THE CHAMPION: “The Glare of the Bear”
“Forget Amen Corner,” Lee Trevino once remarked after a grueling round, “the Bear Trap is the real killer in golf.” One of Florida’s most notable golf challenges is found on our legendary Champion course. Originally designed by George and Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus redesigned The Champion in 1990, adding the feared “Bear Trap” grouping of holes 15, 16 and 17.

The Champion is currently the home of the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic, benefiting the Nicklaus Children’s Healthcare Foundation (and an integral part of the Fedex Cup) and has been the site of the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA Championship and the PGA Seniors’ Championships from 1982 to 2000.

The Champion is a “must play” stop on any avid golfer’s list and is included in the “Top 100” resort course rankings of several golf publications. In 2006, writer Brad Klein of GolfWeek magazine described The Champion as “an old Florida classic, core golf experience.

To top off the experience, the Champion features the services of highly trained caddies and forecaddies. With luck, they might just help you escape the Bear Trap in one piece.