ChampionsGate Golf Club - International

I was very impressed by the facilities and the golf course. The carts appear to be new, and the GPS was very helpful having not played here before. The only problem with the carts is that the cart pickup and return is located on the opposite side of the very large clubhouse from the parking lot. The golf course itself was in immaculate condition, and the greens rolled great. If I could offer any suggestion about the greens, have the starter make each player put a divot repair tool or tee in their pocket, and ask them to use it. There were many unrepaired ball marks. Despite getting a decent amount of rain (in the middle of the round unfortunately), the course didn't play very wet. My only real complaint about the layout is that there are several bunkers that are too narrow (2-4') to take a stance in, so you have to have at least one foot outside of the bunker, and because they are so deep, the club is 1-2 feet below your foot level. That includes a bunker in the middle of the fairway on #15, so even though you hit a decent drive, you're now over-penalized since you may only be able to advance the ball a few yards (if you make great contact and don't leave it in the bunker). A bunker should at least be wide enough for the player and the ball to both fit. Otherwise, I enjoyed the challenge of the vast amount of bunkering and the narrow fairways in places. Great risk/reward holes including two reachable par 4's for long hitters. The facilities were also fantastic with a bright, airy bar and restaurant with great views of the course and good food. It's very cool seeing the all of the signed pro player golf bags on display in the bar. I even got to see the Leadbetter Academy world HQ when I waited out the thunderstorm there. Very nice building!

Great conditions as always and very friendly staff another great day at Champions Gate!

Ridiculously slow pace of play. Would have been out on the course pushing 6 hours had I not decided to call it a day after the 9th. For the money, I don’t think I’ll ever play it again. Shame. Had a few interesting holes on the half of the course I saw.

Needed some one out there managing the flow of the various types of players

The course was in great shape and the service from the time you walk into the door was fantastic.

The GPS in the carts really aided with shot and club selection, making the course manageable for someone that had never played it before.

We had an afternoon shower that slowed down the pace of play, due to having to park under a tree for 30 minutes on the back nine. Then, while teeing off on the 18th hole, the course shut down all play due to inclement weather rolling in.

Overall, it was a great experience. I highly recommend.

I don’t feel like courses get enough praise in this regard … people only comment when it’s bad. Pace of play was tremendous. We were a group of 3 in a sea of 4’s and we got around in 3:45 in an incredibly swift, but enjoyable pace.

Greens in great shape.

The course is a true test and has some lovely holes.
The fairways were a little bit worn probably from being over played and there was a few divots which had not been filled which was a shame.
The greens were great and very receptive.
Would come back but perhaps earlier in the season.
Nigel

We had breakfast, played a beautiful course, had lunch and bought stuff from the pro shop. Had a really good time.

Course was in best condition of any we have played so far in our holiday. pace of play was also very good at just under 4 hours. Staff were all as friendly as we remembered from previous years.

This is a very challenging course with extremely fast greens and fast areas around the green. Also, you will have to hit your tee shots long and straight, because landing areas are quite narrow at times.
That being said, this is a beautiful course in open nature. It is shaped into the landscape with great care and it is kept in perfect condition. It is a first class experience!

The course layout is okay but most of the course has no wind protection whatsoever so consequently prepare to face wind all day on every hole. We played today and the wind was 20 - 25 mph and it was tough to score. My partner shot 85 and me 89. Greens were also very hard and not receptive. I would recommend playing it once but we won’t be coming back. Too many other courses to play that has more wind protection and scorable.