thormoody

A little slow this time, but it was a Sunday afternoon.
Greens are good, and quick.
Always enjoy Big Cypress.

Saw John Daly on the course and had a brief chat, which was kind of cool. The staff was very friendly and accommodating (I showed up 2 hours early for my tee time due to a personal appointment canceling on me, and they worked me in, which they did not have to do). Pretty small and fast greens, which make an otherwise routine track a little bit tougher. It only plays about 6,200 yards from the tips. There are a few holes where local knowledge would serve you well. Glad I played with some guys who know the golf course.
Only real negative: Teed off with three other players, none of whom I knew. All nice gents. We had 2 or 3 open holes in front of us when we went off the first tee, so there must have been some cancellations or no-shows. Coming off the 16th tee box, one of the guys behind us (in a five-some) complained to me that we had a wide open golf course in front of us and we were holding up two five-somes. I pointed out to him three things. 1: They should not be playing in groups of 5. 2: I had our pace of play timed in just under 4 hours (not bad for a Friday afternoon). 3: I would be happy to go to the pro-shop with him and listen to him complain about playing in under 4 hours.
Leave it to one big mouth to ruin an otherwise enjoyable day on the course.
If you play here you can expect to meet some of these guys, as it appears the golf course must love them for some reason to let them go out in 5's.

Pros: The staff here is very nice, and the course layout can be kind of interesting. The green fee was fairly low (as it should be).
Cons: The greens were grown out to fairway grass length. It was like playing on shag carpet. I don't think I have ever played greens this slow. Maybe a 5 or 6? Some of the bunkers we basically unplayable, so take free relief using your best judgement.
Advice: It's an OK place to at least get in some ball striking. Don't expect to make any putts, so don't come expecting to shoot a score. I booked it because the fee was reasonable and I was able to get the time I needed on a Saturday morning.
If you are a player that can find a way to have some fun playing a "not so good" track, by all means give it a try.
If you are used to playing courses that are in good shape and well maintained, and you are not happy playing on an "iffy" track, you should probably book somewhere else. Otherwise you'll be "that guy" who complains for the entire round about the golf course.

Had a1:36 tee time, but went off about 20-25 minutes late due to a tournament (outing). Played at a blistering pace of 5+ hours behind a very slow foursome. No marshals on the course, because they all worked the tournament and went home. Then they were nice enough to send someone out to ask us if we were going to want anything to eat or drink following our round because they wanted to close.
No, Dude, we just wanna be done….
On a positive note, the course was, for the most part, in excellent condition.

The greens were essentially gone. The holes were cut in the only small patch of decent grass to be found on each green. Most of each green looked like smooth dirt. Pretty unplayable. Kind of too bad, but I personally would give this course some time and space to heal.

Zero complaints about this course. Tees, fairways and greens were all in good shape. It is a fun and fair layout, and a very good value for the money.
I will definitely play this one again the next time I am in the area.
An interesting feature here is brand new cart paths with white lines along both edges of the paths. The lines provide a really nice visual. I have not seen this at any other courses.

My initial review would not post because I used inappropriate language (I did not). Try this instead. If you play here you will feel like you have paid way too much to play a substandard golf course. Not a feeling I enjoy and I won’t fall for it twice.

This course was allowed to deteriorate. Keith has been brought back to put things right under the new ownership. He'll be earning every penny.
Wishing him luck, but the jury will be out for a while.
By all means, give it a try if you want to support the effort, but don't come with high expectations in the short term.

Very nice course. Much of the Bermuda was dormant when I was there, but the course and the layout were quite enjoyable. Played by myself on a weekday in about 2:45, but I’m sure that would be rare mid-season. I only travel to this area about once a year, but this course will be on my play list when I come back.
I travel on business all over the southeast and the gulf coast, so I play a lot of different courses. This is a good one.
Advice, swallow your pride and move up one box. You will have more fun.

We have always enjoyed playing Juliette Falls, and have played it many times. It is one of my favorite tracks when playing north of Tampa. Booked a 12:30 pm time for 3 players for a Sunday afternoon, and made the 1 1/2 drive up to play.
Went off on time at 12:30, and finished at 6:00 pm. Never once saw anyone on the golf course (marshal, ranger, whatever) to address the pace of play problem.
Then made the 1 1/2 drive back.
A 5 1/2 hour round is NEVER fun, no matter how nice the course is or how beautiful the weather.
I may play here again if I am passing close by on my way to or from home, but I will never again make a special trip up to play it.
Any golf course, especially one proclaiming to be "one of the best" in Florida, should shoulder the responsibility of making sure their patrons have a good experience when they spend the time and money to come and play.

We always enjoy playing Big Cypress. Even though there are a significant number of residents/members here, we have always felt welcome, unlike many other semi-private courses where the members see you as an intruder. The course overall was in excellent condition, which we have come to expect. We will continue to play here from time to time if tee times remain available.

Clubhouse is closed. Pro shop is a tiny trailer. No bathrooms or locker rooms, only port-a-johns. Only available food is from a beverage cart. The course is all chopped up in terms of tee locations and the length of the holes. Looks like they may be selling it off piece by piece because there is construction adjacent to many of the holes. Pace of play was pathetically slow. Won't be back.

It's easy to see this was probably a nice track at one time. Now all the holes are chopped up, shortened, renumbered, and not in particularly good shape. The greens were very inconsistent and the tee boxes were pretty rough. No clubhouse, just a tiny trailer for a pro shop, no restrooms or locker rooms (only port-a-johns), only food available was from the beverage cart. Everyone was pretty nice, but the golf course won't bring me back. It looks like they are selling it off piece by piece for development, as there is construction all around the course.

Pace of play was 4 1/2 hours on a Thursday afternoon. Greens were a little beaten up, and releasing quite a bit even though they were taking some serious pitch marks (please fix yours +1).
Fairways were generally OK, and tee boxes were fair.
Suggest you select clubs that will keep you out of the tall stuff.

First time playing here as a out of state visitor. The tee boxes and greens were outstanding. Fairways were a little "iffy" in places, but not unexpected this time of year and during hot weather. Played as a single on a Friday afternoon in about 3 hours and only played through one group (2nd hole).
Had a good burger in the restaurant and the staff was super friendly and helpful. They lost over 300 trees to the last hurricane, but it looks like they have spent the needed time and money to clean the course up. There was also a lot of clubhouse renovation going on, so they are doing things right.
This course will be on my play list the next time I visit the New Orleans area, which is about once a year.
Definitely make the loop here if you are in the area.
Be warned, the edges of most of the greens have fairly steep drop offs, so play to the middle of the greens or you may be walking up with a wedge in your hand.

The greens here have typically been pretty good. Right now, not so good. Hopefully it is temporary. Staff is very pleasant as always. Also be forwarned, they are often out of range balls so suggest you call if you are planning to warm up on the range.

Greens needed cut (very slow), and fairways needed cut, almost like they may have been over-seeded.
Tee boxes were pretty chewed up.
If course conditions are iffy in prime Florida golf season in February, I hate to see what they may be when the weather turns hot and wet.
One the plus side, I have been playing this course for years, and the staff here is among the most friendly and helpful of anywhere I play. I don't doubt for a minute that they are doing the best they can with the resources they have at their disposal. By all means, come and play, but don't expect conditions from Saddlebrook's heyday.