Jacksonville/First Coast

Anyone who's been there will tell you that Jacksonville is one of the best-kept secrets on the eastern seaboard. A vibrant, midsize city with an enviable waterfront setting and an NFL franchise, "J-ville" as locals call it, often plays second fiddle to Atlanta, Charlotte, and even instate rivals Tampa and Miami in the southern city popularity contest.

For golfers seeking to soak up the seemingly endless array of daily-fee golf offerings, Jacksonville's anonymity is part of the allure.

Beginning at State Highway 210 at the north end of St. Johns County (approximately three miles south of Jacksonville and Duval County) and stretching south to State Highway 207, there are seven golf courses within two miles of the interstate, most built within the last four years. Another 20 miles in each direction brings in nearly two dozen more.

There are nearly 70 golf courses in Jacksonville, most of which are available to the golfing public. Further cementing the First Coast's reputation as one of the true golf capitals of the south, the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour headquarters are in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach and the World Golf Village is a chip-shot away in St. Augustine, America's oldest port city, which gives this region it's designation as the "First Coast."

Then there's the nearby TPC Sawgrass, which hosts the Players Championship each year and is home to one of the world's most recognizable holes: the island green 17th.

As for the lay of the land, Jacksonville and its environs are ill suited for most types of agriculture, sandy soil and pine-packed parcels set up much better for golf. But there's enough variety in this not-so-little slice of golf heaven to keep every make and model of golfer satisfied.