Tag Archives: golf trips

The Plantation Inn and Golf Resort

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Golf never grows old. It is a classic sport that never finds itself a passe; a venue where the generations past and the upcoming ones could compete head to head. Even old golf courses are as beautiful as when they were new, especially if the brand of golf experience they offer are a beautiful, classic combination of natural scenery, natural terrain, and a fun and extremely challenging layout. Such is one of Florida’s most classic golf facilities, The Plantation Inn and Golf Resort. Golf vacations here are a truly Floridan experience, set at another time and age.

This sixty year old golf complex in Crystal River was a Mark Mahannah creation and has all the makings of a classic, and is already one in its own right. The Plantation Inn and Golf Resort offers 27 holes of golf, playing on natural Florida wetlands and woods, getting as close to nature as possible. Guests can choose to either play a short game of nines at the Loops Course, or a full game at the 18-hole Champions course. Apart from natural undulations and tight fairways, the golf vacation destination has the signature features of golfing in the Sunshine State: bunkers (lots of them) and water (21 of 27 holes).

A classic by all respect, the Plantation Inn and Golf Resort thankfully belongs to an environment that respects and lives ‘classic’. Crystal River belongs to the Old Florida, a far cry from the beautiful mess of urban Central Florida, without necessarily being distant. Thus golf trips here are a certified breather, a calm and truly peaceful retreat from the usual complexities of modern golfing. It is a communion with the glory days of the sport hereabouts and with nature itself.

Northdale Golf and Tennis Club

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Tampa Bay and the whole of Florida are home to some of the country’s most beautiful and most sought after golf vacation destinations. It has the perfect weather, the best scenery, and a most unique and interesting natural terrain that makes golf more uniquely exciting than anywhere else in America. Most of these courses, though, only get to capture the first two and choose to rebuild the land. Only a few have perfectly put up a top quality course using Tampa Bay’s natural topography. Such is Northdale Golf and Tennis Club.

Its designer, Ron Garl, has this goal in mind when he built the course in 1977: to ‘artfully employ the unique characteristics of the natural terrain’. And this, he achieved. The Northdale Golf and Tennis Club features rolling terrains and contoured greens of USGA specifications. It plays 6,824 yards from the championship tees for a par of 72. Even after2 its most recent renovation, the principle of keeping the course as symmetrical to nature as possible was maintained. Large cypress trees, natural water features (playing on 11 of its 18 holes) and remolded bunkers all the more make the course interesting, thus making golf trips here memorable and beautiful.

As if that was not enough yet, the Northdale Golf and Tennis Club makes golf vacations even more wonderful, on top of being interesting with the best quality service and amenities anyone could ever want from a golf facility. It certainly has captured everything good about Florida golfing; no wonder it has captured the hearts of countless golfers from within and outside the Sunshine State too.

Juliette Falls Golf Club

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The Juliette Falls Golf Club is almost literally bursting in a spectacle of nature’s colors. The scenic golf vacation destination near Ocala in Florida is the result of man’s creativity in perfect synch with nature. Every part of this golf course is well thought of to blend in naturally with natural Florida scenery, giving the golfers a feast to the senses.

With four stunning man-made ponds and waterfalls, perfectly manicured greens and beautiful landscaping structures, there is reason to believe that the Juliette Falls Golf Club was created to be an aesthetic wonder. The picturesque quality of this John Sanford creation is a perfect compliment to the mature pine oaks and the palmettos lining the fairways. On top of that, the course is surrounded by a plethora of native vegetation and colorful wild flowers in its nature preserve. This is the closest any golf vacation can get to nature.

And it does not stop there. Just as excellent it is visually, the layout of the Juliette Falls Golf Club is as superb. The golf course features lush fairways and a rolling hill terrain – a game of significant elevation changes, playing 7,239 yards for a par of 72. Not only does it look good, it also plays good. Better even. No wonder it garnered recognitions. It was one of the Top 10 Best New Courses in January 2008 from Golf Magazine, and is 2011’s 6th best golfer in Florida according to GolfWeek. It is not only bursting in colors, it is also overflowing with the happiest of golf trips.

The Eagles Golf Club – Forest Course

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The Eagles Golf Club is Odessa, Florida, is one of the most highly recognized golf facilities in the Odessa and Tampa Bay area. What, with 36 fine holes – each with a promise of a most unforgettable golf outing, it should not be surprising. The Forest Course, and its sibling, The Lake, were made to have distinct features to make golf vacations hereabouts as dynamic and as challenging as any golfing enthusiast could ever ask for.

The Forest Course, for one, has two separate nines, made by three well-respected characters in the world of golf. Rick Robbins and the famous NBC-TV Commentator Gary Koch created the front nine of the course. It is most noted for the par 4 No. 3 and the signature hole, the par-4 No. 6. The third hole is known for being a challenging but enjoyable hole that would have the golfers thinking of going all the way or taking it the easy way – with water guarding the entire right side and the heavily bunkered greens. The No. 6 island hole is said to be comparable in beauty and difficulty with TPC at Sawgrass’ signature 17th. The back nine, on the other hand, is the handiwork of Rob Garl and is known to have some of the most picturesque holes. These holes are carved out of dense forests, giving golf trips here a distinctly “close-to-nature” feel.

Stretching to more than 6,700 yards from the championship tees, and playing for a par of 72, the Forest Course is meticulously maintained to be in impeccable, tournament condition all year round. That, and its many superb amenities, all make the Eagle Golf Club the ultimate golf vacation destination this side of the country.

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club – Highlands South Course

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The Highlands South Course of the famed Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay is not exactly the odd one out in the golfing facility. True, it does have the “odd one” feel to it, but it definitely is not an outcast. If anything, it is the most unique of the four courses on site, and definitely still ranks according to the standards set by the other courses on this golf vacation destination.

Just like its sibling courses, the Highlands South Course is also a Lawrence Packard creation, measuring 6,620 yards from the championship tees, playing for a par of 71. What makes this rather different is the “links-like” atmosphere to it. This course opens with a traditional Florida layout of treelined fairways, but opens with a rather loud bang come the 5th hole. From the par 3 No. 5 all the way down the 13th, the holes stretch through a large open prairie gives golf vacations here a Scottish feel. But the presence of water on 10 of its 18 holes are enough a reminder that golfers are still in Florida.

The rolling terrain, numerous bunkers on the fairways and the return to treelined fairways from the 14th to the closing holes further tell that it is in fact a Florida course. The Highlands South course plays for a par of 71 and has four sets of tees to accommodate golfers of any skill level. With its perfect combination of Florida and Scots features, this course is surely the ‘odd one IN’ destination for memorable golf trips.

Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club – North Course

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The North Course of the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club, along with its sibling South Course, slightly deviate from the norm in Florida golfing. While others are flatter, with only the slightest of elevation changes, this golf vacation destination in Dade, Florida, goes a little more contemporary with rather dramatic elevation and a lot of movement on the greens.

This Kurt Sandness creation opened in 2002 on 253 whooping acres of Florida goodness. Though the North Course of the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club is a more contemporary design by Florida golf standards, this course still holds some of the best features that make Florida an ideal golf vacation spot. It has the signature wetlands and a good helping of lakes, ponds, valleys, hills, and native Florida vegetation that all contribute to the natural hazards of the course. They also accentuate the impeccably maintained golf facility.

All the goodness in layout and scenery of the North Course of the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club is complemented by the world class amenities in the club. There’s the top-ranking Pro Shop (listed by Golf Business World as among America’s Top 100), the 15-acre putting green, and another practice facility made specifically for private lessons. That being said, maybe this golf course is not exactly being “deviant”. It simply upped the ante of Florida golf trips, with a layout so dynamic, and a surrounding facility that does not overshadow, but rather, highlight what already makes the Sunshine State the best, most ideal golf haven in America.

World Woods Golf Club – Rolling Oaks Course

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Tom Fazio is known for his excellent layout designs. That much is true. Out of all his array of “excellent” designs, he singles one out as the “best”: the Rolling Oaks Course of the World Woods Golf Club and its sibling course, the Pine Barrens, in Brooksville, Florida. And he’s not alone in saying that. The Rolling Oaks, for example, is rather comparable to the legendary Augusta National. The golf vacation destination makes the most out of Fazio’s undeniable genius and Florida’s gift from nature.

The Rolling Oaks Course of the World Woods Golf Club is characterized by huge old oaks draped in Spanish moss. The course also features some stunning rolling fairways and undulating greens, accented by beautiful azalea bushes. Unlike its sibling course whose bunkers are rather wild and huge, the bunkers on this golf course are defined sharply with bleached white sand. The holes are pretty much forgiving, and are more accommodating to golfers of all skill levels, making golf vacations here a perfect retreat to just about anyone who loves the sport.

Proof that the Rolling Oaks Course of the World Woods Golf Club is as excellent as the designer says it is, three of the world’s largest golf publications have either picked this out among the rest, or have ranked it as among the best. Golf Digest, out of the more than a thousand courses in the Sunshine State, ranked it 24th best in design. Golf Magazine has it 53rd in its list of Top 100 You Can Play. And Golfweek ranked it 74th Best Course Built since 1960. But the best proof, undoubtedly, are the countless golf trips spent here season after season of people who want nothing but great golfing experience.

World Woods Golf Club – Pine Barrens Course

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“Never be too intimidated, neither too relaxed.” This should be the mantra of every golfer who plays a round or two at the Pine Barrens Course of the World Woods Golf Club. This Tom Fazio design in Brooksville, Florida, is on a totally different level on layout and scenery both. And by “totally different level”, it means being ranked among “America’s Best Modern Courses” by no less the Golf Week Magazine. That sure does take golf vacations to epic new heights as well.

Measuring 6,458 yards, this golf vacation destination is a combination of naturally good surroundings and even better layout design. Fazio proved his unmatched genius with this creation carved out of thick Florida pine forests, hence the name. The Pine Barrens Course of the World Woods Golf Club features wide and rather wild waste bunkerings. On top of that, the course also features dramatic and surprising elevation changes, making low scoring a bit of a battle mentally and physically. Intimidating can be too much an understatement for the skill-challenged golfer.

Good to know, though, the Pine Barrens Course pf the World Woods Golf Club has a perfect way to counter the drama. Its beautiful Florida surroundings give the golfers a retreat, a room to breathe. That, and the many world class amenities of the club will surely make frequent golf trips out of any golfer’s first. Just as this course is a balance of beauty and thrill, golfers will have to bring some skill to counter the intimidation, and the course will take care of the relaxation.

Emerald Greens Golf Resort – Meadows Course

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The Emerald Greens in Tampa is one golf vacation destination for everybody. It has a scenic Tampa view, complete vacation facilities, and three distinct and equally beautiful nine-hole courses that could be played as 18-hole combinations, or a site for short lounging games on the greens. One of these nines is the versatile Meadows Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort.

Whether paired with the Cypress Course or the Pines Course, or as a short course, the Meadows Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort is a delight to play. It is arguably the most versatile of the nines – and the most forgiving too. Though its greens are shorter, the more open nine makes it an easier course to meander through for golfers of any skill level. It has all the goodness of Floridan golfing – from a good variety of bunkers to an abundance of water on most every hole, playing under the perfect sunshine in the Sunshine State. Golf trips here are defined by the golfers’ creativity in pairing the nines, and in tackling each unique obstacle they present.

The Meadows Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort, as well as the Cypress and the Pines Courses were all originally designed by Ed Ault back in the early 70’s but was renovated in 2004 by Dan Maples. The Emerald Greens may be the only golf resort in all of Tampa Bay, but it sure does give more than any golfer would expect. It makes up for what everyone needs in their golf vacations.

Emerald Greens Golf Resort – Cypress Course

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The Cypress Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort features just nine of the fascination 27 holes of the resort, but it in itself is enough to satisfy a golf hungry golfer. Whether played as a short course, or paired with its adjacent nine-hole course, this nine has some of the best combination of scenery, challenging layout, and everything good about Tampa, Florida’s golfing scene. A golf vacation at the Emerald will never be complete without playing this course.

Measuring 3,555 yards, the Cypress Course of the Emerald Greens features a lot of water on its holes – as are the other two courses in the facility. As its name implies, the course is surrounded by a dense growth of large cypress trees that make it more scenic. The greens on the Cypress nine are large and undulating, the bunkers vary between small pot bunkers and the large intimidating ones. Golf trips here are defined by the variety of games that could be played depending on the nines combination. The Cypress-Meadows is a favorite 18-hole combination for a game at the Emerald for the variety it offers, having larger greens on the Cypress, and relatively smaller greens from the Meadows.

The Cypress Course of the Emerald Golf Resort, along with the other two nines – The Meadows and The Pines, make up this favorite Tampa golf vacation destination. The facility also features double sided practice range, and putting and chipping greens. The courses were originally designed by Ed Ault in 1971, and was redesigned by Dan Maples in 2004.