Tag: orlando

Honma Fitting Experience at Orlando’s Reunion Resort
Orlando is a great place for golf, with great weather year-round and plenty of great courses to choose from. The central florida region has everything from inexpensive public courses to high-end resorts and ultra-private country clubs. Many of the world’s best professional golfers also make central Florida home, which has had a ripple effect by attracting many aspiring young players to the area, along with several big-name teaching pros like David Leadbetter, Brad Brewer, Mike Bender, Brain Mogg, Sean Foley, Gary Gilchrist and others.

With such a wealth of great courses, good players and top notch instruction, it also makes sense that some of the best club fitters would be hanging around the Orlando area.

Fitting has become much more popular in recent years due to the advancement of launch monitor technology, adjustability of golf clubs and the relative lack of technological innovation because of the USGA limits for golf club performance. To get the most out of that fancy new driver, it’s very important to get fitted for the right shaft and club head for your swing.

Honma Golf: Japanese Artistry & Precision

Since 1959, the Honma name and logo have been synonymous with quality, performance and legendary craftsmanship. These days technology seems to be a top priority for many golf club manufacturers, but few companies are able to deliver innovative technology while still making a beautiful looking golf club like Honma can.

Honma is perhaps best known for their opulent BERES models with ranks from 2-star to 5-star, which denotes the level of “bling” built into the club and the experience level of the master takumi (Japanese for artisan) that build the clubs by hand in Sakata, Japan for each buyer. The 5-star Beres woods and irons have features like 24-karat gold accents, gold flake in the shaft’s paint and platinum ferrule rings. The Honma Beres 5-star driver retails for $4500 and complete sets with hand-stitched ostrich bag retail for as much as $70,000.
Club Fitting The Honma Way

It’s one thing to put your game in the hands of a guy that works at a big box retail store, but if you are going to invest time and money into a new set of clubs from a company like Honma, why not put your trust in someone that knows the equipment and the golf swing better than most?

This is why Honma Golf has invested in the US market by opening several new fitting centers located in world-class destinations to provide expert, one-on-one fittings for their clubs. One such fitting center is located at the fantastic Reunion Resort near Disney World and just outside Orlando.

Reunion Resort is the only golf facility in the world with courses designed by Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. The Honma Fitting Experience takes place in a private, secluded indoor/outdoor setting at the back of the range using high-tech Foresight GC Quad launch monitors under the watchful eye of PGA Professional Dick Smith, Jr.

The fitting center has the entire range of Honma drivers, fairways, hybrids, irons and wedges along with a full matrix of proprietary and custom third-party shafts available. In other words, every possible head & shaft combination is available to you at the Honma Fitting Experience.

Honma has a rich history in golf, and they take full advantage of the opportunity to show off a bit at this beautiful facility with a showroom full of high-end limited release merchandise and a cool, nostalgic display of some memorable Honma clubs from yesteryear. No expense was spared in making your fitting for Honma clubs a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Check out the video below and see for yourself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU15RabEggI

Pricing & How to Book

The Honma fitting experience is on par with most other high-end fitters in the area. Driver fittings cost $150 and a full bag fitting is $350. Fees for fairway & hybrids, wedges or irons range from $100 to $200.

Interested in booking a fitting for yourself? It’s easy. Just visit this website and schedule your fitting online, or call (856) 237-4134
May 12, 2020
CADI is Changing Golf Retail

For decades, the usual procedure for buying new clubs was to drop by the local golf retailer and buy your clubs off the rack. If you were lucky, one of your friends had the same club(s) and you got a chance to try it for a few swings before you bought it. Chances are more likely however, that the new driver sitting in your bag was a blind purchase. You took a chance that it would work out. Sometimes it does and you love the club, but most of the time it doesn’t and the club either sits in the garage or ends up as a trade-in or eBay auction. Now that driver prices have risen beyond the $500 mark, it’s no longer worth it to simply buy a driver off the shelf without a live demo first.

That’s where the ingenious Cadi Kiosk comes in. Every day can be a demo day if your course has a Cadi Kiosk installed. Simply use the touch screen interface to browse from a selection of the latest driver, fairway, hybrid and putter models, choose the one you like, swipe your credit card and a door will open with your club within reach. Simply grab it and it’s yours to try for the day on the course! Warm up with the club, take it on the course and hit it under real conditions. If you love the club, simply keep it and your card will be charged the full purchase amount. Easy peasy!

If you don’t like it or want to try something else, just return to the Cadi Kiosk and scan the club’s barcode. The system will ask if you want to return or exchange the club and you simply follow along. When returning the club, it will open a locked door for you to insert the club, then you simply walk away. The fee for a full day demo will likely be around $10. If you end up purchasing the club, the demo fee is credited back to you.

During the demo process, it is inevitable that some clubs will start to show signs of use. Not only will the Cadi Kiosk’s inventory will be updated regularly with new clubs, but the prices of slightly used demo clubs will also be adjusted to reflect their condition. This is another way to save money if you don’t mind buying a slightly used club.

With Cadi, there’s no need to go to the big box or specialty golf retailer. If you prefer to hit clubs on the course in real conditions instead of into a net or some jacked-up simulator, the Cadi Kiosk is for you. For golf course operators, placing a Cadi kiosk in a strategic location is a simple and effective way to enhance the golfer experience and expand their services without carrying more inventory.

Cadi plans to offer drivers, fairways, hybrids and putters from the most popular brands such as Callaway, Taylor Made, Cobra, Titleist/Scotty Cameron and more. The first of their innovative Kiosks is located at Orange Lake Resort in Kissimmee, Florida near the theme parks in Orlando. Plans are to open more locations in Florida and California in the near future.

For more information and to locate a Cadi Kiosk near you, visit https://www.cadikiosk.co m or check out their Facebook Page!

February 25, 2019
Hawk’s Landing Golf Club at Orlando World Center Marriott
It’s official. Foot Golf has come to Orlando. Hawk’s Landing Golf Club at the Orlando World Center Marriott has added one of the country’s fastest growing sports to its impressive list of amenities, which already includes an 18 hole Bob Cupp designed golf course that winds through the 200 acre property, a golf academy run by top 100 instructor Bill Madonna, a huge modern practice facility with chipping greens practice bunkers and covered hitting bays, and that’s just at the golf club.

Waitaminute – what the heck is Foot Golf? Simply put, if you combine soccer with golf, you get foot golf. The resort has laid out a course with 21-inch holes that blend in with the existing golf course so that it doesn’t interfere with golf, and players kick a soccer ball around the course while avoiding sand and water just like golfers do until they hole out. Foot golf is played with a regulation soccer ball and players can play 6 or 18 holes. Play is scheduled every Tuesday and Saturday after 4:30PM and costs $25 for adults and $12.50 for juniors and includes soccer balls and golf carts to ride around.

If Foot Golf isn’t for you or you would rather play regular golf, Hawk’s Landing Golf Club is a fantastic choice. Despite being wrapped around the huge resort complex, the 6600 yard par 71 layout never feels like it was shoehorned into a tight area around the other resort amenities. This course was not an after thought and wasn’t built to just say they had a golf course at the resort. Hawk’s Landing Golf Club is a focal point at the Orlando World Center Marriott. While you are well within the resort boundaries and many of the resort’s rooms and facilities are visible from the course, it still almost feels like you can disconnect and get away when you play a round of golf here. They’ve found a nice balance between golf and the rest of the resort.

Speaking of the rest of the resort, here’s a short list of the amenities that await resort guests and members:
- Hawk’s Landing GC – 18 hole Championship Bob Cupp designed golf course
- Bill Madonna Golf Academy and learning center
- Falls Pool Oasis – ranked one of the “World’s coolest hotel pools” by Forbes, a pair of 200-foot slides, splash zone for kids with zero entry pool and playground, 564000 gallon main pool, poolside bar and grill
- The GRID – Gaming Recreational Interactive Destination – Where gamers can play everything from the classic arcade games to XBOX, PlayStation, Wii, iPads and more
- 4 night-lit tennis courts, 2 beach volleyball courts, basketball court
- 4000 sq/ft fitness center open 24 hours a day, including Cybex equipment, 21 cardio machines and free weights
- Spa, offering all the usual services such as aromatherapy, mani/pedi, facials, massage, private spa pool, whirlpool and steam room
- Over 2000 guest rooms with premium bedding, down comforters, high speed wired and wireless internet. Rooms range from about 500 sq/ft to the 1875 sq/ft Presidential Suite and even more luxurious International Suite
- 9 Restaurants offering food choices from all over the world
The Orlando World Center Marriott is an impressive property. Given its stature among Orlando’s best resorts with guests coming from all over the world to visit, you would think the locals couldn’t help but feel a little left out. However, Hawk’s Landing offers memberships! For a price, local residents can enjoy all the resort’s facilities whenever they want. Now that sounds more like it! Too bad I don’t live closer or I might have taken a hard look at that for myself!

As a vacation destination, Orlando is a worldwide family favorite. When listing Orlando’s best resorts, the Orlando World Center Marriott always seems to be in the top 5. The top notch accommodations, extensive amenities and prime location close to all the theme parks and nightlife makes this place a winner in my book.

To book your own vacation, visit Orlando World Center Marriott for more information.
July 10, 2016
Interview with Ron Garl – Golf Course Architect

Every winter, the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL brings together thousands of people from all facets of the golf industry. I’ve been fortunate to meet PGA and LPGA legends and superstars, golf equipment gurus, company presidents, prominent media members, world class instructors and many more colorful and interesting people. Of all the people I’ve met and befriended over the years, the most captivating to me are golf course architects. I’ve always had a huge interest in golf course design, and it has always been a dream of mine to help design a golf course.

One of my favorite golf course architects is Ron Garl. Holding a degree from the University of Florida with a specialization in turf grass management, he has designed over 250 golf courses world wide, and had put his signature on close to 100 facilities in Florida alone. His designs are special because they will challenge the golfer to use every club in the bag, and he has a great talent for routing a course to best take advantage of the host site’s natural topology.

One of my personal favorite golf facilities is a Garl design called Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club. When it opened, it was the first replica course in the world. The 8 replica holes are recreations of famous holes from Troon (Postage Stamp), Muirfield (#9), Augusta National (#12 and #13 of Amen Corner), Baltusrol and St. Andrews (Road hole, #1). While the replica holes get most of the attention, the rest of the course is even better, and the practice facility at this private club is second to none, with a large driving range, three practice holes and several spaced out short game practice greens.

I ran into Ron at the PGA Demo Day this past January and struck up a conversation. After discussing a few of his designs in central florida that I am very familiar with, he agreed to take some time to answer some questions for us.

Crown Colony – Fort Myers, FL

ITG: How long have you been involved in golf course architecture?
RG: 42 years. 250 golf courses later, many lessons learned and a lot of great friends made along the way!

ITG: How & why did you get started as a golf course architect?
RG: As a kid, raking bunkers on a maintenance crew and I dreamed of moving and reshaping the bunker. I would design courses in my head that people would love to play.

ITG: Who would you cite as your biggest design influences?
RG: Joe Lee, Robert Trent Jones (both of whom I worked for in my early years) and Allister Mackenzie.

ITG: How has golf course architecture changed over the years?
RG: Originally golf course architecture was more art than science. Today it has become more technical, but art of the layout is still most important to golfer!

#8 Nine Dragons – Shanghai, China

ITG: Do you think lengthening courses or “Tiger-proofing” is hurting the game?
RG: Yes, there is a huge difference between length of tour players and amateurs. Barney Adams, of Adams Golf, did an analysis of the length of tour players vs. the average male amateur for them to use the same irons on their approach shot to the green as the tour player would use. For the average male amateur playing a course at 6,700 yards, the pros would have to play the course at 8,100 yards.

ITG: Conversely, what do you think of the USGA’s Tee It Forward campaign?
RG: Great idea – people enjoy the game and will play more!

ITG: In what other ways can a designer make courses tough for the Pros without simply adding length?
RG: By adding options and strategy off tees so that you create a risk reward.

ITG: How is the design community making courses more environmentally friendly?
RG: Making more waste areas and bunkers that do not have to be watered. Using more native grasses.

ITG: Do you have a specific approach in mind for each course you design, or do you let the natural topology and features determine the design?
RG: It is always our goal to design a course to lay softly on the land and enhance the natural features which mother nature gave us to work with.

ITG: What are the hottest and coldest places for new golf courses right now?
RG: Coldest: U.S. Hottest: Everywhere but the U.S. – U.S. is too expensive!

Fiddlesticks #9 &#18 – Fort Myers, FL

ITG: Where do you currently have projects on the books?
RG: We are currently working in 12 countries from China to Africa.

ITG: What is your basic course design philosophy?
RG: Simple. To make courses Enjoyable, Traditional, Challenging & Memorable

ITG: Do you have any advice for would-be golf course architects out there?
RG: It is a difficult time to get into the golf course architect business.

ITG: What are the challenges presented to a designer to make a course challenging but playable for a wide array of abilities?
RG: The use of multiple tees that not only make the hole play shorter, but change the angle of attack.

ITG: What is the future of golf course design? Where do you see the industry going in the next 20 years?
RG: Renovation and sustainability, most of the growth being outside the U.S.

ITG: What is your favorite golf course, and what is your favorite course that you designed?
RG: My favorites, broken into categories:

Oceanfront: Nine Dragons (Shanghai, China) – Holes in the ocean, holes on cliffs
Inland: Fiddlesticks (Fort Myers, Florida) – Twin island finishing greens
Mountain: Alpine Chiangmai (Chiangmai, Thailand) – Peaceful, natural setting in the mountains, tranquil

ITG: Golden Ocala is a personal favorite of mine. What kind of challenges do replica holes present to a designer?
RG: Golden Ocala, which I dreamed up and designed, was the 1^st replica golf course in the world. The real challenge is to capture the feeling of a hole!

Alpine Golf & Sports Club – Bangkok, Thailand

ITG: Have golf equipment technology advances changed how you design courses?
RG: Yes. The option instead of adding length is to create more target specific zones within the landing areas, therefore if you are going to hit the long ball you have to be more accurate with it to be rewarded with the best approach into the green.

ITG: Anchored putters – Ban or allow?
RG: Allow! Putting is very frustrating to most amateurs. Most players don’t have the time (hours & hours) to practice putting and no desire to. It gets back to enjoyment. If they enjoy it more they will stay with the game and play more. Let amateurs use anchored putters! Loss of players is game’s biggest problem the game has. Listen up USGA!

ITG: What are your interests outside of golf course design?
RG: Flying/piloting your own plane, i.e. soar with the eagles, Antique Scooters & Fishing

ITG: How can readers find out more about your golf course designs?
RG: Our web site: www.rongarl.com

November 6, 2013
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
Players Golf Tournaments – Tournament Golf For The Rest Of Us
Sometimes as golfers we get a little burnt out and bored. You play the same golf courses all the time with the same people, and your enjoyment of the game suffers.If only there was a way to spice things up a bit, to play different courses and meet new people. Well, if you like in Central Florida, there is. It’s called Players Golf Tournaments, and it’s run by a friend of mine who’s mission is to make the game fun, competitive and rewarding.

Players Golf Tournaments is built on the philosophy that no tour can survive without the players, and therefore the first priority of the tournaments should be to serve the needs of each and every member at all times. Some of the highlights of The Players Golf Tournaments reflect that philosophy:
- Member costs will be kept down while offering more value to the competitors than other amateur tours.
- Annual memberships will be very reasonable ($69/year), and renewals in future years even more so ($39).
- Event costs will be lower, yet will include lunch at every event. Most tournaments will be in the $95 to $100 range.
- Members will have options on how to redeem prizes so that winning on tour has the best value for each individual member.
- The Tour will use each player’s accurately tracked handicap to insure fair competition at every event.
- There are only three flights, which will still allow for any level of golfer to compete while allowing for larger payouts throughout the season.
- Most importantly, the Tour will be responsive and customer service oriented. The PGT will never take you for granted and will answer all your inquires in a timely and straight forward manner.
The vast majority of golfers aren’t good enough to play at a competitive level, right? Wrong. On the PGT everyone has a chance to compete and win. With three flights and a unique scoring system, everyone has an equal chance every week. Flight one is for 0-7.9 handicaps. Flight two for 8-15.9, and Flight Three for 16-up. Tee boxes will be assigned based on three classifications within each flight: OPEN ( Men 54 and under ) SENIOR ( Men 55 and Up ) and Women . In some cases the tee boxes will be the same while other times they may be different. Each player will also be assigned a Course Handicap (CH) number based on their tour index and the tee box they will be playing from. The order of finish in each flight will be based on each player’s net score. Once players have participated in three Players Tournaments, they will have an official PGT Index and will be flighted based on this number at all future events. A player’s index will vary throughout the year based on his or her performance and will always be the best current reflection of their ability.

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p style=”text-align: center;”> The PGT will award trophies for the winner in each flight and a certain percentage of players in each flight will share in the prize pool. Players winning prizes can choose between TGW.com gift cards, Tour Dollars towards future events and Visa Gift Cards. This varied approach allows the tour to present greater value to the players and still follow the rules of golf in regards to prize money. This way you aren't stuck spending your winning at a specific retailer or website, but where you want. I have played on various amateur tours in the past, and the biggest reason I enjoyed playing is to play great golf courses and meet new people. I have made some great friendships from these events, and that is worth every penny of the entry fees! The PGT kicks off in Orlando and Jacksonville the week of February 20^th, I think it will be a great season. I'll be playing as many events in 2010 as my schedule allows! To join the Players Golf Tour or get more information, Visit the tour's website at http://www.playersgolftour.com, call or email: Sean Steele Tour Director 904-333-9391 ssteele@playersgolftour.com
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February 3, 2010
Course Review – Grand Cypress Resort’s New Course

Putting green and clock near the first tee

The Grand Cypress Resort has been a mainstay of the Orlando resort scene since the mid 1980s. Recognized for its AAA four diamond accommodations and world class golf courses, the resort has hosted numerous tournaments, such as Greg Norman’s Shark Shootout (1986-1990), the World Cup (1990), the LPGA’s HealthSouth Inaugural (1998, 1999) and many others. The resort features much more than 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus designed golf – It also offers a full service racket club, health club, in-room spa services, two pools, rock climbing wall, fishing, 9 hole pitch n’ putt course and more.

The accommodations at Grand Cypress are top notch, with a 750 room hotel and 146 villas. The four diamond rated villas feature private terraces, high speed internet and LCD TVs. Most enjoy golf course views and plenty of room to spread out. In my opinion, the Villas at Grand Cypress are the best place to stay in Orlando. You are minutes from Disney or downtown, with so many dining options in the area it will make your head spin. It also helps that the beds are very comfortable, with thick heavy comforters and plenty of fluffy pillows.

The first green and swilcan burn

If you want to work on your game, the Grand Cypress Academy of Golf ranks as one of the best in the nation. Top 50 instructor Fred Griffin and his highly accomplished staff have a state of the art facility to work with, and there is even a Taylor Made Performance Lab on site for the total fitting experience. The Academy has 21 acres of practice areas, putting and chipping greens, 3 practice holes and several covered hitting bays with computer analysis. If you are lucky, you might run into one of the PGA or LPGA pros that call Grand Cypress home.

As mentioned before, there are 45 holes of championship golf designed by Jack Nicklaus. In 2007 and 2008, Jack returned to rework the original North & South course. Along with the East course, the three nines combine with the 18 hole New course to offer a truly diverse and challenging golf facility. I visited The Grand Cypress Resort last weekend to play the New Course with a few buddies, and the experience was fantastic. [caption id="attachment_955" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pot bunkers, mounds and gorse on the 4th hole"][/caption] Set in an open meadow, Nicklaus fashioned the New course as an homage and tribute to the Old Course at St Andrews. The course is an original design, with the exception of the first and last holes, which are replicas of the first and eighteenth at the Old Course complete with the Swilcan Burn and Valley of Sin. The course is complete with massive double greens, stone bridges and walls, gorse mounds, burns, and pot bunkers as deep as 12 feet. If it weren't for the 90 degree temperatures and bright sunshine, you would think you were in Scotland. There are few trees and little water in play. If you can manage to stay out of all the bunkers and what little water there is, you will probably have a good day. The course measures 6773 from the tips, with a rating and slope of 71.5 and 122, respectively. The white tees measure 6181, which will be fine for most golfers. Although intimidating to look at, with the semi blind shots and deep bunkers, the New course is surprisingly friendly. Most holes don't have any rough, and several holes run parallel to each other, creating 100 yard wide fairways. Even though the fairways are very generous, they are littered with bunkers that must be avoided. Stray from the wide fairways and you will find mounds of gorse, which makes hitting back to safety a crap shoot. Nicklaus wanted to make the course look like the routing occured naturally and has been there for hundreds of years. As such, you will have some uneven lies in the fairway and very undulating greens. The stone paths and bridges also were made to look like they are very old, and although they look great, they aren't very friendly on the 'ol tailbone when riding a cart! Putting at the New Course is unlike anything in the state of Florida. There are seven double greens, and a wayward shot to one of these massive putting surfaces can leave you with a putt of over 100 feet! This is exactly what happened to me a few months ago on the 6th hole, a 496 yard par 5 that shares its green with the 12th hole. After a decent drive, I was left with a 235 yard shot, which I pull hooked way left. It rolled up into the group that was putting on number 12, and I was left to ponder my 150 foot putt that descended 4 feet into a huge valley and back up a slope, then to the right along a ridge to the hole. The greens on the New Course are large and undulating, with some false fronts and even false backs sprinkled in to make things more interesting. With the speed of the greens usually in the 9.5 to 11 range on the stimp, you had better be sharp with the flat stick if you want to score well here. After laughing with my playing partners about the huge putt on 6, we all took a shot at the 150 foot putt once we arrived on the 12th green. After missing an 18 inch putt for par, I rolled in the 150 footer! I wish he had caught it on video, as I don't think I could ever duplicate that lucky shot! [caption id="attachment_956" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Tee marker, looking out to another generous fairway"][/caption] Like the other 27 holes, the New course at Grand Cypress resort is always in pristine condition. With the sheer volume of grass that has to be mowed, it must take quite an impressive array of maintenance equipment and a sizable crew to maintain it. The gorse and rough areas around the course are meant to look wild and unmaintained, but ironically it takes a great amount of time and effort to achieve this appearance. Being a former greeskeeper, I tend to notice the small details in course maintenance that often go overlooked by most. My hats off to the superintendent and his crew for keeping this huge track in tip top shape year round. Our day on the New course started with the first tee time of the day at 8 am. We had the whole course to ourselves and the weather was perfect. I brought two friends that had not played the course before, and both left the course raving about the design and how much fun it was to play. I managed to make 6 birdies and shoot a tidy little 68, my friend Lindsay shot 73 and my other friend Dave from orlandogolfblogger.com shot his career low of 89. The staff as always was very friendly and accommodating, and we enjoyed our day thoroughly. After the round, Lindsay and I proceeded over to the Taylor Made Performance Lab to meet Travis, who would put us through the complete fitting experience, the Taylor Made way. If there is one small negative about this course, it is that the grasses used in Florida and the climate in the Southeast don't allow the course to play as a true links course. Being a resort course, it is kept well watered and green, which is the polar opposite of a true Scottish links. As such, the use of the bump and run shot that is so useful in Scotland is virtually useless here. However this is only a small annoyance, and most American golfers never employ such a shot anyway. [caption id="attachment_957" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="An interested spectator on the 13th tee"][/caption] The Grand Cypress Resort has been wowing guests for 25 years, and there is no end in sight. With the world class golf, four diamond accommodations, plenty of excellent dining and leisure activities and the proximity to Orlando's attractions, Grand Cypress should be at the top of anyone's list of must plays in the Orlando area! Enjoy the slide show of all my photos of the Grand Cypress New Course below, and don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed and email updates for the latest news and reviews! < p style="text-align: center;">
To book a tee time and find great deals on rounds of golf all over the nation, use the affiliate link below to save some dollars! I've seen tee times at the New course discounted at 40% or more.

November 5, 2009