The Bonaventure Country Club, offers “36 Holes of Extraordinary Golf!” And I, for one, can’t argue with that. Two 18-hole layouts – The East and the West – make the Bonaventure Country Club in Fort Lauderdale an “extraordinary” golf destination. It's a semi-private facility but open to visitors for play. The Bonaventure Country Club East Course is an old Joe Lee design. Old, true, but in 2007 it underwent an extensive facelift.

The new look includes the resurfacing of all eighteen greens with Champion

Bermuda grass, the installation of greenside bunker liners with 5 million pounds of USGA approved sand, cart path revitalization, the addition of new waste bunkers, laser-leveling of the tee boxes, and extensive landscaping. All of these improvements have turned the old Joe Lee layout into a strip to be reckoned with. The man was a master golf course designer and, even though the course has had the major aforementioned face lift, it’s still Joe Lee through and through. Having said all that, the East course is a classic Florida layout that meanders through strands of mature palms and hardwoods, and around numerous water hazards and expansive bunkers - the famous 3rd waterfall hole has been voted one of the top eighteen holes in South Florida.

The 18-hole East course at the Bonaventure Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida plays a little longer than 7,000 yards from the Black Tees for a par of 72. The course rating is 74.2 with a slope of 132.

Designed by Joe Lee, the East golf course first opened for play in 1972.

Green Fees: The advertised rates for the East Course are from $25 (after 4pm) to $109 Friday through Sunday and on holidays. Green fees are always subject to change. Please contact the course/resort for up-to-date information and tee times.

• Read More Reviews of Fort Lauderdale Golf Courses

Contact:

The Bonaventure Country Club,, 200 Bonaventure Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33326-1444; P: (954) 389-2100; F: (954) 389-2112

Where to Stay:

Well there are lot of options, obviously, but when I am in the Greater Miami/Palm Beach area, I usually try to stay and make my base camp at the PGA National Resort & Spa in West Palm Beach. It can be a bit expensive, but it’s handy to the courses in and around West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, and also those just to the north in Jensen Beach and Port St. Lucie.

Compare Prices for nights at PGA National Resort & Spa

There are, of course, quite a number of fine hotels in the greater Miami area. Here is my Miami Hotel Guide of locations I am familiar with and have stayed at myself.

How to Get There:

The closest regional airport is Fort Lauderdale International Airport. The airport is served by almost all domestic airlines, including American, Delta, Continental, US Air, and United, along with several other regional airlines.

Look for the best airline and car rental deals with these two aggregators, which provide travelers with an up-to-date search tool to compare prices on airfares and car rentals of all ratings:

• Airlines - Compare Prices
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And don’t forget: there are many other opportunities for great golf all over the world. Favorite locations include Scotland, Florida, the American Southwest, Bermuda, the Bahamas and many more. For up-to-date golf travel news and information, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter.