So I'm playing golf at the Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, FL., and it's 10:39 a.m. My playing partner and I turn to the southeast and see a ball of fire ascending into the clear, blue sky, a plume of smoke billowing behind. Of course, it's the space shuttle Discovery.

Golf on the Space Coast is underrated. They have 22 courses there, from Titusville in the south to Melbourne in the north, some of them excellent. The Space Coast people are now trying to market themselves as a viable, Florida golf destination, and why not?

There's good golf, great scenery, a plethora of outdoorsy things to do without the traffic of south Florida. Look for a package of stories on the area coming soon in TravelGolf.

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