Press Room

Fact Sheets - Golf

Overview

Like the hotel itself, the Biltmore Golf Course is built on tradition. The lushly landscaped, 6,700-yard, 18-hole, par-71 course was built in 1925 and designed by Donald Ross, America’s foremost golf-course architect.

The Biltmore launched its first major tournament, the Miami-Biltmore-Coral Gables Open, in 1930, attracting top golfers including National Open champion Bill Burke, Walter Hagen, Bill Mehlhorn and Gene Sarazen. The glamorous course was a celebrity magnet: in 1930, New York Governor Al Smith squared off against baseball legend Babe Ruth.

Today the course--owned by the City of Coral Gables, and operated by the Biltmore--offers a spacious driving range and one of the southeast’s largest practice areas. Home of the annual Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia are among its elite alums. Golf enthusiasts such as former President Bill Clinton, actors Will Smith, Andy Garcia and Bill Murray and others from the worlds of entertainment, politics and sports have also enjoyed rounds on the Biltmore’s links.

Upgrades & Services

A recent $1.5 million refurbishment has added 10 acres of new Bermuda grass from tee to greens plus a new irrigation system, enhancing the course’s aesthetics. Also new are high-tech carts, fully renovated locker room facilities and the latest in sophisticated maintenance equipment. Other services for golfers include valet parking and curbside bag drop with uniformed attendants, and a staff that is known for making you feel at home at the course.

Location

The Biltmore Hotel
1210 Anastasia Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: Pro Shop- (305) 460-5364; Starter- (305) 460-5365
Websites: www.biltmorehotel.com and www.johnpallotgolf.com
Head Golf Professional: Jason Epstein

Pro Shop

The remodeled Pro Shop offers a full range of attire and footwear, plus equipment rental and repair, with brands including Polo, Nike, Callaway, Titleist, Ping and Footjoy. The John Pallot Golf Academy, a first-class teaching facility, offers instruction from 10 certified instructors including three current PGA professionals. Monthly “demo days” feature the latest equipment from leading manufacturers.

Programs

Established by John Pallot, a 14-year PGA member, the Biltmore’s John Pallot Golf Academy offers one-to three-day schools, customized clinics, and tailored individual and group programs:

Golf School Packages – Nine separate packages offering one, two or three days of training with a certified instructor are available All packages feature a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio and unlimited use of the course’s private practice range. Other amenities include instruction and play with an Academy PGA player or John Pallot; swing analysis; lunch at the 19th Hole Grill and/or the Pool at Cascade; Biltmore bag tags and golf hats; and an instructional CD. Rates range from $375 to $1000.

Summer Golf Program for juniors – Junior golfers can sharpen their skills and learn to play like pros at the Biltmore’s Junior Golf Summer Camp at The John Pallot Golf Academy. Held from June to August, the camp offers half-day programs for beginners and full-day programs for advanced juniors. Certified professionals use individual and group instruction to train juniors in golf swing, etiquette, rules, course management, chipping, bunker and course play, pitching, strategy and putting.

Students are grouped by age, maturity and experience. The camp also features contests and prizes. Rates range from $290 to $350, with a $25 per session discount for siblings and repeat attendees. Juniors can also attend youth golf classes throughout the year, offered every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Virtual Golf Academy – Incorporating the latest technological advances, the John Pallot Golf Academy offers golf advice via mail. Send in a video of your swing and John Pallot will critique your swings and superimpose his audio, comments, advice and instructions on your tape and promptly mail the video back to you.