The short answer: Florida is the winter capital of American polo. For high-goal polo, go to Wellington in Palm Beach County: the National Polo Center (formerly the International Polo Club Palm Beach) and Grand Champions Polo Club. For learning and playing, Sarasota Polo Club, Palm City Polo Club, and the arena nights in Ocala were my favorites. The season runs roughly from winter into April, and ends when it gets too hot for the horses.
These notes come from my 2021 and 2022 tour, when I tried to visit every polo club in America as a playing USPA member. Seasons, contacts, and prices change, so check each club's Instagram or the U.S. Polo Association before you go.
Sarasota Polo Club
Where it all began. I drove here from Houston in February 2021 and trained under my coach, Scott Lancaster, who made me tack up my own horse on day one. The Florida heat ends the season in May, and then I followed it north. If you want a real season of training, this is a great place to do it. My first weeks back are in You're at Rock Bottom, Lucky You.
Ocala: Thursday night arena polo
One of the most fun nights of the whole tour. A beautiful covered outdoor arena with a viewing area, stick and ball with instruction beforehand (we worked on my swing), arena polo, and dinner afterward. The women there gave me the best girls' locker-room talk of the trip.
The Villages Polo Club
I watched a Friday afternoon game and got a tour of the fields. Someone there described polo to me as hockey and chess at the same time. The club is open to the public during its season, which makes it an easy first polo game for spectators.
Vero Beach Polo Club
I watched a women's tournament here. The crowd skews older.
Hobe Sound Polo Club
In March 2022 I played two chukkers with everyone, hung out afterward, and had a great time. It's an easy stop between Vero Beach and Wellington.
Palm City Polo Club
One of my favorite visits anywhere. Joey Casey, a former 7-goal player and Museum of Polo Hall of Fame inductee, started the club on his own after about 20 years working for another patron. He told me his wife thought he was crazy. He's proud of it, and he should be: the fields are some of the greenest, most level fields I've seen, and he works hard to keep the club friendly, fun, and safe.
I stick-and-balled on Griffin, an incredibly steady horse who kept one speed and one pace and turned beautifully. Joey took me into the hitting cage and fixed my legs, and I left with a hat, a shirt, and some of the best tips of the tour. I wrote them up in the best polo tips I got from coaches across America. I also love the club's branding: a palm tree, a horse, and a player. One look and you know exactly who they are.
Wellington: the high-goal capital
National Polo Center (formerly International Polo Club Palm Beach)
I watched a 22-goal Sunday game here in April 2022. Huge crowd, a big grandstand, and a theatrical feel. Tickets were $20, and I paid $10 to park. Lessons were quoted to me at $300, so I chose to watch. In 2022 the U.S. Polo Association bought the club and renamed it the National Polo Center.
Grand Champions Polo Club
I watched a game here and spotted Nacho Figueras and Nic Roldán. Grand Champions also hosts the finals of the Women's Championship Tournament, created by Sunny Hale, the first woman to win the U.S. Open. More on her in women in polo.
La Posta Polo Club
The man who built La Posta drove me around in his truck and showed me everything he'd made, including the palm trees he planted himself.
Flying Cow Polo Club
I went to see it in the rain. It's a small place at the end of long dirt roads, with what looked like a nice arena.
Tips for polo in Florida
Come in winter. Most clubs wind down by May.
Watch in Wellington, play elsewhere. High-goal lessons in Wellington are expensive. Smaller clubs offer more time on a horse for less.
Check the season calendar and what to wear to a polo match.
More regions: what I learned trying to visit every polo club in America.
Finding a chukker and a horse in Florida shouldn't take a dozen texts. PoloFlow is the app I'm building to fix that. Polo, wherever you are. Join the waitlist.
