Aquarina at Aquarina Country Club

Aquarina Country Club sits along Florida's Atlantic coast in Melbourne Beach, a barrier island community roughly midway between Cape Canaveral and Vero Beach. Charles Ankrom designed the course, which opened in the early 1970s as part of a residential development that took advantage of the area's oceanfront and Intracoastal Waterway proximity. The layout reflects the flat, sandy terrain typical of Florida's east coast, with water hazards and native vegetation shaping much of the strategic interest.

The course occupies land characteristic of barrier island golf, where elevation changes are minimal and wind off the Atlantic becomes a significant factor in club selection and shot execution. Ankrom routed holes through corridors of palms and coastal scrub, incorporating lakes and wetlands that serve both drainage and design purposes. The property's natural setting provides habitat for wading birds and other wildlife common to Florida's coastal ecosystems.

Aquarina functions primarily as a private club serving its residential community, with amenities and programming oriented toward year-round and seasonal members. The course layout emphasizes playability for a range of skill levels while maintaining enough length and hazard placement to challenge better players. Like many Florida resort-area clubs from this era, it balances the demands of daily member play with the maintenance realities of a subtropical climate, where summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms influence both turf management and pace of play.