linksman

The course starts you off with 2 fairly easy holes and then the fun begins. Greens are undulating and the holes seemed to be perched on little knobs that seem to repel the ball at the last moment. The only dragon is the greens keeper. The conditions were favourable with warm weather and very little wind so I came away unscorched and ready to fight another day.

This course can play long and difficult so picking the right tee box is important if you’re going to enjoy it. We were warned that wind and narrow landing areas can play havoc but with the gentle breeze 6mph and gusts of 12mph just kept us cool. We were also warned that scorpions, crocodiles and coral snakes were known to be in the underbrush. Nobody told us about the biggish hairy monkeys that will cross your path at a gallop. At least I think it was a monkey.
We found the girls in the pro shop quite accommodating when we requested the twilight rate of 1250$ mxn. Rental clubs were acceptable and the outside staff were friendly and courteous.
Course was not under pressure so we teed off right at 1:00pm on the back nine and played in 4 hours or so. At the turn I ordered a cheeseburger and fries which were delivered to me around our 13th hole. Hot and good.
Last thoughts: I prefer this course to flamingos and two of my playing companions thought the course was better than the Norman signature in Nuevo Vallarta.

This is a well laced out course with more elevation changes than you might expect. Lots of palm trees and flowering bushes line the fairways and we were warned about the hazards of coral snakes, scorpions and crocodiles in the underbrush and around water hazards. The scorecard incorporates a local jungle rule for such mishaps.

Fortunately we had no particular difficulties with the flora and fauna although the par 5, 15th hole has my number. There is a big palm tree partially blocking the fairway that always causes me to donate a ball or two. Just a terrible way to start off on the number 2 stroke hole. lmao!!!

Greg Norman has created an excellent course for all skill levels commonly found at resort courses. This section of Orlando is flat so you might incorrectly label it boring and undistinguished. The PNC Father Son Challenge is played here next week and in fact I met one of my heroes on the range. I'm pretty sure he appreciated the swing thought I shared with him.

As a senior I found that playing a mix of blue and white tees gives one a nice set of challenges and I suggest playing at least the par 5's from the blues. On one hole all you can see from the tee are ribbons of fairway between the bunkers and waste areas that crisscross the fairway. My GPS said taking it on would require a confident 258 yd. carry. BTW take your own GPS or Range finder because the one in the cart is pretty much useless for defining the hazards.
Beware when exiting the greens because the cart paths are fitted with curved curbs that can prove to be treacherous underfoot.

This course is excellent to test the lessons you've just received at the Marriott Golf Academy. I saw many couples playing here who were not registered for lessons so it appears to be popular with resort guests and locals which is usually a good sign. Ron Garl has designed some very difficult courses (Taboo comes to mind) and one should not take this one lightly. It is imperative that you hit your tee shot to a comfortable distance to the green to ensure a two putt par. Greens were slow, 8 on the stimpmeter but that favors the higher handicap player who need not fear a 10 foot come-backer.

I am becoming quite fond of Sawmill as it presents some interesting challenges and yet is not overly long from the Blues. Several holes (3 par 4's and 1 par 5) are forced carries unless you are a long bomber. To play them efficiently you may have to consider using your 180 yard club off the tee as big numbers lie in wait for the foolhardy. The greens have some subtle breaks that can have you talking to yourself but roll true if read right.

You won't be disappointed at the senior rates and the club has a very friendly feel about it.

This is a fantastic Tom Fazio redesign. Bermuda fairways and rough and bent grass greens. I repaired a few pitch marks left by groups ahead of us but the staff had done a good job overnight fixing them up. The greens had subtle breaks easy to over-read and rolled true. The rough had just been cut, was 3-4" deep and just swallowed the ball. Approach shots held well but miss a green and you need a flop shot in your bag to score. Compares favorably with Pinehurst #5. Bunkers would benefit from more sand, somewhat less densely packed but the total experience is very satisfying. I hope to get back to Finley as I expect to be in Chapel Hill again soon.

I was fortunate in joining a 3some on the back nine which I played first and then joined by a single on the front so I got a lot of info on the course.

This is a very very nice design and the course was playing firm and fast. I learned that sometime in the past the front and back nines were switched which is puzzling to me since 7, 8, 9 are the most interesting to my way of thinking. But playing it back to front I got the best of both worlds because 10 starts you off gently and then builds momentum.

Although the pro shop told me that the greens had mostly healed from aeration two weeks before, I found them bumpy and fast - a bad combination. The rest of the course was in immaculate shape though and I would enjoy a second round at this magnificent layout. Since I expect to be back to Durham soon I'm sure it will happen.

This course is one of the nicest of the 5 courses I have played in the past two weeks.. The generous landing areas are offset by the strategic positioning of the bunkers.and large greens with a lot of humps and hollows. The course itself is in fantastic shape in contrast to many others with hard fairways and tight lies with scrappy rough lying in wait. The staff is great from the bag drop to the pro shop to the starter. Some days they push a lot of groups through and the marshal on this particular day was pushing our foursome even though we were playing at a good pace. We finished in under four hours and he was still on us about 3 times on the back just because we got behind a hole at the turn while we visited the halfway house and got a hot dog.and a coke.

I liked this course for many reasons:
Conditioning was good for a public course but not all pitch marks were repaired on the greens. I typically fixed three for every one I made but having said that the greens rolled true and medium fast. Maybe 11/12 on the stimpmeter.

Pro Shop personnel were good, Starter was extremely friendly and most of the players I met were repeat customers. Pace of play could have improved but the day was perfect for golf and the course is eminently walkable so occasional waits were tolerable.

Well designed course with no tricks that played fairly whether you draw or fade the ball. Fairways were reasonably wide which is a good thing because the course is heavily treed and the rough in places measured only about 5 yards wide. Great value for money. Cart girls often in evidence so refreshment never an issue.