Tag: Disney

Orlando’s 10 Best Golf Courses
Living in central Florida provides me with an opportunity to play golf year round. Since May of 2007 I have played in over 50 golf tournaments all over the state, which has allowed me to enjoy many different courses. Florida’s golf courses have great variety, despite having very little elevation. In fact, the highest point in FL (in the panhandle) is only 345 feet above sea level, and the mean elevation is 100 feet above sea level. Heck, the highest point in the state south of Orlando is a land fill, so it should come as no surprise that most of the elevation and contours on the golf courses have to be manufactured by bringing in dirt or digging lakes to give the designers dirt to play with. Florida has almost 1500 golf courses, and some of the best in the state are within a 30 minute drive of Downtown Orlando. Being one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country not named Hawaii (Check here for Hawaii tee times) there is no shortage of things to do when not playing golf. Tourists from all over the world come to Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, Cypress Gardens and nearby Busch Gardens. With that in mind, I will present my list of the ten best golf courses or destinations in the greater Orlando area.

This was not a scientific study, just a subjective list based on my personal experience and the feelings of some of my fellow Floridians. Most of these courses have been a mainstay of the Orlando top ten list for years, and some are newcomers. Tee times at many of these courses can also be booked at discounted rates through Orlando Tee Times. So, without further ado...
Ten Best Greater Orlando Golf Destinations
There you have it, in no particular order. Before the discussion starts and everyone throws a list of courses that should have made it on the list my way, I'll present my list of Honorable mentions, since there are many fine courses worth playing.
Honorable Mentions
The amount of quality courses in the Orlando area makes it very difficult to select the best courses, since there are probably another 10 or 15 courses that deserve mention. I've listed 20 courses or resorts here that any visitor will enjoy, with greens fee ranging from $35 to over $200. I could have listed more, or moved a few of the honorable mentions into the top ten list, and Sugarloaf Mountain almost didn't make the list because of the unfortunate condition of their greens lately, but the design stands on it's own as one of the best in the area, and would probably make my top 5 list. So with my opinions put to paper - let the discussion begin! {This post was originally written on 18 June, 2009 by John Duval}
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March 6, 2010
Weekend Trifecta for Nike Golf

AP Photo/Miguel Tovar

Nike Golf had a pretty good weekend, with staffers Michelle Wie, Stephen Ames and that guy named Tiger all winning with a full bag of Nike equipment on Sunday. Actually I think Tiger’s win actually came on Sat for us, but who’s keeping track? Nike has built a solid stable of top players on the PGA and LPGA tours, so it’s no surprise that they have had success. This sort of thing has happened before, but not with Wie and Woods. With apologies to Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, who won in Hong Kong this weekend and plays for Titleist, the spotlight in the US and Australia was clearly on Wie, Woods and Ames.

Tiger Woods has traveled all over the world in his quest for victories, but Australia hasn’t been one of his most frequent stops. In fact, last week’s Australian Masters appearance was the first time he had played in Australia in 11 years! Tiger took a reported $3 Million just to show up, but quickly justified it by winning. Many may scoff at paying someone that much money just to come to play, but the record crowds and the fact that they sold out the practice rounds proved that to be the right choice. in the end, the economic impact for the Melbourne area was estimated at over $20 million. Tiger has vowed to come back much sooner next time, and at the very least he’ll be back in Australia in two years for the President’s Cup.

I attended the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at the Disney World Resort lasy week, and while observing many players on the driving range I thought Nike staff player Justin Leonard was hitting the ball great and picked him to win. It turns out fellow Nike player and Canadian citizen Stephen Ames took the victory in a playoff against Leonard and George McNeill. It was Ames’ 4th career victory, but probably the first with his son walking along all the way. The atmosphere of the week was relaxed, as it probably should be at Disney. Most players probably spent more time at the magic kingdom with family than at the driving range. It’s the end of the season at a fun venue, so why not enjoy it?

To round out the Nike trifecta, Michelle Wie claimed her first victory as a professional in 65 LPGA starts at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, beating Paula Creamer by 2 shots. It was a good week for LPGA fans for two reasons: Michelle Wie has broken through finally, and if that first victory has the same effect it had on fellow Nike staffer David Duval when he finally broke through, the wins should start coming in bunches now. Secondly, Paula Creamer was back in contention after a year of illness and mediocre finishes. It was at this tournament last year that she fell ill and it took a full year to figure it out. Not to take anything away from the talented foreign players on the LPGA, but women's golf in America needs Paula and Michelle to be contending, not just making cuts. Congrats to Michelle on her first victory! Stay up to date with current posts and news by subscribing to our email updates below!

November 17, 2009
Inside the Cleveland Tour Van!

I visited the driving range and putting green yesterday at Disney’s Palm and Magnolia courses to snap some pictures and peer into a few golf bags to see what’s new and hot out on tour. The resort is hosting the tour’s final event – the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. I also stopped by the Cleveland Tour Van to snoop around a bit. Cleveland has been very generous in sending us clubs to test out and has granted me a level of access to their products that is normally reserved for tour players and staff and the benefit is passed on to our readers! Let’s take a rare look inside the tour van and see what’s going on…

The Cleveland tour van is equipped with everything one would need to build and repair clubs, including a bending machine, grinders and gripping station and much more. The trailer is shows up early in the week and leaves before the first round on Thursday. While on site, it is powered by a generator, and along with the other manufacturer’s vans combines to make the area smell like a bus station.

In the photo below, you can see a small sample of the clubs they have to build for their tour players. On the far left is the new Launcher DST Tour driver, which has garnered lots of attention and buzz, and several Cleveland staff players have already switched. The next two clubs are tour-only versions of the new CG15 Wedges which differ from the consumer level product in two main ways: The tour wedge has the new USGA conforming grooves, and it has a raw finish which will rust over time rather than the chrome finish. For a closer view, visit the photo gallery. On the far right is a similar tour-only wedge with raw finish, but it’s the popular GC14 model.

The photo at the right shows an open drawer filled with wedge heads of different models and lofts. There is something for everyone, and if not, the bending machine can be used to quickly make adjustments. The staff in the tour van can assemble a playable wedge in a matter of minutes, and the fast set epoxy they use sets fully in about an hour. There are several other drawers like this one that hold iron heads also. The CG7 Tour heads I saw are similar to the current offerings available to the public, but they have a different color scheme and smaller blade profile combined with less offset and a thinner top line, and of course the new USGA conforming grooves. Check out the pic of the CG7 Tour irons from the bag of PGA Tour star and major winner David Toms below: [caption id="attachment_1077" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="CG7 Tour irons in the bag of David Toms"][/caption] I want to quickly disclose that intothegrain.com is in no way affiliated with or being paid to promote Cleveland/Srixon Golf and its products. We strive to provide unbiased and accurate information and reviews, and we always send back all the demo clubs we receive, as required by the manufacturers.
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November 11, 2009
Photo Gallery & WITB @ Disney!

Rickie Fowler practices at the range

This week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the PGA Tour season comes to an end with the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. There are many good stories to tell this week, like David Duval sitting at 125th on the money list, trying to keep his playing privileges. There is also the story of Rickie Fowler, fresh off his near miss in the desert, needing a good week to wrap up his tour card for 2010 without having to go through Q-School in December. Several pros took a few seconds when walking by to check out the former amateur sensation and his swing. Seems many players wanted to see what all the fuss was about. For many, this week is the last chance to salvage a season or cash in a large check. Kevin Streelman holds a two stroke lead in the Kodak Challenge, and if he can hold on to win he will pocket one million in cash for his trouble.

I visited the driving range and putting green at Disney's Palm and Magnolia courses to snap some pictures and peer into a few golf bags to see what's new and hot out on tour. I also stopped by the Cleveland Tour Van to snoop around a bit. Those of you who frequent this site will notice several articles on Cleveland products, and you will soon see many more. Cleveland has been very generous in sending us clubs to test out and has granted me a level of access to their products that is normally reserved for tour players and staff. I feel it's necessary therefore that I disclose that intothegrain.com is in no way affiliated with or being paid to promote Cleveland Golf and it's products. We strive to provide unbiased and accurate information and reviews, and we've invited several companies to participate. Once they agree to send us equipment to review, you can be sure we'll post it! Now - on to the pictures!

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November 10, 2009
Tournament Golf for Weekend Hackers

If you play golf long enough, you are bound to get bored with the usual Saturday Nassau on the same old course all the time, and unless you belong to an exclusive private club the course you play on every weekend with your buddies is not likely to be in superior condition. Playing the same game on the same course every weekend started getting old to me after a while, so I started to look elsewhere to get my golf fix.

I found out about the Golf Channel Amateur Tour online and decided to give it a shot. The concept of the tour is not unfamiliar to many people. They play stroke play tournaments on good courses and players of all ages and abilities can participate. The Golf Channel runs over 70 local tours all over the country, expanding every year to new markets.

The beauty of the Golf Channel Amateur Tour is that you don’t have to be a scratch player to be competitive. The tour divides players into 12 flights based on age and handicaps. The flights range from the Championship flight for zero to four handicaps, all the way up to the Snead flight for players with a handicap of 20 or more. They also have senior flights for players 50 and over using the same handicap breakdown. Basically the flights go in increments of four. Championship (0-3.9), Palmer (4-7.9), Hogan (8-11.9), etc.

The tour hosts mostly single day 18 hole tournaments, with 3 or 4 regional majors that are 36 hole events with larger fields. The biggest event of the year is the National Championship at the end of the season. Those who qualify meet for a 72 hole tournament where a national champ is crowned in each flight. A team championship is also held a few days prior to the start of the individual stroke play finals, where players from each regional tour team up to take on the other cities. The play is very competitive and the events are always hosted by top notch golf facilities.

Playing on the Golf Channel Amateur Tour in Central Florida has afforded me the opportunity to play tournaments at venues like Disney, Grand Cypress, TPC Sawgrass, Innisbrook and many of the area’s finest golf courses. The National Championship in 2007 was held at Innisbrook, and last year Disney hosted the event. This year the finals move to the West coast and PGA West in La Quinta, CA.

One of the biggest reasons to play on the tour is the prospect of being recognized and rewarded. Not only can you win trophies to show off to your friends, but there is a significant prize pool available at every tournament. The more players, the bigger the prizes. Being an amateur tour, the prizes are limited to gift certificates, but the skins pot is cash, and I have seen skins payouts over $300. Combine that with Callaway Golf gift cards in excess of $200 for a major tournament win, and it makes for a pretty good weekend! Most single day tournament entry fees range from $90 to $125, depending on the venue. This fee is very reasonable, especially considering the prize pool offered and the fact that the courses often charge more for daily greens fees than you might pay to enter the tournaments.

Tournaments on the Golf Channel Amateur tour are held on weekends, and the tournament directors are very professional and well organized. The tour’s website makes it easy for members to enter tournaments, track stats, maintain a USGA handicap and check their place on the season long points standings. All members also receive a logo shirt and hat, and their membership entitles the player to play on any event on any tour around the country. You may join the tour in Orlando, but if traveling to San Diego for example, you can enter and play tournaments there too, and any points you earn go towards your point totals on the local tour.

You get to play on top notch courses against players of similar ability in a competitive atmosphere for prizes and cash and a chance to play in the National Championship. What more do you need to be convinced? Perhaps the biggest benefit of the tour is the friendships that can be made and the comradery that exists every week. In my 3 years playing on the tour, I have made friends and contacts from all walks of life that will last a lifetime. I’ve also collected plenty of prizes, many trophies and a few births to the National Championships, all while playing some of the best golf courses in the state.

For more information about the Golf Channel Amateur Tour go to www.thegolfchannel.com/amateurtour

I always welcome comments, questions, hate mail – whatever. I want to hear from you out there! Let me know if the 5 minutes you wasted at work to read my blog was worthwhile. Cheers!

July 13, 2009