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This wad a really fun round of golf at an excellent course on Deer Island, Tavares, FL. Very convenient from Mt Dora, charming “Old Florida” vacay spot. The kayout is challenging but fair. Definitely target golf, and you must have a good short game as some greens are pretty tiny. Fairways in awesome shape, nice and wide in most cases but narrow in some places (#9 requires course management smarts). A couple of blind shots on 7 and 18, but the starter was very helpful in describing what to look for). Staff was great, some beautiful views and an active HUGE eagles nest on #9. Great day of golf. Highly recommend

Doral Golf Club offers some great deals on golfnow and is definitely worth a visit. I was fortunate to get a very early tee time for a VERY low rate, on a beautiful day. The course was in excellent condition and was fairly challenging. As a 16 handicapper, playing off the long tees (which were not very long at all.... only 2900+ yds per 9 hole loop), there were no holes where par was out of reach. Good course management is required as many of the non fairway landing locations have very steep swales or fairway bunkers. There is water on many holes, the bunkers were in super condition, and many of the greens were huge but usually well protected. Pin positions were generally fair, but the greens were slow. All of the holes were high quality design, but a little too "tricked up" for my taste. The course is set on a hotel resort and is interlaced with modern condos. It does not have a very natural feel to it. The macro view is pretty boring, but the holes themselves are pretty and cleverly designed. My favorite hole was #8, which is a short (345 yds) but deceptive par 4 dogleg. It gets very narrow after about 175 yards, and then a 100+ yard carry to the green area, which makes strategy for your second shot very tricky.

Overall, I had a very good experience at Doral, but I prefer a more natural course design and locale, so I probably won't play it again. I think many, if not most, golfers will find this course to be excellent. Give it a try.

I REALLY enjoyed Rondout Country Club golf course. It is a consistently challenging course with beautiful views in the Catskills Hudson Valley area. Clearly, the course is suffering from a lack of resources. The cart pathes are in desparate need of repairs, the fairways need watering, the tee boxes need to be cleaned up, divots repaired, etc., but underneath all of the cosmetic problems is an excellent layout that is very challenging, especially the par 5s. We got an incredible deal on golfnow, and I'd urge avid golfers to give this place a look and trial run. It was a very fun day, albeit frustrating sometimes.

This course is NOT one to be played without some clue from an experienced caddy or fellow golfer. There are multiple blind tee shots, and perfectly aimed (or so I thought) and executed shots mysteriously vanished. I lost 3 balls on what I considered perfect shots, and, to be honest, a few more on errant shots. The course does not have any natural "flow". On the contrary, it is unnaturally exaggerated in its contours. Expect extreme sidehill, uphill and downhill lies on this course. The course was in good shape, although a bit soggy (strangely, as it has been extremely dry recently) in spots. The greens were chewed up in places. I got a great deal from golfnow, the staff was very friendly, and I finished my round quickly. However, on balance, it was a frustrating experience for a first timer. If I played there multiple times, I'm sure I'd get the hang of it, and like it better, but it's too pricey for my budget, so it looks like "one and done" for me.

This is a sweet little gem tucked into the far eastern reaches of Queens, high on a hill with great views, rolling fairways, undulating greens and surprisingly great conditions. Staff was very friendly and I'd highly recommend the course. Only downsides are that it's got too many par 3s (7), not enough par 5s (2), and bunkering of greens are generally too easy. But you can walk out of here with a low score and a good experience.

Thanks to a combination of threatening weather, and the good people at golf now, I was able to play Lakes/Meadows at Centennial for a mere $34. The cart ride itself was worth that, as this place is the king of elevation changes. The courses are magnificent. I can't wait to play "Fairways" as well. Course management is definitely the name of the game here, as there are bunkers galore, potentially nasty sidehill lies or rough for errant shots, etc. The course was in immaculate condition, service was great (free bucket of balls), and the pace was fantastic thanks to the threatening (but fortunately not delivering on the threat) weather. My only gripe is that there is a big jump from the whites, which play at 5800 to the blues which play at 6500+. My comfort zone is right in between there, so I chose the shorter layout, which was a bit on the easy side. Oh well. I'd go back in a heartbeat at that price though. FANTASTIC experience.

Richter Park in Danbury is definitely one of the best public access courses in the metropolitan area. This course is pretty easily accessible from Westchester County and is far more challenging, and better maintained than any of the Westchester public courses. It is not cheap, but deals can be had in the late afternoons. The course is beautifully designed, and features far more water hazards than any course in the area that I have played at. The course has everything I like in a golf course: a great natural layout that is super challenging without being "tricked up". Holes that are reachable in regulation from 4 different tee boxes, but require that you use every club in your bag, a strong focus on course management, well protected large, but challenging greens. Straight shooters will be rewarded with a good score. Slicers and hookers..... bring LOTS of extra golf balls. Course is generally in excellent shapes, though a few greens are pretty funky and rutted. The course is very hilly on the back, and there is a long distance from green to next tee in many locations, meaning you might want to use a cart. The staff is extraordinarily helpful and enthusiastic. I love this place!