Top 5 Things You May Not Know About Deering Bay

When the Club Lost Its King

Before becoming "Deering Bay," this coastal slice's country club had a royal alias. 

Yes, it was in 1956 when Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club opened as Kings Bay Country Club, an amenity to a housing development of the same name. 

After decades of ups and downs, a 1990 rescue mission led by local developer Armando Codina, banker Edward Easton, and future Florida Governor Jeb Bush reinvented the place, rebranding it as Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club — and dethroning the "King" in favor of the legacy of Charles Deering.

Cleared for Landing… on the Back Nine      

It may be hard to imagine now, but Deering Bay's peaceful greens once rumbled with the sound of WWI aircraft. 

In 1918, long before anyone teed off at the "course," the U.S. Army carved an airfield out of the mangroves and called it "Chapman Field." 

And you best believe it wasn't for show — they trained real pilots heading to war, which means biplanes used to take off where golf balls fly today, making your average bunker shot seem less dramatic. 

Who knew your local country club came with a sprinkle of military history?

A President, a Ballplayer, and a Golf Legend Walk onto a Tee…

One of Deering Bay's most legendary moments was a golf foursome straight from a dream (or a joke?). 

In 1993, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and his son Jeb teamed up with baseball icon Joe "Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio and golf great Arnold Palmer for a round of golf at Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club. 

They celebrated this post-Hurricane Andrew charity game featuring a President, a future Governor, a Yankee legend, and a champion golfer, a "foursome for the record books" – a scene you'd only expect to find at Deering Bay.

Joltin' Joe, Deering Pro

Oh, and by the way, Joe DiMaggio didn't just swing by Deering Bay for one legendary golf game — he made it his home turf. 

After the iconic 1993 charity game with George H.W. Bush, Jeb Bush, and Arnold Palmer, the Yankee Clipper moved to Deering Bay and became a familiar figure on the greens. 

And boy was his setup the stuff of clubhouse legends! 

He lived rent-free in exchange for serving as a club spokesman, playing golf three times a month, and collecting $100,000 annually for the gig. 

Locals remember him mingling at the clubhouse and helping celebrate the club's revival after Hurricane Andrew. 

As it turns out, even baseball royalty knew an irresistible South Florida deal when they saw one.

Crocodile in the Sand Trap          

Forget lost balls — at Deering Bay, golfers have to keep an eye out for a 200-pound crocodile named Snaggletooth. 

But she's not just any reptile; she's a local legend. 

After being relocated for getting too close to golfers, she swam 140 miles back like a determined retiree who missed her tee time. 

Now, she lounges by the lagoons with manatees and roseate spoonbills, turning every round of golf into a real-life nature documentary — with teeth.