The 5 BEST golf courses in Fort Pierce, Florida!

Introduction

In this blog post we’re going to take a look at the golf courses in Fort Pierce, which is a city in southeast Florida.

This is a gorgeous stretch of coastline celebrated for its pristine beaches. You’ll find it tucked up on the Atlantic coastline, between the popular locations of Port St Lucie/Stuart to the south and Vero Beach to the north.

Many people will know it for being a quaint fishing village with a rich maritime history. Hardly surprising with the elegant Indian River Lagoon running alongside it.

But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find many other activities. Paddleboarding, kayaking, horseback riding, fishing, visiting the theater…the city will enthrall. Likewise, its historic main street has been lauded and is a must visit location.

It is also easy to access with the large Treasure Coast International Airport nearby and it’s served by various major highways.

The best golf courses in Fort Pierce, Florida

Gator Trace Golf & Country Club

Kicking off this list is the fantastic Gator Trace Golf & Country Club.

It occupies a wonderful site, just a mile from the coast and located next to the Savannas Recreation Area. This is an impressive 550 acre wild natural habitat, where you’ll find lakes, wetlands, pine flatwoods and various scrub habitats.

The course was designed by the infamous Arthur Hills and opened for play in 1985.

The course build was done in hand with a real-estate development. So whilst the natural environment is inspiring, aside from just a few holes, you’ll also be joined by low-rise condos.

But don’t let this put you off. There are plenty of great holes here and this is not a course for the faint-hearted.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say Gator Trace is for slightly lower handicaps. Fairways are generally tight, requiring precision off the tee. Water hazards are aplenty, sometimes hugging all along one side of the hole.

You’ll also find numerous doglegs, twisting this way and turning that way. Plotting your way round this course is essential.

Surprisingly good value as well, with golf rates around the $30-35 mark.

The Champion Turf Club at St. James

A fifteen minute drive south out of Fort Pierce just past White City, and you’ll find The Champion Turf Club at St. James.

Without doubt one of the best public golf courses in Fort Pierce, it is increasingly popular with the locals.

The course opened in 2000 and ever since then, has offered a challenging and enjoyable place to play south of the city.

The club positions the routing as a links-style layout. This is in part due to the open nature of the course and the mounding either side of the fairways.

But add to that huge amounts of water and holes running alongside housing developments. There are also some holes hidden amongst the trees. Basically, there is a little bit of everything here.

One area where The Champion Turf Club excels is in its greens. Outstanding condition and usually gets rave reviews. Just as long as you haven’t lost too many balls getting there!

Meadowood Golf & Tennis Club

Part of the larger Meadowood community, Meadowood Golf & Tennis Club is unquestionably one of the best public golf courses in Fort Pierce.

And accessibility is just one of the reasons. Located on a 190 acre site, it is just a fifteen minute drive from downtown Fort Pierce, heading out west on I-95.

The course opened in 1983 and was designed by the hugely experienced and sought after Charles Ankrom.

Ankrom designed many golf courses on the Treasure Coast, most likely aided by the fact he resided down in Palm City. His portfolio includes courses like Martin Downs, Panther Lake and the Club Med Sandpiper Bay.

Here at Meadowood, Ankrom has created a fun and enjoyable championship layout.

From the back tees, the course stretches to just shy of 6,800 yards. Whilst water comes into play on a number of holes but at the same time, it isn’t too penal. It feels like the balance is just right, hence why this remains one of the more playable golf courses near Fort Pierce.

Pre or post round, enjoy the massive 33,000 square foot practice area, which features a number of different target areas.

Fairwinds Golf Course

Up there with Meadowood, Fairwinds Golf Course is another of the most sought after and popular public golf courses in Fort Pierce.

However, unlike Meadowood and most of the other courses on this list, at Fairwinds you’ll find nothing but golf and nature. You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Away from any residential zones, the course is submerged within the vast natural landscape of the Treasure Coast.

So where you’re unlikely to see any housing, you are however likely to spot wildlife, and lots of it. The likes of cranes, alligators, bald eagles and wild hogs all roam the fairways and undergrowth.

The job to craft a great public course in this pristine environment, fell to the nationally recognised Jim Fazio. He was tasked with ensuring Fairwinds was both challenging to better golfers, and accessible to higher handicaps.

It eventually opened in 1991 and visiting golfers will discover gently rolling fairways, littered with bunkers and featuring well conditioned greens. They’ll find doglegs, plenty of water hazards and a mixture of tight and generous fairways.

Another one of the reasons Fairwinds is so popular is that it measures up on all levels. The course is top class. The surroundings are special. The practice facilities are good. And the grille is great.

Indian Hills Golf Course

And last up, is the fabulous city owned municipal layout of Indian Hills Golf Course.

Indian Hills has been part of the Fort Pierce cityscape since the early twentieth century. It was a period of huge growth in this area of the Treasure Coast and Indian Hills was the first golf course to open in Fort Pierce.

It was designed by Herbert Strong, a renowned architect of the day.

Fast forward to more recent times, the course has enjoyed sizable investment and attention. Shortly after the course was acquired by the city in 2002, it was completely redesigned.

This substantial project was managed by the experienced hands of Ward Northrup, who oversaw a complete rebuild and rebirth.

Yet regular patrons know the investment doesn’t stop there, with Indian Hills committed to improving constantly. No wonder the course is enjoying a surge in popularity.

From the back tees, it isn’t necessarily the longest, measuring 6,555 yards. But boy is it fun. It is a links-style layout featuring wide fairways which encourage you to pull out the big dog. And built on sugar sand soil ensures in the wetter months the water drains away rapidly.

Well worth a visit and the closest to downtown. In fact so close, you could probably walk!

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