Greg Norman and his wife rode out Hurricane Frances at their estate on the Australian golf star's US enclave of Jupiter Island.

"We, like everybody else, had a lot of tree damage. It'll probably take me a day and a half to get off the property," Norman told WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach.

He checked the damage during a lull. When the worst of the storm was blowing through early on Saturday, Norman was in his bedroom.

"It was just like a wall of air started hitting the west side of our building. Everything was rattling, including the storm shutters," said Norman, who has twice won the British Open.

"It was a strange, eerie feeling. What really got to me was the constant 70 (112.63 km), 80, 90 mile an hour winds and how long they've lasted."

The Normans switched to a generator when they joined 4 million people in Florida who lost power. The barrier island is 144 kilometres north of Miami.

Frances pounded Florida with high winds and heavy rain on Sunday after it smashed across the state's east coast. The storm weakened on Sunday morning, crawling westward with maximum sustained wind near 90mph (144 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane. Forecasters said it was possible Frances would regain intensity by Monday evening.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP