Jacksonville Gyms and Fitness

Clarence L. Jorif Jr. didn't become a personal trainer just because of his passion for fitness; he wanted to make a difference in people's lives. Today, as the founder of San Marco Training Studio, Inc, he enjoys watching his clients transform physically and overcome difficult mental obstacles, such as can't-do attitudes or fear of a bodybuilder showing up in every mirror. Clarence encourages clients to have fun, regardless of the rigor of their regimens. He and his team of fitness experts offer both custom personal-training sessions and boot-camp classes—packed with pushups, squats, plyometrics, and suspension training—with the goal of having a long-term impact on each client's personal health.

Nestled in the scenic shadows of the Smoky Mountains, Bent Creek Golf Course's 18-hole layout stretches across 6,182 yards of fairways that rise and fall among rolling foothills and pristine valleys. Golf legend and course designer Gary Player made deft use of a babbling mountain stream by running it through the course and seamlessly uniting two distinct nines: a front nine that sprawls across the valley floor and a back nine that roams the hilly mountainside like a forlorn sasquatch. The overall effect is a course that does justice to both the sheer scope of the rising peaks with bottom-up views and the panoramic splendor of Great Smoky Mountains National Park when seen from the cresting hilltops of the back-nine. The inventive layout is perhaps best characterized by the 11th hole, a 362-yard par 4 where a 90-degree dogleg-left plays into a green completely surrounded by the creek's rippling waters. A blend of bent and bermuda grasses grows resiliently for golfers striving to play all year-round, and fragrant wildflowers blossom at every tee to warm the hearts of world-weary nine-irons.

Bent Creek bolsters the pin-hunting prowess of its golfers with a staff of PGA-certified instructors that conducts lessons and presides over the domain of their full-service pro shop. A practice putting green helps players trim their score by reading dicey slopes, and the Creek Side Grill hosts postround revelry and community gatherings to decry the historical hardships of the mashie niblick.:m]]

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by three-time Masters and British Open Champion Gary Player
• Bermuda-and-bent-grass combination
• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,182 yards from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Link to scorecard

Surrounding students with an equatorial climate powered by eco-friendly heating, Radiance Bikram Yoga’s mirror-lined studio hosts classes seven days a week. 90-minute Bikram yoga sessions challenge students of all skill levels with 26 seated and standing postures and two measured breathing exercises. The sweat-breaking workout systematically engages muscle groups and organs across the body, helping to tone and detoxify stressed-out chakras. Repeated practice can improve stamina and flexibility while cascading waves of heat loosen joints and form mirages of Antarctic ice shelves. Antibacterial flooring keeps soles contaminant-free, and the studio's onsite showers and changing rooms allow guests to return home feeling refreshed.

A State Amateur Champion a former Nike/Nationwide Tour Member, Nicky Martin has more than 30 years of experience playing and instructing golf an a competitive level. With the belief that no two students are the same, he customizes instruction for each individual’s swing with the goal of creating solid, repeating shots. As a teacher, some of his students have gone on to acclaim such as winning the Florida State Amateur Championship and walking on to the University of Florida golf team.

Pulse Fitness Center is owned and operated under the direction of board-certified physicians who know that nutrition is as critical for good health as knowledgeable staff and the latest equipment technology. A team of personal trainers—which includes a former professional football player and a former physical readiness instructor for the U.S. Army—guides fitness seekers toward their personal goals. The team counsels students on dietary habits and points them to machines with the Smart Key digital memory system, which, like a robot butler who has been around since childhood, remembers guests' personal preferences and physical activities. The center's TechnoGym equipment entertains patrons with personal TVs at each station, and an overhead sound system keeps the 10,000-square-foot space pumping with free weights and FreeMotion equipment.

Guests can drop kids off for childcare before classes ranging from TRX suspension training to Zumba sessions with dance moves set to Latin-inspired music. Licensed professionals at the medically directed center provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy at the in-house Harland Rehabilitation Clinic.

Pilates on 3rd's owner Neely Hufnagel set out to make her studio differ from other Pilates centers. Though she credits Pilates' body-sculpting techniques for transforming her body into figure-competition shape, she also fills her studio with high-energy cross-training classes and healing yoga sessions to provide her customers with some variety. Along with Neely, the certified staff leads patrons of all ages and abilities in myriad muscle-building and limb-stretching classes, including barre, and Pilates TRX and Reformer classes. The TRX and Reformer machines utilize a system of ropes and pulleys to help patrons sculpt lean limbs with the help of their own bodyweight. Upon entering the upscale boutique studio, guests are greeted with a spa-like atmosphere decked in gleaming wood floors, tropical plants, and delicate orchids, who graciously curtsey to the best-performing athletes on their way out.