The Golf Club at Del Webb in Ave Maria, FL designed by Gordon G. Lewis.
My wife is the archetypal short hitter - a monster drive is 150 yards, fairway woods around 100 yards, elevation on shots maybe 10 yards - so most courses we go to are a slog for her. On 5,200 yard courses she rarely reaches a green in regulation, almost never is putting for par, and is always using a fairway wood for her second and third shots on any non-par 3 holes. So, we went to Ave Maria, at least partly based on the fact that the most forward tees were at 4,664 yards and that the pace of play standard of 4 hours was supposedly achieved by most players.
Well, my wife had her career round on the course, shooting 45 on the back nine for a total of 97 and including a birdie and two pars and putts for par on three or four other holes. There were even some par 4's where the second shot was with an iron and a par 5 that was reachable in three shots. She didn't stop smiling all day long - and, we finished in three hours and 50 minutes.
So, what design features made the course so accommodating for her? Well, it started with tees that presented the holes in the same fashion as tees further back and weren't an afterthought pimple in the side rough. The tees were sometimes RTJ-like strips, and sometimes were separate square pedestals that were properly oriented to the hole.
The course presented very wide fairway corridors (up to 70 yards wide). The width wasn't all that significant for her because she doesn't hit it that far, but it helped because the fairways were maintained very firm and fast. Even missed shots ran a long way, aided by the fact that they were running on fairway unless she really misdirected a shot. Many of the greens were open in front allowing for run up shots, which is good when you don't get a lot of elevation or carry on your shots. And, finally, the greens were relatively subtle in their contouring which helped minimize the three and four putts.
Now, for the purists who will say this is a dumbed down course for the geriatric Florida golf population, the tees stretch back to 7,532 yards, many of the landing areas for long hitters are pinched down to require some accuracy and the fast and firm fairways can get you off into trouble in a hurry despite their width. Although it will never be a top 100 course, it does deliver something that is all too rare, a course that can accommodate the short player while providing some challenge and interest for the longer, better player. Good on Gordon Lewis.
And, he designed in a decent biarritz green to boot.
