Miami

Miami’s status as a world renowned playpen for the rich and famous lends it to be a top notch locale for exclusive private country club properties. Speaking of exclusive, don’t even try to find public information on the secretive Indian Creek Country Club. Its membership ranges from billionaires to almost billionaires and staffs their own police force on the tiny private island. But for those looking for elite status and simply the best amenities, the following Miami country club properties can provide just that.

Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club

• Nestled along the stunning shores of Biscayne Bay, the Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club combines a picturesque location with world class amenities. Deering Bay is Miami-Dade County’s only gated golf community and offers equity and non-equity memberships to both residents and non-residents alike. The club’s pride and joy is an 18-hole, par 71 Signature golf course designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer himself. The Tennis Facility hosts 7 Har-Tru tennis courts while the Fitness Club and junior Olympic size swimming pool allows members to stay fit and cool off after a hard work out. A 30,000 square foot clubhouse welcomes members and their guests to both inside and outside dining rooms ranging from casual to formal.

Miami Shores Country Club

• Miami Shores Country Club features a range of Golf, Social, and Tennis Memberships. The golf course is an 18-hole par 71 which underwent major renovation in 2011. The Miami Shores Tennis Complex is comprised of 6 clay courts and 3 cushioned hard courts. The property’s club house features a lounge and grill room with full bar.

Fischer Island Club

• Fisher Island Club is South Florida’s most exclusive lifestyle club and offers both equity and annual membership options. To get to the 216 acre island, members drive their vehicles onto a fleet of ferry boats that transports the cars and their passengers back and forth between the island 24 hours a day. At the heart of the island is a 9-hole par 35 championship golf course designed by P.B. Dye. The Racquet Club at Fisher Island is one of the finest tennis facilities in the world and features 17 tennis courts and 4 pickleball courts. The tennis courts are comprised of 4 different surfaces including: 2 grass courts, 5 European red clay courts, 3 hard courts, and 7 Har-Tru courts. The islands beach club offers a private, uncrowded beach and access to the Vanderbilt Mansion Pool. Also on property is a spa and fitness center, deep water marina, the Vanderbuilt Theatre, Aviary, and Observatory. It is truly a one of a kind club property.

 La Gorce Country Club

• La Gorce Country Club is a private, invitation only country club located in the heart of Miami Beach. It is home to an 18-hole championship golf course and six Har-Tru tennis courts all within sight of Miami Beach’s famous skyline. La Gorce also offers a Fitness Center, pool/lounge area, croquet lawn, sauna/steam room, and both fine and casual dining venues.

The Bath Club

• The Bath Club is a private members only beach club located in Miami Beach. Set in a luxurious mansion the club offers a private beach, pool, tennis courts, lounge, and spa.

Miami has an outstandingly diverse food scene. An international melting pot of a city produces an international melting pot of cuisine and style. A huge influence on the food here is the large Cuban culture presence throughout the city. If Cuban food is your thing, Miami has you covered with hundreds of Cuban eateries scattered throughout the city from small authentic kitchens to high end Cuban eateries.

The City of Miami is a shopping Mecca. There is no shortage of high end mega malls, bespoke boutiques, and outstanding outlets.

The Dolphin Mall is Miami’s largest outdoor mall. Here one will find over 240 international brands and high end department stores like Neman Marcus Last Call.

Bal Harbor Shops is a gorgeous outdoor mall located in the upscale neighborhood of Bal Harbor. It is packed full of high end designer shopping with stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel and all the others.

The Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach offers shoppers a selection of stores, boutiques, and art galleries in an open air pedestrian friendly environment.

The Brickell City Center is four levels of luxury, world class shopping, dining, and entertainment. It features stores like Audemars Piguet, Chanel, Rolex, Saks Fifth Avenue, Vilebrequin, and more.

It is fair to say that there are more things to do in Miami than any other city in Florida. While impossible to list it all, whatever your interests are there is no doubt Miami has something to satisfy them. From museums, performing arts, art galleries, professional sports teams, world class nightlife, lively beaches, great boating, and fishing; Miami is the playground of choice for people from all across the world.

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is a leading science museum comprised of four buildings: the Frost Planetarium, Aquarium, and North and West Wings. In this museum one can learn the science behind living systems, the universe, the physics of flight, light and lasers, and biology of the human body.

Wynwood Walls was established in 2009 as an outdoor museum of international street art. Each year a select few world renown street artists add to the Wynwood Walls with the total number of works now totaling over 40.

The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is an extravagant gilded age estate built by businessman James Deering between 1914 and 1922. The lavish villa was inspired by the Italian Renaissance and contains many of the original furnishings and artwork.

Miami is home to 5 major sports franchises covering a variety of professional sports including Basketball (Miami Heat), Football (Miami Dolphins), Baseball (Miami Marlins), Soccer (Inter Miami CF), and Hocky (Florida Pathners).

Miami comes to life when the sun goes down. The nightlife here draws people from all across the glow and many of the top clubs in the city are open 24 hours such as club E11EVEN Miami. In addition to incredible nightclubs Miamians enjoy wild pool parties, dayclubs, music festivals, and other party scenes.

Residents of Miami love their beaches. Each one is unique in what it offers from the laid back vibes of Key Biscayne and Virginia Key, to the sexy sands of South Beach, or the family friendly North Beach. Some beaches look like they belong in a beer commercial like Crandon Beach on Key Biscayne with its groves of coconut trees lining the sandy shore. As you would expect, the beaches can get crowded especially around the popular South Beach. The color of the water is a clear, Caribbean blue excellent for snorkeling. Wave action is typically very minimal on these beaches and the sand can vary from beach to beach due to dredging beach re-nourishment projects.

The boating scene in Miami is huge although it might be more appropriately termed “yachting” in this area. Here the Biscayne Bay is large and the boats even larger with great cruising around the Venetian and Star Islands where many celebrities have their waterfront estates. The shoreline around Miami is almost exclusively commercially and residentially developed. What was once dense mangrove canopy is now all luxury real estate. Ocean access can be found via Haulover Inlet in North Miami, Government Cut in Central Miami, or Bear Cut and Biscayne Channel in South Miami. Haulover Inlet can get very rough at times especially during an outgoing tide and east wind. There are a number of public boat ramp facilities throughout the area and no shortage of waterfront real estate with dockage if you can afford it.

Inshore fishing is quite good towards the southern end of the city where the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and National Park start. However, offshore fishing is really the name of the game in Miami and just offshore you will find countless species of fish to target depending on the season. Sailfish, tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo, grouper, snapper, and many others can all be caught within sight of land. A major advantage that Miami and South Florida in general enjoys is the proximity to the Gulf Stream Current and how quickly the water gets deep as you venture offshore.

Miami schools are controlled by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Niche.com gives the school district a B rating and has it as the 22nd best school district in the state. Miami-Date County Public School District has 357,249 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. According to state test scores, 56% of students are at least proficient in math and 54% in reading. Several notable private schools include Belen Jesuit Prep School (Roman Catholic), Florida Christian School (Christian), Gulliver Preparatory School, Ransom Everglades School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic), Palmer Trinity School (Episcopal), and Riviera School.

– The City of Miami has a total of 14 golf courses with 3 courses being municipal. Within a short 20 mile drive you will find another 46 courses of which 13 are public and 16 municipal.

The Trump National Doral Golf Resort is a true golfer’s paradise. With four courses to play including the iconic “Blue Monster” whose 18th hole is considered one of the most difficult on the entire PGA Tour.

Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne is an 18-hole championship golf course located on the beautiful island of Key Biscayne. Water views abound from this Von Hagge designed course considered one of the most beautiful in the state.

The International Links Miami Melreese Country Club is a true championship 18-hole course designed by Charles Mahannah. The club’s features a 12 acre two sided driving range, $2 million dollar learning center, and a junior golf program that has groomed four LPGA Tour stars.

The Country Club of Miami offers golfers 36-holes of championship golf. Founded in 1961 the two courses were designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones.

Shula’s Golf Club, owned by the legendary former football coach Don Shula, is home to the Senator Course. It is a classic style 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course designed by Bill Watts and later updated by Kip Schulties.

Located on Miami Beach, the Normandy Shores Golf Club was redesigned by Arthur Hills in 2008 during a $9 million dollar renovation project that brought the 18-hole, par 71 course back to life.

Another municipal course located on famed Miami Beach is Miami Beach Golf Club. Here they feature an Arthur Hills designed 18-hole, par 72 golf course.

The final municipal course, Miami Springs Golf Club, was designed and constructed in 1923 by Thomas “Tubby” Martin. The 18-hole, par 71 course is a great value for the money and as Miami’s oldest golf course it has a lot of history behind it.