Where to play in Florida in February? All the courses are crowded, overpriced, and overhyped, right? Wrong. One must look no further than the Emerald Coast. Although this area is coined the "Redneck Riviera" by some, the secluded area along Highway 30A, most notably Seaside, contains little tourist activity at this time of year. The place to play, it seems, is Camp Creek. I had the pleasure of playing this gem twice over the past week, and I felt compelled to offer my opinion and analysis of the course.
Unlike most Florida courses, golf is the main event at Camp Creek. Part of the Arvida company's development, there are no homes on site. Rather, the golfer drives through dunes and love grass to reach the clubhouse, a small, shingled affair. It is quaint and offers all amenities needed in a public course.
The course itself is designed by Tom Fazio. I had previously seen only his renovation work, which I have a particular loathing for, and I was curious how his original design work would appear. It seems from this course that Fazio must be given a blank canvas to be successful. The Camp Creek layout involved great amounts of eathmoving, but the final product did not appear contrived in any manner.
The course starts with a fun but benign hole, a short four to ease the golfer in and give him aglimpse of what is ahead. The second hole (360 yards) is the first of a consecutive trio of stellar holes, with a large wetlands area in play to the left, creating a diagonal carry. Golfers are wont to stay right off this tee, but this leaves a terribly difficult angle over three large bunkers. A draw down the left leaves a straightforward approach.
Par fives with vexing second shots are somewhat of a novelty these days, but Camp Creek is blessed with three of them. The first comes at the third (540 yards), where a finger of lake cuts in from the right to guard the best angle to left and middle pins. However, as was the case the second day, the pin is sometimes cut on the green's right portion. Central greenside bunkers create a poor angle from the otherwise preferred left side, requiring the placement of the ball down the right side. Here, three bunkers are carved out of the hillside on the right, providing further predicaments for the second shot.
The fourth is the first hole the golf sees when entering the club, and it stimulates the golfer's senses. The hole is far more than eye candy, however. The player sees the lake down the left and thinks, "the angle must be horrid for the second shot, over the lake." The player therefore endeavors to drive to the right. The angle from here is worse than perceived. A wicked bunker slashes across the right half of the green's front, and a right-to-left slope encourages a quick hook into the lake. The correct line is now seen to be down the left, taking the greenside bunker out of play, giving room for manuevering. Like many holes here, it takes multiple rounds to discover its secrets.
The next few holes all offer their merits, but the next truly engaging challenge comes at the ninth, a 440 yard par four. Although the strategy is straightforward, mental and physical execution is put at a premium. The more water one takes the ball over, the shorter and better the angle is for the approach. Going right turns the hole into a three-shotter. Sucker strategy and brutal consequences. Fazio take one out of Dye's playbook here, and it pays off in a fine golf hole.
The back nine plunges into thick trees and Florida scrub for two holes, before reemerging at the windswept 12th hole. The key, as at the third, is the second shot. The hole is short, but it is difficult to reach due to a high plateau green with a wicked false front. A cavernous bunker stands sentinel on the right, meaning the best line is along the left-side lake. This isn't always fun to try, as no body wants to risk a six on a par five, but might be neccessary to gain a birdie.
The thirteenth and fourteenth are made special by the green complexes. The fairway bunkering at the 350 yard 13th is a bit overdone, but another high plateau of a green is surrounded by stepped-down bunkering, making a par save from around this green something special. The fourteenth is a peninsula green par three (lake on the right), where the green is divided by a ridge. The hole is exciting with a right-side pin, as the golfer can feed the ball to the hole or fire right at it. However, a ball on the wrong side of the ridge leaves a long and lightning fast putt. Any pars from this position are indeed special.
The course ventures back into the woods on the sixteenth, a long three with wetlands and waste to the right. The green is angled, and it is made great by a swale which crosses the center of the green, much like a Biarritz. Putting is interesting on this one, and the hole carries infinite variety in both tee and hole locations.
The penultimate hole at Camp Creek is the final par five, and a gem at that. Wonderful strategy comes from the massive fairway hazard placed on the right to guard the premier angle to the dance floor. The bunkers left of the green are also marvelous, but the real story is the Florida scrub bordering the hole. It is widely spaced at first, but it tightens up on the second, making the hole a bona fide card wrecker. Unlike many holes, it is soft to the eye and sharp to the touch.
I am still wrestling with the merits of the finishing hole. The lake dominates the right side in sight, but it seldom comes into play. Furthermore, the bunkering is confusing, and I fail to grasp its strategy. The original course plan shows the water jutting into the fairway, creating a heroic approach to the home green, but this was not realized in the design. Nevertheless, further rounds might yield the hole's secrets.
My overall impression is that Fazio has the ability to create some interesting stuff. The strategy is nearly endless, and the eye candy holes are much more than that. In general, the course is a great Florida public course, and it isn't crowded in the winter. A true exception to the rule.