Hole #15 | Par 5

We’re back on the trail of testing out Orlando’s golf course selections. My buddy Josh and I decided to get out this Sunday and hit up Windermere Country Club. He had never played it. This was my 2nd time playing it. We checked GolfNow.com and found a smokin’ deal. $28 (round, cart and driving range) each.

Our tee time was 1:06. Perfect. Getting out on the course on a hot, afternoon,  out-of-season is perfect. There’s no waiting and its cheap golf.

And let me tell you, the course was in great shape. Here’s a quick background from their website:

Our Ward Northrup designed 18-hole championship course is aimed at fun and playability, regardless of your handicap. Stretching to 6,558 yards from the back tees, the undulating fairways and challenging greens offer even the most experienced player a solid test. With 13 holes bordering lakes and 63 bunkers strategically placed throughout the course, combined with the unparalleled beauty of pine and oak tree lined fairways and greens, keeping your mind on golf can be challenging.

Windermere isn’t easy to get to from downtown. We meandered our way but arrived with plenty of time. We parked since no one was waiting at bag drop, but soon someone drove to our car with a cart. The guy was friendly and reminded us to ‘tuck in our shirts’. This surprised me on two fronts: A) I’m glad he told me, I usually tuck it in. I’m a fan of ‘classy’ clubs that abide by the rules. I wasn’t reminded the time I played before. B) I guess we were so damn hot that we just didn’t mind keeping them un-tucked. We wore proper clothing – but we were reminded to tuck in the shirts. No harm, no foul. Again, I like classy clubs that play by the rules. So, shame on us.

It was a hot round. New greens were added to this course  in September 2010, so they were in great shape. But they were hard as a rock. But I didn’t mind. The best thing about this course is it’s forgiving layout, and very manicured tee boxes and fairways. You can tell the staff pays particular attention to the finer details. They have Isleworth CC in their neighborhood – but Windermere wants to be the gem that people can actually pay and afford (we’re not all Tiger Woods or CEOs.) Ha.

Josh had great reviews for the course having never played it. We battled some holes, but I played very well considering the heat. I’ll start posting my scores (good or bad!) so you can see the yardages and slope according to each course.

Golf Stop Summary:

Recommendation: Try checking GolfNow.com before you go. You may find a great deal. If you can handle the heat, set up a 1:00 tee time. There’s no one out. We played 18 holes in about 3 hours and 20 minutes. Blasted through. And that was with a 15 minute break for a hot dog at the turn.

Don’t dress like a slob, or you’ll be called out for it (and possible told you can not play) Wear dressy golf shorts and a golf shirt and TUCK IT IN! We were reminded at the turn to tuck the shirts back in. Again, I like the attention to detail.

Downfall: It was hot, but not painfully hot – but I was surprised to see no beverage cart out the entire round. That was the worst part of the day. We were hungry and had no options. So it took a long time for them to prepare the food at the turn. And we grab a few beers for the back nine. They did give us a nice cooler to keep em’ cold. So that was a nice bonus.

Enjoy the new greens!

I’ve always loved the game of golf. Maybe love is a strong word, but I care a lot about it – how about that. Since Florida is home of some of the most amazing golf courses in the world, it’s only fitting to take the little free time I do have and explore them. It’ll promote good health, fun and fixing the many bullet holes in my game. It’s a work in progress. So with that, I present Golf Stop, my official ‘tour’ of Florida golf courses.

Today’s stop is  the ‘New Course’ at Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando. My parents were in town so my Dad and I decided to check out this gem of a course located on Disney World’s back doorstep. The road entering the property is lined with ‘grand cypress’ trees, it’s very cool. Once we arrived at the course, we drove to the bag drop – but  a Range Rover was parked in the middle of the turnaround, running with no one nearby. I have no idea what that was about, so we backed up and parked in the parking lot and carried our clubs until an employee grabbed them and took them to a cart. Nice save.

I’m a fan of GolfNow.com – I book a lot of tee times on that website. You can end up saving a pretty ridiculous amount of money on green fees. We were saving about 40% this trip. Saving money makes me happy. However, the website does have its cons – we’d soon find out. Upon checking in for our 1:20PM tee time, the employee said we were being pushed to 2:00 and said since we booked on GolfNow and paid in full on the site, they have the ability to bump us. It was not a good start. I was ticked.

We spent a lot of time at the range. It was a nice range. Balls were stacked and were included in the reservation, so that was nice. Most nice clubs offer that. A big clock was out there letting us know when we were up.

2:00 was cloudy and cold. But we were about to tackle 18 of the 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf. The New Course, as it’s called, is very representative of a Scottish links course. Even down to the cart path with it’s bumpy ride (we’re assuming they were printed with bumps on purpose to give it the old, Scottish feel). It did get a bit annoying after awhile to be honest – bump after bump after bump – but it did keep our speed down. Maybe that’s what they were going for. A great tip we picked up from the starter (wearing knickers, no doubt) was to aim for the yellow flags going out front 9 and the white flags on the back 9. I had no idea. Some holes share greens, big greens. So they have two pins on them. One yellow and one white. We did catch ourselves aiming at the wrong pin sometimes. Whoops. Rookies.

But the round was CHILLY. And by the time were were done, we were quite glad because it was getting downright uncomfortable.

But I really liked the Scottish feel of this course and I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to try something different than the common traditional layouts. The extra detail put into the walls, the bumpy cart path, the flags, the bunkers etc. really made it a treat (except for the bump-bump-bump!).

Golf Stop Summary:

Recommendation: Bundle up if it’s cloudy, because it’ll get windy – not many trees to slow the wind. Cart ride will get annoying with the bumps, but enjoy the fine details.

Oh, and aim for the correct pin on the double greens!