Things to do

Golf

Two courses, both fictional: a private club on the island where the wind off the ocean decides the score, and a public course in Palm City where the price decides the crowd. Both are written as a listing would be, with rates, hours and what to bring.

The real coast has more than a dozen courses within half an hour of Stuart, many of them open to visitors. Winter is the season, with tee times booked days ahead from January to March, and summer is the bargain, with afternoon rates and empty fairways after the daily storm.

Carry rain gear from June to September; the storm comes at three and is gone by four.

A private club by the dunes and a public course in the pines

Lightning closes every course on this coast the moment it is within ten miles, and the sirens are not optional. Head for the clubhouse, not the trees.