When I was a kid in Toronto, I liked nothing better than playing golf early in the morning with my dad at the Don Valley Golf Course, and then taking in a baseball game at the old Maple Leaf Stadium at the foot of Bathurst Street.
After a few hours of golf, we would spend a couple more watching the Toronto Maple Leafs of the old Triple A International League, all the while discussing the shots we had hit — and missed — that morning. Sitting with my dad, I thought that life didn't get much better.
My dad passed away in 1989, and the Leafs and Maple Leaf Stadium are long gone. Now, I'm fortunate to spend my winters with my wife, Nell, in SoFla — South Florida — and get to approximate my boyhood experience when I tee it up early with friends and meander over to Roger Dean Stadium in the town of Jupiter to take in some spring-training games.
Golf and baseball just seem to go together — after all, the Grapefruit League, which starts today, is like the Masters in golf: It's an annual spring ritual that puts people in touch with a sport they love after the winter's hibernation.
It seems appropriate, then, that along with atmospheric ballparks, many of the communities hosting Major League Baseball's month-long spring-training games are home to an abundance of top-notch courses where Canadian golfers can warm up their clubs.
And there's no better golf-and-baseball town than Jupiter, the springtime home of the Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and formerly the Montreal Expos.
On March 6, Nell and I have tickets to the afternoon game between the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers, and I'll likely book a tee time in the morning at the Abacoa Golf Club. Come evening, we'll head to one of the funky restaurants in the area. Golf, baseball and dinner — that's some trifecta.
In this area of SoFla, fans know they're on to a good thing when they follow the Marlins and the Cardinals at Roger Dean, which was purpose-built for spring training.
(Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays, whose fans are anticipating a strong season because of the team's acquisition of high-priced talent, train at Knology Park in Dunedin, a four-hour drive northwest across the state from Jupiter.)
Roger Dean, named for the civic-minded late owner of several local car dealerships, opened in early 1998. It's a field-of-dreams kind of spot in the newish residential community of Abacoa, just east of Interstate 95 about 20 kilometres north of Palm Beach International Airport. Abacoa includes the ball field, a fine public golf course, restaurants, a campus of Florida Atlantic University, and some shopping. For the active traveller, there's no shortage of things to do.
The stadium seats 6,800 people, and all spectators are close to the action, whether they're in box seats, the bleachers, or on the Grass Berm, a sloping piece of ground just beyond the first-base line that accommodates 200. Spring-training aficionados bring their blankets — no seats or lawn chairs are allowed — and camp out on the lawn.
The complex also includes 12 training fields. Serious ball fans like to show up even when no game is scheduled and follow the players as they're put through their paces. The smack of ball against glove and bat is ubiquitous. The U.S. Sports Turf Managers Association selected Roger Dean as the “Professional Ball Field of the Year” in January, and it's the only park in Florida that hosts two teams for spring training.
It's not unusual to see pro ballplayers sharpening their golf form at the Abacoa Golf Club, just a long single across the road from the stadium. At least 30 players frequently play at Abacoa. I run into them from time to time, and used to see the Cardinals' now-retired home-run blaster Mark McGwire there.
Because its wide fairways encourage a big swing, it's important to think one's way around. Sure, the fairways are wide, but the golfer who wants to attack the course has to find the right portion to get a better angle into the greens, some of which are protected by water. The greens are fast and smooth, and the course is always in top shape.
