Better bunkers on the “Bear Trap” … and 15 other holes

PGA National Resort announced its Champion Course will reopen for resort guest and member play on Sept. 2 after an extensive bunker renovation on the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout. 

 

Led by Nicklaus Design, construction over the summer resulted in all bunkers on The Champion Course being rebuilt or eliminated to ensure improved playability and strategy. The Champion’s bunkers account for more than two acres of the celebrated course, which hosts the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic. The bunkers are now equipped with new subsurface drainage, Better Billy Bunker liners and G-Angle sand. 

 

In addition to the bunker renovation, The Champion Course now also features a major rework of its cart paths as well as new sod throughout. The mighty Champion Course with its notorious “Bear Trap” has long been feared and revered as one of the most challenging in the game. 

 

“With the exciting work from Nicklaus Design complete, our celebrated Champion Course is now better than ever,” PGA National Resort director of golf Jane Broderick said. 

 

The upgrades join the stunning results of the resort’s recent $100 million transformation touching most every aspect of the South Florida destination. PGA National Resort’s 99 holes of golf also now features two new bold and innovative Andy Staples-designed layouts which both opened in 2021 to rave reviews, The Match and The Staple courses.