scottlilly

Only at Deer Island will you find bald eagles, red tail hawks, various wading fowl, and, of course, a bunch of big alligators along with a terrific layout, smooth but tricky greens, and the danger of water on every hole. Unfortunately, the recent dry weather has left the fairways with some spotty thin areas and the tees a bit chewed up. Overall, considering the dry weather, the course is in pretty good shape. The greens are hard but will receive a high soft shot with a modicum of roll. They roll true and are a good speed; not overly fast and certainly not slow. Great value for the money and well worth the extra distance!

As dry as it has been, I was pleasantly surprised how good the tees, fairways, and greens were at CG Nat’l. The rough, however, was suffering mightily. There were bare areas interspersed in the universally thin rough along with a wealth of infilled divots left by ignorant and/or lazy golfers unappreciative of the hard work the maintenance staff has done to provide them a really good golf course. A good rain would go a long way to help things. The greens were a bit slow for my taste but they rolled true and would hold a well struck mid-iron. Pace of play was great on the front side but bogged down somewhat on the backside to equal a precise 4:05 round. ChampionsGate Nat’l is always a fun track to test your skills.

Bring your A-game when you play here! Water on every hole that comes into play to some degree so choose your set of tees carefully. Par 3’s are excellent and challenging with forced carries over water on all but one. Greens are quick but not unfairly so and the tees, fairways, and rough are in good shape. For those of you that complain about “thin” lies, you have to remember this is the DRY and COOL season so “thick” grass in the fairways is the exception, not the rule. Deer Island offers an excellent challenge at a great value. Try it, you’ll like it!

Terrific layout, speedy greens, good condition. Fairways are a bit thin and the greens are a tad brown but run smooth and true. Water is in play everywhere, especially 3 of the 4 par 3’s, so don’t let your ego choose the set of tees you’re going to play! Instead of paying those ridiculously high Orlando area green fees, drive 30 minutes northwest to Deer Island. You won’t find a better value for a really good track anywhere in the vicinity!!

Played CG Nat’l about 6 weeks ago before I went back north for the holidays and I said then that BOTH ChampionsGate courses had the best greens in Orlando. National’s greens certainly haven’t lost any quality or speed since I last played and they are still impeccable. Overall, the course is in great shape and the winter overseed has come in very well. Pace of play was steady throughout the round. While the layout is somewhat bland, it has some interesting and fun holes. I wholeheartedly recommend CG National!

Love both OCN courses but played Panther Lake on 12/8. Course was in great shape and the greens were PERFECT! However, it only takes one slow group to kill the joy of a glorious day of golf and such was the case on this occasion. Slow down started on #14 (our fifth hole) and culminated with the slothful foursome putting out on #7 (our sixteenth hole), a 5 par, while two groups waited in the fairway and two groups waited to tee off, for a total of FIVE GROUPS ON ONE HOLE!!! When we made the turn, we heard the starter ask for someone to go talk to “a group” who were on “ a five hour pace” and we saw a ranger go by us shortly thereafter. Apparently, the ranger’s admonition had little effect as the pace of play never improved. In fairness, I have rarely experienced this problem at OCN so I will give them the benefit of the doubt and will continue regularly to book OCN courses. However, I would note that most golf courses, now including OCN apparently, are willing to tolerate slow play out of a misplaced fear they will lose some revenue. Respectfully, I disagree and submit they are far more at risk to lose substantial revenue from local players such as I that will avoid slow play courses and take their golf dollars to courses that are more punitive in their efforts to combat this problem.

Course is in great shape although the fairways have a few thin spots. We had a threesome of Sunshine State Amateur competitors in front of us for 9 holes so the front side was excruciatingly slow (2 1/2 hours for a threesome!). Despite the apparent inability of the tourney competitors to expeditiously read and putt marginally quick greens, we were able to finish before dark. Greens were smooth and rolled true so it’s hard to understand why it took scratch golfers so long to putt out ON EVERY HOLE! Anyway, El Campeon is unique among FL courses due to the several dramatic elevation changes and is a truly great test of one’s golfing abilities and I would highly recommend it!!

I play here about once every two weeks, give or take, and these greens are the best I’ve played this fall, BAR NONE!! The fairways are also in great shape as are the tees and rough, for the most part. On top of that, the layout is an outstanding design that eliminates the blind shot and any angst about where you should hit it. Great track that I highly recommend!

Having played this course many times, I’m acutely aware of the dangers that lurk on a number of holes. So, don’t bite off more than you can chew and play the set of tees most appropriate for your handicap or it will be a long day! Deer Island is a great layout that tests all of your golf abilities. Although the greens roll true, they are a bit thin in spots and are a tad slow. There is not much roll to the fairways as they have not been cut recently because, I guess, the almost daily showers have kept them too soft for regular mowing. Same for the tees and rough. While the conditions are a bit rough right now, the course is healthy and conditions will improve quickly with drier, cooler weather. Deer Island is truly a challenge and a fun track to play. I highly recommend it.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: OCN courses are the best golf value in central Florida! Today, I played Crooked Cat and, once again, the course was impeccable. I was especially impressed with the greens which were a perfect speed; quick but not so fast they were unfair for the average golfer. I just played Bella Collina and their greens were embarrassingly slow for a high dollar course when compared to Crooked Cat. If you’re looking for a great value for your golf dollar, you must check the Orange County National Courses, Crooked Cat and Panther Lake.

Full disclosure, I have a bias in favor of Crooked Cat as I have played it more than any other course in the area. The reason for that is it is consistently in good shape regardless of the time of year. Right now, it is in solid condition from tee to green albeit not the best I’ve ever seen it. Greens are smooth and rolling true but they are not overly quick. Fairways and tees are uniformly in good shape with only the intermittent thin areas. You get good value for your golf dollar at OCN, regardless of which course you play, so I highly recommend it!

From tee to green it is difficult to imagine a course in better condition than CG-I. The only blemishes are the unfilled divots that irresponsible golfers have failed to repair. The greens are fast and true but receptive to a crisply struck approach shot. The tees are invariably healthy and plush. The rough is full and as difficult as it should be. Under the pleasant conditions I experienced, the course fairly tested one’s golfing skills. However, given a brisk wind, instead of a gentle breeze, CG-I could certainly be a monster! The layout is straight forward and there are no hidden tricks or pitfalls. Simply stated, the course has no shortcomings and is a treat to play! I highly recommend it.

I haven’t played Hawk’s Landing since this past March before they shut down and made some renovations. The main change is switching #10 and #18 which, in my estimation, is a great improvement. Anyway, today was the “grand” reopening only to be spoiled by afternoon lightning and a late downpour. The course was in good shape from tee to green although the greens had been top dressed recently. The greens rolled true but were frustratingly slow. Even so, Hawk’s Landing is a terrific layout worthy of your golf dollar and I highly recommend it.

Given the near record lack of rain in March, it is a wonder Crooked Cat is in as good a shape as it is. Don’t get me wrong, the course was suffering but the fairways, tees, and greens were in better shape than I expected. The greens recently had been verticut but were smooth and a decent speed. The fairways were thin but, for the most part, They were green and eminently playable. The rough is suffering the most and is practically nonexistent. The good news is the ball rolls a long way!! Overall, it is clear OCN has done a great job keeping its courses in good shape during the drought and I would heartily recommend a round there during this difficult time. Staff is taking proper precautions with social distancing, etc., and are cheerful and friendly. You will feel safe with staff but some players checking in are a little lax in their necessary precautions so be careful!!

After 10 days of “social distancing”, i.e., isolation and lack of exercise, cabin fever overcame my fear of COVID-19 so I decided to play Crooked Cat. First, I want to say how much I appreciate the precautions OCN and its staff have taken to insure both courses remain open and safe to play. Cart staff have been instructed not to handle golf bags, a prudent move I appreciate. As a result, it is a “help yourself” cart loading situation but, again, safety first. Anyway, being in the high risk age group, I was a bit leery of sharing a cart but was fortunate enough to arrive at the starter between groups and was permitted to play by myself. Quite frankly, I was amazed at the terrific condition of Crooked Cat given the recent drought conditions. The greens were smooth and a decent speed. Tees and fairways were a bit thin but eminently playable. Although the rakes have been removed from the bunkers, they were remarkable consistent and it is apparent most players have endeavored to “foot smooth” their prints. All in all it was a very enjoyable round for this almost 70 year old single digit handicapper! Thanks, OCN, for 3 hours of normalcy!!

I have played Deer Island a number of times over the last couple of years and it keeps getting better and better. Although the greens are a bit slow, they roll true and smooth. The fairways and tees are excellent as a result of the overseeding late last fall. The rough is well grown but not unfair. Overall, the course is in excellent shape and requires not only physical skills but mental awareness of all factors that may impact club selection and shot shape. In short Deer Island will test every aspect of your golfing skills. As a senior with a single digit handicap, I must emphasize that selecting the correct set of tees at DI is paramount to enjoy your round as there are many forced carries over hazards including all but one of the par 3’s. Deer Island is a great value for your golfing dollar and well worth the drive from the Orlando area!

Crooked Cat and it’s sister course at Orange County National, Panther Lake, never fail to impress and yesterday was no different. Crooked Cat was in great shape with the greens exceptionally fast and impeccably smooth. A few of the the par 3 tees were a little chewed up but not enough to ruin an otherwise terrific playing experience. Although green fees are inflated this time of year, so are the fees at all the other courses in the area which means OCN’s Crooked Cat is still a good value. This is a tough course so just make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew by playing tees longer than your skills can handle!

I’ve played El Campeon many times and think it is one of the best layouts in central Florida. Today, which was my first time playing EC since last fall, I was disappointed in the course conditions. I recently have received many emails from Mission Inn touting the “great” condition of both courses so my expectations were high only to find the conditions to be mediocre at best. The rough was thin, almost bare, in many spots and the fairways were sparse and full of unsanded divots. The tees, for the most part, were good but several of the par 3 tees were chewed up. On the other hand, the greens were excellent and a very good speed! While I was disappointed by the conditions compared to other central FL courses I’ve played recently, I still highly recommend El Campeon because of the exceptional layout and the excellent condition of the greens.