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Known for its buff, bronzed South Beach residents, its

financial institutions, cultural diversity and its

marvellous Art Deco architecture, Miami is a pretty

unique city. Yet away from the drop-top Cadillacs and

Biscayne Bay, Miami is also the staging ground for two

of the heavyweight champions of American golf – two

resorts that have living room fame with pedigrees to

match: PGA National and Doral.

Choose Miami for your golf holiday in the States and you

know you’re in for a few certainties. Firstly, it’s accessible

from the UK, with regular flights into and Miami courtesy of

the major carriers - Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.

Secondly,you won’t need a suitcase full of

Under Armour and cashmere, thanks to

average temperatures the warm side of

degrees Fahrenheit. And thirdly, you’ll

be blessed with the chance to visit lots of

off-course attractions. But there are more

than 1,300 golf courses in the Sunshine

State, so how to choose which to play?

Well, these two giants will see you home

and dry to golfing heaven.

Let’s begin with PGA National Resort

Spa, located in Palm Beach Gardens

around an hour’s drive north of Miami

itself. 2012 saw the completion of a

resort-wide renovation programme

with a bill in excess of $22m – no small

change – and the results lift this vener-

able institution back to the forefront of

American resort golf. And this is ‘resort’ in

the truest sense of the word; your needs

are anticipated and the onsite amenities

mean there’s no need to wander far. From

the 40,000-square-foot spa facility to the

court tennis centre, not to mention the

mouth-watering menu at the Ironwood

Steak and Seafood restaurant, you’ll want

As for golf, PGA National has a pedigree

matched by few. Two years after its

opening, the resort’s Champion Course

hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup matches and

following the 1990 Jack Nicklaus rework

of the original Fazio design, it now stages

the annual Honda Classic. This is proper

follow-in-the-footsteps stuff and a

wonderful experience only augmented

by another quartet of splendid resort

courses. Courtesy of Palmer, the Fazios

and Karl Litten, guests have the chance

to work through five utterly enjoyable

and varied layouts through a week’s stay.

Doral, meanwhile, is little more than a

ten-minute cruise from Miami Airport

and, dubbed ‘The Kingdom of Golf’, it

has the muscle to contend with PGA

National on pretty much every count.

Five golf courses? Check. Luxury

accommodation? Check. Top facilities?

Check. PGA Tour history? Check.

This renowned property and its even

more famous Blue Monster Course have

been fixtures on the tour for decades,

most recently in the shape of the World

Golf Championship event won by Justin

Now a part of the burgeoning golfing

empire of Donald Trump, Doral will

surely begin an upward ascent to an

even loftier position in American resort

golf once the process of Trumpification

is complete, but even now it is among

the most rewarding of any trans-Atlantic

options out there.

Doral, now part of the Trump stable

Champion Course, PGA National

PGA NATIONAL RESORT & SPA

STAY: Seven Nights, RoomOnly

PLAY: Four Rounds of Golf

Haig, Palmer, Squire & Estate Courses)

FLY: Return to Miami with Virgin

From £1,629 per person

Valid April 19 - May 22, 2014

STAY: Seven Nights, Bed & Breakfast

PLAY: Seven Rounds of Golf

Gold, Red & JimMacLean Courses)

FLY: Return to Miami with Virgin

From £1,449 per person

Valid Aug 17 - Sep 30, 2014

Direct flights are available from LHR into Miam

Atlantic and British Airways and if you head ou

you can stay and play without the need for a ca

National is only a 30-minute drive north and yo

opportunity to explore after playing any of the

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