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New Travel section - featuring local and abroad golf courses
Progolfguides.com is proud to bring you a new feature to our website. Beginning in October, we will be bringing you travel articles written with the golfer in mind. We will be featuring courses from around the area as well as around the world. Our first series of travel articles will be written on golf in Australia, including suggested courses, times to play as well as what to expect. Our weekly Travel Section will bring you advice ranging on what courses are in the best shape and who s got the current bang for the buck! both in our area and farther abroad. We are going to keep you abreast of the ever changing face of public golf in Central Florida. Golf takes both time and money. Who s spent a lot of cash to play a course , only to discover that the greens were aerified two days ago. Or the special you thought you were getting wasn t really that special? Or you get to the course only to find that you are playing right behind the local charity shotgun that will take 6 hours to complete. This is when a local website run by PGA Golf Professionals with over 60 years of combined work experience in the Central Florida area comes in handy. Just hit your favorites button and add our website and then keep tabs on local courses. Don t be shy, drop us a line and we will be more than happy to help you research out your next golf experience and make it a better one. Contact us at info@progolfguides.com
Forest Lake Golf Club - Ocoee, Florida
Pictured above is Forest lake Golf Club www.forestlakegolf.com
Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club - Montverde, Florida
After you turn off onto CR 455, you’ll think you had to have passed the state line into the mountains of Georgia. You see Sugarloaf Mountain is the highest point in Central Florida ands we are lucky enough to have some of the best golf architects in the world use that topography to its fullest extent. Still in its infancy, Sugarloaf provides something that few courses can offer now in Central Florida., it has dramatic elevation change that come into play on more than a few holes. With a variety of holes and a multitude of options, the Coore and Crenshaw layout will have you coming out to test your game again and again. No two trips around this course will be the same.
The temporary clubhouse and pro shop are more than adequate to accommodate your foursome. The golf cars are equipped with full covers and windshields. This coupled with the fact that the course has the best natural drainage due to the terrain means that Sugarloaf is a great addition to your foursomes rotation in the rainy season. Often overlooked, the driving range offers great turf and a plethora of targets to crank your focus up for the round. They also have a great putting green and practice bunker rounding out the very attractive and convenient practice area.
Sugarloaf Mountain is offering early previews of the course for a $49 rate, and this is an opportunity not to be missed. Look for more offers to get the privilege of playing this fine layout in the Orlando Sentinel and online at www.themountain.cc or you can call the course direct at 407 544 1104 to book your next round of golf at Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club. Sugarloaf Mountain is located off of CR 455 north of Hwy 50 between Oakland and Clermont. Sugarloaf Mountain is managed br Hampton Golf Clubs.
Pictured above is Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club
Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club - Clermont, Florida
As I stepped onto the driving range tee to start my practice session, I was amazed at the smell of fresh air that slowly filled my nostrils overwhelming my senses and bringing a smile to my face. Then after picking out my favorite club to warm up I glanced out on the magnificent view. My surreal experience was brought down to earth after hitting the first couple of shots just shy of clank. But then as I slowly pulled in each clean shiny range ball, the ball started to sail off of the well manicured turf. I don’t know about anyone else, but give me good range balls and good turf, I’ll get the hang of the swing after awhile no matter how bad I start out. I hadn’t visited Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club in quite awhile despite my great pleasure every time I played the rather mountainous layout. Something about great elevation change and a good variety of holes that always rates high in my personal favorite golf course list. I’m happy to report that after being lucky enough to play this layout in October, I found it to be in the best shape I had ever see in it. This despite the fact that they endured 4 inches of hard rain the day before. Several spots on the course succumbed to the torrential downpour, but the maintenance crew was already replacing and in some cases rebuilding the spots, mostly around the bunkers. The turf is solid and the greens are smooth and healthy. Brush up on your green reading for Sanctuary Ridge. With the massive elevation changes, take extra care in reading your putts, it will make your round more memorable. Sanctuary Ridge has views from many spots on the course of sweeping cattle lands, some development, and the skyline of our city in the distances. It is strange to be able to see so far and so clearly on a golf course, definitely not the norm for Florida. The clubhouse boasts a view of Central Florida second to none. From your seat in the spacious dining room you can gaze out upon Lake Apopka, as well as landscape that stretches from the city skyline to Disney. This is just one of the reasons why Sanctuary Ridge is perfect for every gathering from business luncheons to wedding receptions. The grand setting is complimented wonderfully by a very hospitable and friendly staff that are eager to help make your experience at Sanctuary Ridge a fantastic one. Managed by Billy Casper Golf Management Company this Terry Legree layout should be on everyone’s must play list. For more information on Sanctuary Ridge or to book your next tee time call 352 243 0411.
Pictured above is Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club
Queensland Golf - Queensland,Australia
First of all, there are a few things that you need to know of all Queensland golf courses. The climate is warm tropical, like you would find in the southern Florida region. They have almost the same barely visible seasons that we Floridians go through, with their warm season falling in our winter months and when its summer here they are in their cold months. That being said, in Queensland, which is located in the top of Australia is in high tourist demand during the winter. Follow along? It gets confusing. You see, because its cold in south Oz, as the locals say, the golfers all migrate north just like the northern folks that come down to visit us in the winter time only it happens in May and June. Enough of weather. Just like everywhere else, golf courses come in all sizes shapes and varieties ranging from upscale resort courses to believe it or not, small public courses that are based on the honor system to pay. I imagine the payroll is a bit skinnier in those situations. One thing is for certain Aussies love their golf! There are plenty of courses in Australia to choose from, but like a lot of places around the world there is not an abundance of water. Therefore, when you’re in the tropics where it rains the courses tend to be a bit more, say plush? The south Queensland area has been hit with harsh droughts, just like the Southeastern United States, so our perils are much the same all over the world. We have wildlife on our courses, they have wildlife. The only thing is its different kangaroos, cassowaries and wallabies are the wildlife of Australian courses. Enough with the wildlife. All courses in Australia are measured in meters. The conversation to yards is 1.1, so this means when your standing at the 100 meter marker you are actually 110 yards away from your target. It takes a few rounds to adjust, especially if you play by feel. So you see, other than a few slight differences, Aussie golf is very familiar and makes for a wonderful golf vacation despite having to drag your clubs for the long haul.
Crocodile Warning
Mirage Country Club - Port Douglas, Australia
By the time you reach the entrance of Mirage Country Club, you have already noticed the difference in your grand surroundings. The staff and service make you feel like the highest delegate without all the pretentiousness found at most country clubs. The clubhouse has an ultra modern look to it with the pro shop being stuffed underneath, typical of all locations everywhere around the world I gather, this could be the old club professional in me talking of course. The staff is pleasant and warm, always cheery like the Aussie way. The course is familiarly flat with Bermuda grass being the choice of turf for all surfaces being neatly trimmed with little to no rough. The front nine winds around through a lush tropical rainforest with little to no trouble, except for the fact that the fairways are narrow. The landing areas are less than generous and most make that all, are surrounded by lateral hazards on both sides on the back nine. This would present a problem considering that on the very first hole there is a sign posted most prominently cautioning you of the dangers of standing near the edges as the course has many crocodiles. There are only a few blind tee shots, created by the growth of brush and not any blind second shots. Two holes play
parallel to the beach and the beach is in play, if you happen to stray that far off course. The course has the usual three sets of tees and measures 6261m from the back and the ladies tees measure 5197m. Course conditions very only slightly due to the fact that the climate change here is very small. The driving range is an aqua driving range with floater balls. It has aerators that look like small spinning paddle wheels that are very effective at keeping out the weeds. The golf shop manager, Kerrie Jamieson, told us that she tried everything for the weed control. She even introduced about “one hundred or so” in her words, of a “little creature that eats weeds, but the eels that live in the aqua range decided to eat the darn little things, so they packed their bags and headed to town, we had those things everywhere” that’s when she came up with the idea of the aerators. MCC has golf cars in the form of new Yamaha models complete with sand scoops and ice chests. Peter Thompson designed the 18 hole course with magnificent views of both the Coral Sea and the panoramic mountain range in the background. The layout also features an unusual six par 3’s, six par 4’s and six par 5’s. For more information on the Mirage Country Club go to www.miragecountryclub.com.au or send an email to info@miragecountryclub.com.au The Mirage Country Club is located in Port Douglas, Australia across from the Sheraton Mirage in northern Queensland.
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El Arish Country Club - Mission Beach, Queensland Australia
When we arrived at El Arish Country Club it had just finished misting rain, and the course was alive with a green wash more akin to the links of Ireland. “El A” ,as the locals call it, is not your ordinary Aussie course. EL A is a place where games are played and friends congregate like in the days gone by long ago. The clubhouse is large and spacious, obviously frequented by everyone that plays golf here. The day we played we were the first people to arrive, and this despite the fact that we got there at 12:30 in the afternoon. We were stunned when we grabbed the door and it was locked. We wondered out loud if we had misunderstood the conversation at the local pub a few nights before. We met some wonderful people and one gentleman in particular was a golfer and had invited us to join him at El A for a round. He explained that they had a Thursday game that ran all afternoon long and we were most certainly welcome. So there we were looking in disbelief as there was not one soul around. Not on the course or at the clubhouse, I mean no one period. We laughed at the thought that had we brought our clubs there was a drop box for you to sign up and drop your money in the box before you teed off. What a wonderful world and concept. I hadn’t witnessed a display of honesty by a pro shop since the good old days, back at Henryetta CC in Oklahoma since my youth. About the time we had convinced ourselves of a miscommunication on our part, a couple pulled in the gravel parking lot and got out of their car. The course might be open after all we thought, quickly realizing that they may have brought their own clubs and be familiar with the procedures. The gentleman unlocked the door, gave us a smile and invited us inside. After polite introductions we checked in and paid for a set of rental clubs for each of us. The clubs were familiar. The sets were made up of all the scraps from clubs long lost or in this case abandoned, with the newest club in each set being a metal driver from the early 80’s. The fact that each set had two wooden clubs and a matching putter direct from the local putt putt did not instill a whole lot of confidence in our games. Then it hit me. We had made one mistake…. We should definitely have brought our golf clubs. The course was relatively flat as a pancake and very easy to walk. We entered the local game more out of contributing to the fun rather than the thought of winning all the loot. After we played a few holes it began to mist, mist turned to drizzle, drizzle turned to rain and yet not a single person stopped playing. We gave up long ago trying to stay dry and it was fairly warm, so we stayed the course finishing in a driving rain that made it impossible to hit any quality shots. It was quite an experience and we ended up at a local pub around the corner and made more friends. The day turned into an pleasant event with new friends spinning great yarns about our triumphs over the venerable El Arish Country Club. Golf in Australia is all about the experience, with each course marching to their own drummer, “EL A” does a fine job making everyone feel like a local hero, no matter how far the golfers have traveled.
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