Cimarrone Golf Club a watery challenge in Jacksonville, Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There isn't a hole on the Cimarrone Golf Club that won't steal your ball and ruin your round.
Architect David Postlethwait made sure all 6,891 yards of Cimarrone would be memorable. This isn't a grip-it-and-rip-it course. It's best played in survival -- not attack -- mode.
"It is definitely challenging having the marsh or water on every hole," Assistant Professional Mike Renn said. "That's the biggest draw for people. It is a challenge."
Renn said most players wisely play the 6,103-yard white tees. The 6,553-yard blue tees can be a chore, especially if your driver goes schizophrenic. Smaller-than-normal greens add to its healthy slope rating from the tips (137).
The par-5 first hole introduces the day's challenges. A solid drive from the whites leaves a risk-reward approach shot over a pond to the green. From there, most of the encounters with wetlands and water play laterally with few forced carries. The exceptions are the par-3 ninth over wetland and the best hole on the course, the par-4 10th, which doglegs right over water.
"The layout I love," said Harold Ford, a local who plays Cimarrone Golf Club regularly. "It's always in good shape. (But) there is a little more water than I would like.