You, too, can challenge your golf game at PGA National -- just like Brian Harman, Rory McIlory and Tiger Woods

The Champion Course at PGA National is a really hard golf course – really difficult.

I’ve played it a number of times and can tell you the Bear Trap, as the difficult stretch of Nos. 15-17 is called, is more than just marketing. That is one tough stretch of holes. Apparently, 25-year-old Brian Harman didn’t get the message at the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic on Friday. The lefthander from Georgia beat the existing course record by three shots and it could have been more – 59, in fact, had he holed that last bunker shot. Then, on Sunday, Tiger Woods fired 62 and waited around for a couple of hours to see if eventual champion Rory McIlroy would fold. He didn’t, but McIlroy made three great par saves late in the round to secure victory and the No. 1 slot in the World Golf Rankings.

“This is probably one of the hardest golf courses we play all year,” said Harman, who missed a 5-footer for birdie on the 18th. “Just to have a chance to do something special like that is really humbling, and it’s really cool.”

The wonderful thing about PGA National is that you and I could do something special there, too. It’s a course we can play as long as we stay at the resort. And there are four other courses at PGA National as well. Even better, the resort is in the final stages of a $65 million “revitalization,” and it’s better than ever. The work has included everything from spiffing up the golf courses to enhancements to its 379-room resort hotel, spa, health and racquet club, and conference and meeting space. The final phase is expected to be completed this fall.

Among the more impressive additions is a stunning zero-entry pool, newly-named signature restaurant – Ironwood Steak and Seafood – and the trendy, sophisticated iBAR, which is a great place to hang out in the evenings.

I’m particularly fond of the 33,000 square-foot European Spa, which has 32 treatment areas and the “Waters of the World” outdoor mineral pools. The pools cannot be overrated. “Israel,” using the salts from the Dead Sea, is incredibly relaxing. I’m not sure exactly why, but if you try it, you will agree. The spa is undergoing some final renovations as well.

For more information about PGA National visit PGAresort.com.

This would be a great time to check out PGA National, right after the tournament.