World Golf Village — King & Bear

The design credit alone would be enough to draw attention. King and Bear is the only golf course co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, two figures whose combined influence on the game requires no elaboration. They collaborated on this layout at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, and it opened in 2000. The natural question is whether the course lives up to the billing or trades on the names. The honest answer is that it does both, and the balance tips more toward substance than novelty.

At 7,279 yards from the tips with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope of 141, King and Bear plays long. This is a championship-length layout on a property that was designed with enough land to let two very different architectural philosophies negotiate. Palmer's influence shows in the routing's boldness, the willingness to present dramatic carries and risk-reward choices off the tee. Nicklaus's hand is evident in the green complexes, which are contoured and defended with the kind of specificity that characterizes his solo work. The synthesis works better than committee design typically does, partly because both designers were invested in making the collaboration meaningful rather than merely ceremonial.

The course sits at World Golf Village, adjacent to the site that formerly housed the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame relocated to Pinehurst, North Carolina in 2023, and the museum building is closed. The golf courses remain open and operational, and the absence of the museum has not affected the course's quality or maintenance.

The front nine moves through pine forest and wetland, with water featuring on several holes without dominating the experience. The par 5s are the strength of the routing. They offer genuine three-shot options for most golfers while presenting reachable-in-two temptations for longer hitters, and the green complexes on these holes reward the player who arrives from the right angle. The bunkering throughout is more ornamental than penal, a Palmer characteristic that keeps the round moving without diminishing the strategic framework.

The back nine introduces more water and tighter corridors. The closing holes build toward a finish that asks for quality shots under mild pressure, and the 18th provides a satisfying conclusion with water left and a green that rewards a committed approach.

Walking is permitted at certain times, and the terrain is flat enough that walking adds no meaningful difficulty. Caddies are not available. The on-site driving range provides adequate warm-up facilities.

Green fees of $80 to $200 make King and Bear a genuine value proposition. The seasonal variation is significant: October through May commands the higher end, while summer rates drop to levels that make this one of the most affordable courses of its pedigree in Florida. For groups traveling on a moderate budget, King and Bear paired with Slammer and Squire across the property creates a full day of golf at World Golf Village for less than the cost of a single round on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The comparison is not entirely fair to either course, but it illustrates the value available 30 miles south of Ponte Vedra Beach.