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Where to golf during Super Bowl weekend

No Super Bowl host does the spectacle quite like Miami, thanks to perfect weather, hard bodies and parties galore along South Beach. Miami is especially golf-friendly as well.
The 14th hole on the Jim McLean Signature Course at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Fla.
The 14th hole on the Jim McLean Signature Course at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Fla.Courtesy of Mastro Communications
/ Source: GolfNow.com

No Super Bowl host does the spectacle quite like Miami, thanks to perfect weather, hard bodies and parties galore along South Beach.

Miami is an especially golf-friendly Super Bowl destination as well. The courses aren't as abundant as other recent Super Bowl spots such as Jacksonville or Phoenix, but it's almost guaranteed that there will be plenty of sunshine and you'll be playing golf in Bermuda shorts.

And considering the Super Bowl's next two venues — Dallas, which can have iffy golf weather in February, and Indianapolis (where you'll want to be huddled up next to a roaring fire for sure) — if you were ever going to golf during Super Bowl week, this is your year.

Because there are fewer golf courses in populated, built-up south Florida, don't expect to find many bargains. Count on paying top dollar for tee times and stay-and-play packages. Of course most of the area's top resorts are either full or almost full for the weekend.

Here are your golf options during Super Bowl week in South Florida:

Upscale south Florida resort golf
While not as golf-rich as Orlando, Tampa, or the area from Jacksonville down to St. Augustine, south Florida does offers a handful of upscale resort golf courses.

The biggest game in town is the Doral Resort, home to five 18-hole courses, highlighted by the formidable PGA Tour host, the Blue Monster.

The Blue Monster is available for play any day except Friday and Saturday at this point, and the course is still booking times for a 1 p.m. shotgun start on Super Bowl Sunday.

The remaining four courses at Doral, include the recently opened Jim McLean Signature Course. Formerly known as the Silver, the rebuilt course named for the resort's famous teaching pro, now plays to more than 7,100 yards and rivals Greg Norman's Great White course at as second fiddle at the resort. Each of the Doral Resort courses have limited availability throughout the week depending on the day and space is available to the public. Call 800-713-6725 for booking info.

Don Shula's Golf Resort, just a short drive from the stadium in Miami Lakes and home to a championship and executive course, is obviously going to receive a bit of attention during Super Bowl week. Spots are sold out on Shula's Senator Course, a Bill Watts design, Feb. 2-6, with limited space available on the day of the big game.

Dolphin Stadium is actually between downtown Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, and just a few miles from Hallandale, home to the Diplomat Country Club (a partner of the oceanfront Westin Diplomat). This posh, semi-private club a whiff from the Atlantic is an old school, 1957 design updated in 2000 by Joe Lee.

Public golf courses in Miami
If you can't score a tee time at one of the resorts, try public Crandon Golf Golf Course on Key Biscayne, a local treasure operated by the Miami Dade Parks system. You've still got a chance to book a round at Crandon G.C., which accepts tee times five days advance (if you want to book a tee time Super Bowl weekend, better mark your calendar).

Also in the parks network is the Country Club of Miami's two courses, Briar Bay Golf ClubGreynolds Park Golf Course, Palmetto Golf Course and Haulover Beach Park Golf Course. None accept tee times more than seven days in advance, so they're your best chance at getting a last-minute slot.

Historic Miami Beach Golf Club dates back to the 1920s, but underwent a $10 million, Arthur Hills-led renovation project in 2002 to bring it up to the times — and it is now open to the public, too.

Playboy Golf Scramble
For the first time in its history, Playboy's nationwide scramble franchise is coinciding with a major sporting event, and in a place that's defined sexy, they couldn't have picked a better city to launch.

If you're looking for something much, much more than your everyday foursome during the big week, sign up for the Playboy Golf Scramble,  featuring a party with Playmates and sponsored drinks the Wednesday before the game, followed by the 18-hole scramble, which will feature a celebrity athlete with every group, prizes, golf and plenty of babes at Woodmont Country Club in Tamarac. A limited number of foursomes are still available at $1,000 per person. To book, visit PlayboyGolf.com.