On Location: Renaissance World Golf Village Resort

Talk about convenience for the golf vacationer. Step out the back entrance of the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort hotel near St. Augustine on Florida’s east coast and the Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant is only about 100 paces to your right. 

To the left, is a less than a minute walk to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Best of all, the first tee of The Slammer and The Squire golf course is less than a football field away.

The PGA Tour Golf Academy is within walking distance of the hotel and the World Golf Village Spa overlooking the The King and The Bear golf course is just a few minutes shuttle away.

Away from the World Golf Village resort complex, there are two exceptional outlet shopping malls (180 stores) about five miles away and the historic city of St. Augustine, with its quaint shops, bed and breakfast inns and dozens of excellent restaurants, is about a 20 minute drive.

Accommodations

The 10-story, 4 Diamond Renaissance World Golf Village Resort has 301 guest rooms and suites. Appointed with tasteful wall art, the rooms exude a “Colonial Asian” ambiance with muted color fabrics on furniture. Amenities are plentiful with 37-inch flat-panel televisions, spa-inspired bathrooms with a walk-in showers, designer toiletries, Euro-style bedding and a wet bar and refrigerator.

Hotel amenities include:

–Complimentary shuttle service to St. Augustine
–Walking and jogging trails
—Swimming pool and hot tub
–Villagio Italian Grille Restaurant
–Starbucks at Resort Shop
–101,000 square feet of meeting space
–Villagio lobby bar   

Golf
 

World Golf Village offers two superb designs fashioned by some of the biggest names in golf. The King and The Bear, by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, has intriguing features like  beach bunkers, massive sandy fairway hazards spilling into the adjoining lakes without a lip, just like a beach.

The Slammer and The Squire, designed by Sam “The Slammer” Snead, Gene “The Squire” Sarazen with consultation from Bobby Weed has generous landing areas, contoured greens and spectacular views of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

1. The phenomenal spacious atrium lobby with comfortable chairs and sofas, fountain and babbling brook that make it a great place to sit and check messages on your smart phone.

2. Great wine by-the-glass choices at Villagio Restaurant.

3. The superb Chicken Saltimbocca and Grilled Asparagus with prosciutto, radish and lemon aioli I had at dinner at Villagio Restaurant.

4. The plush European style bedding.

5. The Starbucks at the Resort Shop just off the lobby where I had a blonde roast with a swirl of carmel a few minutes after my arrival.

6. The oversize executive desk in my room that made it easy to work.

7. The short walk to the first tee of the Slammer and Squire.

8. The pods where you check-in, which are much less intimidating than a long, ominous counter.

9. The comfortable lobby bar in front of the Villagio Restaurant.

10. The outdoor patio with comfy couches and chairs where you can soak up some Florida sun and enjoy a cappuccino in the morning or cool libation in the evening as you gaze at the lake and World Golf Hall of Fame Tower.

World Golf Hall of Fame

Just a short one-minute walk from the Renaissance World Golf Village, the World Golf Hall of Fame is different in style than its counterparts in football, baseball and basketball.  If your image of a sports museum is a dark, cave like structure with bronze plaques and static displays, you’ll need to readjust your thinking at the World Golf Hall of Fame.

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The epicenter of the museum, so to speak, is Shell Hall where members are honored on an 88-foot-long “Wall of Fame”.  Equally entertaining is the Member Locker Room, which features authentic, life-like lockers, one for each World Golf Hall of Fame member. The lockers are filled with items like golf bags, clubs, scorecards, trophies, badges and other golf memorabilia as well as personal items like fly rods, baseball bats, and photos to name a few.