wlamber2

First time playing the course since the recent renovation, opened in the fall I believe. The course was in great shape and enjoyed the changes they implemented. The greens were a little on the slow side as the begin to speed them up. Unique course giving you options of the tee to lay back or be aggressive. Great risk/reward challenge in the panhandle. Played early in the morning so pace of play was quick for a twosome.

Kelly is an enjoyable layout that was in great condition. The greens were rolling true and at a good speed. The pace of play leaves a lot to be desired. You see the marshals multiple times and they wave as they cruise by and your back 9 is taking 3 hours. I would reccomend but be aware of when you play if you have time constraints.

Played early in the morning so pace of play was great. Course was in really good shape and the greens were rolling true. The staff is doing a tremendous job managing through the COVID-19 stuff.

I enjoy the layout of El Campeon but that doesnt mean I want to enjoy spending 4 hrs and 45 mins sitting around on it waiting. This is a difficult golf course probably not suited for the high handicapper. We did not see a marshal our entire round on a Saturday afternoon. Greens were in good condition and enjoy the look of the course that isn't your typical flat Florida golf.

Hombre is in the best shape I have seen it in awhile. They have put a heavy emphasis on course conditions and it is showing. The greens were rolling true with some nice speed to them. It's a tough test with a lot of holes not necessarily requiring a driver but more about putting it in the proper place to have an angle into the green. The length of it isn't overwhelming but you will want to make sure to play from the proper tee to get the best angles throughout. Overall a very enjoyable course and worth the visit.

A must play if you are in the area. It is one of the better designs and value for your money within a drive of Orlando and Tampa. Course was in better condition then the previous couple of times I have played it. Glad to see the maintenance practices have improved. This track is one of Fazio's best in my opinion. Greens were a little fuzzy. If they cut them down and trim the fairways a little course would be in great firm and fast condition.

Greens were in good shape and rolling well. Pace of play was pretty slow taking over 4 hours for a threesome.

One of the unique courses in Orlando. While it doesn't play like a links course because of the Bermuda grass there isn't anything in Orlando like it. Wide open fairways allow for room off the tee with bunkers strategically placed to gobble up those errant drives. Greens are very undulated but were in great shape. Pace of play can be slow but overall enjoyable experience that if you are in the Orlando area should check out.

First time playing Mystic Dunes and can't say that I came away very impressed. The greens were in horrendous shape and they looked like they were about to lose half of them. Not only were they in bad shape but extremely fuzzy and slow as can be. Granted greens are very sloped to begin with so may not be as fast as other courses. Orlando had gotten some rain the week prior so came as a surprise. Pace of play was fine but not great, played in around 4 hours. I believe my round was $30 and that was about $20 too much considering the condition of the greens. Doubt I make it back down to Mystic Dunes. Too many other options in the area with a better value for what you get.

Played the North/South combo. The greens were rolling very true and speedy. North was the more forgiving of the 9's with the South have some quirky holes on it most notably the Par 5 5th I believe with a tiny green perched up like a table top. Overall found it to be an enjoyable experience with the course in good condition.

One thing I will note to be weary of is if you purchase something from the beverage cart and use your credit card make sure they don't charge you extra. I was charged for more then I purchased and have spent the past 2 weeks calling the resort and nothing has been taken care of.

Played Orange Tree for an FSGA event. This course is extremely tight with out of bounds coming into play on all 18 holes. Most holes there is maybe 5-10 yards of rough and then out of bounds because of the homes along it. The greens were very quick, some of the quickest i have played in Florida, and rolled really well. It begins with two par 5's which is interesting from a routing standpoint.

Arrived at Red Tail and there were 2 people trying to manage a completely full tee sheet. The range didn't have range balls and had to hunt the guy down in the cart barn. There was no one in the restaurant and this was at lunch time. No starter caused it to be a complete free for all from a tee time standpoint which also led to dreadful pace of play the entire day. Guy running the pro shop was rude and wasn't really concerned about the range and starter issues when mentioned to him. This experience summed up the issues they have had with this development.

I thought the course had a unique layout. Hit different irons into the par 3's and had the opportunity to reach a couple of par 5's in two. However as far as course conditions go the greens were bumpy and looked to be on the verge of dying. They did not roll well. Tee boxes and bunkers could also use a little tlc.

Overall I came away not very impressed with the Red Tail experience. Granted that could be from so many staff/service issues but couple that with an almost 5 hour round and no marshal and that's what happens.

Panther Lake is amongst my favorite tracks in the Orlando area. Booked a web deal on their website for $44 and have since played in again on golf now for $36. Great value at these prices in what is not your typical Florida courses. Panther Lake has undulation throughout and a great routing that includes 5 par 5's with 3 coming on the back 9 and potentially reachable from the proper tee. Greens roll very true while pace of play could be monitored a little better.

First time playing Falcons Fire and came away unimpressed with the course conditions. Fairway bunkers weren't cut properly by maintenance staff and we're filled with grass because done so poorly. Greens we're not in good condition with lots of dead spots on them. Pace of play was atrocious and took 5 hours on a Wednesday afternoon due to no marshalls being anywhere visible on the course. Would not recommend this course when much better value is to be had around the Greater Orlando area.

Played Harborside courses multiple times. This time we had a 1:30 PM tee of the Port Course on a Saturday. We paid $72 a person which was a special deal. The course has no trees that come into play along it and the wind is always blowing out at Harborside. Greens were rolling pretty quick with the rough grown in from the rain we've had in Chicago this summer. Links type look to it however not many shots are played along the ground with forced carries over bunkers on certain holes.

Pace of play is always an issue out here. The marshals are terrified to ever say anything to someone. We were a threesome stuck behind a foursome who had no in front of them for 5 holes. However nothing was ever said which made for an unpleasant slow round of 5 hours on a good course.

Good course to be city owned on an old landfill property but be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting and watching the group in front of you.

Host of the 2012 and 2014 Senior PGA Championship I decided to make the drive over from Chicago and pay Harbor Shores a visit. I had seen Matty G's piece on the Golf Channel which drew my interest. It was about a 1 hour 45 min drive from Chicago (Old Town area). My tee time was at 4:00 with the $75 rate and one thing to note is the time change. I had completely forgotten about it being on EST and my phone did not change luckily I arrived early so it wasn't a major issue but something to remember. Practice area is great with large short game chipping/sand area along with standard driving range and putting green. When it comes to the course I played from the 6200 yard tees which is a little short for my liking, but the only real option available besides 6850 at the back. A lot of the holes are bunker lined that you must avoid. I found some of the tees to sit down some, where it was difficult to visually see the entire hole. The greens like some Nicklaus courses I have played in the past have a lot of extreme undulation in them. The speeds were not very quick which made these slopes playable but when hitting approach shots one must consider the pin position to avoid the dreaded 3 putt. A downside I found to the course was the amount of divots and ball marks that were on the course. Because the course only having the 6200 yardage that a majority of players play all the landing areas are filled with divots and a lot of those divots were not filled in and maintained. Also, pace of play in the afternoon was very slow and we only saw the Marshall once. Teeing off at 4:00 we finished at 8:40 in a threesome! Overall I found it to be a very fair test of golf and one of those courses that you definitely need to play 4-5 times to understand the nuances of it. The greens can be tricky but if you are on the right level/tier of them there are birdies to be made.

Looooooong stretches in-between holes would highly recommend not walking this course

Hole Favorites
#7 first glimpse of the dunes reminds me of Arcadia Bluffs same
#8 Amongst massive dunes along Lake Michigan as well
#2 Blow-out bunkering style