With the recent winter storm systems moving through the Midwest and the Northeast, many are fleeing the frozen north for Florida. A pleasant diversion off I-95 provides for a golf/wildlife tour combination. The White Oak Conservation Foundation is on the banks of St. Mary’s River about thirty miles north of Jacksonville off I-95 to the west a few miles. It’s located on 7,400 acres of preserved land which is home to 30 endangered species including rhino, cheetah, giraffe, and okapi.  and is open for tours.

It’s also home to a 9 hole golf course trekking over level terrain in a scenic, natural setting with 54 different teeing grounds that create 27 distinct holes featuring a signature par 4 with a series of three waterfalls. The layout offers broad fairways bordered by lakes, ponds, and wetlands with an abundance of conventional and long waste area sand traps. There’s three sets of tees with the tips playing to 3,379 yards, 36.0/127, course/slope ratings, designed by Steve Melnyk.