If you’re on the hunt for an exemplary Florida golfing home, narrow your focus on the northeastern corner of the state. Lovely Nassau County is Florida’s Atlantic Coast gateway. It’s also the home of Amelia National Golf and Country Club, an exclusive, gated community only 10 minutes from salty, golden beaches. Even better? Amelia National’s 18-hole golf course was designed by one of the titans of course architecture — Tom Fazio. If you’re a golfer, this pedigree likely speaks to you. Read on to discover why his work at Amelia National is such a gem
Who is This Man?
You might not know, which we understand. The 70-something Fazio is a Pennsylvania native whose firm, FAZIO Designs, has designed and produced premier golf courses …show more content…
Fred Funk, an eight-time PGA Tour winner and nine-time PGA Champions Tour winner, has played and complimented Amelia National (Funk lives in the Jacksonville, Florida area). “It’s very playable,” McDonald says. “It’s set up to be a members’ golf course.”
He Works With The Site
And wow, is it lovely. At Amelia National, Fazio and his designers carved the course from northeast Florida’s coastal pine forest, punctuated by giant live oaks and glistening ponds. They eschewed tropical stereotypes, although you’ll spot generous water. Residents’ yards and homes lie mostly at a distance — usually across water — rather than jammed tight against the rough. “It’s a 12-month golf course,” McDonald says of the natural setting that elicits comparisons to North Carolina courses. Nature shows up in other forms, too. McDonald cites a bald eagles’ nest on the property. He also remembers interrupting a parade at the pa-X No. 2 shortly after Amelia National opened. “There must’ve been a gaggle, or whatever you call it, of wild turkeys walking across the tee box,” he says. “At least eight of them.”
Fazio Courses Are in