Golf courses near Coconut Grove: where to play and where to live

The golf courses near Coconut Grove all sit just outside the neighborhood, because there is no course inside the Grove itself. The closest public ones are the Biltmore Golf Course and Granada Golf Course in Coral Gables, each about three and a half miles from CocoWalk by car. Riviera Country Club, a private club, is closer still at about 2.3 miles. Crandon Golf on Key Biscayne is about eight miles away, across the Rickenbacker Causeway, and Deering Bay is a private club at the southern end of Coral Gables. Here is what each one is like, and what it means for where you live.

Public golf courses near Coconut Grove

Biltmore Golf Course (about 3.4 miles)

The Biltmore course was designed by Donald Ross in 1925 and still plays beside the Biltmore Hotel, at 1210 Anastasia Avenue. It is an 18-hole, par-71 course owned by the City of Coral Gables, with a pro shop, carts, lessons and membership options. It is also home to the Junior Orange Bowl Golf Tournament, which the city calls the largest junior golf tournament in the country. The hotel's tower is the backdrop.

Granada Golf Course (about 3.6 miles)

Granada opened in 1923 at 2001 Granada Boulevard and is a nine-hole, par-36 course. The City of Coral Gables describes it as the oldest operating nine-hole course in Florida, and it is open to residents and visitors. Nine holes fits an early round before work.

Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne (about 8.2 miles)

Crandon is an 18-hole, par-72 course at 6700 Crandon Boulevard, run by Miami-Dade County Parks and open to the public year-round. The county describes it as the only public course on the bay. From the Grove the drive goes over the Rickenbacker Causeway, so a tee time there pairs well with a day on Key Biscayne.

Private country clubs near Coconut Grove

Riviera Country Club (about 2.3 miles)

Riviera is the closest of these courses to CocoWalk. It is a private 18-hole club at 1155 Blue Road in Coral Gables, on a course designed by Donald Ross. As a private club, it is for members and their guests.

Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club (about 7.8 miles)

Deering Bay sits on Biscayne Bay at the southern tip of Coral Gables. Its course was designed by Arnold Palmer and runs through mangroves along the water. It is a private club, so playing there comes with a membership.

Living near the Coral Gables courses

Homes along Granada Boulevard and around the Biltmore are in Coral Gables, not the Grove. The team sold 2114 Granada Boulevard, a six-bedroom house on the same boulevard as the course, for $5,250,000. You can see it with the team's other past sales in the area. If you want a course within walking distance, the Coral Gables neighborhood page shows what is for sale there now.

Nine holes or eighteen

With an hour to spare, Granada's nine holes are the quick option. For a full public round, the Biltmore and Crandon are both 18 holes, and the choice usually comes down to whether you want the hotel or the bay. Riviera and Deering Bay are the options if you want a private club.

Booking a tee time

Each public course takes its own bookings. The City of Coral Gables points Biltmore golfers to the Biltmore Hotel's tee-time page and Granada golfers to its online booking page, and residents and non-residents can both play Granada. Crandon books through its own site, run by Miami-Dade County Golf. Green fees are set by each course and change, so check them when you book. Riviera and Deering Bay are private.

What it means if you are buying in Coconut Grove

For a golfer, the Grove works because of where it sits: you can walk to the bay and the shops on Main Highway, then drive a few miles to a tee time in the Gables or on Key Biscayne. The team's sales in the Grove include 3829 Stewart Avenue, a seven-bedroom house that sold for $6,500,000. The Coconut Grove neighborhood page lists the homes on the market there now. If you are weighing a house in the Grove against one closer to a course, talk to the team before you settle on a street.