
• Course rating of 76.1
• Slope rating of 136
• Take a virtual course tour
• Five sets of tee boxes

For more than half a century, salty breezes off the Atlantic have rustled the fronds of the palm trees that arch along the fairways at New Smyrna Golf Club. The 18-hole, par-72 layout—originally dreamt up by course architect Donald Ross—more recently underwent renovations by Bobby Weed, updating them for 21st-century expectations such as an absence of pack horses. Before driving and putting their way across the 6,567-yard course, golfers can warm up at one of the driving range’s 30 hitting stations or acquire gear from Titleist, Callaway, and Nike at the pro shop to fill their club quivers.

The 18-hole course at Winter Pines Golf Club incorporates tall trees, wooden bridges, and water that comes into play on several holes, sculpting out a challenging round for beginners and more experienced players alike. Opened in 1968, the par 67 loop retains its original design, including a 224-yard par 3 on the 12th hole and the course's signature hole, which is also the most difficult, the 400-yard par 4 fifth. Several lakes come into play as the course takes its residential tour, forcing players to hit over them to reach safety or hollow out a putter to use as a snorkel.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 67 course
• Total length of 5,401 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 65.3 from the back tees
• Course slope of 106 from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard