A pair of seasonal gems is like Disney World for deal-makers

The Sunshine State has many fine venues to go along with the perfect weather it offers the golf-starved dealmaker this time of year: Seminole, World Woods, Calusa Pines . . . I could go on. To my mind, though, all those clubs miss an essential part of the Florida golf experience. As your kids will happily tell you, Florida is the land of make-believe. No, I’m not referring to the 20-foot waterfalls and sunken galleys at Pirate’s Cove mini-golf in Orlando (cool as they are). I’m talking about making believe you’re Wayne Huizenga’s best bud. The Floridian, just north of Palm Beach, isn’t a private country club. It’s actually the former Blockbuster Video owner’s own private golf course. Aside from the Huizengas, every one of the other 200 members have been personally invited to “join” by Mr. and Mrs. H. There are no dues (that would just be rude). However, there’s also no guarantee you’ll be invited back next year — kind of like working on Wall Street.

But the Floridian isn’t even my favorite Golf Coast fantasy. For that, you need to take off from Wayne’s helipad and hop up the Intra-Coastal to Ponte Vedra and the site of more penalty shots, tossed clubs and waterlogged balls than any other hole on the planet. Yes, now you, too, get to plunk ball after ball in the lagoon on the island-green seventeenth at TPC Sawgrass. TPC has created a package aimed at replicating the entire Players’ Championship experience except for the $1.6 million purse, including the VIP dining and your own personal locker in the Champions’ locker room. You actually get to play the course with a professional caddie — who even dons your name on his white bib — steeped in the history of the tournament. Whoever said dreams don’t come true?

David Baum, former partner and head of Americas M&A for Goldman Sachs, is now publisher of GolfVacationInsider.com and Golf Odyssey.

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