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Florida League Course Reviews


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I've just started my second season playing in a local Florida amateur league. We average a field of 36 players in two handicapped flights with individual handicaps ranging from low single digits to 30+.

 

Since I'm offering only course reviews, I will leave the league name out, and say only that we play on West Central Florida area courses. Some of the venues will be more well known than others, but I will do my best to give a fair assessment of the courses as we go. Where possible I will include a link and the rating/slope of the tees played, and a general feeling on the course from that day's players.

 

I'll use a three tiered price rating:

Under $50 - $

$50-75       - $$  

$75+          - $$$

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 1: Lakewood National - Lakewood Ranch Florida

Tees Played: National (blue) 70.2/130 6,374 yds

Conditions: Sunny, moderate, light breeze

Price: $$$ ($75+)

http://www.lakewoodnationalgc.com/

 

Lakewood National is one of the newer venues in our area, and is in a location convenient to many central Florida travel spots (Tampa, Orlando, Ft.Myers). The course (courses in the future) is the centerpiece of a large planned community under development. As it stands now, the course has a wide open feel and look that will diminish as development continues to add more homes/condos along the course routes.

 

The course conditions were fantastic for a new track that is still maturing. The fairways were well manicured and very playable (I needed to be in more of them). The greens showed their youth, as they were still pretty firm, and even good iron shots into them tended to roll out a bit rather than grab and check up. The greens also had lots of contour, and played very fast - posted stimp reading was 12 the morning we played, but they rolled very true. The rating and slope should say it all. If you stay in or near the fairway, your score will reflect it. If you have too many wayward shots, the rough and hazards will take their toll (and then some).

 

Range/Practice facilities were first rate. All grass range had plenty of space. Large practice green adjacent to range for chipping/putting as well as a first tee practice green for putting only. Both practice greens had lots of contour, which matched the course, but finding a flat putt to work on line was a challenge. The clubhouse is new and shows it. Clean and well stocked for most essentials. There is no dining option on site yet.

 

People/Customer service were all exceptional. Every employee we dealt with was courteous and genuine in their efforts to make our visit a positive experience.

 

A definite recommend for those seeking a fun challenging round.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 3: Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club, Clermont FL (I didn't play week 2)

Tees Played: Blue  67.5/113  6,143 yds

Conditions: Sunny, Mild, Moderate Breeze

Price: $  (Under $50)

https://www.sanctuaryridgecfl.com/

 

An Orlando area course that is a bit off the beaten path. Easy to reach though from 'resort central' in Orlando. An established public course with lots of elevation change (rare for Florida) and character enough to make you think your way around the shorter total yardage.

 

Overall the course showed that it is a true public venue. The grounds on our day of play were what most would consider average to below average. Several of the fairways had bare spots, while others had either encroaching weeds or large wet areas despite no recent rain. The greens were in fair condition and would hold a good shot. Speed on the greens was moderate but consistent but tended to be less than smooth and did not provide a consistent true roll through the round. The course played to it's rating slope numbers. Only truly wild shots were punished. You could get away with a moderate miss and still have a chance to recover your par. There were some areas of deep rough along the slopes surrounding the fairways and greens, as well as some areas that played as waste/playable hazard for us on our early spring date, that would be water hazards during the rainy season.

 

The practice facilities were minimal with a cramped and well worn grass tee range which had no immediate cart access, and a small severely sloped putting green adjacent to the clubhouse. The clubhouse itself was very sparsely stocked, so unless you need only the barest essentials there wasn't much.

 

We didn't encounter many course employees, but the ones we did were friendly and accommodating.

 

Overall the general opinion was we wished we had been able to play the course while it was in peak condition. A date later in the summer or early fall when nature has taken care of a lot of the daily watering and the fairway turf is a little more robust would hopefully make a difference for the better. The layout and design are terrific and every hole has some unique character. As mentioned, the elevation changes throughout the course make for a different feel from what most expect from Florida golf.  

 

If planning a trip to the area, I wouldn't recommend this as the premier or highlight of the trip stop, but if you are looking for a starting venue to get warmed up and have some fun at a comparative bargain to its big resort style neighbors, Sanctuary Ridge is a decent option.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 3: Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club, Clermont FL (I didn't play week 2)

Tees Played: Blue 67.5/113 6,143 yds

Conditions: Sunny, Mild, Moderate Breeze

Price: $ (Under $50)

https://www.sanctuaryridgecfl.com/

 

An Orlando area course that is a bit off the beaten path. Easy to reach though from 'resort central' in Orlando. An established public course with lots of elevation change (rare for Florida) and character enough to make you think your way around the shorter total yardage.

 

Overall the course showed that it is a true public venue. The grounds on our day of play were what most would consider average to below average. Several of the fairways had bare spots, while others had either encroaching weeds or large wet areas despite no recent rain. The greens were in fair condition and would hold a good shot. Speed on the greens was moderate but consistent but tended to be less than smooth and did not provide a consistent true roll through the round. The course played to it's rating slope numbers. Only truly wild shots were punished. You could get away with a moderate miss and still have a chance to recover your par. There were some areas of deep rough along the slopes surrounding the fairways and greens, as well as some areas that played as waste/playable hazard for us on our early spring date, that would be water hazards during the rainy season.

 

The practice facilities were minimal with a cramped and well worn grass tee range which had no immediate cart access, and a small severely sloped putting green adjacent to the clubhouse. The clubhouse itself was very sparsely stocked, so unless you need only the barest essentials there wasn't much.

 

We didn't encounter many course employees, but the ones we did were friendly and accommodating.

 

Overall the general opinion was we wished we had been able to play the course while it was in peak condition. A date later in the summer or early fall when nature has taken care of a lot of the daily watering and the fairway turf is a little more robust would hopefully make a difference for the better. The layout and design are terrific and every hole has some unique character. As mentioned, the elevation changes throughout the course make for a different feel from what most expect from Florida golf.

 

If planning a trip to the area, I wouldn't recommend this as the premier or highlight of the trip stop, but if you are looking for a starting venue to get warmed up and have some fun at a comparative bargain to its big resort style neighbors, Sanctuary Ridge is a decent option.

I've played this course and your assessment is spot on!

 

MDGolfHacker

TSssWhat's In This Lefty's Bag?

Driver: :titleist-small: TSR2 11° Project X HZRDUS Black 4G 60g 5.5 Flex

Fairway Woods: :cobra-small: F8 3W Project X Even Flow Blue 75g shaft

Fairway Woods: 

Hybrid: :titelist-small: TSR2  18° Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Shaft

Irons: :titelist-small: 2021 T200's 4-GW AMT RED shafts Regular Flex

Wedge: :cleveland-small: Tour Satin RTX 4 Wedges in 52° and 56° 2 Dot

Putter: :nevercompromise-small: Gray Matter TDP 2.2 32.75"

Bag: :1590477705_SunMountain: Three 5

Ball:  :titelist-small:  PRO V1 / :srixon-small: Z*Star

RangeFinder:918457628_PrecisionPro: In search of new range finder

Social Media:

Facebook:   MD Golfhacker
Twitter:        @mdgolfhacker
Instagram:   mdgolfhacker

 

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Thanks MD. Appreciate the feedback. More to follow in a couple of weeks.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

Week 4: World Woods, Pine Barrens. Brockville FL

Tees Played: Green 70.2/125 6,458 yds

Conditions: Cloudy and warm, very light breeze

Price: $ (Under $50)

https://www.worldwoods.com

 

World Woods opened in the early 90s as one of the first pure golf resorts near the Tampa area. It's location in Brooksville is still going to be a road trip of it's own from either Tampa/St.Pete or the Orlando resort areas - door to door for me from east of Tampa was 1:20. So plan to make a day of it if you are including World Woods on your calendar. The good news is you can get a discounted replay rate for a second round the same day. 

 

The course conditions were on the better side of good but not fantastic. Our date of play had not seen any significant rain for a while. Even so, the tees were all well manicured, level and more than playable. Fairways were free of any bare spots and edge to edge had great turf to play from. One somewhat unique characteristic to the course is all sand areas are considered waste area rather than bunker, so grounding clubs and removing impediments is permitted. Many of the fairways had waste collection areas along either side so expect to recall those rules - dutifully briefed by the starter at the first tee. World Woods is an annual site for our group, and as such, many of us remarked that the greens were atypically slow. I'll give some benefit of the doubt here and guess they were not cut as short as usual due to the dry conditions. Either way, we battled with inconsistent speeds and the occasional roll that was less than true. It made for a challenging day on greens that already have lots of contour and deceptive angles. Needless to say, several of us gave up a few strokes on the greens. There is very little designated out of bounds, so there is ample room to miss your shot and still be in play. If you miss badly though, expect it to cost you a stroke or two with the trees and waste areas to deal with (trust me).

 

The practice facilities are first rate all around. Two all grass ranges, one designated for irons only, a putting course, chipping green, and 3-hole practice course are all available for use prior to your round and located between the two starting holes. The putting course is challenging, and there isn't a flat putt on it anywhere. It truly preps you for the courses' greens, but doesn't offer the opportunity to dial in line as much as speed an break. 

 

The course employees were a mixed bag. The only two I encountered that were any kind of cordial were the beverage cart attendant and the post-round cart assistant. Check in at the pro shop was professional at least, but less than welcoming. Of note, we were charged $7 more than what our club organizer quoted on our schedule. Pay attention to their rain check policy. They will give a rain-check, but not a refund. If  you play more than a couple of holes, the rain check will be pro-rated not the full fee. Bottom line, if you pay at the desk and start your round, they've got your money and aren't giving it back. We saw the course rangers a little more often than we saw the beverage cart, but neither was intrusive or interfered with play (i guess we were fast enough even at a little over 4 1/2 hrs for our foursome). The Pine Barrens course does not route back to the clubhouse at the turn so grab snacks if you need them when you see the bev cart. There is a small  bar and grill at the clubhouse. Given our date was an early summer Saturday with good weather, you'd assume they would expect to stay busy. Yet, the service was somewhat slow and confused, and again, a little less than cordial.

 

Overall impression, great courses that will challenge but not overtly punish, very fun to play. This was my second trip to WW with our group, and I've felt the same vibe both times. The facilities and the course are the draw, you are there to appreciate those, and the people who work there are not there to make you feel any kind of special for being there. Go into the experience with that in mind, and you'll have a great time on an enjoyable course.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 3 weeks later...

Week 6 - The Ritz Carlton Members Golf Club, Sarasota FL

Tees Played: White 6,198 Yards, 70.0/120; Blue 6,557 Yards 71.5/124

Conditions: Hot, humid, light breeze (gustier near finish)

Price: $$ ($65)

http://www.rcmcsarasota.com

 

The Ritz Carlton Members Golf Club is a private resort club in the Sarasota/Lakewood Ranch area south of Tampa with easy access from I-75. Ours was an organized tournament event, otherwise access if limited to members and guests of the RC Resort in Sarasota.

 

The Tom Fazio designed course was in immaculate condition tee to greens. Lush well manicured fairways were framed with deep but manageable rough. The numerous water hazards and bunkers create challenges and define strategy for each hole. It is a resort course, so the landing areas for the defined shots were fairly open.  It takes a fairly significant miss or overaggressive play to bring the hazards into play enough to really hurt your score. The greens were a bit slow early in the round, but as the temperature and breeze both went up, so did the speeds. There was also a fair amount of grain influence on the reads. Take your time reading putts. Several greens had deceptive slopes and angles that can give a false read if not considered from multiple angles. The greens held shots well and rolled true. Altogether the course was a pleasure to play. Enjoy the views and the strategy, take the shot that the course gives you, and it all makes for a beautiful and enjoyable golf experience.

 

The practice areas were outstanding as well. Adjacent to the clubhouse are an all grass, full swing range with numerous target greens, a medium size putting green, large chipping green, and a bunker practice green. All are supplied with quality practice balls, and the wedge areas included ball sweepers for clearing the greens. The conditions of all the practice and warm up areas were a close match for the course conditions. So if you are just having a practice session, or warming up before a round, the grounds are fantastic for working on any portion of your game.

 

The course employees were all very welcoming and friendly. The beverage cart on the course appeared with enough frequency we never had to think we'd never see it again, but it was never a hindrance either. Bag attendents are available to clean your clubs post round if you choose to unload at the cart return. Carts are equipped with GPS. There were occasional differences between the cart GPS and handheld, and rangefinders tended to favor something in the middle where they didn't match. There were no on-course rangers, but the cart system tracks your round timing, and the clubhouse may send a message encouraging pace of play. (Using tourney rules can occasionally drag our rounds out a bit). 

 

Overall impression, the Ritz Carlton Members club is a definite recommend if you can find or make the opportunity to play there. It is a resort course, so it is all designed to ensure you enjoy the golfing experience and want to go back. Mission accomplished. It's a fantastic course, with great aesthetics as well as offering a challenging, strategic, and fun round of golf. Ask about the free t-shirt if you manage par or better over the closing three, nicknamed the Lion's Den.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 7: Innsbrook Resort - Copperhead Course

Tees Played: Green 73.1/139, 6,624 yds; White 71.1/137 6,243 yds

Conditions: Warm to Hot, Still to light breeze

Price: $$$ ($89)

https://www.innisbrookgolfresort.com/golf/copperhead-course

 

The Innsbrook Golf Resort is a long standing favorite resort of both residents and visitors of the Tampa/St. Pete Area. The resort is about a 30 minute drive from the Tampa Airport and would be up to a 1 hour drive from most of the area beaches. The Copperhead Course hosts the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship during the spring Florida stretch leading into the masters. It is a challenging course with good variety in the shots demanded for the relatively flat property. The famous 'Snake Pit' holes 16-18 are the signature run, typically among the hardest finishing holes the Tour players face all season.

 

The course is always challenging, but the rating/slope truly tell you the story of Copperhead. If you manage to stay in play, and down the line of the fairway you stand a chance to score. Wander too far off the intended line, and the numerous trees, fairway bunkers, and some water will definitely run the stroke tally up for you. To help build your strategy, there is a downloadable yardage guide on the resort website, as well as an informative hole by hole guide from TrackTips on YouTube. The overall condition of the course will never be considered bad. Tees, greens, and fairways were all in very good condition for us. The rough had some issues on our day though. We  got some intel post round as to why. The course gets oversewed with rye prior to the PGA event (that's how they always get nice green stuff for TV). While the bermuda in the playing areas recovers quickly in the growing season, the shade and high traffic in the rough areas is slower to recover. With that, we had lots of patchy to bare areas in the rough to deal with. We also played a day after some significant rain, so we were lift and place in the fairways. 

Another note about the rough. The closer you play to the PGA week, the deeper the rough is going to be. It takes time for them to cut it back down to normal depth after the pros leave. Last season our group was a few weeks earlier, and several of us had to deal with 'lost' balls that were only a few paces from the green or fairway. If you are planning a visit to Copperhead, keep that in mind.

 

Practice Areas: While not expansive, the practice areas are more than adequate for a pre-round warm up. The large, mostly flat putting green is the closest to the first tee. The putting green was pretty close to the speed of the on-course greens, but does not have the contour or slope that you will face on the course. Practice balls are provided at the small to medium sized chipping green where you can practice short chips from fairway and rough. The chipping green is between the putting green and the full swing range. The full swing range is a decent walk from the first tee, and there is no cart access to the practice areas. The range has about 12 stations with balls provided, but as a busy resort course the quality of the turf may depend on your tee time. We were early, so there was still plenty of good grass at each station. Later in the day, expect lots of divots unless they move to the adjacent teeing area. There is another practice area down the street a bit used by the resort's golf school and guests that has a larger practice tee area but fewer short game areas to use. 

 

Course Employees: Everyone we encountered seemed happy to have us there, and sincere about making our visit enjoyable. You will most likely be met at your car by the bag attendants who will load your bag on a cart to transport it, and you if you are ready, to the starting area and they will already have your cart assignment for the round. The bag and cart attendants in the starting area are a great source of daily intel on how the course is set up and playing that day. Clubhouse staff was efficient and friendly. The on-course beverage carts were well stocked and made enough rounds you won't have to wonder for long when they will be by next. The clubhouse also houses one of the resort's restaurants with a buffet breakfast available if you arrive prior to an early tee time, and a limited but varied lunch menu. The wait staff was excellent, but expect to pay resort prices for food and beverages.

 

Overall Impression: Any of the Innsbrook Resort's courses will provide an enjoyable golf experience. Copperhead is the show-piece course, so the fees will be a bit higher to play it. The course conditions and challenges will show you why the PGA comes back year after year. You'll also get a perspective on how good those guys really are (the championship tees are not usually marked for public play, so you'll be looking back from your tees to get the feel for it). If you aren't a straight hitter, you can expect a challenging day for the scorecard, but the course itself will leave you smiling.I have visited and stayed at the resort for other events, and I definitely recommend including Copperhead if you are planning a multi-day trip. The resort is a great place to plan a weekend or longer golf vacation, with courses that are both fun and challenging, and a staff that are genuinely dedicated to ensuring you enjoy your visit.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Just a note, our league has a break for the next couple of weeks. Next review should appear July 1.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 3 weeks later...

League is back in action this week on Saturday 30 June at Southern Dunes in Haines City FL. I'll post my course review Sunday.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Nice - thanks - i

 

What's the league? Those are some great courses. It sounds like the one my friend plays in.

 

Also where do you live? I'm in Pinellas Park and have played most of those courses.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Nice - thanks - i

 

What's the league? Those are some great courses. It sounds like the one my friend plays in.

 

Also where do you live? I'm in Pinellas Park and have played most of those courses.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

League is called The Tampa Tour. I'm in the Riverview/Bloomingdale area of East Hillsborough Co.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 8: Southern Dunes Golf and CC, Haines City FL

Tees Played: Blue - 6,803 yes, 73.3/134 ; White - 6,298 yes, 70.9/125

Price: $$ ($50 - Seasonal)

https://www.southerndunes.com

 

Southern Dunes is a semi-private golf club just outside of Orlando, in a gated community a few miles off of I-4 in Haines City. It sits approximately 45 minutes from the major Orlando resort areas, and was an hour to hour and 1/2 for most of us from the Tampa area. A distinct design for Florida with ample elevation changes, LOTS of bunkering and sand waste areas, and undulating greens. Be mindful of the seasonal rate schedule. Our summertime play date came in at $50 while the peak/cool weather season rate is significantly higher.

 

Everything about the course makes a tremendous first impression. From arrival at the entry gate it is a short drive through some neighborhoods to the clubhouse. While not large, the clubhouse is impressive, clean, and surrounded by the warmup and practice areas. The course itself was in immaculate condition. Seriously, think Tour level maintenance, tee to green: level, neatly mown tees; fairways firm enough to provide roll but good turf to play irons from (also really good drainage); and fast, true rolling greens. The rough was deep enough to know you were in rough, but it is not there to effect your score the way the bunkers and waste areas are. They are present on virtually every hole to define strategy and offer plenty of risk/reward shot opportunities for either the tee or approach shots. The green complexes were fairly large, with near-pristine apron/fringe areas. The mounding and undulation of the greens definitely makes finding the right area near the flag a plus, and the majority of green-side bunkers are deep and can really punish errant approach shots. We did encounter some moderate to heavy rain during the round, hence the note about the drainage. Most of the groups said they halted play for about 15-20 minutes during one downpour, and the course was immediately playable without much noticeable change in the conditions. The fairways and greens drained very quickly and continued to play very well. Be ready for that if you choose a summer date, especially in the second half of the day. Also noteworthy was the down-loadable yardage guide that gps links for use on the course, as well as cart-mounted gps that calculates distance to pin as well as green front/back.

 

Practice Areas: Sufficient not ample, but superb in condition is the best description I can offer. You do have to carry clubs to the full swing range. There is a small putting green, which matches the speed and conditions of the on-course greens. There is a practice bunker/chipping area as well. All first rate in condition and a good representation of the course for pre-round warmup, but it would quickly get crowded if you intend to strictly practice.

 

Course Employees: Very friendly and accommodating. Club attendant may greet you in the parking lot. They had our tee sheet so were able to load clubs on the appropriate, pre-positioned carts for each group. Checking in was quick, and the desk personnel were happy to answer questions from the 'never played here before' crowd. We only saw the on-course bev-cart twice during our round, but the bad weather may have influenced that. The course does route back to the clubhouse if you need to stock up mid-round. The bar/grille is adjacent to the clubhouse, with a good variety on the menu, reasonable prices, and quick friendly service. 

 

Overall Impression: A fantastic course with lots of character that will challenge players of all abilities. A definite recommendation if you want to get a taste of what the Tour players see with respect to the condition, speed and challenge of the greens. 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 4 weeks later...

Week 9: Lake Jovita, North Course, Dade City FL

Tees Played: Blue: 6,863 yds, 73.1/136; White: 6,299 yds, 70.2/130

Conditions: Hot, Partly Cloudy, Very light breeze

Price: $ ($45)

https://lakejovita-hoa.com/tampa-golf-courses/

 

Lake Jovita is a 36-hole formerly private golf and tennis club associated with a medium sized gated community near Dade City, Florida. A 30-45 minute drive from Tampa, it is a bit isolated and out of the way for those coming from the coast cities or Orlando area. Both courses offer more rolling terrain than you'd expect from a course in this region which gives each track character and some different challenges that other nearby courses. The North Course has a good mix of openness, risk-reward, and shot-making with a couple of annoyingly designed holes as well.

 

This is a regular site for our group, and as far as the course conditions go, it was in general pretty good, but we've seen it much better. Tees, fairways, greens and rough were good and more than playable for the most part, but there were some spots more worse for wear that could affect play. There were at least three instances in my foursome where a player had to putt from/through bare or burned out spots on greens. Despite that the greens accepted shots well and rolled true with moderate speed.  A lot of the challenge of the course comes from the size and undulation of the greens, putting a premium on keeping the ball on the proper portion and below the hole on approaches. Several players complained about the condition of bunkers. I was in enough of them on the day to verify they were maddeningly inconsistent, including everything from wet/hardpacked sand with mud puddles, to clumps of grass and weeds, to sand so soft and deep it buried all but 1/2 the brand stamp and number on the ball.  

 

Practice Areas: The practice/warm-up facilities were ample but a mixed bag of conditions, but all require a short cart-drive or walk from the club-house. The full swing range has limited stations, and the turf was between well-worn and ragged for our pre-round time. There are multiple target flags to use though and it is deep enough for even the long hitters to swing away. The very large chipping/putting green sits between the starting tees and functions as the starter station for both courses. The practice green speed and roll is consistent with the on-course greens so it is a good gauge for pre-round prep.

 

Course Employees: In general, 'Meh'. Didn't feel like anyone went out of their way to make us feel either welcome or special nor did they make any effort toward the opposite. The gated main entrance still gives it the feel of a more private or exclusive facility which could be a turn-off for many of the general public. The word of the day was HOT,... no make that, STINKING HOT... which made it a real downer that I only recall seeing the beverage cart one time during our round as the course does not route back to the clubhouse at the turn.

 

Overall impression: Still a good value that gets a recommend if you want to make the trip. A fun and challenging course that can yield both low and high scores. The course conditions are still on the good side of the scale, but starting to show the facility has made the transition to full public from private/semi-private. 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Are there any links style courses in Florida I really want to get a taste of The Open but stateside for now.

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

"Obviously my iron play is incredible, and when I get going I can get hot, but this course just fits my eye. The shaping of the holes, and just a couple of the doglegs, I'm able to shape shots."

 Bryson DeChambeau

 

In my  :ping-small: Hoofer Lite

 

:srixon-small: Z765 9.5 with Miyazaka Kaula Mizu 6 Stiff Shaft (TrueGolfFit Recommended!!!)

:cobra-small: F8 3-4 wood 16* Aldilla Blue 70 Stiff shaft

:taylormade-small: Rescue mid 2 iron 16*

:cobra-small: One Length Forged Tec 4-GW with AMT Black shafts

:cameron-small: Futura Phantom 2

:bridgestone-small:Tour B330 RX

 

Like Bass Fishing? Check out my one and only article!!!

https://www.bassresource.com/beginner/get-started-bass-fishing.html

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Great write-ups Greg, you did Pine Barrens, but what about the other course, Rolling Oaks?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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League is called The Tampa Tour. I'm in the Riverview/Bloomingdale area of East Hillsborough Co.

We have to play!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Are there any links style courses in Florida I really want to get a taste of The Open but stateside for now.

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

World Woods Pine Barrens, the New Course at Grand Cypress and Southern Dunes just reviewed above come to mind.

 

Of course none are true links - it would be impossible to have a “links” course in Florida - our turf and weather conditions make it impossible to have courses that look like what we saw last weekend. Dry and firm is not what Florida is about.

 

But the New Course is a replica of St Andrews. It's cool.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Great write-ups Greg, you did Pine Barrens, but what about the other course, Rolling Oaks?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

The league only did one stop at World Woods this year. Last season was my first in the group and I missed the Rolling Oaks play date. 

Next up is the Islands Course at Innisbrook. That one should be 'fun'.  :huh:

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

Week 10: Innisbrook Resort, Island Course - Palm Harbor, FL

Tees Played:  Green: 6,686 yds 72.7/140 ; White: 6,130 yds 69.7/130

Conditions: Warm to Hot, Very Light Breeze

Price: $$$ ($75)

www.innisbrookgolfresort.com/golf/island-course

 

The Innisbrook Resort is a large golf and spa resort in Palm Harbor, just a short drive north of the Clearwater/St Petersburg area on the Central Florida gulf coast. A longtime favorite of Tampa Bay area golfers, the resort has three championship courses and hosts an annual PGA Tour event, now the Valspar Championship, on it's Copperhead course (previously reviewed). While not quite as long as Copperhead, the Island Course can play every bit as tough. The Island is somewhere between a shot-making and target golf course. Each hole offers a unique challenge creating a course that demands good decision making and shot choices, and then makes you execute those shots. 

 

The course conditions in general are very good to excellent. While Copperhead is the show-piece, the other courses are maintained with the same care and detail to ensure a quality golf experience for resort guests. The Island's fairways are narrow so accuracy off the tee is a premium for a good score. The turf conditions were excellent considering our summer date meant lots of recent rain. Even so, we were not cart path restricted and the fairways were only just soft enough to slightly affect roll. The rough was deep enough that you knew you didn't want to be in it, but it wasn't penalizing. Wander too far off the line of the hole there is a variety of trouble waiting for you. Some holes have bunkering around the landing area, others are lined with cypress, and others shaped by water (though maybe not as much as the name 'Island Course' suggests). The greens were in excellent condition, held shots well, and had true, consistent roll with medium speed that approached fast as they dried out from our early morning start. 

 

The practice facilities at all the resort's courses are very good. The Island's large practice putting/chipping green is adjacent to the clubhouse and first tee, and represents the course conditions well. The full swing range is across the street from the clubhouse but they maintain a 10 minute cycle of carts shuttling from the clubhouse to the range. The practice range has great turf, plenty of hitting stations and targets, quality practice balls, and coolers with chilled water bottles. Again, top rate even for a resort facility with a practice bunker the only piece lacking.

 

The best description for the course employees is fantastic. Clubhouse personnel were friendly, enthusiastic, helpful and informative. The outside assistants are a great source for info on how the course is set up and how it's playing. Since keeping things on-time is part of maintaining the good resort experience, you will see the on-course rangers more often than some other places. Our tournament play rules can slow things down a bit, but even with that we were only asked once to try and speed up our play. The rangers are present, but not typically fussy or in any way disrespectful. You'll also never find yourself wondering when/if you'll ever see the beverage cart again. They make rounds enough to avoid that without being intrusive or a hindrance. In short, I've never had a negative experience with any course employee during any of my several visits to the resort.

 

Overall impression: A definite recommend. Innisbrook does a fantastic job making sure you have an enjoyable golf experience. The Island course will challenge your course management and shot making skills while the course conditions and environment will leave you wanting to come back. Like most Florida resorts, the peak (cool weather) season rates will be a bit higher. You'll also want to be aware of the Tour's early spring play date as the resort accommodations will be full along with increased traffic and more crowded play at the other courses. 

 

 

 

 

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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thanks for the reviews.enjoy reading them.

Even though I am at the opposite end of the country,it is nice to read about different courses.

What's in my Mizuno BR-D2 bag

OFFICIAL TESTER FOR THE PING i500 CLUBS.

Currently playing Ping i500 w/ Alta CB graphite shafts 

  :mizuno-small: MP 25 - fitted w/ Project X shafts - stiff

  :titelist-small: 60  / 56  :mizuno-small: 52

  :titelist-small: 910 D2 driver - 9.5 degree -fitted13   F 3 wood 13.5 deg   :nike-small: CPR 3 hybrid

:nike-small: Method mallet

Dexterity:

I shoot left-handed so no one can ask me "Hey, can I try that club?" 

Twitter @GolfingHat      Instagram  @Mizunostixgolfnut

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  • 1 month later...

Final Week: 2-Day - Mission Inn Resort, Howey In the Hills Florida

Tees Played: El Campeon - Blue 6,601 yds 73/139, White 6,242 yds 71.1/135

                     Las Colinas - Blue 6,829 yds 74.1/130, White 6,365 yds 71.3/129

Conditions: Hot, Humid, Afternoon Rain

Price: Golf $ ($49), Lodging $$$ 

https://missioninnresort.com

 

The Mission Inn Golf and Spa resort sits in little, out of the way, Howey In The Hills Florida. It is about a 45 minute drive from the eastern side of Orlando near Lake Harris and just east of the Florida Turnpike. This was our league's final regular event, played over two days. The first was on the El Campeon Course with the second round on the Las Colinas course. El Campeon is a challenging, shot-makers course with a parkland feel to the layout. Las Colinas has more of a links feel but still requires sound strategy and good shot making to manage a low score. Both courses offer more elevation change than you expect to find in Florida, and it is incorporated very well into the course designs. 

 

Course Conditions were consistent between the two courses, and between the better side of good and excellent. Tees were all well manicured. The fairways had good feel and playability and showed good drainage to maintain that after some heavy rain at the end of day one and overnight between rounds. Greens received shots well and rolled true with moderately fast speeds. The only mark against course conditions were some bare/rough spots along the edges of a few Las Colinas greens. Most of the greens are rather large and there is lots of undulation and slope that will challenge you to place the ball on the proper portion of the green with your approach or three putts are definitely in play. The rough on both tracks was noticeable but not penalizing, allowing you to miss the fairway - just don't miss by much. There are ample trees and other hazards that dictate the strategy for each hole such that any shot wandering too far off the line of play will likely cost you a stroke (or more) to get back in the hole.

 

The practice facilities are all adjacent to/near the central clubhouse. The large practice putting green sits across the path from the starting holes and replicates the on-course conditions well. There is a large, all turf, full-swing range and chipping/bunker practice area just across the parking lot with quality practice balls pre-positioned for each. The clubhouse attendants maintain a cart shuttle to-from the range or it is only a short walk. 

 

As expected with any resort property, the course employees were all friendly, energetic, and seemed genuinely interested in making sure we had a good experience. Clubhouse attendants were there with cart shuttle service from the parking lot and to the practice range. The were given our group's tee sheet, so carts were all pre-positioned. Post round club attendants were there to clean clubs, and were happy to hear stories of the round and share a laugh. There is also club storage available for guests of the resort. The folks inside the clubhouse were all fantastic as well. The bar/grill is fairly large and overlooks the 1st/18th fairways withe a view of the lake between. On-course personnel were present, without being intrusive. The rangers will be nice about asking you to maintain pace of play and the bev cart will circulate frequently enough you'll not need to wish for them.

 

Overall impression: the golf courses at Mission Inn will not disappoint and are worth the drive to play. They are challenging for all levels while being fun to play. Using good course strategy and making quality shots will lead to a good score, while wild misses or over-aggressive shot selection can quickly build up to big numbers. The golf courses are a great value and since this is a golf course review not a resort review I will only say the accommodations and other resort amenities may not feel like the same. A definite recommend for golf, while only a mild recommend for the overall resort. 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 6 months later...

Season 2/Week 1 - Crescent Oaks Country Club, Tarpon Springs FL

Tees Played: Black - 6,566 yds, 71.6/135; Blue - 5,951 yds, 68.7/123

Conditions: Sunny and Mild, light Breeze

Price: $ ($26.75)

http://www.crescentoaksgolf.com/

Course Description: Crescent Oaks Country Club is a public welcome golf facility within a gated community in Tarpon Springs FL, which is just north of Tampa Bay and a short drive from the Tampa/St Petersburg areas. The layout is a little bit of a mixed bag of shot-making parkland style, and links style holes. There are several short par 4's in the layout that offer ample scoring opportunities. The fairways tend to be narrow and there are some waste/deep rough areas to watch for as well as lots of water and bunkering that dictate shot choices and demand accuracy. The greens are relatively small and well protected and very few have any significant undulation. 

Course Conditions: The greens, though small did roll true with a consistently decent pace though I wouldn't call them fast. The fairways were firm and dry, and while green enough, the fairway lies tended to feel a little tight. The dry, shallow fairway conditions gave plenty of roll, though one of our league players who is a member said the course plays very soft and wet during the rainy summer months. The rough along the line of play was fair and deep enough to be noticeable without over-penalizing a minor miss. There are numerous fairway bunkers, deep rough areas, trees and other penalty areas (water) to contend with if your misses stray too far. Since it is a neighborhood course besides, there are quite a lot of out-of-bounds lines to deal with as well. The only real area to downgrade on the course was the tee boxes. They were very inconsistent with patchy turf and uneven ground on more teeing areas than were level and green.

Practice Facilities: Marginal. The full swing range is away from the clubhouse, and feels crowded even with only 7 or 8 stations. It is short and narrow as well. The range balls though were decent and there is a short game practice area with bunkers another short walk further than the range. The putting green was small and also felt crowded, though it did represent the course conditions well.

Course Employees: Considering this is a public course, and they were hosting three tournament groups on the day, I'll say I was impressed. The check in staff was friendly and helpful and did a great job of getting us out on the course and ready for play on time. The on-course ranger was present without being intrusive. We saw the beverage/snack cart only once during each 9, but the turn does bring you past the clubhouse. There is a small bar in the clubhouse as well as multiple banquet rooms, and all of the servers and other attendants were a pleasure to deal with.

Overall Impression: Crescent Oaks Country Club is a nice little, somewhat out-of-the-way course that presents a good value. It won't leave you wanting but don't expect to walk away overly impressed either. The course plays challenging and fair but doesn't have a true signature hole or anything that visually will make you say, 'Wow, what a great course to play'. We were one of three tournament groups they hosted on the day, and there was another clubhouse function happening during our post-round lunch, so it was a pretty crowded place later in the morning. All that said, for a tournament group, on a peak season Saturday morning hard to beat the price.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Great assessment of Crescent Oaks. As it is one of four courses owned and operated by Ace Golf, we take our Saturday group(40+ players) and play there at least once a year.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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50 minutes ago, fozcycle said:

Great assessment of Crescent Oaks. As it is one of four courses owned and operated by Ace Golf, we take our Saturday group(40+ players) and play there at least once a year.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Thanks Foz,

As a fellow central Florida area golfer, I'll count on you to call me out on any blatant falsehood or heresy in these assessments. 😜

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

2019 Event #2 - Saddlebrook Resort, Palmer Course, Wesley Chapel Florida

Tees Played - A- Blue 6,273 yards / 72.5/136; B - White 5,820 yards / 69.5/133

Conditions - Hot, humid, moderate breeze

Price - $$ ($62)

https://www.saddlebrook.com/tampa-golf/

The Saddlebrook Resort has been a Tampa area mainstay for many years now, and is just a short drive north on I-75 from Tampa. It is a golf and tennis resort with a convention center. Two 18 hole courses are on the property, the Saddlebrook and Palmer courses, both designed by the second's namesake. After playing the Palmer Course, it is about shot making and strategy. Without much in the way of elevation change the layout steers shots with lots of doglegs, narrow fairways, and lots of water haz... penalty areas and bunkering. The greens are relatively small and have lots of undulation making distance control a factor. The course pretty much lives up to the billing given in the resort web site's description. Pretty much.

Course Conditions: In general very good without being spectacular. It is a resort course after all with everything from tee to green being reasonably well manicured. We did find a few spots of patchy rough, but those were rare, and in areas that wouldn't affect a majority of players. Tee areas were well groomed, level, and large enough to avoid degradation from excessive wear. The rough was distinct, but not deep along the line of play with lots of mounding that lets the challenge of the uneven lies make up for the shallower grass. Fairways played consistently well and had a really good feel as far as firmness and depth. The greens, the greens, the greens. The greens were good to very good on the side of general conditions, consistency of speed and roll and playability. They don't quite live up to the speed billing given by the web site. The TifEagle looks and plays great, but at the end of the day they are still bermuda greens. So even though they look smooth and fast, grain is a major factor, and bermuda just rolls slower than other types of grass, so the greens felt A LOT slower than they looked. Just about everyone in the group made some kind of remark about it after the round. They also didn't seem to hold shots like other greens with a little more bounce and roll rather than hit and stick on approach shots.

Practice Area/Range: This is the only real down side to the site. The practice area itself is very nice with lots of target flags, an ample full swing area, large chipping/putting green and practice bunkers. It is also home to the resort's golf school. So as a practice area I would rate it very good. As a pre-round warm-up option, not so much. The practice area is separate from the clubhouse. By separate I mean a cart journey of several minutes through houses and resort rentals. If you need a warm-up before the round, arrive early enough to give yourself lots, and I mean lots, of time to work it in. (There's more to that)

Course Employees/Customer Service: In general, everyone was pleasant to deal with and helpful and all of that. The check in was smooth and efficient and they managed to make it as easy as possible to keep our group where they wanted and needed to be to keep us on time without it feeling like we were being fussed at. From time of arrival through departure though, it felt very clear that most of the whole setup was geared toward serving resort guests and not daily play visitors. There is no self-parking, so you have to use the same valet service the resort guests use at resort reception. There isn't a dedicated bag drop, the reception crew loads you and your bag up on a cart and shuttles you to the pro shop area. The pro-shops for both tennis and golf are part of the central recreation area with the main resort pool and outdoor dining area. If I was staying there as a resort guest I would have called it great, as a visiting daily player it gave me the feeling I was a bit of an inconvenience. Again, the people were all very pleasant to deal with, but everything, and I mean everything but the golf was over-priced ($3.25 for a can of coke from the bev-cart, don't ask on the post-round beer).

Overall Impression: This one is a Recommend with an asterisk. The course was fun to play and was in great condition, even if not to the standard of some of its resort cousins in the area. That considered, the golf is worth it for the price, just know that anything extra is going to feel like it's overpriced. Without staying on-property overnight I can't offer an opinion of the resort at large, other than to say I might have left with a better impression of the overall experience had I been an overnight guest.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Thanks GregB, there is s9me “employee” parking close to the pro shop, IF you know how to get there.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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2019 Event #3 - Southern Hills Plantation Golf Club, Brooksville, FL

Tees Played: A - Blue 6.455 yds / 71.3/128; B - Platinum 6,114 yds / 69.4/125

Conditions: Windy and warm

Price: $$ ($60)

https://www.southernhillsplantationclub.com/

Southern Hills Plantation is a Hampton Golf managed public course in Brooksville, Florida a bit more than a one hour drive from the Tampa area. A challenging Pete Dye design, the site has hosted Web.com tour events as well as the PGA Tour Q-school. The layout mixes some open links style and narrow parkland style holes with lots of character added by the terrain, trees and water features. It isn't intimidatingly long, but he bunkers, uneven lies, and rolling terrain provide the challenge with getting to the greens. The green complexes are the teeth of this course. Very fast greens with lots of undulation and enough visual deception in the designs that one of our members' catch phrase for the course is "Screw you Pete Dye"! This venue is a favorite of the league players with this years event filling the field within a few hours of registration opening up. 

Course Conditions: If I were only allowed one word here; Fantastic. Considering the afternoon and evening before our event had a major line of storms roll through, and there were a few light sprinkles early in the morning it was even better than that. Even with 5 sets of tees, the tee boxes are a little small, so while most are very well manicured and level, there were a few that were worn from lots of play. The fairways were firm enough (even after the previous day's rain) to give some roll out to tee shots, but still had enough play to swing aggressively with irons. The rough is not very deep at all, so slight misses that stay in the rough are not a huge penalty. There are plenty of strategically placed fairway bunkers, uneven lies along the terrain, to challenge the merely errant miss. Go wide and you will find steep, un-mown waste areas and/or trees and pine straw. The only down mark for the course conditions was the bunkers. They had not been tended to after the stormy weather, to they were still hard-packed and had lots of washout along the edges with some still retaining water, all of which made them very inconsistent and even more of a penalty than normal for finding one (or 4 in my case). The greens, the greens, the greens. Fast and smooth and very true to begin with, add in the high winds we played in, they got to REALLY fast later in the round. Lots of undulation, and deceptive reads (screw you Pete Dye) along with the speed mean you better be on your putting game if you want to post a low score.

Practice Area/Range:  The full swing range is a short walk/ride down from the clubhouse. There is a separate area for member use and the guest range has 8-10 stations, each with balls, club stands, towels, and alignment sticks provided. A large, two-tiered practice green is adjacent to the range en-route to the first tee and will give you a good feel for the greens on the course (minor downgrade for no level areas to work on line), as well as a chipping/bunker green with ample practice balls provided. All in all, a very good warm-up area to prepare for the course.

Course Employees/Customer Service: Just about as good as you will find from a public course anywhere. Greeters at the bag drop area started our visit off right, and everything was well organized for the group. Clubhouse personnel were all very friendly and informative and had good answers to questions about the course and how the weather might affect play. The first tee starter will keep you on time and give the tee positions for the day. On-course, we didn't see the ranger even though we were a bit longer than the 4 hour standard, and the beverage cart was around often enough you didn't miss it but so much as to be a nuisance. We used the small locker room lounge for our post-round gathering, and the attendants there were all fantastic. The menu and beverage options there are ample enough and the prices are all reasonable.

Overall Impression: Southern Hills Plantation is a fantastic golf course. If you are in the Tampa area and looking for a challenging, fun, championship layout, this is a must play. There is a reason the colleges and tours keep coming back, and there is usually a wait list for our league during sign up. An absolute recommend all the way around.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 3 weeks later...

Week 4: World Woods, Rolling Oaks, Brooksville FL

Tees Played: Green 70.3/121 6,438yds

Conditions: Sunny and warm, very light breeze

Price: $ (Under $50)

https://www.worldwoods.com

World Woods opened in the early 90s as one of the first pure golf resorts near the Tampa area. It's location in Brooksville is still going to be a road trip of it's own from either Tampa/St.Pete or the Orlando resort areas - door to door for me from east of Tampa was 1:20. So plan to make a day of it if you are including World Woods on your calendar. The good news is you can get a discounted replay rate for a second round the same day. 

As far as the peripherals go (practice facilities, course employees)  I could more or less copy and paste my previous review of the Pine Barrens course from last season (we will be going back to play that course later in the year). But I will give the full rundown anyway.

Rolling Oaks if more of a parkland course than it's onsite links cousin Pine barrens. While most of the fairways are open and inviting, there are enough fairway bunkers and terrain features to require some sound strategy. The primary rough was relatively short, so small misses will not be penalized. Trees, waste areas, and occasional water features will collect the truly errant shots and run up the total on the scorecard. The greens are probably the biggest challenge of Rolling Oaks. Lots of subtle undulation and some deceptive reads in the design. Bring your putting A game, and you'll probably score well.

Course Conditions: There has been a fair amount of rain in the early season, to the general condition of the course was terrific. The fairways showed they had been recently aerated but they were exceptional. Nice, smooth, dense turf provided good play depth for the irons and good roll-out for tee shots. The first cut of rough was not deep enough to be penalizing, and was also nicely manicured and lush. A few of the tee boxes showed maybe excessive wear for this early in the season. I attribute that to the sites popularity, and the majority of players utilizing the same tees we played. The greens were interesting. Very well manicured and smooth and accepted full shots well. The most common post-round comment was 'the greens played really grainy'. They rolled maybe a little slower than what appearances suggested they should. That seemed to magnify the impact of the grain with the Bermuda hybrid turf. About the only negative for course conditions was the bunkers. Not that they weren't well maintained, just a little too firm and inconsistent after rain the night before play.

Practice Areas: World Woods has a unique practice area setup. Rotating tee areas surround the main range, so it may be a short cart ride to that day's range tees. A large chipping/putting green sits between the routes to the two 1st tees, with practice putting greens adjacent to each. As a plus, there is a short/practice course that is walking only for an additional $10. They also have a very large 'putting course' in the practice area. While fun on its own, I'd caution using it for pre-round warm up. The undulations on the putting course are severe, and the green speed was grossly different than the on-course green conditions. All the areas are very well maintained and a pleasure to use.

Course Employees: Call this trip an slight (very slight) improvement over the previous visit. The folks at the clubhouse were pleasant enough. The beverage cart attendant as well, but with only one on site to cover both courses on our play day we didn't see the bev cart often enough. They are real sticklers on maintaining pace of play here. We got a gentle reminder from the starter at the first tee to do our best to keep up with the group ahead. The on-course ranger was over-present, and kind of a jerk. We stayed right behind our group ahead with the exception of one hole where we had a rules question and a lengthy ball search that stretched the gap to the group ahead being on the green before we got to the next tee. Before we could tee off the ranger was already getting on us to keep pace. (We made up the gap by the way). The clubhouse grill, in my opinion, is far too small for the size of the site. The food was good enough, but the server/cashier was literally swearing to herself about having a crowded room to take care of. Once again, I left World Woods feeling more like I had inconvenienced the people who work there, than having had them take care of my needs during the visit.

Overall Impression: If you want to plan a trip to World Woods limit your expectations to getting to play a terrific golf course for a great price. Both courses play as well as or better than premium sites in the area that cost a lot more. If you can manage that, there won't be a thing to be disappointed with. WW is 3 for 3 in leaving me with that impression. The courses are the draw and are well worth the trip.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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